A very LARGE disabled pet...

Well, okay. Maybe not a pet, exactly. But nevertheless, Motola is a disabled animal who belongs to someone, even if it's someone she worked for.

48-year-old Motola just got a new leg!

Ten years ago, Motola was seriously damaged when she stepped on one of the many stray landmines left over from several wars. She survived the blast, but lost her left front leg while working in a logging camp on Thailand's border with Burma. After she recovered, her owners fitted her with a large canvas "shoe" filled with sawdust. And that's how she got around until recently, when she was fitted with an artificial limb.

I'm sure you'll be as happy as I am when you read the rest of the story. There are still sad parts, but the world is definitely progressing when even in relatively poor countries, people find a way to help an elephant like this. Gives me hope. I hope it gives you some, too.

Thanks to Roberta for the heads-up on this tale.

Woo Hoo! A Promotion Comes Home To Roost!

Well, sometimes things just work out, ya know?

I am so very, VERY pleased and happy to report that my cousin, Chris Snyder, took to heart the message of "Adopt A Less-Adoptable Pet Day" and went out and adopted herself the cutest little Jack Russell terrier today! I went with her to pick her up and all I can say is WOW!

You see, Chris had another Jack for 13 years. Her name was Nip, and she did indeed resemble the little RCA Victor dog after which she was named. Sadly, Nip crossed the Rainbow Bridge about two months ago, and I think the time since then has been possibly the saddest and emptiest of Chris' life. That dog was so close to her, it was almost like a physical appendage. Anywhere Chris would go, you could be sure Nip wasn't too far away. Nip was Chris' daughter, her best friend and her closest confidante. When she left, I watched her take a big piece of my cousin with her, and she hasn't been the same since.

It was so hard to know how much she missed that little wriggling ball of love and energy. She fostered a dog for a bit, and has been taking care of some friends' dogs to fill the void a little, but it just wasn't the same.

"Cherry"

Then on Sunday, Chris called and asked me to go to the Center for Healthy Animals online and take a look at Cherry, a little Jack that was up for adoption. Cherry was listed as having arrived as a stray, and they estimated her age at 7 years, though she may be a bit older. Her listing said, "Cherry is a sweet little dog looking for a loving home. Cherry gets along with other dogs and is eager to please."

We all know that age is one of those qualities that can count against a potential adoptee, but Chris didn't care. She knew there would never be another Nip, and she decided she'd just love a new dog for as long as she could. So we went to see Cherry on Sunday afternoon.

She was indeed a sweet, mellow little creature, and yes -- eager to please, but without seeming all needy and clingy -- very nice combination of characteristics. Chris, an active and athletic gal, was concerned that Cherry might not be up for the long walks she likes to take to keep herself fit. But as it turns out, no problem there. As soon as Cherry saw the leash, she was ready and rarin' to go.

We went back several times to look at Cherry and even a few of the other small dogs. We spent more than an hour at the shelter, which was typically full of many deserving critters all wanting someone to love them. Normally, I can't do this without leaving in tears, but the thought that we might be taking one of them home shored me up and I did well.

At the end, I waited outside while Chris filled out the application papers. I must say, the shelter was prompt on the followup, because she listed me as a reference and they called on Monday. Of course, I told the truth about how a dog couldn't have a more loving home than my cuz would provide. They also called her vet, who gave an equally glowing report, and they called Chris this afternoon to say they'd done a workup on Cherry and determined she was not only spayed, but micro-chipped, as well.

Chris called me and by 5 PM, we were on our way to pick Cherry up and bring her home! WOO HOO! What a happy trip that was!

When we arrived, what we found was a completely different dog. We joked that they must have sedated her on Sunday, because instead of a quiet, low-energy older dog, we found a lively, energetic, typical Jack Russell, jumping and panting in the 95° heat and wanting to go see the kitty room and get outside to walk! It was a hoot, and frankly, I think Chris was secretly pleased to see how much like Nip Cherry actually was.

After finishing all the paperwork, we put a leash and the new collar Chris had bought on Cherry. We learned that no one actually knew what the dog's name really had been, and Chris wasn't really hot on "Cherry." It's just too girly for this little four-legged package of personality, so as of right now, Chris' new older dog is testing out a few other monikers. I'll let you know what they finally settle on.

I know this isn't really about disabled pets, but I just HAD to share this wonderful news with y'all, and say that I feel this day of observance was not only observed but honored in the most profound of ways by my dear cousin. I'm so pleased to have been included in this important and joyous time, and look forward to many good times with Chris and what's-her-name!

An Easy Way to Promote the Xolos!

Pink, who's missing a leg, still manages to help others.

If you've read our book, Almost Perfect, you've read a great little piece by Sharon Sakson about Nancy Gordon, who suffers from chronic fibromyalgia. Her dogs, Pink and Toaster, are Mexican Hairless dogs, also known as Xoloitzcuintlee (pronouned "show-low-eats-queent-lee").

Toaster, Pink's mom, also serves as a therapy dog.

Because they're hairless, the warmth of their bodies radiates freely, and they serve as therapy dogs to Nancy and others, lying on the afflicted parts of the body and warming them like a living hot-water bottle.

Nancy and Pink

Nancy created an organization, Xolos For Chronic Pain Relief (X-CPR), to get the word out about this marvelous service. X-CPR has just been added to the wonderful fundraising websites called Good Search (search the Net) and Good Shop (shop the net). Using these social good sites is an easy way to donate to this worthwhile nonprofit, without any cost to you.

Just follow this link next time you need to do a search, and make sure the drop-down menu is designated for Xolos For Chronic Pain Relief. Then go to the search box and search for whatever you were looking for anyway. Each search generates one cent US for the group. This may not sound like much, but it really adds up if everyone uses this service.

To donate to X-CPR through Good Shop, simply use this portal to the stores you'd already shop at. Just by going through this doorway, you'll donate a penny to X-CPR. And all those pennies soon become dollars.

Don't forget to bookmark or favorite these sites for future use!

Today is "Adopt A Less-Adoptable Pet Day!"

Yesterday's guest blogger, our own Roberta Beach Jacobson, alerted me to the fact that today is a very special day, and I wanted to let you know about it.

Tabby's Place helps lots of less-than-adoptable kitties find forever homes.

Petfinder.com has designated August 12 as "Adopt A Less-Adoptable Pet Day."

They even have a special page on their website in recognition of this special day, with all kinds of information about adopting shelter pets deemed less-desirable in most people's eyes. But the fact that you're reading this means that you're NOT "most people." And most likely, at least some of your friends aren't, either. You're special, too...special enough to recognize that every living thing deserves a chance at a good, happy, healthy life full of love and as much compassion as we can give.

"Cow," a blind, deaf, hypothyroidal and incontinent
dalmatian has found a forever home!

So I ask you today to recognize this special day by talking to at least one other person--preferably someone you wouldn't normally talk to about this subject, because it does no good to preach to the choir--about "Adopt A Less-Adoptable Pet Day." Ask them to take a few minutes to visit Petfinder's special page, and to consider becoming the parent of a deserving animal that no one else can bring themselves to love.

The Senior Dogs Project looks out for older dogs.

Because I know what an amazing group we are, and how capable of doing the impossible (because I have seen it and lived it myself), I have faith that between all of us, we might be able to actually spur the adoption of at least one less-than-adoptable pet. And that will have made the effort worthwhile.

So please: Spread the word today and then let me know what happens...because I know something will.

Meet Brownie: From guest blogger Roberta Beach Jacobson

Today's post is from guest blogger Roberta Beach Jacobson. Roberta is a contributor to Almost Perfect: Disabled Pets and the People Who Love Them. She wrote the final piece in the book, Fritz: Pink Ears, Red Tape, about her experience with a cat whose ears were terminally sunburned from the intense sunshine on her home Greek island of Karpathos. With the help of her husband, Alf Meier, she runs Animal Welfare Karpathos, an independent, all-volunteer critter rescue on their home island of Karpathos, in Greece. 25¢ of each copy of the book we sell goes to support the efforts of this worthwhile organization.

Meet Brownie.

You could say we got tricked into this foster care situation. Greek tourists on our island witnessed the pointer mix dog get bumped by a car, later by another. He had no collar, apparently no owner, so they got him into their rental car to help him.

Where to go?

Someone gave them our telephone number. One of the negatives of living on a remote island is there's no vet or shelter. My husband Alf, a photographer, is the one called to patch up all the critters in trouble.

Alf and some of his charges

Brownie, as the tourists named him, got a fiberglass cast. He moved in with us. We assume he'd never been inside a house before. So he could go outdoors when needed, we started sleeping with the kitchen door open. Our regular dog flap is too small for the likes of Brownie!

For whatever reason (my guess is from his licking) he got an infection in one of his wounds. Off came the cast. He got braces and bandages for a few days.

With our gang of 33 rescue cats and three rescue dogs around the house, we're plenty busy as it is. Still, we're doing our best to accommodate Brownie. He got a new cast. We had no more fiberglass in our makeshift volunteer clinic (better said, what we had was dried out and worthless), so Alf went to the hardware store for some plaster and got to work on creating a cast.

The Greek tourists came by our house with bones and restaurant treats a few times, but their vacation drew to a close and they headed to the ferry to depart our island.

In the meantime, Brownie was up to a few dog tricks. The plastic cone didn't stop him from gnawing at his new cast, eventually shredding parts of it to bits. We tried to outsmart him. We stapled two cones together. We don't live in the sort of place where there's a pet shop or where we can buy needed supplies. Everything is improvised. We even put a cork at the bottom of the metal stabilizing bar in his cast. (Think of cork-soled shoes!)

Brownie has needed yet another replacement cast. With a little luck, this one will last six weeks. We hope he'll recover to have full use of his leg, but part of his bone was splintered, so that remains to be seen.
--

Roberta has her own blog at the Seattle Post Intelligencer online, and can be found tweeting about the beach on Twitter.

Happy Birthday to Tashi!

