Maddie's Matchmaker Adoptathon

By: Cheryl Palange

How much is that doggie in the window? This weekend, the answer was “nothing.” Thanks to the generosity of Dave and Cheryl Duffield of http://www.maddiesfund.org/ and http://www.maddiesadoptathon.org who pledged $2 million to save 2,000 pets across more than 40 shelters in a single weekend, we were able to place 88 lucky kittens, cats and dogs in their new forever homes. Last year we placed 56 in two days, which we surpassed by four o’clock on day one this year.

Adoptions were free to families adopting animals during the event. Maddie’s Fund will pay each shelter or rescue group $500 for every dog/cat adopted. And to make sure no pet is left behind; $1000 will be given for every adoption of a senior or treatable pet and $1500 for every adoption of a senior pet with a medical condition. VHS anticipates receiving $45,000 from this year’s event.

The unseasonable June storm didn’t damper our spirits or enthusiasm on what turned out to be an incredible weekend to debut our beautiful, new facility to the public. VHS held adoptions at our new facility as well as at Stoneridge Mall with several other rescue groups. Rescue organizations with kittens, cats and dogs were located in the mall’s center court and proved to be at least as popular as Santa and his elves at the holiday.

The kittens were very popular and were scooped up quickly. Other notable rescues for the weekend include:

• Phoebe – a senior kitty who was adopted from VHS about 5 years ago, but returned recently after losing her owner to cancer. Roberta lives on her own and had been looking for a kitty to keep her company for quite some time. Congratulations to Phoebe and Roberta… we wish them a lifetime of happiness together! You can read more of Phoebe’s story here.

• Sarabi and Pumba – Rescued from the county shelter, our “Lion King” 1-year old Calico mom and 7 week old son were adopted together Sunday afternoon. We are always thrilled to see moms adopted, and more so when they get to go home with one of their babies.

• Rosco – a striking 6-year old purebred Coon Hound who came to us from East County after escaping from his original home one time too many. This handsome guy was a center favorite because of his mellow personality and unmistakable howls. He went home Sunday with the Ricafuente family who pledged to give him plenty of room to roam and use that incredible nose.

• Apollo- a 4 year old orange tabby who was long overdue for a home. When he was surrendered to us late October, we thought he would get adopted quickly due to his kind demeanor. As time kept moving forward, we were not sure why he was still here. During the Adoptathon, he waited patiently in a cardboard carry away box until his family came Sunday looking for a cat that fit his personality perfectly.

• Pluto – a shy and sweet 6-month old poodle mix rescued from East County Animal Shelter a few months ago. This little guy was flea infested when we got him, but cleaned up beautifully in the care of our wonderful volunteers. Pluto was adopted by his foster mom, Kathy.

We couldn’t have done it without the nearly 150 volunteers who generously gave of their time to help the weekend run smoothly. Visit our Facebook page by clicking here. From the many greeters, runners, front office helpers, kitty city, doggie drive, adoption processors and everyone else who helped… thank you so much! This weekend would not have been the success it was without all of you.

No Place to Call Home

Phoebe was not ready to come back to the shelter when she did. She had such a perfect life where she was and she had no clue what was happening to her. About four years ago, we rescued a five year old cat named Jellybean from impending euthanasia at a local county shelter. She was all black and was a bit shy. When we rescued her, we did not know what a special cat she would be. As she sat in our adoptable cat room, nobody ever paid any attention to her; instead, visitors went straight to the kittens and the younger, “better” looking cats. The stress of not being in a home caused Jellybean to sit in her kennel and pull out chunks of her hair. Although we gave her some medicine to help her be a bit less stressed, it did not seem to help. One volunteer saw the hurt in Jellybean’s eyes and could not stand it anymore. That day was probably the best day of Jellybean’s life. Volunteer Susan took Jellybean home to a warm, caring, and comforting environment. Her first day at home, Susan renamed her Phoebe as it fit her personality better. Susan was a regular volunteer, which meant that we got updates at the center daily on how she was doing. We loved the stories she told us and listened attentively. Phoebe lived happily and quietly in Susan’s home for almost five years. Her peaceful life changed suddenly one day when Susan was diagnosed with cancer.

