Just a Few Good Things

I have the easiest job possible at the shelter - I don't have to deal with the people who give up their animals, I don't have to deal with people who want to adopt for all the wrong reasons, I don't have to deal with the animals who are sick or won't make it. But sometimes you can't help but get sick of the stupidity behind the whole thing - why animals are dumped, why animals are lost, why animals aren't wanted. Just before Christmas, as the small animal room filled to bursting with surrendered rabbits, I may have been getting a tiny bit irritated with the world.
But then occasionally, I go in for a visit and somehow, lots of things go right - which is exactly what happened just before and just after Christmas.
Chico is quickly worming his way into my heart with his endearing face and attention-hogging ways. I took him out to get a photograph, but very little photographs were had because he promptly knocked the camera out of my hand and shoved his head there instead to get a pet. Of course I indulged him, and much to my astonishment, he began licking my hand and giving me kisses. It takes at least a bowl of popcorn to get my own rabbit to do that.
Scout is an energetic young lass, and she kept grabbing her cage door and pulling. Getting the hint, I picked her up to take her out, but instead of trying to leap out of my arms like most of the bunnies, she promptly snuggled right up to me. As a rule, rabbits don't like to be held, but Scout wouldn't be budged.
I went to see the cats and was firstly thrilled to see that Monkey had completely come out of her shell and turned into a very friendly, sweet girl. More importantly, I suggested Penelope to two women looking for a cat, because I do not show shameless favouritism, ever. A bit begrudgingly, I suggested a few others. They were interested in Penelope, however, and in they went to visit her. She made a spectacular first impression, but naturally they wanted to meet a few others. I tagged along, silently cheering for Penelope the whole time. Finally, they decided that they couldn't resist Penelope, and decided to take her home. After six months, Penelope had finally (and very enthusiastically!) been chosen.

The key to not getting a tiny bit irritated at the world is to remember that most people are actually fantastic, like the workers at South and 99% of the people who adopt. I always thought that saying, "one bad apple spoils the bunch" was stupid. We have lovely animals and they are well cared for, and as we hit the new year, they will find homes with good people.

Choices

'My' cats (the few I actually know out of our many cats) seem to be flying out of the shelter! Penelope got adopted a few days ago, which was wonderful. Penelope had been there for 6 months and we were thrilled to see her leave! Miley was also adopted about a week ago.
When I'm talking to people waiting to adopt a cat, I usually find myself agreeing with them that it's almost an impossible choice. There are so many cats, and so many of them are beautiful and friendly. I have no idea how anyone chooses a cat! I usually say that it's hard enough to choose from the small animals, even though there aren't very many of them.
It's true! Right now there are 12 rabbits and a guinea pig, and I don't even know how someone would choose from them. This beautiful boy arrived at the shelter as a stray on December 22nd. He has gorgeous fur - I started calling him 'Fiver', because he reminds me of the rabbits from Watership Down. He's also quite friendly. At a slower time he would stand out, but right now? He's got a lot of competition.
Chico is one of the cutest little guys you'll ever see. Look at those big eyes and little white nose! He is also one of those bunnies that sits at the cage door with his nose sticking through the bars, waiting for attention.
Harrison is a Rex, which is an extremely popular rabbit breed because they have fur like velvet and very laid-back temperments, a characteristic to which Harrison is no exception.
Chloe is a big, incredibly fluffy lop who's super-friendly, although I suspect she's getting very annoyed at being in a shelter environment.

And there's still 8 others...An impossible choice! I guess you just have to wait for that connection that tells you that that animal is the one for you.

Mr Klaus

My Christmas this year involved a dramatic journey to the North center of Toronto Animal Services to pick up a blind hamster. The North center doesn't do very many adoptions with small animals - most of the time, the small animal room isn't even open to the public. I stared at this little guy's photo on the website for over a month before giving in - when I was a kid, I didn't even like hamsters. I'm not sure what happened to me, but I am apparently now the hamster lady.
So after travelling to the middle of nowhere (otherwise known as North York) and both of us almost freezing, the little guy ended up here. He is quite stunning, pure snowy white, very fluffy and kind of fat. And, bonus, he's only blind in one eye!
His bad eye doesn't seem to bother him and he's quite friendly. We named him Klaus since he came to our home two days before Christmas. He'll find a home after the New Year, but until then he's with us for the holidays.

Every Creature Was Stirring

If we had a mouse, it'd be perfect. But we don't, although we do have a new hamster with quite a story to tell.
Everybody at our house had a great time on Christmas morning.
Alice was pretty much obsessed with this bowl o' treats all day, and didn't budge until the whole thing had been inhaled.
This may look like a rather unglamarous shot of Carmen the canary, but it makes me thrilled because she is standing on both legs! We recently had a crisis with Carmen that left her crippled - her leg was badly broken. Thanks to (expensive) veterinary medecine, she is mostly recovered but we're keeping her in the cage until she's 100%. She did get some exciting Christmas treats however!
It was a rather exciting Christmas, as this year brought a lot of new family members. It was the first holiday season with our family for Alice, Carmen the canary, and all the hamsters. The hammies seemed to enjoy their buffet.
Loki and Bailey, who have had many Christmases with us, were excited to get treats - they know what the tree means. This year it was Bailey's favourite treat; he was thrilled but Loki was a little disappointed.

