Kitten-courier Reilyn has booked her roundtrip flight from DC to Minneapolis, and purchased an airline-approved carrier for little Miss Callie. The hand-off is scheduled for the weekend of December 8th.
Because you guys are awesome, we’ve already collected more money than we need for this particular mission. Unless anyone has an objection, I’ve told Reilyn to hold on to the extra at this point in time. (You can contact me directly, if you need more information.)
We already have another pair of cats looking for new homes in Denver (check back for that post around lunchtime EST) so she may be sending part or all of the money directly to the next “angel”. Any money left over will go to pet rescue, if you want to nominate a recipient…
Yarrow
Isn’t there an official Balloon-Juice pet rescue group?
Amir Khalid
So good to hear that Miss Callie’s coming home. Is that going to be her permanent name, with the title? Pets’ names with titles are cool.
TaMara (HFG)
This is terrific! I know Czanne might be interested in the Denver area kitten(s) so let’s send up a smoke signal for her.
Yarrow
@TaMara (HFG): How’re you doing, TaMara?
Patricia Kayden
@Yarrow: Great question because BJ stays rescuing pets. Part of what makes this blog so unique and special.
Yarrow
@Patricia Kayden: Back in the day there was one that BJ raised money for. A contest or something. Can’t remember the details. John knows the folks that run it. I guess it’s somewhere nearish to him.
TaMara (HFG)
@Yarrow: Aaaw thanks for asking. We’re hanging in there. It’s been harder than I expected, I think because so unexpected and Bailey was so young. Then I had to be out of the country for a week, so Bixby had a rough time of it, even though I had Bad Horse fly out and stay here (bless his big bad heart). Bixby is…just sad. Nothing we’ve done has helped. But, there may be some good news on the horizon…so stay tuned. :-)
Yarrow
@TaMara (HFG): I’m so sorry. The suddenness of it makes it so hard. How exciting that there may be some good news! Keep us posted. And did I read you got to go to Paris? That’s such a great city. I hope it was a good trip. Sending good thoughts your way and extra scritches for Bixby.
TaMara (HFG)
@Yarrow: Paris was wonderful. Later today I’m going to post photos over at my place and some reviews of our food. I might even get a recipe post up here…but don’t hold your breath, I have all the good intentions in the world and then poof! I find I can’t write anything.
Yarrow
@TaMara (HFG): Don’t worry about the recipe thread. It’s hard to be productive when you’re grieving. I’m so glad you had a good time in Paris. It’s such a fantastic city. I haven’t been in awhile and would love to go back again. The food…..
WaterGirl
@TaMara (HFG): TaMara, when I lost my bigger dog years ago, I wasn’t ready to add one right away. My cocker spaniel developed a limp that my vet couldn’t figure out and a skin condition that didn’t respond to treatment.
After 6 months we brought home a brother for Murphy. Day 1: limp disappeared. Within a week, the skin condition was cleared up. He needed a buddy!
J R in WV
The pet rescue place John helps is down in Tennessee IIRC, not near WV at all, and especially not near the Northern Panhandle where John lives.
Very glad to be associated even in our vague way to pet rescue willing to help move orphan kitties across country to new homes!!
TaMara, at least post a front page link to your Paris pictures, looking forward to seeing those! We spent one full day in Paris, arrived one evening on the train ( a regular one, not a zoomer) had two great Parisian dinners, one right across the river from the Eiffel tower! Flew home the next day.
I planned everything so well, hotel right by the Louvre museum, that one day was the one day each week the Louvre is closed! Darn! But we had a great fall day in the beautiful city!
rikyrah
Awe…what a cutiepie!!
Hope the new home will be happy for all :)
cckids
@TaMara (HFG): Good morning, TaMara; I just wanted to express my sympathies about Bailey. It’s always clear how loved your fur babies are, and she seemed like a very special girl. I hope it helps to know that people around the country are sending loving thoughts your way.
J R in WV
TaMara,
The last dog we lost was Boomer, a 95 pound bundle of waggy drooly love for his pack, and a bark (the reason he was named Boomer) that was worse than his bite. Happy dog, who was bereft of her big buddy, was sad in just the way Bixby is now.
TL;DR
She got over it when we brought a very inexperienced (grew up in a crate) rescue dog home for Happy to teach about living in the woods on our ridge in the WV forest. Many dogs need at least one other dog to help make up their pack, even thought they love the people in their pack.
Right now there are 4 dogs and 4 people in our pack, the next door neighbors’ dogs come down every working morning when T and J go to work and spend the day with us, barking at squirrels with our dogs. At 4:30 or 5 they leave to go home to spend the evening with their people.
Best wishes for you and especially for Bixby over the coming days and weeks!
raven
Dogs help you live longer.
OzarkHillbilly
@J R in WV:
Heh. I’ve done that kind of thing too.
MoxieM
I’ll put in a plug for That Newfoundland Place. It’s an incredible rescue–they often help other dogs (and they have mini doncs! and regular farm animals too). Possibly too New England for the rest of the blog, but it’s a solid rescue–I’ve been working with them since they were part of the larger NCNE (Newfoundland Club of New England) organization… both Annie and Murphy came through them. And Roxy, and Polly, and…. I can’t say enough great things about them.