All of Susan’s family lived out of state and Phoebe had nowhere to go while her mom was in the hospital. While we waited patiently for Susan’s recovery, Phoebe spent time in an extra office at Valley Humane Society. But, when we needed the office, she would go back and forth between foster homes. Not only was this stressful for her, but it was hard for Susan to know that her kitty was being transferred from home to home. The hair pulling problem quickly started again, and we all just wanted Phoebe to feel better. Every once in a while when Susan was feeling okay, she would go and visit Phoebe wherever she was at. One day, we got the phone call that we had been dreading for so long. After a long battle, Susan had passed away from cancer. This left Phoebe homeless and she never got to say her final goodbyes to her mom. Poor Phoebe was a ten year old kitty with no place to go. We took her back into our adoption program here at the center where she has been for over four months. Just like before, everybody passes her by and goes to look at the young and the playful.

Phoebe is a delightful cat with so much love to give. She greets visitors when they walk into our adoptable cat room and enjoys laying out in the sunshine with a person there talking to her gently or petting her. Although she is ten, that does not mean that she has a short life left. Most cats can live up to twenty years, which means she is only half way done living her life. She would make the perfect addition to your home and would provide you many years of love and comfort. Although we do everything we can here to comfort her, nothing is better than a “fur-ever” home.

Blog Birthday

Hello everybody,

This Sunday, the blog will be celebrating it's second birthday. Can you believe that? I know I sure can't.

It's been a swell two years. Hopefully these stories have intrigued your interest in Valley Humane and I hope to continue writing great things for everybody to read.

If there is something related to VHS you would like me to write about, please let me know in the comments or by emailing me at mbonnel@valleyhumane.org

Thanks everybody!

Pleasanton Patch

Hello all! I was asked to start blogging with the Pleasanton Patch and I wanted to share my first post with you too!

Here it is:

My name is Melissa and I work for Valley Humane Society, Pleasanton's very own no-kill animal center. I started at Valley Humane Society when I first attended a new volunteer orientation in October of 2007. From the first time I stepped in the door, I felt the warm energy and knew I belonged! Animals were always my passion, and now I had a place to share my love for our feline and canine companions. When I began, I volunteered with the Care & Comfort Team where I cleaned up after and fed kitties once a week. Every Thursday I came in and worked with two loyal volunteers, Sharon and Susan. Quickly, we all became friends and I knew that I never wanted to leave! Soon after starting, I was offered an opportunity to take our "Pet of the Week" onto local TV30 every Thursday. I jumped at the chance! Every Thursday from November 2007 until July 2008, when the news program's budget was cut, I took a new kitty on local TV. From this, my passion for the organization only grew. After a short time helping out at our summer camp, Critter Camp, I was offered a job as an 'Animal Care Assistant'.

I still remember my first day "on the job". When I was handed a key to our modular and began training, I felt so proud and so happy to be helping hundreds of orphaned animals. As the months grew on, I became more and more involved with VHS and consistently wanted the best for us. At school, I would pass out flyers or pass on the word about what we do in hopes other people would understand. In February of 2010, VHS got its first big chance, when the Board of Directors and senior staff decided that we were able to start building a real facility. This real facility would be able to house plenty more cats and we would finally be able to accommodate and house dogs! As the days passed on, I caught myself dreaming about the new facility, and envisioning myself sitting in it, and saving more and more lives!

In August of 2010, construction began. I began a photo documentary of the move and now have posted those photos on the Valley Humane Society Facebook page. The photos can be found here. The construction process was long, but it was so worth it. About one month ago, the construction crew finished up. Although we are still not moved in, we have began slowly moving in boxes and some miscellaneous items. Just today, we moved cabinets out of the modular we are in now into the storage room in the new facility. We also have our current work room all packed up and ready to move next door! Currently, we are gearing up for the Maddie’s Fund Adoptathon, and we could not be more excited!

In this blog, I will be able to update you on current VHS happenings and events. I cannot be more excited to share my stories and reflections with an organization that I am so fond of and proud of. Thank you everybody!