Sep 7, 2016
Have you ever taken a break from something you never really wanted a break from? When we adopted Gracie Lou we went on a mandatory foster break… we just didn’t have the room. Now we’re renting a house from the best landlords in the world and we’ve got a dedicated foster room that’s currently crawling with kittens! So glad this break is finally over!
A skinny, super-friendly tabby was found wandering the parking lot at Mid Hudson Animal Aid, her five kittens were left on the side of the road nearby, all closed up in a plastic bin with some air holes cut out of the lid. The shelter staff estimated the kittens were only two days old, and that their mother was barely an adult cat herself at only one year old. All six of them were covered in fleas.
Momma cat was named Quinoa, and the kittens were dubbed Wheat, Spelt, Rye, Millet, and Barley. I’ve taken to calling them The Grainy Bunch.
Quinoa was treated with an oral medication that would safely rid her of the fleas without harming her babies. The kittens were all given baths in Dawn dish soap, which is the only safe option for such young kittens.
I got the email on a Friday morning. I’d been craving kittens for so long, but we weren’t planning on fostering until September. Nick and I had a trip planned for the last week in August and our crew of four is enough for my friend/pet sitter to handle. The shelter was already overflowing with cats because of an emergency situation that brought them 50 cats on top of their usual residents, so despite the inconvenience of our trip we’d still be buying them some time to find another foster parent. I was thrilled to go pick them up later that same day.
As the time for our vacation drew nearer I was getting sad about leaving them… I assumed the next foster parent would want to keep them through adoption. When I found out I was getting them back, I’d never been happier to be wrong!
The Grainy Bunch came back this past Sunday and kitten growth never ceases to amaze me; I swear they’ve doubled in size since last week!
All the photos here are at 3 weeks old, and it’s impossible to keep up. If you want to see their newborn photos, I posted them in the notes for one of my recent podcast episodes. If you’re into kittens you’ll probably like my podcast too, so check it out.
It’ll still be a few weeks before Quinoa and the rest of the grainy crew go up for adoption, but kittens go quick, so if you’re interested in adopting get your applications in at Mid Hudson Animal Aid ASAP. It takes time for applications to get processed and pre-approved adopters will get first pick.
P.S. Please feel free to share this post or any of the photos on your social media feeds. Thanks for any help you can give in finding these cutie patooties a home!
May 25, 2015
The Idea
Have you ever had an idea that you couldn’t empty from your mind? What was once just a passing thought soon turned into an all-out obsession? Then maybe you continue to push it away; it’s impossible, it’s out of your comfort zone, someone else should do it. Until that thought plagues you for so long you realize it’s not going anywhere, and the only way to get rid of it is to make it happen, as Nike would say, “Just Do It.”
That idea for me is My Rescue Rocks.
A Story About Fear
It was fear that kept it locked up for nearly a year. I flash back to my LGBT class in college, when Ester called me to the front of the room to read my essay. Maybe I wrote an excellent essay, but being the only heterosexual girl in the class, I never expected to be put in the spotlight for my perspective. As it shook in my hands, my paper made more noise than my meek, stuttering voice did. Ester stopped me, told me everything was ok, and to relax, but pointing out my anxiety just intensified it; I read faster and shook even more. It’s easy for me to write, but ask me to read what I’ve just written aloud to crowd of strangers and prey instinct takes over.
When I did my first test recording, just me and the mic, my finger froze above the record button. Even though I knew no one would ever hear it, I still had to coax myself to speak. The reality of “I’m actually doing this” overwhelmed me all at once and, as if an elephant were standing on my chest, I couldn’t breathe.
Little by little, I’m getting over it. These moments of fear may seem unbearable in the moment, but once I’m past it, it’s over, and I’m still alive. The only way past fear is straight through it and, now, I’m determined to come out on the other side.
Excuses to Fight the Fear
From a broad perspective, fear is just another excuse to run. So I just need a more important excuse to keep walking forward, and I have plenty of them:
- Innocent animals are killed everyday and many animal lovers are totally oblivious to the facts.