TaMara (HFG)
@WaterGirl:
@cckids:
@J R in WV:
It does help so much to connect here. Not everyone gets it, but I know people here usually do understand. And will probably understand that, yes, Bixby does need a buddy, so I’m working on that. Even though my heart may not quite be ready, I’m sure it’ll be good.
Skepticat
Pet rescue is very close to my heart, and rather than actual funds, I’d like to ask for some awareness. As part of a very strong and active group here in Abaco, I help foster Royal Bahamian potcake puppies. If you have a moment, please watch https://vimeo.com/itsapotcakelife. Given how hideous our world in general is right now, you might find it uplifting and encouraging. As a matter of fact, if you’d like a smart, loyal, wonderful new puppy, we can help! We’ve rehomed potcakes all over the U.S. and Canada.
My friend Marlana (who’s featured in the film) and I started a trap/neuter/release/pamper program for cats on our tiny island, and every day we feed more than fifty free-range cats, and in the past two years we’ve managed to arrange the neutering of sixty-five fabulous felines. We’ve also adopted a half dozen of them ourselves, several of which you may have been in the BJ calendar.
Keep on rescuing!
satby
Well, I sent a private note to AL and Reilyn, but I might as well bleg publicly. I belong to a Spay Neuter Assistance group helping pay for financially challenged people to get their companion animals fixed. That was going to be our focus, because two years ago every member had multiple multiple rescues (back then I had 12, now only 10), and none of us could take on more. If course, people kept bringing them, and calling us, or even bringing strays to our houses, so now we have a rehoming rescue as well as the spay neuter side. It’s a not well-off rural part of Michigan-northern Indiana and we always have trouble with local fundraising. We’ve been trying to raise $500 for heartworm treatment for a sweetie we picked up, after two weeks we still are $145 from our goal, and we got that close only thanks to some jackals who already chipped in when I mentioned it a couple of days ago. Here’s the link
The need is always huge, no one gets paid, and in spite of the challenges, progress is being made.
debit
I don’t know this place beyond what I’ve read, but I am a fan of supporting senior dogs. Or, simply keeping the slush going and pay it forward as needed.
satby
@TaMara (HFG): A new one will never replace Bailey, but you gave her the happiest life a dog can have, short as it was. So many of them never get that TaMara, so try to take comfort from that if you can.
Some days it may be the only way we can forge ahead.
Aleta
You too are awesome Anne. (And so many times a day.)
Teddys Person
@satby: Kicked in a few dollars for Grace.
satby
@Teddys Person: aww, Thanks!
And I was wrong, our goal is only $400. So now we’re even closer.
ruemara
SQUEEEEE! Despite my two disasters, i would be easily convinced we need another kitten. Glad this worked out.
bookdragon
@satby: I was out of town and on public wifi until last night, so I missed the Miss Callie fundraiser, but I’ve put my donation in for the spay/neuter fund.
Back when I lived in the tail end of VA, getting funds for spay/neuter for pets in the local shelter was a real issue. This is a huge help to a lot people and rescue organizations.
satby
@bookdragon: thank you too!
It is a huge issue, because non-existent cute puppies and kittens don’t let us show adorable pictures. But every unwanted litter we can prevent gets us closer to the day when we can find homes for all of them.
Aleta
@satby: I’ll pass this on, and contribute after. Hearing about your and everyone’s work lifts the spirits as my mom used to say .
Aleta
@TaMara (HFG): Seems like such a shock would have its own impact on emotions, besides the hard grief. The heart gets stunned. I’m sorry for such a great loss in your family.
Barbara
@TaMara (HFG): Poor Bixby. When my little doggie died many moons ago, it was not unexpected to me (although still wrenching) but my other dog, a beagle, was utterly bereft. One day, my next door neighbor told me that she could hear the beagle sitting out in the yard crying like a little child. So we had to find a new friend for her.
MoxieM
@debit: Love that idea! My current life pal is a senior (8 when I got her from rescue a month ago, or so they say… ya never really know!). I adore the oldsters. And I would be happy to kick in to an ongoing slush fund for needy creatures.
B
@Amir Khalid: I was going with Callie, but could make it Miss Callie in honor of bj.
Thanks to the community for support, and Reilyn for doing the flying, especially during the busy holiday times, and NewDealFarmGrrl for fostering Miss Callie until she is big enough to fly. And forgive me if i got NewDealFarmGrrl’s nym wrong. I’m on my phone in between errands and don’t have time to look up.
Anne Laurie
@B: It’s her little white gloves! I’m just old enough to remember wearing white gloves to church on ‘special’ days, and they always made me feel like a grown up Miss, not just a little kid…
(And those white gloves are what make her officially ‘calico’ — which cat breeders define as a tortie, with both brown & red color genes, who also has even the smallest amount of white in her coat, because white is a whole separate gene.)
Thanks to everyone for your generosity, financial and emotional!