“How come there are so many questions on the adoption application?”

“Why do I need to provide references?”

These are just a few of the questions shelters and rescue organizations get regarding a pet adoption process that some people consider annoying or even excessive.

The vast majority of potential adopters want to “do the right thing” by opening their hearts and homes to an animal in need.  And they may feel that since there are so many dogs and cats waiting for forever homes, shelters and rescue groups should be happy to give them the animal they want.

But the reality isn’t quite that simple.  Sometimes the animal they have their hearts set on may not, in the opinion of experienced adoption counselors, be one that will fit well into their lives.  For example, they may have a cat, and the dog they want has a high prey drive that could make their cat’s life miserable. Or they want a 3-month-old puppy although they are away from home 9 to 10 hours a day.

The goal of animal welfare organizations and rescue groups is not to make people jump through arbitrary hoops.  Rather, they want to make the best human/canine or human/feline match possible because they want it to be a lifelong relationship.  And the way they do that is by talking to prospective adopters, having them answer specific questions about their lifestyle and provide personal and veterinary references, and in some cases visiting their home.

The system isn’t perfect, and animals still get returned…some after a couple of months and some after years.  Reasons range from “the dog got too big and is jumping on our children” to “our daughter developed allergies to him,” to “she’s too much puppy for me.”

Such returns leave rescue organizations scrambling for kennel space or foster homes. And, of course, each returned animal takes a place that might have been given to another animal sitting somewhere on death row.

So…the next time you’re tempted to think that rescue groups and animal welfare organizations go overboard in their attempts to screen potential adopters, just remember that the more work that goes into the process up front, the more likely a perfect match will be made.  And that perfect match will mean not only a joyful relationship for you and your new family member, but also a second chance for an animal still waiting for his or her turn.

By Kate Orloski

As a survivor of Hurricane Katrina the impact on pets was overwhelming. The poem below is my own experience as it relates to both Katrina and other disasters that happen around the world.

I remember you in Mid-City
soaring through the neutral zone
ears flapping and tail wagging,
excited by our visit.
Not even a soft wind has met
you here in days.
I slow to catch you
as our escort turns the corner.
I rush to keep up, so soon after,
no exit without a badge.
Night falling you dart through
death and water and I lose you
in the city that care forgot.
I remember.

Now I think of your brethren.
In a different place they run and
leap through wreckage like you.
Like you in my dreams I catch them,
waking wet and warm I cry for you.
I remember.

The Simple Little Vegan Dog Book

This post is dedicated to one of our own Woofettes, Cindy, who LOVES her hounds! The recipe is from “The Simple Little Vegan Dog Book” by Michelle Rivera.

Yield 40 (2- 3″) biscuits

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup Vanilla soy creamer
• 1/4 cup carob chips melted
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F: Lightly oil 2 baking sheets.

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir until well combined to make a dough. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Roll half the dough on 1 of the baking sheets. Cut it into the shapes of your choice, then remove the surrounding dough. Roll and cut the remaining dough on the other baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off but do not remove the biscuits. Allow the biscuits to cool in the oven for 8 to 12 hours, until they are hard and crunchy.

Store in sealed containers or zipper-lock bags, Hound Dog Delights will keep for 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.

The Simple Little Vegan Dog Book, Cruelty Free Recipes for canines is available at The Big Bad Woof for $9.95

After catnip time.

By Jennifer Gallagher

My cats are junkies. One shake of the catnip tin, and I can barely get the lid off between smacks of their paws. They know where the tin lives, too, and will often spend hours trying to pry the cupboard doors open to get at their favorite treat. And how can I deny them? It’s so fun to watch them get loopy!

In a multiple cat household, though, we tend to go through a lot of catnip. And at $4 to $5 for a canister of the shredded stuff, a trip to the pet store can quickly get expensive. Did you know that with a small investment and a quick trip to your gardening store, you can grow your own? You’ll save money, have an endless supply, and you’ll be able to give your babies the “fresh stuff,” instead of dried flakes.