- Telling stories is the most powerful way to make a connection with people and spread ideas.
- Hearing a story, first-hand from the source, is even more powerful than reading it second-hand.
- Very few people have extra time to read these days, and more people are turning to audio for entertainment.
- I know too many people with amazing rescue stories that NEED to be told.
- Sharing these stories can inspire more people to support rescue, seek change, and save more lives.
Something Much Scarier
I look at my Gracie Lou lounging on the bed, I pat her pink belly, stroke her soft fur, and think about all the other dogs that weren’t as lucky as her. My imagination puts her back in the shelter, walking down a cold, cement-floored corridor towards a room full of strangers intending to steal her life. I want to cry, but I bring myself back into reality and envelop my dog in a hug, grateful to have her. She picks her head up and licks my nose, and I know she’s grateful to have me too.
The thought of Gracie’s right to live and love being snatched away from her is much scarier than talking into a mic. That’s all the excuse I need.
My Rescue Rocks, the podcast featuring stories about love, tragedy, and survival, will launch this summer! Get on the listener’s list to be notified when the first stories are available to download.
If you have your own rescue story to share please don’t hesitate to submit it here: rescue story submissions.
Join the Listener’s List OR Share Your Rescue Story
Mar 30, 2015
My girl’s most recent doggie photo shoot.
Gracie was curled up on the couch, probably exhausted from the trip, and confused about why she was in a room with strangers. She was such a sweet angel, my birthday foster, and just minutes after we got her home we were about to lose her.
Gracie was no one’s first choice as a foster dog, much less a forever dog. She had been in foster care for 9 months and her foster mommy was unable to continue caring for her. Karuna Bully Rescue decided Gracie’s rehoming was a priority and froze all rescue intake until the situation was resolved. The problem was, this girl required some extra care, she had a bad case of anxiety.
A few days earlier I had decided I was ready to start fostering again. It was either foster Gracie, or go through the long process of being approved by another rescue. So, being the impatient person that I am, I decided to inquire about her. She was fearful of men and unfamiliar dogs, and usually reacted loudly to close contact with them.
I remember scrolling through her photos, her ears looked different in every shot. Sometimes they were floppy curious, other times one stood up like she was part radar device; they were very animated and quickly became my favorite thing about her.
When I told Nick about her he agreed to take on the challenge with me. Nick is a go-with-the-flow kinda guy, so I knew he’d be on board, just like I knew Gracie would not have any man-hate issues with him; animals just naturally trust Nick, it’s a gift he has. Nevertheless, we both went to meet Gracie, just in case.
It was only 50 degrees, but in March that may as well be summer. It felt amazing to be outside in nothing but a hoodie. A cool breeze came in off the Long Island Sound and the few clouds in the sky soared over our heads as we got out of the car.
Jen was sitting up against a tree on the grass, and Gracie sat in between her legs. Two of Jen’s friends came along too, and they sat on each side of her.
Gracie wasn’t ecstatic to meet us, but she didn’t freak out either, and she gladly took our treats. Nick and I sat down in the grass and completed the circle surrounding Gracie.
We all hung out for a couple of hours. Jen showed me a tube of cream cheese and explained how she used it to instantly reward Gracie as soon as she sees something scary. Gracie only barked once while we were in the park, it was at a guy about 100 feet away. It wasn’t bad, or crazy, nothing like what I expected from what everyone had prepared me for. This would be easy!
Jen started loading bags and bags of Gracie’s things into the back of our car. Blankets, toys, a brand new bag of food, and finally she led Gracie onto the back seat. I felt a rush of excitement that everything had worked out, and we were getting a new doggie to play with.
As I watched Jen hug and kiss her longest foster dog goodbye, though, a pang of guilt swept over me. As a foster mom who has cried over giving up every one of my dogs and cats, even one who was with me for less than two weeks, I knew the pain she was going through.
Gracie Lou snuggled up on this very comfy set.
Gracie was quiet the entire way home. She laid on the back seat, head between her paws, sad eyes glancing up at us. We soon discovered she was the silent and deadly type… her nervousness came out in gas form and we had to keep the windows cracked for most of the trip.
When we got home it was time for kitty introductions. Callie immediately ran to a high shelf to watch her braver sibling, George, approach the new beast. Gracie stared intently at George, drooled, and smacked her lips. For the first time ever, I was terrified that my new foster dog was envisioning a snack in my cat. Everyone had assured me that she was good with cats, but I never loosened my grip on her leash.
A little while later, the cats were hidden away and Gracie was curled up on the couch. Looking at her there, I couldn’t imagine why this sweet girl hadn’t been adopted yet. Her problems didn’t seem so bad.
That’s when I got the text: someone wanted to adopt Gracie.
“Nooooo!” The voice in my head screamed, “she just got here!”
After all the discussions, preparations, and the trip out to get her and bring her home, now suddenly someone was interested?!
Luckily, after all was thought over, everyone agreed to let Gracie settle in with us. We all knew she didn’t need the extra stress of yet another move so soon. The potential adopter never reappeared and Gracie got a chance to do more than settle in.
Around the house I kept her leash on for the first two weeks, I wasn’t 100% convinced that she wouldn’t eat the cats. Not until Callie swatted Gracie on the nose one day when she got too close, and Gracie jumped back 5 feet and whimpered. Turned out Gracie was more afraid of the kitties then they were of her.
I started to take her on long walks around the lake I live on. Armed with a bag of cubed mozzarella cheese and roast beef we set out to get Gracie Lou socialized in the neighborhood
It wasn’t long before we came across another dog; I knew she was going to react, but I was not prepared for how intense her fear actually was. There was no time to give her tasty treats when she went off. Barking, lunging, and yanking me toward the other dog, all I could do was hold onto her, and scream my apologies at the wide-eyed man walking his black lab.
I talked to Jen and Liz, my amazing foster coach, at Karuna Bully. They gave me tips and advice. Liz even sent me a training book (Click to Calm by Emma Parsons) and set me up with a local trainer on behalf of the rescue.
Gracie’s favorite toy is this ball she found on the side of the road during one of our walks and brought home. “Ok I posed for the camera, Dad, can we play ball now?”
Even with all the help, though, I started to feel desperate for her adoption day. Things didn’t seem to be getting better, her reactions were getting worse, and I suspected they had a lot to do with my own fear.
When we met with Ali, a local trainer and rescue-mom extraordinaire, a strange thing happened: Gracie didn’t react once. Not one time. Not to any of the three dogs Ali brought out of her car. Not from far away and not even from 5 feet away. This is literally the only experience I’ve ever had of her meeting new dogs calmly.
I started getting up earlier for our walks, but surprises always turned up that neither Gracie nor I could deal with. A new dog I’d never seen would turn a corner and she’d go berserk. Then one day she reacted to a woman, making my caution bar go up another notch. She was terrified of bicycles, and motorcycles, and random cars too.
Our walks got shorter as I decided it was not fair to try and train her with unsuspecting strangers. I enrolled her in a reactive dog class, but it only lasted a few weeks before it stopped running, and I learned to keep Gracie close to home.
Even through all of these struggles, though, Nick and I were falling deeply in love with her. Maybe it was the way she climbed onto us to snuggle. Or the way her kisses to the nose and ear lobes often turned into gentle pibble nibbles.
Maybe it’s the fact that she needs both Nick and I home in order to play with her toys, just one of us won’t do. When our family is complete, though, she’ll often bring a toy up to us and push it into our hands until we agree to tug on it. She’s adorably insistent.
It was six months later when we decided she was already home. After having her for so long we realized that if anyone tried to adopt her we would most likely end up disappointing them… so we didn’t let it get that far.
And here she is, on the day we decided to officially adopt her, right in between us… which is her favorite place. “I can has middle?”
