Category: Success Stories

Meet Sugar and Loki — two easygoing and calm rabbits who won over the heart of their foster-mom-turned-forever mom, Helen.

Loki (originally name Mighty) came to Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) as a stray. He was in tough shape with a severe skin mite infestation. In addition to the skin condition that needed to be treated, Loki was underweight, had matted hair, ear and eye infections, and had a large abscess at the base of his right ear, most likely from scratching with dirty feet. The vets at SAS trimmed away Loki’s mats, started him on ear/abscess antibiotics and Revolution medication for his mites, and gave him lime sulfur baths to eradicate the more stubborn mites.

Through the combined treatments provided by SAS and the foster care of Helen, Loki beat his mites, lice, and infections during Helen’s three months of fostering him. As she began getting to know Loki’s calm and easygoing personality and realizing his more mature age, Helen made the decision to adopt Loki and provide him with a happy and healthy rest of his life.

Sugar (top) came to SAS at almost 10 years old, after being surrendered because her family was moving. Although she had fewer health issues than Loki when arriving at SAS, Sugar had lived in a cage in the garage and had developed territorial issues. Helen was able to address and resolve these issues by providing Sugar with more space in her home. The instant bond that Sugar formed with Loki was a sign for Helen, and she adopted the senior rabbit as well. Since Helen has adopted Sugar, her personality has blossomed. She’s become more confident and demanding for attention.

The strong connection Loki and Sugar share has provided benefits for both rabbits. While Loki is very low-key and easy-going, Sugar is assertive and is protective of Loki. Loki repays Sugar’s loyalty with routine grooming. In addition to Sugar’s blooming personality, Loki has also become more social and adventurous over time. “When I first adopted him, he was happy to stay in his pen —usually in his litter box or a box house. Now he enjoys hopping all around the living room,” said Helen.

Loki is not the only one who enjoys moving around. When asked what her favorite thing about Sugar is, Helen shares, “She runs big loops, figure-eights around the yard, and zooms around when she’s happy.” Another similarity that these two rabbits share is their love for food. According to Helen, Loki only moves quickly if food is involved and Sugar makes sure Helen knows when the food bowl is empty.

These sweet rabbits have formed a strong partnership thanks to Helen’s foster care and adoption. “I’m happy that they can live out their lives together,” said Helen.

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Looking for ways to support Seattle Animal Shelter? Consider becoming a foster parent or volunteer, or donate to the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation to support the work of SAS.

Azul came to Seattle Animal Shelter as a very sick and frail kitten. She was found on the side of the road by herself with a broken tail. When she arrived at SAS, she was diagnosed with fading kitten syndrome, a period in a kitten’s early life when they are most vulnerable to hypothermia, dehydration and infection. Azul’s first days at the shelter were hard – she refused to eat and caretakers were unsure if she would recover from the fading kitten syndrome. Thankfully, Azul was moved into foster care and began eating consistently and gained back energy in her foster home. She made a full recovery and came a long way from her first days in the shelter.

On August 18, 2019, Azul was adopted by Paige and her partner. Paige instantly fell in love with Azul when she first laid eyes on Azul’s bright blue ones at the shelter. Although signage on Azul’s cage informed visitors that she wasn’t up for adoption, Paige was hopeful in bringing her home. Paige continued checking in with the shelter to get updates on Azul’s progress in foster care. When she finally made a full recovery, Paige and her partner made plans to visit her in her foster home. As luck would have it, Azul’s loving foster home was just a five-minute walk away from Paige.

Paige’s initial feelings of connection to Azul were intensified during her visit and she and her partner adopted Azul that day. Azul adapted quickly to her new home after being adopted. “We got the sense she was very grateful to finally be in her forever home after her tough beginnings,” says Paige. Azul has continued great progress in physical health with a healthier coat of fur and a newfound love of food. “We have had to really watch her with food in the house,” shares Paige, who welcomes the behavior change from the once very frail and malnourished kitten.

Apart from trying to sneak food from her parents, Azul loves to be a part of everything her parents do. She enjoys snuggling at night with mom and dad and loves car rides and plane trips. Her spunky and sweet personality has been especially valued by Paige during these uncertain times. “We love ZuZu so much. It’s been especially nice to spend all this extra time with her as we work from home.”

