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Sheltering Helpless Animals In Distress - South Shore, Nova Scotia
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HERE KITTY, KITTY, KITTY ... |
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Written by Shaid
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Wednesday, 17 October 2012 01:12 |
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The cat rooms at SHAID have been filling up again. There is a new batch of kittens and, sadly, quite a few adult cats who have been in residence for several months.
Do you wonder if there is something wrong with a cat that has not been adopted for a long time? No, there isn’t. What makes a person choose one cat over another? Many individual things. What we do know at SHAID is that the cats are all unique and beautiful in their own ways and they will all make a wonderful pet when the right human gives them a chance.
Could you love Diva? Diva is an adult spay of medium size with a lovely gray tabby coat. She is the quintessential queen of her domain and has been at the shelter for more than a year. She is very pretty and likes to be petted and brushed.
Tinker is a spayed calico cat with short hair. She has been at SHAID for several months. Tinker is somewhat shy and needs a family who will give her time to get used to their home and trust the inhabitants. She is fine when picked up and enjoys the attention despite being a little stand-offish in the beginning. It would feel very good to watch her bloom.
Joni is also a spayed, short-haired calico. She is quite shy and would like a quiet forever home with someone who will show her the TLC she craves. She would likely hide at first and venture forth at night to learn her surroundings. Gradually you would get used to each other and settle together nicely.
Rascal is an older lady of 8 years. With a short tabby and white coat, she is lovable and friendly. Many indoor cats live to be 15 to 20 years old and so she has lots of time yet to be part of your family. Being older, she is fairly quiet and would like a nice lap of her own. Do you have one ready for her?
If you would like to visit the cats above or any of SHAID's pets, please come see us during regular hours or call us at 543-4849. Shelter Hours: Open to the Public Daily 11 AM to 3 PM Year Round. Closed Some Holidays. |
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WHAT IF YOU CAN'T LOOK AFTER YOUR PET? |
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Written by Shaid
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Wednesday, 03 October 2012 23:32 |
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Nobody really wants to consider their own demise. Many people don't have a will because they don't want to accept that their death is inevitable. Even many couples with young children don't have a will and haven't made provisions for who their children will live with should they die unexpectedly. When you consider this, it isn't surprising that pet owners haven't thought about what will happen to those pets if/when they die or are simply no longer in a position to offer them homes. Perhaps the owner will have to move into subsidized housing or a residence or apartment that doesn't allow pets. All pets are prohibited in subsidized seniors' housing in Nova Scotia.
Pets provide companionship, acceptance, emotional support, and unconditional love during the time they share with you. In exchange, you feed and house them, provide medical care and love them back. Why then, is it so common for people to not arrange a new home for their pet "in case"? In the US, only between 12 and 27% of pet owners include pets in their wills. Some of these wills become famous due to the celebrity of the deceased and the sizes of the bequests.
Many of the dogs and cats surrendered to animal shelters are being surrendered because someone has died or because their human has had to move and none of the family or neighbours are willing to take on the responsibility for them. Often these pets are in mid to late life themselves and, therefore, are not as adoptable as younger animals. The pets are also usually sad and depressed because they do not understand why they have been abandoned by their loved ones and relegated to a kennel from their cosy homes.
Certainly as we age we need to consider whether we are likely to die before a pet we are considering obtaining. While our age should not put us off obtaining a pet and in fact having a pet is good for your health and longevity, it might be more practical and better for the adoptee if we consider adopting a senior pet. As mentioned above, middle-aged and senior pets spend longer in our shelters waiting for a home and matching one of them with an aging human would seem to be a no-brainer. This is also practical because an older pet doesn't need as much exercise and attention as younger ones do and often as we age, we aren't up to chasing a young animal around or being kept up at night by a young puppy or kitten.
To make sure your wishes are carried out, be sure to obtain good legal advice on any bequests you want to include in your will for your pets. Please, please speak to friends and family and ensure your pet has somewhere loving to go should you be unable to take care of them for any reason.
SHAID’s kitties still need non-clumping litter and canned food and the shelter needs bleach for keeping everything clean. Please donate if you can. Visit us online at www.shaid.ca |
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Written by Shaid
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Wednesday, 19 September 2012 14:12 |
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On September 19, 2012 our e-mail address
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
is a 'victim' of a spam.
If you receive an e-mail asking for help from the shelter, please ignore and delete it asap.
We are doing our best to fix the problem.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
C. le Cam, President
NEW ... Today, on Thursday, September 20, SHAID has a new e-mail address:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
If you sent us an e-mail in the last days, and did not get a reply, please feel free to send it again. Thanks for your understanding :-)
We lost pictures from adoped pets we were planning to post this Fall. We hope to receive them again.
C. Le Cam, President |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 20 September 2012 20:59 |
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Written by Shaid
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Tuesday, 11 September 2012 22:06 |
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Dogs, like people, have varying degrees of coping skills for negative, anxious and frightening situations which could include reactions to people they don’t know, other animals, places and noises. It is our job as dog owners, to help them learn to cope with these stressors which, in turn, results in a pet that is much easier to manage.
It is best to start socializing your dog when it is a puppy – especially between the age of 3 and 12 weeks, but may be required when you adopt an older dog as well. With some dogs, it is an ongoing or lifelong process depending on their temperament.
