Friday, April 3rd, 2009
Pal, Justin and I need pledges!
There are a lot of things I like about Hanover. This town is made up of a lot of great individuals and small businesses. However, when it comes to taking care of its animals, I’m afraid there are some serious issues. I’ve come across a few strays in my time here, and I’ve not been able to find help for any one of them locally.
That’s why I do my fundraising for OSAS, the no-kill animal shelter in Owen Sound. Lenny isn’t the first critter Renee has taken in from outside her jurisdiction simply because it had nowhere else to turn. She, and her team, have helped thousands of animals rise from awful circumstances to find their forever homes.
This June, they will be holding their 2nd annual Mutt Strutt, and Pal, Justin and I will be strutting proudly that day! If you’ve been to Hanover lately, you may have seen Pal and I strutting around. He’s pretty easily recognizable with his little “funny” paw held up in the air, running on the other three.
If you’d like to pledge us, your donation will go to help so many friends of fur, like Lenny, who need medical care, spays and neuters, and forever homes.
Email me, or leave a comment here if you’d like to pledge us 
If you see us bopping around, be sure to stop and say “Hi!”
If you’d like to mail a cheque, make it out to “Owen Sound Animal Shelter”, and mail it to me at RR#1, Hanover Ontario, N4N 3B8. Please include a note with your name, address, and phone number if you’d like a tax receipt.
Posted in Animal Welfare, Events and Festivals | No Comments »
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009
Kitten needs your good thoughts more than ever…
The kitten who was found at Grant’s Independent now has a name, or two. We have a tendency to give them names when they come through our house, and this little guy is no exception. We had called him Lenny after many of our treasured muses, Leonard Cohen, Lenny Breau, and John Lennon.
However, on Friday night, we just missed an important call. A young girl named Natasha looking for her kitten, “Pumpkin”. After trying the number she left (wrong number), I spent the weekend going to great lengths to find her. There as only the one call, and no more.
By Monday, Justin and I decided that Lenny, or Pumpkin wasn’t getting the medical attention he needed. His congestion and stuffy nose were most definitely a sign of something more serious, and we have our resident felines to worry about.
After exhausting my local options for finding some help, we brought him up to OSAS where Renee immediately put him on antibiotics and fluids. Little Lenny’s fate is out of our hands, and we’ve been thinking of him every second.
Please go to OSAS’s website and read Renee’s blog entries about Lenny!
Posted in Animal Welfare | No Comments »
Thursday, March 26th, 2009
The Important Details
I know you might not all read this entire post, so I’ll start at the end of my story. Afterall, this is the really important part.
I came across a kitten in the parking lot of Grant’s Independent this evening. He’s about 6 months old, and has his fuzzballs intact. He was wet, cold and sneezing. I brought him home, warmed him up, and have fed him. He’s very friendly with people and dogs, which leads me to believe that this is somebody’s kitten!
If you know of anyone who’s missing a kitten of this description, please call me: 519-364-6417 or email me: jody@viddyworks.ca.
The Backstory
Still reading? Good.
While walking Pal near Grant’s Independent, I spotted a worried looking woman with a kitten rubbing against her legs. We stopped, and took a few steps toward them. The kitten trotted over to Pal and I, obviously not alarmed by the dog at all. After we spoke a bit, I assured this kind woman, who was late picking up her kids, that I’d make sure the kitten got somewhere safe and warm.
I really wasn’t sure how this would go! Kitten and dog in the same car with no carrying cages? I had to do something though. I picked up the little guy, and stuffed him in my jacket. Lucky for all of us, he was just happy to be warm and out of the rain! He snuggled right in and purred between sneezes. I drove home with him like that, snuggled in my jacket, one hand holding him and the other switching between the wheel and the shift, all with a friendly dog nose over my shoulder!
The Upsetting Part
If you’re familiar with Hanover’s big box area, you’ll know that Grant’s Independent shares a parking lot with Zellers, and is right near Canadian Tire. At Canadian Tire, I was told that I could not put a poster in their window! It’s against corporate policy! I snapped at the woman, but went back to apologize. My anger was misdirected; she didn’t make this rule.
I went on to the next one in line, Zellers, and got the same answer. This time, I kept my temper and handed them a poster, hoping that the little guy’s owner would inquire at some point.
After that, I went on to Grant’s Independent, in whose parking lot the little guy was found. Surely they would care, right? No such luck. I was livid, but I did not show it. The girls in customer service were just following orders, afterall. No posters anywhere, period! Corporate policy!
A Call to Action
I applaud businesses, large and small, who will do something to help their communities, even when it’s as small an act as putting up a little poster on their big glass doors. Shame on those big box stores for having such policies!
Consumers: please support businesses who are willing to support you. It’s the small businesses in your downtown core, not the big box stores on the outskirts that make a community. Real businesses run by real people.
Businesses of Hanover: please consider downloading and displaying a copy of the poster that I made up. If we can reunite the little guy with his family, it will be well worth the paper and ink.
Everyone: I know that there are people out there who feel the same way as I do: We need a no-kill animal shelter in Hanover! The animal control in this area is atrocious and needs to be improved. People who care about the strays they find end up taking them up to Owen Sound to OSAS, which is a wonderful place, but out of our area. Our municipal taxes don’t cover any of their costs, and it’s really not fair. We need something like it down here. Write to the post about it! I am planning to.
Posted in Animal Welfare, Shop Local | 1 Comment »
