Individuals Amid the Mass

 Since I'm at the shelter so often (every few days minimum), I tend to have an idea of what's going on in all the departments - cat, dog, small animal. The Room is pretty stagnant right now, except for a few transfers. And while we now have a total of four pregnant guinea pigs in foster, none of them have given birth. Sheesh.
So I thought I'd post some of the other personalities currently renting a room at South. Cats in particular go through in the hundreds. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the numbers, but probably one of the most important things in rescue is to remember each animal is an individual.
Up top is Nixie, who has been waiting for months and months, finally got adopted, and then got dumped in a box in a park by the adopter. Poor Nixie, she's a sweetheart, but she's back now, waiting for a non-moron to adopt her.

 

Haha, I love Bob. Look at this guy, he's so chill and laid-back, it's relaxing just to meet him. When I opened the cage, he started purring and kneading the air but he didn't, you know, move. His ID card lists his full name as 'Bob V'.

This is Fern, a favourite of mine. This poor girl has been waiting for ever, but unlike Nixie, I can see why. She is a shy, bashful sweetheart, although she has come out of her shell massively since arriving. She languished in a cage environment, gaining lots of weight and getting very depressed, but since we moved her to a window room, she's become playful and active and slimmed down considerably!

 

Mattias is the biggest love-bug you will meet. He's such a suck, it's ridiculous. When I opened the cage, he literally fell out and rolled over onto his back for a belly rub. I can see how he might be a little too affectionate for some people!

As the last of the cats, we have Camille here, who is a bit of a sorry sight at the moment. She was found inside a wall, and she's had a rough time lately - she's skinny, her fur needs a long, long brushing session and she is probably going to lose the tips of her ears. But my goodness, she's so sweet! I believe she has been placed in foster, where she can plump up and get ready for adoption.

I had to post this girl. Meet Dane Judy Dench (haha, she's been with us over a month and her name still make me laugh). She's a Great Dane and an impressive sight indeed. Judy was rescued from a puppy mill a few hours away from Toronto, where she was used as a breeder. This sweet girl has a lot of fans at the shelter, I'm sure whatever home takes her will be very carefully screened.
Every one of these guys is just one of hundreds that pass through South all the time. But what's great about that shelter is that the staff and volunteers really care - Camille will find a foster home, Fern got moved to a window room to brighten her spirits, everyone says "hello" to Judy when they walk past her room.

As long as someone makes the effort to treat each animal as an individual at some point, their chances start to go up in this crazy shelter system.