By Norma MiltonSpecial to the Aroostook Republican
Forrest Gump had it right when he said, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” At Caribou Pet Rescue, we savor each day and each life that we can save. Some days are sweeter than others and occasionally a day will give us a huge chocolate headache. But right now, we look forward to ringing in a new year with new reachable goals and good memories of the over 1,100 animals we have already helped in our short time of operation. Caribou Pet Rescue (CPR) will, on March 6, 2008, officially start a third year of operation. We have done our best and our best has been great. Thank you for the part that you have played in the CPR success story.
Contributed photo
Tripod Pete, a male cat with three legs, has been rescued by Caribou Pet Rescue and staff were hoping his saddened owners would be found by Christmas. It is obvious that Pete has been greatly loved. He is sweet and gentle and has the run of the shelter because he is just so good and happy to be out of the winter weather. Pete was neutered and, according to the vet, the missing leg was surgically removed. If you are the family that “CPR Pete” is waiting for, please call CPR 498-3800.
I am filled with joy when I look at the quality of people who come to CPR to choose a family pet. By quality, I am emphasizing the hard-working, responsible, and compassionate families who sometimes have to come back 3 or 4 times to make their final choice. We are pleased to see families take the time to pick just the right pet. You can stand back and watch them and 99% of the time, you will see the lightening flash as a special pet is noticed and a silent communication stirs between the person and the pet. “You are special,” the eyes of the person acknowledge and the pet answers with a cocky attitude of “Yes, I am. Thank you for finally noticing.”
Adopting a pet is a serious life change. One must sign a contract of responsibility and an agreement to maintain the regular annual veterinary care that each pet requires. We check references for responsible pet ownership on each adoptive family. CPR is obligated to provide a complete health care form of what has been done medically for the pet and what is needed in the future. All of our adult animals have all current vaccinations and are already spayed or neutered. Our babies are provided with all age appropriate vaccinations and with a prepaid voucher for spaying and neutering when the pet reaches the proper age. All cats are tested for feline leukemia. All pets are treated with Revolution for ear mites, fleas and worms.
Those of you who are not able to adopt a new family member at this time are appreciated for the funding donations and the donation of pet food and cleaning supplies you have given to us over the past year. This greatly helps CPR to meet operational costs. We are in desperate need for a few more foster families who will give foster home care to individual adult cats for a couple of weeks. Some of these darlings have been with us for a solid year and just need a little break from the shelter life. They are clean, gentle animals that just need a little time of feeling special.
Although we adopted many kittens over the holiday, we still have about 15 young kittens about 9 or 10 weeks of age, more than a dozen teenagers and about 40 sweet adults. Space will continue to be a problem throughout this harsh, long and cold winter. If you can provide foster care for a few weeks, please call for a foster care volunteer application. Believe me, you will love the satisfaction you gain by fostering.
I have 3 foster cats right now and they are mixing in with my own 4 cats beautifully. A couple of hiss and spit sessions at first and then everyone settled down to the business of napping or playtime. Like Forrest Gump and his box of chocolates, I savor the pure sweetness of sharing my life with cats. Take the time to lovingly care for an animal, and see your blood pressure drop 20 points. It is a great way to start the year.
Caribou Pet Rescue is located at 6 Richards Rd in Caribou. Mailing address is PO Box 488, Caribou, ME 04736 Neuter and Spay – It’s the ONLY Way.
Please continue to donate your returnable bottles and cans to Caribou Pet Rescue. This is a huge help and we are grateful to you. Call 498-3800 for information or check out our pets at www.cariboupetrescue.petfinder.com
