February 14 is this Sunday. You know what that means? Love is in the air, all around, just waiting to be celebrated.
What’s that? You say you don’t have someone to love? Well have we got a deal for you!
This weekend at Tallahassee Animal Services fees are waived on all animal adoptions. That means you could have a Valentine this Valentine’s Day and every day for many years to come. Without the calories of a box of chocolates!
I love volunteering as a Kitten Cuddler at Tallahassee Animal Services. The two hours spent at the shelter on Wednesday afternoons are the best part of my week. This afternoon, though, there were just four cats!
We had a big adoption event over the weekend and most of our kitties found new homes. Yippee! Now they’re out there getting used to being loved and pampered, and that’s how it should be.
The downside was that it took me all of fifteen minutes to do the basic chores, like cleaning kennels and petting cats. I helped with the laundry, but even that wasn’t a huge job this week. So I went to the dog side, and had a ball, and a couple of squeaky toys.
At TAS the well-behaved dogs get to participate in play groups. I haven’t been trained to oversee a group, but there is an observation area where I could watch the fun.
I had almost as much fun watching as the dogs had playing. One dog was a clown, interacting playfully with every other dog in the group.
That’s Chip, above. He’s a charmer. Laid back and cool as a cucumber, but always up for a good time.
I’m not ready to be more involved with the canines. Cats are more my speed, but dogs like Chip almost make me reconsider.
Go find your perfect friend at a shelter near you.
This big boy is the sweetest cat at Tallahassee Animal Services. His name is Louie and his paws are the size of dinner rolls.
Louie has been at TAS since 11/28/2015. He is FIV positive, but still has so much love to give.
And if you’d prefer a female, Sigourney is super affectionate. She has been at TAS since the 8th of November.
And then there’s Winston, a two month old kitten who melts everyone’s heart except for that of his brother, Blaze.
Come find your best friend at Tallahassee Animal Services this weekend! Fees on all adoptions have been waived for this Saturday and Sunday for a special, May the Fur Be With You event.
The hours I spend at Tallahassee Animal Services as a volunteer are the among the best of my week. Only surprise calls from my grandchildren can top being with the cats and kittens at the shelter.
Each week has its pleasures: cuddling a sweet kitty and feeling it purr against my chest, enticing a morose cat from her perch at the back of a kennel to come closer for a behind-the-ear scratching, watching a hopeful feline leave with his new family.
But each week has its little messes, too. This past Wednesday I spent some time doing laundry and putting it away. The shelter goes through countless loads of dirty towels, blankets, and cloth toys. Soiled items are placed in an oversized trash bin.
I grabbed an armful of laundry this week and was rewarded with the icky wet smell and feel that only dog pee can produce. And now I had that smell, too. All over my tee shirt.
Having successfully loaded the washer I stooped to pick up a substantial piece of fuzz from the floor and realized just in time that it wasn’t fuzz, it was poo. Stinky, relatively new, poo. All in an afternoon’s work.
Here are just a few of the animals available for loving adoption at Tallahassee Animal Services. Remember, “Don’t Shop, Adopt!”
Cake, the tiny kitten I helped rescue from a Tallahassee storm drain, wasn’t in the feral hold room at Tallahassee Animal Services when I checked in for my volunteer stint yesterday afternoon. I have to admit my heart was sinking as I pondered the possibilities.
She was so small and weak, and having lived in a storm drain her entire three or four weeks of life, might have contracted a disease.
I couldn’t locate a veterinarian right away, so I hurried back to the cat kennels to assist potential adopters and to take care of the resident cats, but Cake was very much on my mind.
I couldn’t help but notice that there are a couple of adult cats who have been at TAS since I started volunteering there almost two months ago:
Nancy is a sweetheart. She’s calm and gentle and would be a terrific family pet. The staff estimates her age at 7 years, making her eligible for the reduced senior adoption fee.
Nancy–notice her Harry Potter-ish lightning bolt.
Another handsome adult cat is Goldie. He loves attention and is a playful guy. Goldie is only one year old, but he’s a big boy who needs a home to run around in for exercise! Goldie is an attention getter.
After I’d had an opportunity to do some actual work I went in search of a vet. Fortunately I soon came across a young man who’s been really helpful in the past and asked him if he’d seen the little mostly black kitten that had been brought in on Tuesday, and if so did he know its fate.
To my immense relief he said that the kitten checked out and was in surprisingly good shape considering her shaky start in life. He said she was now at the Humane Society where she’d be available to adopt as soon as she gained some weight.
I might’ve blubbered something like, “thank you, thank you!” before heading back to the kennels.
Remember folks, adopt, don’t shop! There are so many adoptable pets who would welcome the chance to join your family.
One week from today I will begin volunteering at Tallahassee Animal Services. I’ve passed the interview process, attended an orientation, and even successfully answered a brief quiz. I’m so ready!
Lately I’ve been dreaming about the cats I’ll be working with. Cats and kittens of all sizes visit my subconscious, demanding love, food, and care. In my dreams I also feel I am responsible for naming them: Vader, Anakin, Katniss, Four, and Tris. Okay, I read way too many young adult and scifi novels.
Sometimes in my dreams the cats carry on full blown conversations with me. We discuss their days and the people they saw come through the shelter since my last scheduled visit. These cats have a lot of hopes and dreams for their futures. I sure hope I can help them with that.
Love can be yours. 
Praying for Eyebrowz 