I can’t believe it’s been two years since we brought her home. Happy Gotcha Day, little pibble.
Obviously, her story isn’t over. We still have challenges to overcome, and I’ve just been avoiding the problem for too long now.
Sometimes I still wish I could have adopted any one of my previous fosters. I would walk around the lake everyday and each one of them was always so happy to greet everyone from dogs to people. Then I realize they all had their own problems… no one’s perfect and this goes for dogs too.
Gracie’s already overcome so much. The first time I ran the vacuum, she was so terrified she went into a corner and peed. (Which, I’m proud to say, is the only accident she’s ever had!) With 2 or 3 training sessions, though, the vacuum became her pal and she now follows it around the house, tail wagging, hoping it’ll spit out some treats.
She would barely let me touch her feet when she first got here. We had to work up to it, but now I can give her a full pedi in one sitting!
These little successes give me hope that Gracie can overcome any fear she has. So now it’s time to address my own fears and get involved with a trainer.
I have successfully introduced her to dogs before, the problem is that it’s a slow process, and I can’t just walk right up to new dogs with any measure of success. My ultimate goal would be for Gracie and I to get up to the point where we can just pass other dogs calmly on the opposite side of the street.
Time to stop talking and do it, which is part of the reason why I’m putting this story out here. Now that you know what I should be doing, it gives me a stronger sense of obligation.
Like I said earlier, I don’t want to practice on unsuspecting passers-by, but I want to introduce Gracie to as many dogs as possible. If you want to help, you have a relatively calm dog, and you live in Putnam or Westchester County please get in touch with me. Gracie and I would really appreciate your help!
Dec 3, 2014 |
He was wide-eyed, his mouth opened a tad more than necessary to express his disbelief, and I was thinking if there was a strait jacket nearby, he would gladly wrap me up in it and deliver me to the nearest asylum. He was the new manager at my friend’s condo development and he was trying to sell me on a lease.
“Sorry, I couldn’t move here,” I said, “you don’t allow pets.”
“Oh, well we’re going to be changing that policy soon,” he replied with a big smile, “what kind of pet do you have?”
“Two cats, a bird, and a dog.” I said, and that’s when I got the ‘ooo-kkkkay crazy lady’ look and that was the end of that conversation.
If you have 3 or more pets I’m sure someone has given you that look before. It’s the same look I give people when they tell me they have 3 or more kids, ha ha, we all judge based on our own level of tolerance.
I can’t imagine how many times Darcy has gotten this look, even I was guilty of the same shock when she booked her first photo session with me last year. Now, I have to publicly apologize because this lady takes better care of her furbabies than most people do of their 2-legged children!
Walking into Darcy’s immaculate house sends a different kind of shock pulsing through me; I am a total friggin’ slob, I think, there are 3x as many pets here but I could eat off of this floor!
Ruffles was the star of our photo session. Just look at the smile on her face as she looks up at her mommy – it’s beyond obvious that she adores Darcy. At 11 years old she still has the energy to run across the ginormous yard at top speed.
Left: Ruffles with a big ole smile Right: Ruffles running to her favorite person
Holly the ham never frowns at my camera, she always gives me that happy grin… I’m sure the treats don’t hurt though!
Holly hamming it up for the camera.
Candy and Spike, the shepherd siblings, are always face-first in the snow. These two really crack me up! While Candy is busy circling trees, Spike is bouncing around the yard like a jackrabbit. Until you throw Spike’s “baby,” then it’s a race through the snow and an invitation to play.
Left: Candy poses with Darcy Right: Spike stops his snow sniffing for a cookie
Pooh Bear is Darcy’s constant companion – wherever she is, he better be able to follow! Even if the snow is taller than he is, he. will. make it.
Last, but certainly not least, is Rocky. He’s the handsome shorty with all the muscles. This boy has a mouth like a manatee; you wouldn’t even know he has teeth when you give him a treat. Squeezing those cheeks again is high on my list of priorities!
