Pet Talk

    I had an inquiry from a friend of the animal shelter who wondered if Saturday’s event was open to just anybody stopping by or if you had to register in advance so I thought I would address this.
    This coming Saturday, May 1st, we will be hosting a walk-a-thon at Mike Carpenter’s farm on the North Road. This is our annual walk, it’s a fund-raiser, and we invite you to obtain sponsors to donate to your walking effort and then come join us, bring Rover if he wants to come, or leave him home if he’s lazy, but come join us either way.
    Don’t be afraid to come alone. I know a lot of people who won’t walk unless they have a partner or friend or won’t go to the mall by themselves or won’t go to the gym solo, and I totally understand that it’s a little intimidating to walk into a strange situation where you don’t think you know anybody, and just participate.
    But there is nothing that frees your spirit more than stepping outside of your comfort zone and doing something that benefits those who need your help. And the animals need you.
    It’s been a very tough time for the Shelter, as you know, and for the animals we are caring for. They have been going through weeks of treatment because they were exposed to ringworm, and the treatment is not easy. Cats don’t like being wet to start out with and having to dip them twice a week just makes them mad and upset and then they lick the sulfur and it makes them sick and the poor babies are just miserable.
    The staff isn’t any better off. They’ve been bitten and scratched and they stink of sulfur and bleach and they are exhausted and about at the ends of their ropes.
    And let’s talk about the cost of all this – every few days we send cultures to the University of Maine at Orono so they can read them as we are anxious to be able to open the building back up and start adopting again. We need two negative back-to-back readings on all the animals and the building before we can open and assure the public that there are no more ringworm spores. The cost of the veterinary treatment and test kits, the cost to read the kits, and the cost to care for the animals that are getting sick is scary.
    We thank God every single day when we open the mail and there is a donation to help with these expenses. Your generosity has overwhelmed us. Your caring and thoughtful support has made us all cry tears of gratitude, and hopefully we are almost at the end of this latest trial. Cards and letters are pouring in, thanking the staff for their dedication and hard work and you have no idea what that means to them.
    Who said “what doesn’t kill us will make us stronger?” That’s where we are right now, growing stronger every day, growing in our faith and conviction that “this too shall pass” and we will be stronger and better for it, that we will learn from the experience and have the tools and the skills to identify this and other issues so we can better serve the animals that we care for.
    None of them asked for this, we didn’t ask for this, but we are handling it professionally and I am so proud of our staff for how hard they are working around the clock to care for these beautiful animals.
    Come Saturday, May 1st, and show your support also.  Join us as we walk around the beautiful walking trails of Mike Carpenter’s farm, have a carriage ride, have a lunch, help us raise a little money toward the Vet bills, and meet some awesome people.
    Registration is at 9 a.m. and the walk starts at 10 a.m. Melanie Greaves and her crew are once again organizing this event, held in memory of Morgan Renee Cowett and her wonderful caring spirit for all animals. Please join us.