PAWS TO PONDER

by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society

Did you know, today, the day I am writing this, has been a very good day at the shelter.  Floyd, the ten-month-old male Golden Retriever that was recently surrendered when his owner moved out of the Country, was adopted!  Honestly, we knew it would not take too much effort on our part to find him a family with his breed and disposition.  He was highly sought after, and we received several great applications within days of posting him even without proof of being a purebred. The most difficult part is sorting through the applications and making the decision as to who meets him first, knowing full well that the Meet & Greet will result in his adoption.  As it turns out, the very first application we received was just perfect for him.  And so, today, Floyd begins his new life with a family with older children, a fenced in yard, training already set up in two weeks and he will be going to work every day with his new dad.  They also live near the beach!  Couldn’t they adopt me too?

Whereas Floyd was in shelter for only two weeks, which gave us just enough time to vaccinate and neuter him, our other dogs of various breeds are not as fortunate, even if they are purebreds. Scout, a very handsome 2 year old Husky/Shepherd mix is here for 8 months, Kavik, an unclaimed stray, is a medium size Siberian Husky and Oli, a 2 year old German Shepherd both came into shelter in September.  While Goose and Bruno are “celebrating” one full year of homelessness this month.

Less desirable breeds and mixed breeds wait an interminable time in shelters for the right family to come along for each of them.  But we cannot let that lessen our happiness for Floyd.  

 Big Poppa and Cheeky Smalls, two senior adult male cats went to their new home together.  These gents have been with us since September of 2022 when their owners literally discarded them at the shelter.  They were driving around with the cats in the back of their pickup truck trying to get rid of them. Fearing that they would abandon them, we took them in and gave them new names for the new life they were beginning.  Cheeky Smalls was diagnosed with a treatable thyroid condition requiring daily medication for the rest of his life.  This only added to the dilemma of finding someone who would adopt this bonded pair and be willing to care for this medical issue.  Lo and behold, we received a call from a long-time supporter of our organization looking to adopt a bonded pair of senior cats!  For a year and a half, Big Poppa and Cheeky Smalls waited for their chance to become pampered pets for the rest of their lives. And today, they moved into their forever home.

“Good things come to those who wait”.  It’s our mantra to all of our shelter pets no matter their breed, color or personality.  We keep HOPE alive!

Our Pet Of The Week: