- 4 min read

The Bow Wow, Issue #10: Lily & Harry

Your Donations Mean the World

This is the time of year we hope you will support with a donation the work we do everyday to sustain the excellent level of care for the lost and abandoned dogs and cats of Sonoma Valley. This work is sometimes extremely challenging, it can, at times, be heartbreaking and more often than not, incredibly rewarding.

We are committed to each dog and cat that comes into our care and without sugar coating it, this takes consistent funding. We are lucky to have friends like YOU to help as we receive no government funding or subsidies of any kind. Animal welfare organizations nationwide are facing a crisis of more animals coming into the shelters and less adoptions. And the intakes we are experiencing are often medically and behaviorally compromised.

Here's the story of Lily the dog & Harry the cat.

I've been telling you stories about the homeless cats and dogs that come to Pets Lifeline in need of special care. Taking care of the animals and finding their forever homes is the core of our mission. However, we provide many resources to the community to prevent these sweet animals from ever having to end up in a shelter. Did you know that we offer free spay and neuter services for low income residents of Sonoma Valley? This year we have had 15 clinics servicing 193 cats and dogs. By providing spay and neuter services we are making sure each animal has a great start to their life with not only the surgery, but vaccinations and a microchip as well. An average cat has 1-8 kittens per litter and 2-3 litters per year. During her reproductive life a female cat can have more than 100 kittens. We have a program called Tender Loving Paws that provides financial assistance to help keep a cat or dog at home. In years past cats and dogs have been surrendered to us because their parents were not able to afford the services required. They thought their only option was to give up the pet. Tender Loving Paws is designed to provide that assistance to keep pets in their homes. When the phone rings with questions from pet parents who are in distress, our experienced staff provide tips and tricks, act as counselors to pet parents on behavioral issues and care concerns. When a worried owner calls about a missing pet, we immediately give them a template for a poster to put up in the neighborhood as well as casting a wide net on social media. Providing resources like dog training classes and a webpage called Adoptions By Owner are just a few of the other services we provide to help keep animals out of our shelter. When they are here, we really love our residents. Sometimes we get to know our residents well, and I mean really well. Let me introduce you to Harry who lives in our administrative office. When Harry first arrived at Pets Lifeline he was in very rough shape. His fur was filled with burs and fox tails. We literally had to shave him, hence his name Harry (Hairy). He had fox tails in his gums, he was thin and frail. After having teeth extracted and being given a clean bill of health he moved into Catlandia. He eventually found his way into our office. There is never a dull moment with Harry as he is vocal, playful, funny and very loving. He is learning to trust people more and has truly come out of his shell. Harry has been at Pets Lifeline for 152 days, let's find Harry his forever home.

Lily is our resident who has been with us the longest amount of time. She was brought to us a stray. She has been with us for over a year and a half. In that time we've seen her mature from a young and rambunctious adolescent husky to a sweet and gentle young adult. Lily has a strong prey drive so it will take the right location and family to be the perfect match. We know that one day Lily will find her forever family. Until that time she will live here at Pets Lifeline where volunteers walk her daily, the staff plays with her and provides lots of love, she has a warm place to live with lots of food and treats.

This is the end of the series of messages in which we tell you about our work at Pets Lifeline. I wish you a very Happy New Year and want to remind you that you can make your tax deductible donation by mail or by clicking on any of the links in this message. We appreciate a one time gift and welcome you to our Champion Circle where you can choose your level of monthly support. Your donation to the Annual Fund Drive helps us to cover the daily costs of caring for each and every dog that comes to Pets Lifeline and the programs we provide to help keep pets in their homes with their families. We ask that you please give what you can during this time. No donation is too big or too small. Thank you for saving lives.

WHY PETS LIFELINE MATTERS

Pets Lifeline believes all dogs and cats in Sonoma should be safe and healthy and living in loving homes. Every day we work side-by-side with the community to shelter lost and abandoned pets, get them healthy and find them forever homes. Without Pets Lifeline, these wonderful animals would miss the chance to experience their full potential and share their joy with others. #WeLoveSonomaPets