If you are interested in supporting the work of Seattle Animal Shelter, like the foster care program and connecting cats like Azul to their forever homes, consider supporting the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation.

From scabby and scared to floofy and fabulous  

Age is nothing but a number when it comes to Rose Nylund, an eleven-year-old Poodle Pomeranian mix. Although she is a senior dog, Rose’s mom Erika says that she still has a lot of “spunk and moxie.” Seattle Animal Shelter foster parent Krista shares similar observations from her time with Rose and mentions that her favorite thing while fostering her was her sassiness.

This little golden girl went into the care of Krista in April 2016. Before moving to Seattle, Krista and her husband fostered in their home state of Maine and have been fostering for nearly 10 years. When she settled into her new home city of Seattle, Krista was drawn to the community-based group of volunteers at Seattle Animal Shelter, and how much other support and resources the shelter is able to offer. Rose was Krista’s first small dog foster and was a change of pace, having fostered larger dogs like pit bulls and boxers in the past.

While Rose behaved well, she had issues with her physical health. She was very under-weight and had rough scabs all over her body, in place of the little fur she had. Krista, her husband, and the veterinary team at SAS all provided Rose with medicated baths multiple times a week to help with her skin condition.

With this careful and consistent care, Rose made great strides in a short period of time. Her scabbing reduced and was replaced by a fuller coat of fur as time went on.

Erika adopted Rose in July 2016 and is happy to report that Rose is now “a glorious 13 pounds of pure floof,” a huge improvement from being very skinny and scraggly when she first arrived at the shelter. Rose is small but mighty, and her mom shares that she is “like a little princess cloud who knows she’s better than everyone else.” That being said, Rose is amazing with humans and enjoys the sweeter things in life, like a good lingering walk and a nice long nap. She enjoys napping so much, she can disappear for a few z’s without you noticing.

“One time I could not find her,” said Krista. “But she had snuck into a bedroom closet and hopped into the clothes hamper for a nap.”

Size also does not stop Rose from enjoying a good treat. While tiny, Rose can enjoy and destroy her favorite treats. She is also a sucker for belly scratches and will often almost roll off the couch in scratching bliss.

Erika was looking for a smaller dog who would be better suited for apartment life. She was won over by the pictures she saw of Rose that exuded her sassiness. Although they’ve moved on from their apartment to a house in Tacoma, Rose is still a little royal ruler of the household.

If you are interested in supporting SAS’s programs like foster care and for critters to have their medical needs met, consider donating to the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation.

You may recognize Duck, a 1-year old Cattledog mix, from Seattle Animal Shelter’s 2019 Year in Review video, which debuted at last year’s Furevermore Gala. Since her time on camera, Duck has made great strides both behaviorally and medically with her foster-turned-forever parent, Sarah.

Duck came to Seattle Animal Shelter when she was about 6-months old in April 2019 with a skin condition that created open sores and wounds. Duck received specialized treatment for this condition while in the Shelter’s care, including an analysis of the condition and treatment with antibiotics. After being adopted into the loving home of her foster mom Sarah, Duck’s condition has been closely monitored by her parents.
In addition to better treatment for her skin, Duck has made great improvements behaviorally as well. In the beginning of her foster care, Sarah noticed that the normal puppy “stranger-danger” behavior that usually goes away continued with Duck as she continuously barked as strangers approached. However, after successfully completing a puppy training class, Duck is now comfortable out in public and crowds having overcome her stranger-danger!

“She’s even mildly internet famous in the craft beer community,” says mom Sarah, sharing a photo of Duck at local brewery, Skookum. In addition to frequenting craft breweries with her parents, Duck enjoys anything involving food, going for neighborhood walks, hiking, beach exploration, and (playfully) harassing her feline brother. She’s also a fan of sleeping on her bed in front of the heater or curling up with her humans on the couch. When asked what silly things Duck does, Sarah shares, “[She] likes to lie on the dog bed in front of the fireplace and roll around on her back and sides making her signature grunty duck noises,” thus proving that Duck is a befitting name for this adorable pup.