Left: Rocky patiently waiting for his next cookie Right: Pooh Bear treks through snow taller than him
(Oh and P.S. all of these dogs are rescued, even the “purebreds.” So I don’t want to hear any more excuses about why you bought your pet, k? Darcy, you are my hero.)
Nov 3, 2013
I met Aimee Cunningham at Pets Alive last year when I first started photographing the adoptable dogs. She brought Lexi to the 1st Annual Tail Wagger Dog Walk, and when they stopped by my booth for photos I could tell they were totally in love with each other. I think this photo speaks on my behalf =)
I also had the wonderful opportunity to photograph both Lexi, and her brother Ivan some months later. I’m particularly drawn to pit bull rescues, simply because they always seem to be overpopulating the “urgent” lists, and Lexi is the perfect ambassador for her breed. So, naturally, I’m just thrilled that Aimee agreed to share her story with us!
Aimee writes:
I began volunteering at Pets Alive in November 2010, basically to fill my need to love and get love from dogs. My husband is in the K9 unit for our city’s police department and while our K9, Ivan, is a wonderful, protective and very obedient dog, he is not a cuddly, snuggly dog so I decided to volunteer in order to get that loving and cuddling.
I had no intention of adopting. But it didn’t take long for me to want to bring another dog into our lives and home. I love Pets Alive, but every weekend when I would go and walk dogs and then leave, a little piece of my heart would break. So a few months later, we made the decision that we would adopt.
I was still getting to know the dogs there and wasn’t sure what dog would be a good fit for our family so I asked one of the more seasoned volunteers if she had any suggestions. She immediately said “Snoopy.” I knew who Snoopy was but never really interacted with her because at Pets Alive she was paired up with Bonesy, a dog who had some trust issues and was weary of strangers, so it didn’t make it easy to interact with Snoopy. Despite that when I would go to Pets Alive, I would have one of the staff get Snoopy out for me so I could spend time with her. I would go out there late nights to do the same.
Finally one weekend I had my husband come with me to meet her and his impression was that “she’s a pretty cool dog.” We decided to do an intro with Ivan the following weekend. It went ok, but not as good as I had hoped. Snoopy seemed scared, Ivan seemed grouchy, and I was upset.
My husband told me, “it will take some time, this doesn’t happen overnight.” So for the next 4 to 5 weekends we brought Ivan and spent time with Snoopy. Finally the staff joked with me “WHAT is it going to take for you to take her overnight???” So we did.
I went and picked Snoopy up on a Thursday for an overnight. The first few minutes at home were nerve racking for me but the dogs did well together. We all had a great night. I was getting ready to bring her back the next day when my husband said “What do we have to do to keep her overnight again?”
I made a phone call to Pets Alive and they told me sure keep her one more night. The second night was way better than the first and the next question I got was, “Soooo what do we have to do to just adopt this dog?” So I made another phone call and later that Saturday brought Snoopy back to Pets Alive to make her adoption official. I always joke she’s the dog we brought home for a night and never brought back!
The past 2 1/2 years with Snoopy, now renamed Lexi, have been spectacular. She has taught us ALL about unconditional love, how to enjoy life and how to be yourself. She was originally rescued from Pets Alive from a hoarder in West Virginia where she lived tied to a chain outside with no bed and food literally thrown on the ground. When I think about the life she had it makes me so sad, but when I think about the life she now has it makes me so happy.
The staff and volunteers at Pets Alive were nothing short of amazing helping to shape Lexi into the dog she is today and with their patience and understanding of us while we were trying things out. It may sound silly to say but other dog lovers will understand, I can’t imagine my life without this dog in it.
As a side note, after we adopted Lexi, I became “friends” with her former roommate Bonesy, we ended up having a wonderful bond.
You can find out more about the wonderful organization that brought Aimee and Lexi together on the Pets Alive website and don’t forget to like Pets Alive on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
If you have a rescue story you’d like to share as a guest on my blog please email your story to BekahAura@gmail.com for consideration.