Any situation or event can be an opportunity to socialize: obedience classes, trips to the park or beach, visits to the vet, walking around town, having guests over or taking the dog with you on visits to other people’s homes. Many of the retail businesses in Lunenburg County are dog-friendly – many restaurants welcome them on their patios and shoe stores, rug hooking studios and hardware stores love to have them visit. The more exposure dogs have to different kinds of people (including children), animals and environments, the more they develop confidence and learn to be more happy and trustworthy and they become much better behaved.
Some dogs seem well-socialized when young and then start to develop fearful or aggressive behavior between the ages of 8 to 24 months. There may have been no trauma to trigger this. Sometimes the lifestyle of a dog’s owner changes which results in them being less social so that the dog forgets his earlier coping skills. It could be due to the birth of children into the family which results in the parents being more engaged with the children than the dog. Animal behaviorist Dr. Patricia McConnell calls this “juvenile-onset shyness.” The dog may start barking at people and other animals or lunging at them.
Continuing to pay attention to your dog’s social life can prevent or correct this. Making play dates or taking them to an off-leash park to play with other dogs is a fun way to provide social activity. Having visitors greet your dog and give it treats when they arrive at your home can also help a lot.. .
Be aware of any changes in your dog’s behaviour and address it as quickly as possible. SHAID provides many opportunities for adoptable dogs to be socialized. The dogs spend time in the runs with each other and interact with many staff and volunteers as well as the vet and trainer. If you are looking for a dog to join your family, the shelter is a great place to find a well-socialized pet. Read success stories on our website www.shaid.ca, under the Happy Tales link. |
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Written by Shaid
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Thursday, 09 August 2012 15:31 |
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Having volunteered for over a year, and currently working at S.H.A.I.D. part-time, I also foster stray pregnant cats.
Being a foster mom is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. It is also very heartbreaking at times. I have stayed up all night with cat’s way too young to be having kittens, trying to comfort them and aid in a sometimes difficult delivery. It is a miracle to see each kitten come into the world healthy; it is heart breaking knowing they are homeless, along with all the other cats/kittens at the shelter.
As the kittens grow in our home, with our family, we try not to become too attached. We spend time each day socializing these sweet little babies and giving mom all the attention she deserves. Well, you guessed it, we become extremely attached. We are also heartbroken each time we return them to the shelter at 8 weeks old.
We are very happy as each kitten finds a new loving home. We have cuddled and loved this kitten since birth, now a new wonderful family will do the same for this kitten’s lifetime. This is a great reward as a foster mom, so why do we feel saddened? For mom…. she has not asked to go through all this at a young age, usually under one, yet she waits and waits for her chance for a loving home.
Shaid had 5 mom’s waiting for a forever home. I am very happy to say Jackie and Jasmine recently both went to the same wonderful home. Currently waiting for their forever home are: Gidget, a small grey tabby, she is a very sweet girl. Skylar, a tortie with long hair, she loves attention. Dutchess, an orange tabby with short hair, she loves to be held and cuddled.
So why be a foster mom you might ask…. I have space, time, love and compassion so why not! We may not make a difference for every cat/kitten in the world but we do for the ones that get adopted! The rewards are overwhelming!
Shaid, along with every Shelter in Nova Scotia, is currently full with cats/kittens awaiting homes. You can see Shaid pets at www.shaid.ca or come to visit them any day between 11am and 3pm, our Staff will be happy to help you pick the perfect furry forever pet. While at S.H.A.I.D. don’t forget to check out our “Wall of Adoption” for 2012.
S.H.A.I.D. pets are all spayed or neutered BEFORE they are adopted. PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS, THEY ARE DEPENDING ON YOU! |
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Written by Shaid
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Saturday, 04 August 2012 01:01 |
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As usual, SHAID has several lovely dogs available for adoption. Two of them, Flash and Sasha, are ready to go. They have been vet-checked and had all their routine vaccinations.
Flash
Flash is a very nice Basset-Beagle mix of 3 years old. A bit of a Houdini, SHAID uses a harness for walks and other outside trips because he can get out of any collar. A fenced yard would be a plus for him.
When asked about Flash, shelter staff report: “Well...he is just plain funny. He is so full of character and he is also a drama queen. What I mean by that is, if we try to put a harness on him or go to give him a vaccination, it sounds like we are beating him. His bark turns into a true beagle wail and he goes on and on and on. We sometimes think if people hear him they might think we are hurting him. As soon as you stop, he looks at you with those big funny eyes and licks your face.....and then goes on as if nothing happened.” Flash will only eat certain treats; not just the run-of-the mill dog bone.....he wants the smelly treats, then he is happy. He loves to go for walks and loves attention. Both he and Sasha go out in the dog runs together and have some fun playing together. They enjoy each other’s company.
Flash is very friendly and loving. He will be a great companion and addition to a family.
Sacha
Sasha is a Beagle mix and she is 7 years old. She needs a new forever home.
Sasha was very shy and not socialized with people or other dogs when she came to the shelter. It took her a couple of weeks to settle, but now she just loves people and going out for walks. She also loves going into the little wading pool we have at SHAID. She laps up attention and loves being the center of it. She is a sweet girl and will make a wonderful pet for the family that is lucky enough to adopt her.
Visit our website at www.shaid.ca and on Facebook as SHAID Tree Animal Shelter. |
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