Pictures: Top  – A rare tender moment between Duck and her feline brother, T’Challa. Left – Internet famous Duck in front of Skookum brewery in Arlington.

“Duck has a sweet temperament, with an impish naughty side,” shares Sarah. Her favorite toys are anything she can destroy to snack on the stuffing – a reason why Sarah has restricted play time with Duck and her favorite toys. When she’s not destroying toys, she enjoys figure out treat puzzles with Sarah. “Duck is calm, relaxed and affectionate. When she decides she loves you, she really, really loves you,” says Sarah.

When asked what made Duck a foster fail, Sarah shared, “Some foster dogs just need help getting through a medical or behavioral issue prior to adoption, and you can tell that just given the right situation, they’ll be a confident, happy dog ready for a new adopter. Other foster dogs require significant dedication and work to get them to that point. Duck, of course, was the latter, and she really needed us to walk that road to recovery with her. It was really this work, this labor of love, that caused us to foster fail. Since my husband and I both work in the animal field, our jobs can be stressful and depressing, and Duck has given us not only a reason, but a requirement to get up, stay active, and stay dedicated to her schedule, and ultimately her medical and behavioral improvement. She looks to us for confidence, permission, and reassurance that whatever she’s doing is okay, and we look to her for the same! We make a great team and we couldn’t imagine our little team without her.”

Looking for ways to support Seattle Animal Shelter? Consider becoming a foster parent or volunteer, or donate to the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation to support the work of SAS.

“Lovely.” “Such a sweet boy.” “Gentle and mellow.” These are just a few of the many praises that has been bestowed upon Frosty. A lovable, three-year old white pitbull, Frosty came to Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) from The Humane Society of Tacoma & Pierce County as a transfer. Frosty needed an FHO surgery, or femoral head ostectomy, to restore mobility in his hip and back leg after being hit by a vehicle. Unfortunately, Tacoma Humane was unable to provide this specialized care for Frosty and he was transferred to SAS. Due to his complicated injuries, the mobility in Frosty’s back leg was not regained with the FHO surgery and will need to be removed.

Despite his limited mobility, Frosty is energetic and always eager to show his caretakers love. “I spent time with Frosty in his kennel after his [FHO] surgery. He liked leaning on me, gently coaxing treats from my hand, and licking my entire face, even with the cone of shame on,” mentions Maria, a volunteer who helped care for Frosty after his first procedure. His foster parents echo his affectionate and loving nature. “The kid does not seem to know what it means to have a bad day,” says Frosty’s foster parent Kira. Even in stressful situations, Frosty remains cool, calm and collected, following the direction of his caretakers as they diffuse the situation.

Frosty is Kira’s 142nd foster animal! Kira and her husband have been fostering dogs, cats and the occasional critter for years now. They began fostering in Seattle in 2017, and know from past experience what a sweetheart they have in Frosty. In addition to sharing plenty of kisses, Frosty shows his affection by constant tail wagging. “He loves being petted (especially belly rubs!) and also thinks he’s a big baby. If you sit on the floor, expect him to crawl on your lap,” says foster mom Kira.

Frosty has also shown the he likes to build a strong bond to his family. When allowed off-leash, Frosty constantly circles back just to check in with you. His favorite activities include stripping bark off a brand new stick and laying in the grass with said stick. He’s shown greater interest in toys, often bring those offered to him to his bed. He’s got the basic training down (sit, bed, come, crate, potty-trained) but would benefit from further obedience training in his forever home. “Frosty would be a quick study because he is so eager to please his family,” mentions Kira.

Above all else, anyone looking to welcome Frosty into their home should be ready to have a confident, relaxed, tail-wagging sweetheart that doesn’t let a missing leg stop him for showing love and affection. If you want a loyal companion who will follow and support you wherever you go, Frosty is your man.

To see all dogs and critters available for adoption, visit Seattle Animal Shelter.

If you are interested in providing further support to help animals like Frosty receive specialized care at SAS, consider donating to the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation.