First, you’ll need a planter. I use a 12” plastic pot ($4.99 from my local nursery), and I suggest that you hang it, as the little buggers will swipe the first seedlings you have growing. Although it’s amusing to watch your cat drag a half-grown catnip plant down the hall – roots, dirt, and all – it doesn’t do much for your gardening endeavors.

Fill the planter with potting soil. Potting soil contains ingredients to keep the dirt loose, which is essential to growing herbs.

At this point, you have a choice. You can start your nip from seeds or, during the warmer months, you can get a plant already started from a nursery or garden store. One plant per pot is good, since the plant can grow up to two feet long.

If you decide to get a started plant, wet the soil in your pot, dig a little hole, and put in the new plant, along with the dirt it is growing in (squeeze the container to loosen the plant from its old home). Pack the dirt firmly around the new plant to eliminate air bubbles, and water it thoroughly. Keep the plant damp for the first two weeks or so so the roots can establish themselves in the new soil.

If you are starting from seeds, wet the soil in your pot and sprinkle five or six seeds on the surface. Cover them with a very light soil cover and dampen them with a mister bottle. Mist every day, keeping the soil moist, until you see little green shoots come up. Keep misting to keep the seedlings damp. Once your seedlings are about three inches tall, you will have to choose the strongest one or two and pluck out the others, because there won’t be room for all of them. Chances are, all the seeds won’t sprout, so you won’t have to make that many difficult choices!

While your plant is growing, water it every other day, but be sure not to soak it. Keep it in a sunny place (in front of a sunny window is good), and you should have a nice plant in no time.

Catnip leaves can be given to your cat “raw.” Just pluck a leaf or two and offer it to your kitty. Some cats will simply eat the leaves, while others will roll around on the floor with them. If your cat doesn’t respond right away, try crushing or breaking the leaf slightly to release the oil and aroma.

If your plant is getting out of hand, you can always dry some to save for later. Clip the longer branches and hang them upside-down in a cool, dry place for four to six weeks, until completely dry. Then clip into smaller pieces and save them in an airtight container out of the sun. I find that a mason jar works well. If you’re crafty, try putting some of the dried catnip, along with some stuffing, inside of an old sock and sewing the end shut. Instant cat toy!

Growing your own catnip can be a satisfying endeavor for both you and your kitties. As well as saving money, you have the gratification of knowing that you are giving your cats something you created yourself.

Photo taken January 2009

These are the days I miss you most in Rock Creek Park, with snow on the ground.

You were always like a shadow, silent and dark against the snow, with such joy and freedom expressed.

You taught me so much, and remind me – impermanence.

Bodhisattva

Nov 1998 – Oct 2009

My chocolate Labrador has a fierce protector in me when it comes to making sure he is happy and healthy. Massages, cooking his food, hydrotherapy are all activities that I have partaken in to ensure his health. Crazy – some may say, but as any animal lover knows animals are sentient beings and one look into the big soulful brown eyes of my chocolate lab is all the proof I need. But who proves to be protectors of the animals within our food system, our research laboratories, or entertainment industries?

The Animal Legal Defense Fund steps up to provide the legal defense of the rights of these animals. The right to a happy healthy life for an animal is pretty ambiguous and many would argue not a right at all. However, the ALDF is at the heart of defining what those rights are case after case.

• The illegal shooting of feral burros in California by the U.S. Navy was stopped by the ALDF and Animal Protection Institute (API) in 1981.
• They prevented the exportation of 71,500 rhesus monkeys from Bangladesh to the United States for medical and scientific research.
• They brought attention to the plight of factory farming veal calves, patenting genetically engineered farm animals, and using sick and disabled animals in the food supply.

They are also the leading defenders in animal cruelty cases, like the animal hoarding case in North Carolina where 300 dogs were found on the property of Barbara and Robert Woodley. These are just some of the cases that ALDF has worked on in the past thirty years – there are many more. They are a tireless organization working in defense of animals and I encourage you to visit their website and learn more about them.

To be updated about their ongoing cases, click here.