Back in May, we held a celebration of Be Kind to Animals Week here in Bucks County. Hosted by our gracious friends at Lackland Self Storage and Office Suites here in Ottsville, the event was an amazing success. We invited the community to watch a half-hour digital slide presentation about disabled pets, then enjoy free refreshments as we had a meet-and-greet with our Word Forge Books authors and several animal-related organizations from our area.

Tashi, a handsome and charming boy

One of those organizations was Tabby's Place, a no-kill cat shelter on the Jersey side of the river. Denise Jeffries, Senior Veterinary Technician there, brought along Tashi, a gray tiger kitty, who's paralyzed in the rear legs. Tashi has become the spokescat/mascot for Tabby's Place, and little wonder: whatever might be missing in sensory function in this little cat is more than made up for in the abundance of sweet, lovable personality! He absolutely captivated his visitors, who flocked around his carrier for a chance to shower him with affection.

Last month, Tashi celebrated his first year on Earth, so I just wanted to wish him a belated Happy Birthday from our little corner of the world. If you'd like to know more about Tashi, here's the YouTube vid of his first year. Or visit his web page to learn how you can sponsor him or other deserving kitties he lives with.

Are your pets afraid of storms?

You know, I think it varies as much as it does with children and adult humans, whether pets are afraid of thunderstorms. But our recent rash of severe weather got me to thinking about how different it is for special needs pets--especially those with physical disabilities--to cope with this common fear.

Winkie and Boo Kitty often cuddle on the deep sill of our stone farmhouse

As much of a weather weenie as I am, I'll admit that I'm often still frightened by really close or intense lightning, or especially by very loud thunder. I don't think it's at all silly that I see Winkie's one eye grow very large as he leaps down from the windowsill where he loves to lay and then skitters underneath the nearest piece of furniture. The same happens with Weaver, if things get really loud, and with Boo Kitty.

But they have something of an advantage over Idgie, who is completely blind. Not only can they see quick escape routes from the window, which must feel tremendously exposed to the horrors of the storm; they can also see the nearest point of refuge. On top of that, their hearing is average, so the thunder is simply loud and frightening. Whereas Idgie's hearing is so incredibly acute to begin with, that this sudden onslaught of booming decibels must be absolutely terrifying.

Idgie is a constant fixture at my open office windows. Here, she sits in the front.

I've learned to pay attention to the animal signs just as I do to the cloud signs when it comes to forecasting the weather. Ever since 1991, when the annoying clickety-clicking of our two black Labs' toenails on the kitchen linoleum ended up saving us by keeping me awake long enough to hear the tornado coming when we received no other warning, I've known that they can sense things before we do. The restlessness those dogs instinctively felt allowed us time to reach the basement before that damaging storm was upon us. And this summer, I've paid attention to Idgie's physical attitude on days when there's a severe weather threat.

For the past three weeks, when most of it has taken place, it's been so hot and sultry that we've had the air conditioning on constantly. That means no window-sitting for the kitties, and it really shows in their affect. By early this week, I really believe Winkie (who enjoys this the most) had actually become depressed. So I was thrilled when I woke yesterday to temps in the low 80s and reasonable humidity levels that allowed me to open up the house for a while.

Even when Weaver, our tuxedo boy, does manage to find a window spot,
he rarely gets the solace he prefers. Winkie loves his big bro and
will do what it takes to get as close as physically possible.

Within moments, every cat had found a place in an open window. Even Weaver, our older boy whose heavier weight usually keeps him pretty sedentary and less inclined to the kind of leaping it takes to make the window. Even he was glad for the respite from artificial air, and managed to heave himself up onto the hallway ledge.

But when the storms come during a time when we don't need the AC on, I notice a change in the kitty's behaviors. They become more alert, more restive, even as they relax in the windows. I notice that as I track the storms on radar and they move closer to our area, the kitties, one by one, abandon their posts in the windows. Since these are much-coveted spots, I know something's coming that may be dangerous. The only exception to this is if the coming storm spurs an unusual amount of activity at our bird feeders. Then, that show is simply too tempting to keep even storm-shy kitties away from a front-row view!

Probably because she's so much more my constant companion in the office, I particularly notice this with Idgie. I also note that as the surface winds shift, she's more likely to move from the front window to the side and back, since this is a sensory stimulus she can read. So I've come to be aware that when she spends more time in the side, or south, window, we're probably in for a more potent southerly storm, bringing heat and moisture up from the Gulf.

Idgie at the side window in my office. She knows something's on the way.

But all this gets me to thinking: What's it like for critters with impaired mobility when a storm strikes and they can't move away from windows by themselves? Not that they'd necessarily be IN the windows to begin with, but I think the standard anxiety response is to dive under the bed or other furniture. What if they can't do that? What do people do who can't be home with their special needs pets all day, the way I'm lucky enough to do? Do you pay attention to the forecast and anticipate this need?

I suppose this is the kind of musing only a truly weather-obsessed person would wonder about, but I'd love to hear from parents of special needs pets to hear what they have to say.

Meanwhile, let me leave you with this absolutely stunning "concert" depicting a thunderstorm. All done without any musical instruments or voice. Enjoy!