April Foster of the Month: Annette Miller

Oftentimes, when you know someone who is involved in humane rescue, you KNOW they are involved in humane rescue. We can be a loud and demanding bunch. We are the voice for the voiceless. We must be loud.

But there are some who serve this noble cause with a quiet strength, humbly giving up their homes, their time, themselves with no fanfare, no desire for attention.

When I contacted Annette about this month's feature, her first response was to ask if there wasn't some other home we should feature. And of course, there are. Every one of our foster families is amazing and deserves to be featured. Their time will come. April is Annette's time.

Annette, like our previous foster home features Becky and Leslie, serves on the board for Bedford Humane Society. She spends her days responding to the many emails and issues that arise during the day to day operations of BHS. She attends the events, helping with all aspects of event setup, participation, and break down. She attends regular board meetings and serves many functions on the board itself. These are all the necessary and unglamorous pieces that go into keeping a humane society running.

When the rest of us are running around in a panic, Annette is our steady voice of calm and reason.

Her value to this work is immeasurable. But perhaps it can best be seen in the countless lives she has saved over the years. Many of us have specific types of animals we foster. Some of us only foster kittens. Some of us can only handle small dogs. Some of us prefer larger, outdoor breeds. Whatever our "type" it is fine, because every one of those "types" need help. But Annette has no "type." When an animal needs rescuing from the pound and no other foster space exists, Annette is the one to step up and take them in.

She makes no distinction. A life is a life. She is our quiet strength and we value her beyond measure.

BHS Adoptables of the Week: Willie & Mariah

When we first met sweet little Willie in the pound, he was a matted mess of fur. The pound listed him as a 4 year old Cocker Spaniel, though it was really difficult to even see a dog under all the matting. But his calm, endearing demeanor still shined through and we brought him into our foster program. We had him groomed immediately and found an adorable little Cocker mix underneath it all. His foster family describes him as a nonstop tail wagger. He loves to be petted and seems thankful to just be out of the pound. He loves everyone and is enjoying life outside of the pound. For more information or to meet this little guy, email info@bhsva.org or call 540-586-6100.

We met Mariah when she was not quite a year old and was giving birth to a litter of kittens after being taken to the pound as a stray. We pulled her and her babies for fostering through BHS. At that time, this now cherubic little girl was just skin and bones and we worried that she might not be able to feed her babies adequately. She turned out to be a wonderful momma. Mariah gets along well with the other cats and dogs in her foster home. She loves to eat and she can be very chatty when she’s feeling playful. Mariah’s babies have all been adopted and Mariah now waits her turn for a forever home of her own. Email info@bhsva.org or call 540-586-6100 for more information.

BHS Adoptables of the Week: Charlie & Jesse

Charlie is a handsome 4 year old Jack Russell Terrier mix who we pulled from the pound after his family had to move. His previous owner says he does well with dogs and cats, and he is doing very well with the other dogs in his foster home. He is a fairly calm and sweet boy who would do best in a fenced yard or kept on leash when outside. Email info@bhsva.org or call 540-586-6100 for more information.

Jesse is a loveable 2 year old Jack Russell Terrier. He is housebroken and crate trained and rides well in the car. He also walks very well on the leash alongside his housemates, a Cocker mix and a German Shepherd. He is learning to sit when asked and wait patiently for his meals and treats. Jesse loves to cuddle up with you whenever you have an available lap. He will bark at dogs he does not know but easily makes friends with all the neighbor dogs. If you would like to meet Jesse and see if he would fit in your household and be the one to cuddle up with please e-mail info@bhsva.org or call 540-586-6100.

BHS Adoptables of the Week: Foxie and Mulligan

We pulled sweet Foxie from the pound as soon as we could find a foster spot for her. Those beautiful eyes showed just how much she wanted a family to love. Foxie is a 4 year old female Shepherd mix that was surrendered to the pound after her owner could no longer care for her. She rarely makes any noise at all as long as she is with her people. She loves to cuddle and gets along well with other dogs. She hasn't been tested much with cats, but seemed only mildly interested in our HQ cat. This little girl really just wants people who will spend time with her. Email info@bhsva.org or call 540-586-6100 for more information!

