At the JFK Library here in Vallejo, when meeting fellow activists on commercial tobacco control issues, I saw a couple of signs I couldn’t resist taking selfies with. I’ve been to meetings at this room before, but never quite captured the appropriate signage. They must have known I was moving here when they named this years ago.
We made it through the first night with our fosters. Here are more pictures and video of Bryce (brown) and Clark (gray) enjoying the lovely weather. Their two brothers, who remain in the shelter, are Denali and Bryce. The naming convention comes from national parks!
Shea and I attended Cinco de Mayo con Los Overtons.
Here is some pinata action from the front lawn in the video I took!
I just don’t have the taste for white bread or even raisin bread anymore, so up on the fence it goes for the squirrels and birds, who were already swarming the backyard for the bug bonanza this Spring.
Going to great lengths to protect the dogs from the foxtails and, in the case of the puppies, Parvo. I rearranged furniture and arranged pens that I move around with the sun and shade as needed. This will also help Bonnie (my blind dog) from inadvertently getting more burrs in her hair than necessary.
Our fabulous Mayor Andrea Sorce got a tour of the shelter today and could not resist this kitten, which we both had the privilege to hold. There were a lot of gorgeous cats looking for homes in this area. I know everyone only sees me with dogs, but I grew up and have often had cats in my life, even if I don’t currently. My volunteering at the shelter is to work for all of these animals, so it’s great that our city and mayor are such softies for our animal companions who cannot speak for themselves!
I’m fostering two of these four puppies. One of them needs medications for his injured eye and I asked to take the skinniest of them all (sometimes known as the “runt”). I wish we had other foster parents who might consider taking the two healthier puppies and/or interested parties who wish to foster to adopt all of them eventually. These dogs are not old enough to mingle with other dogs because they still await a second Parvo shot. It is important that they get some fresh air and exercise, which is much harder to do within the shelter, given all of the competing priorities.
The plan is to foster two of the four puppies that were recently brought to the HSNB shelter for a few months before we go on vacation and get ready for the big move back to the house under renovation. At that point they will be old enough to get their most important shots and can mingle with other dogs. Usually, I try to foster more special behavioral or physical needs dogs. The alternative for these guys would sadly be staying inside for the next few months without much exercise. This is not ideal for growing puppies, obviously.
I hope people remember that fostering is an option for cats and dogs to improve these animals’ lives and also assist local shelters from exhausting finite resources like we have at HSNB.