Special to the Aroostook Republican
The New Year is almost here. Looking back on last year, it just seems like a blur. How time flies when you are having fun! I think back to all of the furry little creatures who have touched our lives at the shelter: Ruger, the pit mix who loved to play. He was with us twice and stayed for quite some time; he has a wonderful home and loves spending time with his Daddy! We placed cats like Mittens who were at the shelter for over a year and dogs like Gizmo who were older but with a lot of love left to give. We have seen kittens born at the shelter and grow up there but later adopted as adults. I have to say, we had a good year. We were very worried about the cost of fuel for the winter, how to meet payroll, how to get much-needed repairs done before winter, but we tightened our belts and made it through, with the help of our supporters. If it wasn’t for donations, I am not sure where we would be. I don’t mean just donations of money or items, but also people’s time – time donated to enclose our kennels from the cold winter winds, time spent caulking windows or cleaning cages. It all adds up.
Have you hugged your pet today? I was just looking around my house at my critters. My precious Zoe, who has been with me for 10 years, as long as I have been writing for the paper, is slowing down. She seeks out warm fluffy beds or, better yet, a place on the couch by the fire. Tucker who is now 6 is getting white around his muzzle, Rusty is not as quick to take a “burn” around the pasture as he used to be and old Tommy is just happy being Tommy (my dog Tommy, not my husband Tom). All he asks for is a warm bed and to be well fed. I don’t know when it happened, one day they were pups playing in the snow, now Zoe will hardly get off the deck. As our pets age, it is important to consider their comfort and their changing needs. Arthritis may be setting in, their eyesight or hearing may not be what it used to be, their stamina is not what it used to be or they might have issues keeping weight on. Take a long, hard look at your pets and talk to your veterinarian. The same happens with our cats. My handsome tiger David isn’t quite as agile as he once was and Millie doesn’t tolerate things the way she used to; they both seem to have a difficult time keeping weight on and neither goes outside like they used to. It is important to evaluate your pet and adjust their feed and their needs accordingly.
It is also very important for us to keep an eye on animals who have no voice: dogs, cats and farm animals. They all need shelter from the elements and life’s basic necessities of food and water. If you have any questions about the State of Maine Animal Welfare Laws go to www.maine.gov/agriculture/aw/2008LawBook.doc and be sure what you are seeing is against the law before you report it. No sense crying wolf and being misinformed, check out the laws for yourself because information is power.
So what about this year’s New Year’s resolutions? Myself, well, I am going to try to leave what has happened in the past there.
I asked the pups if they had any resolutions for the new year:
• Zoe – I resolve to not eat little dogs, to let the other dogs have my bed if they get there first unless I am cold and to not scare Tucker so badly that he almost pees (even though it is so much fun to see him cower at the sight of my shiny white teeth);
• Tucker – I resolve to eat everything I can get my mouth on, unless Zoe gets there first, to continue to wag my tail in circles and smile when mommy calls my name and to stop chasing imaginary birds;
• Rusty – I resolve to not eat turkey and then have ‘accidents’ in the middle of the kitchen, to leave Tommy alone if he leaves me alone and to wait until Dad goes to work before getting on the bed; and
• Tommy – I resolve to not fight over turkey with Rusty ever again, he got it and he got what he deserved, to not steal what is not mine and to NEVER eat chili again! Phew!
From all of us at the Central Aroostook Humane Society, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