More good Christmas stories of spoiled animals came from the new owners of some of our hamster babies!
From the young girl who's the new mom of Boxer and Thundershock:
Hello,
I just wanted to tell you that for Christmas Santa brought me a HUGE hamster cage. It has a great wheel and comes with a gnawing block. It comes with two built in beds and a lookout tower. It's all stuck together with tubes, Boxer and Thundershock love it. Boxer seems so content, he sits in one corner grooming himself. Also, I put up one-inch stockings for Christmas and Santa put one peanut in each!

And from the new home of Riff-Raff and Houdini:
Merry Christmas!
The Hammies are snuggled together side by side in their little nest. Riff Raff and Houdini got hamster treats for Christmas and played inside and outside their cage today. They are soooo cute! They want to come out on my hand as soon as I open their door.

And with all that, Christmas is over for another year.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

And the TAS South small animal room was full, all of them tucked in their cages and dreaming of new homes.
Chubbs: Surrendered by her owners September 25th
Fred & George: Bonded brothers abandoned in an apartment October 23rd
Pepper: Abandoned in the same apartment October 23rd
Chico: Surrendered by his owners November 17th
Chloe: Found abandoned on the street November 26th
Lenny: Surrendered by his owners November 29th
Harrison: Brought in as a stray December 3rd
Thumper: Surrendered by her owners December 13th
Scout: Surrendered by her owners December 14th
Spike: Surrendered December 15th (he's a guinea pig, really - just kind of woolly)
Dusty: Surrendered by his owners December 17th
No Name: This new guy showed up as a stray December 22nd

And that's everybody! Merry Christmas Eve!

Playing Favourites

Super exciting news - Sunny has been adopted! This seven-year-old boy was having a very hard time finding a home, and ended up at Petsmart last week to try his luck there. Looks like it worked out because he found a new family, just in time for the holidays! Sunny was totally my favourite cat at the shelter and I am thrilled he found a home at last!
Of course now I have to find a new favourite - I'm sort of torn by two lovely girls:
This is Penelope, and she's winning over a lot of people these days but that's a new phenomenon. Penelope arrived at the shelter all the way back in June as a stray. She's a young cat, just over 2 years old. When she came in, she wasn't social at all - she was shy and a little cranky and it's no surprise she stayed for so long.
Recently she moved into one of the front windows and got the space to herself, and suddenly she's blossumed into a totally lovely, friendly cat. She was circling me purring as I took her photos. It's like she's a whole new cat! Now people will see a potential family member when they look at her instead of a cranky black cat. So hopefully, after over 6 months at the shelter, Penelope can find a home.
And this is Nellie. She's about 3 years old and she's also been at the shelter for over 6 months! Nellie is kind of shy herself, although it really doesn't take much time at all for her to come out and say hello. Like Penelope, she's really come out of her shell over the past few weeks, and now she slinks out to meow a greeting and get a headscratch.
She's also drop-dead gorgeous. I love her markings and her colours! What a beautiful cat.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday (or had a wonderful holiday for the Channukah celebrators)! Give your animals a hug =)

How Much Is That (Cat) In the Window?

Cats! Firstly - Omega has been adopted, which was a big, awesome surprise. A huge happy holidays to the family that adopted that older, scruffy-looking, shy cat!
This dignified-looking lady wasn't on my 'cats-to-photograph' list, but my goodness, she's just so gorgeous I couldn't resist. Most of the cats leap out of the cage if you open it, which is why I gave up on cage shots, but Pecan here just sat, watching me sagely. She came in only a few weeks ago as a stray, and she's about 4 years old.
All right, so this is another cage shot. Sugar didn't feel like coming out to pose. She is a very pretty cat. I don't think she likes the shelter much, although she certainly likes that box. She's also about 4 and has been there since the beginning of November. She talks up a storm when you pet her!
This is Sara, who's just over a year and has been at TAS since October! She prances around like royalty.
And finally there's Miley. She's 1 1/2, and she's been at the shelter since November. I think she's grown up a lot since she arrived, she looks much older and wiser to me - but I'm not exactly a cat expert. She is very friendly and sweet!

On my way in to TAS a few days ago, I ran into a woman with a cat carrier who was leaving. I asked her who she was taking, and she smiled this huge smile and told me it was Lucky. Amazingly enough, I actually knew that cat, so I congratulated her and we wished each other happy holidays. Lucky was a young, jet-black cat who was super friendly, he'd been surrendered just over a month ago. Way to go, Lucky!

Overload

Over the last week, three rabbits were surrendered by their owners to TAS South, so now not only are we full, we're overfilled. Nicely done, owners, and happy holidays to you too.
This guy is a very pretty big lop named Dusty. He's about 3 years old and a very curious boy, very interested in people.