Mulligan came into foster with his identical twin, Max, and the rest of his litter after being rescued from the pound. Some of his litter mates have found their forever homes, but Mulligan, Max and their sister Matilda are still waiting. Mulligan is a very affectionate boy, who still believes that he is a little kitten. He loves to play tumble with his twin Max, and enjoys exploring every nook in his foster home. Although he is an indoor kitty he loves to be outside in the enclosed area where he can chase the leaves and the sunshine. He would love to find a home with his brother Max, but could be happy to have a home by himself also! Email info@bhsva.org or call 540-586-6100 for info!

BHS Adoptables of the Week: Carmela and Freckles

Carmela is a beautiful 2 year old Lab mix who came to BHS when she was pregnant with her litter. Her puppies have gone on to forever homes and now Carmela is ready for a forever family of her own. This dog is the whole package. She is extremely smart, polite, and easy to train because she wants to please her person. She gets along well with cats, children, and all of the dogs she has met. Only about 45 pounds, Carmela would suit a family with smaller children. This special girl would do best in a home that allows her to be with her people most of the time, but also given some space to run every day. For more information, please email info@bhsva.org or call 540-586-6100.

Freckles is a beauty with very unique markings on her face making of this of Miss Kitty on the classic TV show Gunsmoke. This gorgeous girl is very affectionate and thoroughly enjoys being petted. She is friendly with other cats and really seems to be a great mix of quiet, but social. For more information about this freckle-faced girl, contact info@bhsva.org or call 540-586-6100.

From Timid To Content

A few weeks ago, we posted the story of several sweet dogs that were pulled from the pound minutes before the pound was set to euthanize to make space.

One of those sweet babies was Pearl, a terrified little Chihuahua that was surrendered by her owner that same day.

Pearl was terrified, timid, and very insecure. She rarely left her crate voluntarily and would not allow me to touch her. Never aggressive, she would simply cower in the back of her crate when I would feed her or try to take her out for a walk.

As her foster mom, I spent the next few weeks trying to coax her into trusting me. She was quite decided, though, that she was not ready to trust again. The look in her eyes told me that she desperately wanted to trust. She wanted someone that would hold her and cuddle her and protect her. She wanted to believe that someone would come along that would never give up on her again. But she wasn't ready to believe that I was that person.

No, that person (people, actually) came into her life a few weeks later after seeing her picture on Petfinder. They drove almost an hour to visit her and spent hours sitting with her, talking to her, cuddling her, and reassuring her. They brought photos (framed 8 x 10 photos) of their other Chi baby at home. It was clear to me the moment I met them that they were the perfect family for my sweet foster girl. Apparently, it was clear to Pearl, as well. She had found her family. She was going home.

In the weeks since her adoption, Pearl has made tremendous strides in developing her trust and confidence. There is an almost carefree air about her now. She is clearly content in her new life. Her family keeps me updated with photos and stories every week. I love them for this. Because it is not necessarily easy to open up your home and your heart to these babies and then watch them walk back out of your life. But it is exceptionally rewarding to watch them find the families that will love and protect them the rest of their lives.

This is why we do what we do...

Want to be part of this kind of story? Even if you can't foster long term, you can still help. Email sunshine@bhsva.org to find out how.

Thank you to Pearl's dad, Gregg Wood, for sharing these wonderful photos. Visit http://www.gswshots.com/ for more of his amazing photography!

BHS Adoptables of the Week: Sophia and Jesse

 

We met Sophia when her owner had to move to an apartment that will not allow pets. Sophia is a round face, petite girl that was raised with a large hyper dog, so she does very well with them. She has all four feet de-clawed. She is litter trained and crate trained and very quiet. She likes to play and be petted, but will signal by biting when she's had enough petting. Because of this, we do not recommend her with children. She shows some attitude toward other cats but we are currently testing her with another cat foster to see if she how she does. If you would like more information on this beauty, please email info@bhsva.org or call (540) 586-6100.

Jesse is a loveable 17 lb. neutered adult Jack Russell.  He is housebroken and crate trained and rides well in the car.  He also walks very well on the leash alongside his housemates, a Cocker mix and a German Shepherd.  He is learning to sit when asked and wait patiently for his meals and treats.  Jesse loves to cuddle up with you whenever you have an available lap.  Jesse has been microchipped, is up to date with his shots and HW negative and started on his HW pills.  He will bark at dogs he does not know but easily makes friends with all the neighbor dogs.  If you would like to meet Jesse and see if he would fit in your household and be the one to cuddle up with please e-mail info@bhsva.org or call (540) 586-6100.