My husband & I recently moved to Fredonia, AZ. We were previously full time RV'ers and came to Kanab , twice a year to volunteer at Best Friends. We'd usually stay anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 months. My husband always volunteered at Feathered Friends doing painting, carpentry, general maintenance. I personally, have volunteered all over the sanctuary. Cats: my favorie kitties were the ones at the Kitty Motel. The picture below shows me with Dribbles, the most loving, rub your nose, full of kisses cat I've seen.
Unfortunately Dribbles is incontinent and cannot control either his urine or bowel movements. This means Dribbles isn't a very good candidate for adoption. Because of this, I make a special visit with him, me wrapped in a large towel, him purring away like there was nothing in the world wrong with him. Most of the cats in the Kitty Motel have major problems, but you would never know it. They all act contented and especially the lobby cats, who get a lot of attention from every one who walks in. Dogs: I walked dogs, picked up dog poop, cleaned dog beds and swept sand until I could sweep no more, filled up buckets of water for them, filled in shovelfuls of sand they had dug out.... hugged them, played ball with them, and once in a while just sat quietly with one, enjoying the occasional peace and quiet. The rabbits: I cleaned, cleaned and cleaned and played with rabbits, and played somemore with rabbits and then as a special bonus I got to sit in the sand with a small shovel and a sieve and filter rabbit doodoo through it to put in bag for fertilizer for the the garden. One day, Kalene in the volunteer dept. suggested I do something different!!! I was hesitant at first, but she said "try the pot-bellied pigs." After being there for an hour my life was changed!! I fell in love with all of them. And again I scooped pig poop, helped fix their special meals and feed them, brush, them, walk them, couldn't really hug many of them, but I learned a new respect for this creature and also for the totally dedicated caretaker of these special animals. Yvonne McIntosh treats those pigs like they were own children. They all have totally different personalities and she handles each one with the respect, and level of intimacy each one is capable of, trying of course, all the time to bring each one to it's highest potential for living the happiest and healthiest life possible. Metro is a huge pig that was overfed to the point of not being able to see or barely walk because of the rolls of fat. You should see him now. Under Yvonne's care he has lost weight, goes for walks, and has learned to tolerate one other pig. Needless to say Metro is a little grouchy at times, but as I continued to spend time with him, I found him becoming very endearing to me. He still is grouchy to me, but I don't mind. I keep hoping someday he'll learn to like people and other pigs.
I guess I haven't really written much about me, but I'm sure you get it. I'm a sucker for any animal, especially those that are sick or scared. It's funny, I had an 18 year old kidney cat who passed away in June, this year. On our move from SLC to Fredonia we stopped overnite at Yuba Lake State Park. We were sitting outside that evening, my 17 month wildly energetic dog, Roxy was at our side, when I heard a faint "meow." I looked over into a nearby oakbrush and there was a tiny kitten, all covered in burrs, his whole tail was circled with them, his face was scratched and he was so skinny. I immediately ran to get cat food leftover from my dearly beloved recently deceased. This little cat ate all his food, took a big drink, then proceeded to rub on my feet. When I bent over he practically climbed in my arms. Even with our bouncy dog 10 feet away. Of course, there was no question in my mind, he was going with us. When we got to Fredonia, I took him to the clinic at Best Friends and they shaved all the burrs off of him. He still looks a little bedraggled with his hair partly long and partly short but he's my new baby and I'm convinced that some how, some way that my departed cat Hooch had sent this kitten to me in his place. While we settle in, I am helping my new neighbor with her feral cat, TNR program. On Oct 2 we managed to take 8 cats in for surgery, though there are so many more. It almost seems like an endless battle, but if we stay vigilant, along with all the other people doing this program, I'm sure someday we'll get the feral situation under control.
I will continue to volunteer every Weds. at pot bellied pigs, however we bought a real "FIXER UPPER" and it's taking a lot of our time just trying to fix it up. I had also applied for a part-time position of some kind at Best Friends.Then I learned of the layoffs at BF so "NO JOB FOR ME!" right now. I have just signed up to be a No More Homeless Pets assistant volunteer which I can do from home. I'm really excited about this opportunity and I plan on giving it 100% effort. I recently learned that Dribbles at the Kitty Motel passed away. It was sudden and there was nothing that could be done to save him. I and many others who loved him will miss him terribly. The picture below is of me and Dribbles taken many years ago. My member icon picture is my beloved Hooch, who died last June. He was an absolute sweetheart and I miss him so much sometimes at night .. my heart feels empty. But not for long, because out new kitty Yuba, is soon biting my toes, climbing the curtains and finally snuggling in the bed with my husband, our dog Roxy, and me. (I'm the one with my butt sticking out of the covers.)