This little girl is Scout, a young, verrrry active Dutch mix. She is super friendly and also super nosy! She's interested in everything and excited to stick her nose into everything she can.
And finally we have Thumper, also a young female. She's a Netherland dwarf and a tiny little thing with teeny tiny ears. Dwarves that small are, in my experience, not necessarily the nicest things. But Thumper is the sweetest dwarf I've ever met. I picked her up and she cuddled right up to me.

A guinea pig has also found his way to TAS South, although on the good news side, the guinea pig from last week (now named Betsy) has been adopted!
So, latest count: 11 rabbits, 1 guinea pig. Oy.

Home for the Holidays, Part 2

More bunnies needing homes and families for Christmas:
Chloe has just about the cutest face ever. She is a total sweetie and gorgeous to boot - she has very striking markings. She was found abandoned in the streets by her previous owners but that hasn't affected her attitude as far as I can tell.
Pepper just wants to play, all day. He is easily pleased. He's a young boy who doesn't like being handled very much, but loves to run. Pep was left in an apartment when the owners moved out.
He can also be pretty darn cute when he thinks you're not looking.

Home for the Holidays, Part 1

You know what would be wonderful? If the bunnies and guinea pig of TAS South all found homes before Christmas and New Years (I would say Channukah, but it's already started so it's a little late). I know the chances of that are approximately, oh, negative five, but hey - tis the season of miracles, right?
Around mid-December (or earlier), you start to hear about 'finding homes for the holidays'. (NOT as Christmas gifts, just to clarify). TAS South is a great place but spending the holidays in a shelter cage is not exactly every bunny's dream.

So, who needs homes for the holidays at the moment?
Holy moly, someone take Chubbs home already! Look at her - she's cute, she's pretty; sure she's a little shy but out of the shelter environment, I bet that disappears super fast. Christmas day will actually be her third month anniversary at the shelter.
If Fred and George weren't a pair, they'd already be gone. Especially Fred, who is just about the friendliest, sweetest bunny ever. But they are a packaged deal because they love each other far too much to be separated. Unfortunately for these guys, it's harder to find homes for pairs, and they've been with us for almost two months now.
Lenny is new to South, but he's been in the system for about a month. He seems like a very laid-back lop. It was hard to get photos of him because he kept pushing his face into the camera, looking for pets!

Right now, TAS South has 8 rabbits and 1 guinea pig, which means the room is full. Here's hoping for it to be at least partially emptied by Christmas!

Black & White

Last weekend I couldn't help noticing that about half the animals I'd photographed were black and white. Is this a new theme or something?
The Rex from yesterday. The first photo I took of him was one of the ugliest photos I've ever seen of a rabbit, so I'm glad he posed more nicely the next time!
Ok, technically Pepper is black and white and brown, but he counts. We had a grand time throwing the toilet paper roll at each other. He may not like being handled, but he's so playful and fun it doesn't really matter.
This is Kelly, who is in Bradley's former window and looks an awful lot like Bradley. She is a funny girl, she acts rather coy and then the minute you pet her she sprawls out in front of you, wiggling around happily. What a goof! She has been at the shelter for ages, she arrived way back in August.
And finally this is Miley. She's a young cat and very hesitant, but it only takes a short time before she starts to come out of her shell to say hello. She has lovely markings! She's in the other window, with my favourite old boy Sunny, and has been at the shelter since mid-November.

New Kids on the Block

From what I hear, the donation drive did really well, so kudos to anyone who contributed!

Back to TAS - South had 3 new bunnies this weekend, plus a guinea pig. As I was leaving, it sounded like another bunny was heading in, soooo we are full again. Sheesh.
A Rex came in as a stray last week. The Rex breed never lasts long, because of the fur that makes them so distinctive (it feels like thick velvet) and because they generally have very nice temperments. He seems like a bit of an oddball but he's certainly a nice bunny.
This regal-looking lady came in only a few days ago, also as a stray. Another one thought to be her daughter came in with her, but sadly died of unknown causes the next day, so this one's also under watch for the time being. She has very shiny fur - she looks like she could be a fancy kind of guinea pig.
Isn't this one of the cutest faces you've ever seen? This guy is named Chico and he was transferred from one of the other regions of TAS. He's been in the system for about a month now. He is a very friendly little guy, and just so adorable!
This cutie is Lenny, who's a transfer from the North shelter and has also been in the system for about a month. Like Chico, Lenny is an owner surrender, and I have no idea how anyone gave either of these boys up. Lenny doesn't have the most stunning markers, but he has a sweet face and a very cuddly personality.

Lily the guinea pig is now out of our house and in her new home! Her new owners were thrilled to have her and I think she will be much-loved.
Also, Pepper is still at the shelter. When I saw he was adopted, I was surprised that it was him and not his brother Skipper, who's much friendlier. And what do you know? The names got mixed up. It is Skipper who found a home and Pepper who's still waiting. Those brothers are so confusing!