Homeless, Sheba’s ‘tale’ wags on
By Christine Cowett Robinson
Special to the Star-Herald
I was watching TV the other night with my family and Sarah McLachlan was on with her advertisement for the ASPCA. They have done an amazing job with marketing; it touched my heart. I looked around my living room and I was not the only one with tears in my eyes. Those sad faces, so lost… I just wanted to break down and cry or scream “How unfair!” But then I thought, “I see these faces ever day, they are right here in our own animal shelter and yes it is unfair.”
Photo courtesy of Christine Robinson
STUDENTS MAKE DONATION — THE pre-school morning class from Fort Fairfield recently visited the Central Aroostook Humane Society in Presque Isle, bringing gifts for the animals. The children learned that the shelter is for animals that do not have homes. They learned what things the people at the shelter have to do to take care of the animals and people come there to adopt them and give them a home. This is a great learning opportunity for the children. It teaches them how pets are cared for and the importance of the shelter for animals that do not have a home. The parents were very generous in their donations of food, paper towels, blankets, treats, toys, and newspapers. Pictured in front is Aubrey Elmore. Kneeling from left are: Sydney Young, Hannah Alley, Austin Fuller, Kassidy Dougherty and Lydia Gorneault. In back: Abbigayle Pierlioni, Matthew Webb, Micah Daigle, Timmy Toomey, Abhi Alley, Dylan Tilley, Ava Sullivan and Timothy Fuller.
The ASPCA is national; they are a huge organization and they ask for donations all around the country, touching people in their homes. Unfortunately, the Central Aroostook Humane Society does not have a budget for such things; I can’t even imagine what that kind of advertising would cost. We do not have a paid ACO; we don’t have an advertising budget; but what we do have are wonderful animals that are looking for loving homes.
Do we have neglected and abused animals? You bet your buns we do. Do we have huge bills to care for the animals? Yes, we do. The ASPCA will send you a picture of a needy pet with your donation. If you come to the Central Aroostook Humane Society, you can meet the pets you will be helping, you can hold them in your arms: the little white cat who was burned and furless, the pregnant rottie with the severe infection, the pit bull who mutilates himself, the cats with no whiskers, the blind old dog nobody wants, the emaciated hound, the kittens left to die in a box by the river, and the dog thrown from the car. We know them personally. They are here at our shelter; we look at their faces daily. It isn’t necessary to go to the TV for us to see them.
That is why I am pleading with you to give locally; help the animals in our area who are so desperately in need of care. We do our best to fundraise on our own, but it is just never enough. We do not have a paid board, but a board of volunteers; we do not have a staff of 100 but a staff of four — two full-time and two part-time employees. Please come to the Central Aroostook Humane Society and meet the animals who need you so much.
I have a personal story to share with you. I was called at home a few years ago, by a state agency, “we have a gentleman who went into the VA home, he has a German shepherd and someone has been caring for it, but they can’t do it any more, can you help?” I board dogs, so without much thought I said, “Yes I can take the dog.” That night I met Sheba, a beautiful but older German shepherd; she was a good girl, this would work, they said it would just be for a short while.
The next day, I load Sheba into my van and took her to the VA home in Caribou to meet her owner for a visit. We got to the room, the dog jumped up on the bed and her owner buried his face in her thick fur and cried. He told me “I have been married three times and never knew what true love was until I got this dog.” That was all it took; I knew I could not take the dog to the shelter; that I would continue to bring the dog to visit her owner in the VA nursing home. And though her owner got tired and his will to live weak, we still went to visit, but some days he would not be well enough to visit. The last time I visited him I promised to keep Sheba forever; he died that night.
I cried, because I had grown very close to this man and had such respect for the love he had for Sheba and her love for him. So she lived with me for a while, until one day I got a call from a friend saying she “had a friend who moved back to the area, he was very depressed and needed a dog, did I have any dogs looking for a home?” I told her the only dog I had was a dog named Sheba, but I was not looking for a home for her.
As it was, I already had six dogs of my own; I didn’t really need another. So my friend brought her friend to see Sheba. It was love at first sight, this man was a veteran, and he had no family around and just loved this dog. He took the dog home; it was sad to see her go, but I felt that she would rather live as a beloved one than one of many. Did I feel a bit guilty? Sure, but I felt it was best for everyone. This man loved Sheba beyond words; she would go for rides with him, long walks in the woods and he would cook her steaks.
His health was not good and after having her for quite some time, I got a phone call one day — Sheba’s owner had a stroke. Devastated, I called for information as to what had happened to Sheba. She again has come to live with me.
Sheba is now about 13; for a shepherd that is pretty old, her face is now gray, her ears no longer perky, she cannot hear, there is no bounce in her step, but she still smiles and gives kisses. She will live out her years here at the farm with me. I feel blessed to know her; she is a great dog and none of these circumstances were her fault. But life happens.
I am not telling you this story to toot my own horn. My point is that there are not people standing in line to do what I did for this dog or these gentlemen. Who will care for your pets when you can’t? Will the end up at the shelter?
Our health sometimes deteriorates quickly and without warning; you find yourself unable to care for your pet. Then what? Yes, they can come to the shelter and we can re-home them; that is what we do and we are happy to do it. We are here to help. Just plan accordingly. I know people who have saving accounts set up for someone to care for their pets if they can no longer do so. The shelter is a place of hope; it is where people come to find a forever friend, and we do our very best.
I was recently asked “what ever became of your pug that was missing last summer?” My pug, dear little Pugsley, is alive and well. He is fat and very happy. We feel so lucky to have gotten him back. I honestly never thought I would get him back. I was quite sure someone had picked him up or he had been killed by another animal. I was so thankful for the help of family and friends, not to mention people whom I do not even know. I think everyone in the area had their eyes open for a pug. I would not wish that experience on anyone.
If you are interested in helping out with CAHS but do not want the commitment of being a board member, check out our friends group. “Friends of CAHS” is an amazing group of individuals who are working hard to make a difference in the lives of animals in the County while supporting the Central Aroostook Humane Society in our fundraisers. This group meets four times a year and communicates mostly through e-mail. They also hosted “Toast to the Animals” wine tasting and silent auction which was a huge success. To learn more please e-mail friendsofcahs@yahoo.com
If you are looking for a friend for life, please visit the Central Aroostook Humane Society. We are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, or give us a call at 764-3441. You can visit our pets online at www.centralaroostookhumanesocieyt.org.
Please have your pets spayed or neutered.
