Miss-Delectable
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http://www.insidebayarea.com/bayarealiving/ci_3359710
DAVID LETTERMAN does it, Mr. Blackwell does it. So we'll get on the bandwagon and share with you our Top Ten Best Adoption Stories of 2005:
10. Cola. True to his breed, this 4-year-old Australian cattle dog was a handful, made greater by his being deaf. His second stint in the shelter lasted 11 long months. It's tough to teach a dog who can't hear and it's not the kind of challenge most prospective adopters are up for. But Cola found his way to a family who appreciates the intensity with which a deaf dog pays attention to his handler.
9. & 8. Maxx & Kiba. Maxx was adopted and returned. Despite great assistance from the shelter staff, the earnest adopters couldn't successfully manage his anxiety-produced destructive behavior. But their efforts with Maxx were admirable, and we were happy to help them adopt a frisky husky named Kiba. They've become model dog owners, training Kiba to be an exceptionally well-behaved adolescent. A smitten staff member then adopted Maxx.
7. Talia. Best known for our Cafe Press T-shirt featuring her wearing a superhero's cape, our first Official Shelter Cat was adopted to a home where, finally, she wasn't required to meet annoying new dogs on a daily basis as she had to do at the shelter.
6. Big Poppa & Matika. These two chubby tuxedo cats get the sixth spot because they were adopted together. Large cats can be tough to place. Discrimination runs high and these two needed to go as a pair. They curled up with each other every night at the shelter, and going home without the other would have been cruel. They now curl up together in San Ramon.
5. Wendy. She was a beautiful Australian shepherd with a pure white coat and an even more pure demeanor. Despite an awkward gait, she won over hearts both in the shelter and with her new family. Unfortunately, her awkward gait proved to be because of an incurable degenerative disease and she had to be put to sleep.
4. Tater. You read about Tater in this column Dec. 3. An unusual little dog who also stayed with us far too long. But like all unusual little dogs, she found the perfect home.
3. Rhoda. This was the skittish, homeless mother cat found underneath a home with a litter of baby kittens. Her five kittens were not unusual; they were among the more than 1,500 kittens we raised in foster homes this year. But it's not often that we can help an outdoor adult cat become comfortable inside a home. They are usually too accustomed to being outdoors to ever warm up to people.
2. Katie. She came to us nursing puppies that were quickly adopted, but she stayed for a long time before being successfully placed. In the interest of full disclosure, we make sure that any new home knows everything we do about an animal and Katie had some behavior issues that made most homes a poor fit. We don't believe in "outdoor" dogs but a potential adopter had a special outdoor situation that we were willing to try and it's been a fantastic match.
1. Ray. A blind, 80-pound Shar-Pei showed up lost at a local preschool and was regularly draped with toddlers where he demonstrated his rock-solid temperament. With no owners forthcoming, he was transferred to us to find a new home. We named him after Ray Charles. He stumbled around for months before the right home came along. Want an old, large dog, who can't see and who is too big to move? A wonderful Livermore family did, and their commitment to Ray earns this adoption the top spot in our list.
Paws to Consider is written by the staff at the Oakland SPCA, a facility of the East Bay SPCA. For more information visit http://www.eastbayspca.org/blog Comments may be sent to info@eastbayspca.org or EBSPCA, 8323 Baldwin St., Oakland, 94621.
DAVID LETTERMAN does it, Mr. Blackwell does it. So we'll get on the bandwagon and share with you our Top Ten Best Adoption Stories of 2005:
10. Cola. True to his breed, this 4-year-old Australian cattle dog was a handful, made greater by his being deaf. His second stint in the shelter lasted 11 long months. It's tough to teach a dog who can't hear and it's not the kind of challenge most prospective adopters are up for. But Cola found his way to a family who appreciates the intensity with which a deaf dog pays attention to his handler.
9. & 8. Maxx & Kiba. Maxx was adopted and returned. Despite great assistance from the shelter staff, the earnest adopters couldn't successfully manage his anxiety-produced destructive behavior. But their efforts with Maxx were admirable, and we were happy to help them adopt a frisky husky named Kiba. They've become model dog owners, training Kiba to be an exceptionally well-behaved adolescent. A smitten staff member then adopted Maxx.
7. Talia. Best known for our Cafe Press T-shirt featuring her wearing a superhero's cape, our first Official Shelter Cat was adopted to a home where, finally, she wasn't required to meet annoying new dogs on a daily basis as she had to do at the shelter.
6. Big Poppa & Matika. These two chubby tuxedo cats get the sixth spot because they were adopted together. Large cats can be tough to place. Discrimination runs high and these two needed to go as a pair. They curled up with each other every night at the shelter, and going home without the other would have been cruel. They now curl up together in San Ramon.
5. Wendy. She was a beautiful Australian shepherd with a pure white coat and an even more pure demeanor. Despite an awkward gait, she won over hearts both in the shelter and with her new family. Unfortunately, her awkward gait proved to be because of an incurable degenerative disease and she had to be put to sleep.
4. Tater. You read about Tater in this column Dec. 3. An unusual little dog who also stayed with us far too long. But like all unusual little dogs, she found the perfect home.
3. Rhoda. This was the skittish, homeless mother cat found underneath a home with a litter of baby kittens. Her five kittens were not unusual; they were among the more than 1,500 kittens we raised in foster homes this year. But it's not often that we can help an outdoor adult cat become comfortable inside a home. They are usually too accustomed to being outdoors to ever warm up to people.
2. Katie. She came to us nursing puppies that were quickly adopted, but she stayed for a long time before being successfully placed. In the interest of full disclosure, we make sure that any new home knows everything we do about an animal and Katie had some behavior issues that made most homes a poor fit. We don't believe in "outdoor" dogs but a potential adopter had a special outdoor situation that we were willing to try and it's been a fantastic match.
1. Ray. A blind, 80-pound Shar-Pei showed up lost at a local preschool and was regularly draped with toddlers where he demonstrated his rock-solid temperament. With no owners forthcoming, he was transferred to us to find a new home. We named him after Ray Charles. He stumbled around for months before the right home came along. Want an old, large dog, who can't see and who is too big to move? A wonderful Livermore family did, and their commitment to Ray earns this adoption the top spot in our list.
Paws to Consider is written by the staff at the Oakland SPCA, a facility of the East Bay SPCA. For more information visit http://www.eastbayspca.org/blog Comments may be sent to info@eastbayspca.org or EBSPCA, 8323 Baldwin St., Oakland, 94621.