Click here for a link to Angels of Assisi's blog post about Anna, which includes a picture of her with her new foster dad, Mike.
Sounds like Anna is doing well in her new foster home. Thanks to everyone who reached out to help this sweet girl get a second chance.
Here's an update on Anna, the elderly dog whose pet parents have to move to a care facility and cannot take her with them:
Joan, Anna's pet mom, had to say goodbye to her today and left her with the good folks at Angels of Assisi. According to Lisa O'Neill at Angels, Anna was taken to her new foster home late this afternoon so she did not have to spend the night in the adoption center.
Another reader reached out to Joan via this blog and might be able to take Anna if the first foster home does not work out.
Thanks so much for all your generosity, offers of support and well-wishes folks. There are some very caring people in this Valley, and I know that firsthand from writing this blog and column.
Diane Novak, local crusader and advocate for homeless cats, contacted me late yesterday and said she needed to find a placement PRONTO for eight semi-feral-but-fixed-and-vaccinated kitties living in a home in Southwest Roanoke.
I do not have many more details than that, but if you know of anyone who would be interested in a couple of barn cat buddies, now would be a great time to move on that. To read more about the program, click here.
Diane said the situation is rather dire and she really needs to place these cats ASAP. Contact her at diane@reikipets.com
(File photo. Cats pictured are not the actual kitties that need rescued.)
Trick-or-treat is not typically a two-way transaction. Or maybe it is. I guess you do give treats as sort of blackmail payoff to prevent being tricked. Any old hoo, the usual process involves one party giving and the other party getting the goods.
Until now.
Bring edible goodies for homeless pets to the Franklin County Humane Society Planned Pethood Clinic and Adoption Center this weekend and you will get a few tasty treats yourself.
The Bow Wow Meowl'oween party start Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and continues Saturday from 10 to 2 p.m.
The shelter is asking for Purina Chow for cats, kittens, dogs and puppies, and all manner of kitty- and pooch-palatable treats, or donations of cash.
Refreshments will be served and prizes will be awarded for the top fundraiser.
And while you are there, take a few minutes to say hello to the adoptable pets waiting for their forever families.
Blog reader and Roanoke Times book reviewer Joan Bugbee reached out to me for help finding her dog Anna a new home.
Joan and her husband will soon have to move to a continuing care facility, and Anna cannot go with them. The family is running out of options and is looking for any advice, guidance and suggestions to help Anna.
Joan wrote:
"Surely other pet parents have faced the same dilemma about finding a home for their beloved dog when the continuing care facility can't take her. Anna is nearly 12, arthritic and going deaf, but still loves playing ball, is great watch dog and would be perfect for someone with no other pets.
She was a rescue, saved from an abusive owner who chained her in the yard, where she was attacked by other dogs, so our vet opines. As a consequence, she has to go to a home without other pets. Angels of Assisi and the valley shelters have turned her down."
Relocating out of a family home is difficult in itself; doing so and facing the loss of a beloved pet is heartbreaking. What do you say, readers? Do you know anyone who can help this family? Please send e-mails to pets@roanoke.com and I will pass them on to Joan.
Next Thursday, Spay-ghetti dinners, a fall staple at the Nelson household, are available for lunch, too.
The delectable pasta and sides you've enjoyed for years will also be sold for noontime noshing, and all proceeds benefit the spay/neuter programs of the Roanoke Valley SPCA.
Winner, winner, spay-ghetti dinner.
The grub will be served up on Oct. 15 at Second Presbyterian Church, 214 Mountain Avenue in Roanoke.
Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Supper commences at 4:30 and lasts until 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $6 in advance, $7.50 at the door and orders of 25 or more qualify for a $1 off discount.
You can purchase tickets online by clicking here , but they are also available at all Valley Bank branches and at the RVSPCA.
The meal is a generous portion of spaghetti with sauce (meat or vegetarian), bread, salad, dessert and beverage. You can dine in or carry out. Drive-up pick up is available at the church for to-go orders.
All proceeds support the RVSPCA spay/neuter clinic, which prevents littering, which means fewer unwanted and/or homeless pets.
This year's sponsors include Karen Chase and 224 Designs, Fresh Market, Kroger, Pepsi Bottling Group, Roanoke Fruit & Produce Company, Roanoke Natural Foods Coop, Salem Printing, The Hotel Roanoke, Valley Bank, Village Flowers, and Wlldflour Bakery.
The 2010 Roanoke Valley SPCA calendars are on sale. Alas, there are no Nelson pets in this year's edition because I was too lazy too busy to send in a photo, but there are hundreds of other local sweeties on these pages.
It's a good desk calendar, but the true value in my opinion is in the wonderful family portraits and stories. The proceeds help adoptable pets in Roanoke, Vinton and Botetourt have a second chance at a great life.
Since its founding in 2004, the RVSPCA has helped almost 10,000 homeless pets find a loving family, including my dog Stormy.
(The title of this blog post probably only makes sense if you follow the blog LOLcats, where black cats are called Basement Kitty and white cats are called Ceiling Kitty. This may only be funny to me. Carry on.)
Black cats are always special and this weekend they are available at a specially discounted adoption fee at the Roanoke Valley SPCA.
Today through Sunday, you can add a coal-colored kitty to your family for $20 off the normal adoption fee.
Cats older than 6-months can be adopted for $45 dollars and little kittens can be adopted for $65. All pets adopted from the RVSPCA are spayed/neutered and up-to-date on all their shots.
That's a bargain for a purring little bundle that will love you, not ruin your black pants with hair, and boss you around for years to come.
Angels of Assisi will celebrate the fall season by hosting an adoption day this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Birkenstock Shoes at Valley View.
The no-kill shelter is promoting its MasCat program which places customer-friendly kitties in businesses and offices. The kitties can either become permanent employees (they work for kibble and chin rubs) or can meet eligible families that may be interested in adopting.
The no-kill shelter's adoption center is open daily from 2 to 6 p.m. at its downtown location, 415 Campbell Avenue.
Who doesn't love puppies! And who doesn't want to see a picture of adorable puppies on an overcast Friday morning? I'm guessing no one who reads this blog would be raising their hands.
Monday's Happy Wag column is all about Sara Orrick and the dogs of Star City Greyhound Adoptions, a group that is very close to my heart.
Yesterday Sara e-mailed a picture of a litter of greyhound puppies that will be ready for adoption soon. The pups were an "oops" litter belonging to a sweet greyhound named Welch who was on her was slotted to go to adoption at a racing greyhound farm when apparently there was a romantic encounter. The result are three black and three brindle pups, five girls and one boy. Sara told me one of the girls and the only boy are already spoken for, so that leaves four little bundles of love looking for a home.
Interested families should contact Star City Greyhound Adoptions at www.starcitygreyhounds.org.