By Bernie Rice — When Georgie first arrived at the Seattle Animal Shelter in March, he had seen better days. The gorgeous pitbull-mix puppy was hit by a car and suffered from fractured ribs, scrapes, and bruises all over his body. He was in bad shape.

After all that trauma, Georgie was still a loving, happy pup who wanted to find his forever home. Georgie had surgery to fix his fractures and wounds, and after some healing, he went to a foster home for his final recovery before adoption.

Well, it was Georgie’s lucky day when Cindy walked into his life. And Cindy would say it was her lucky day too.

Georgie was Cindy’s first foster dog since her own lovable pup passed away in January. Cindy knew that when she took Georgie in to her home that–due to his injuries—he would need to avoid running around or jumping much. He needed to heal, after all, and jumping is not conducive to healing. Well, Georgie had different plans. He wasn’t trained as a puppy so he was constantly jumping on the furniture and running up to people to say hello, especially the mailman, who loved seeing Georgie.

Cindy was on a mission to train Georgie and prepare him for adoption. Cindy placed chairs on the sofa to keep him down. And even then, the little wiggle worm squeezed his way between the chairs to find a tiny place on the sofa to sit. The Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation sponsored Georgie and placed him in training classes. In Cindy’s own words, “he failed that class.”

Once Cindy was able to get into a routine with Georgie, he calmed down enough to wane any signs of separation anxiety. He needed a safe place of his own, and with Cindy’s consistent routine, he found his safe place. He became comfortable and loved playing with rope toys and Kong toys filled with treats. He would bring his toys into the kitchen, wanting Cindy to play if he felt he wasn’t getting enough attention. He was a loving, happy, playful boy.

Finally, Georgie was doing great and was ready for adoption at the end of April. He was a perfect candidate for adoption—he was still a puppy and was so loving—and was quickly headed home to his new family to start a new life. But there would be more changes ahead.

Sadly, a week after adoption, Georgie became very sick. The emergency vet ran multiple tests on Georgie and the costs were becoming too expensive for Georgie’s new family. They made the heart-wrenching decision to relinquish him back to the shelter. Georgie was diagnosed with Polyarthritis, and has since made a full recovery. The cause of Polyarthritis is unknown.

After Georgie was given a clean bill of health by the Seattle Animal Shelter veterinarians, he was promptly adopted by his new family, where he is enjoying life today. Georgie has already lived many lives in his young age. Luckily, there are people like Georgie’s adoption family who care enough to realize the full potential of shelter animals who live happy lives. The world is your oyster, Georgie!

 

by Bernie Rice—

When Bun Bun came to the shelter in the summer of 2017, he had no idea how drastically his life would change within the next year. He was brought to the shelter after his owner was found deceased, so he was traumatized and skinny from having to deal with his owner’s death and hunger in the following days. He was broken and didn’t let anyone touch him, and he hissed when anyone came near him too quickly.

One fateful day last August, Ashley and her partner Drake were destined to meet Bun Bun. Ashley and Drake had gone into the shelter for foster orientation, and the shelter was so overloaded that day that they decided to wander through and look at the animals that needed fostering, with no intent of taking one home that day. Well, the universe had a different idea about that. As they walked through the shelter, Drake spotted Bun Bun, who was sitting in the back of his kennel with his head down, not wanting anyone to look at him. Drake instantly connected with Bun Bun for some reason and wanted to take him home to foster. Ashley was a bit intimidated to take a cat home that looked so afraid and so shut down, but her partner had that instant connection and couldn’t pass Bun Bun up. Drake knelt down and stayed by Bun Bun’s door and said to Ashley, “we need to take him.” Ashley had grown up with cats in the family, but Drake grew up with dogs and had never had a cats, so Ashley was surprised he jumped in head first for an adult cat (it was estimated that Bun Bun was 6-9 years old) that was truly terrified.

When they got Bun Bun home, Ashley and Drake didn’t want to force attention on him, so they let him run the show for the first month or so. They built him a little cave in their closet that had everything he needed: litterbox, food, and water so he didn’t need to come out and see them if he didn’t want to. Ashley and Drake sat outside the closet space every day and would sit there and drink coffee, watch TV, play cards, anything but focus attention on Bun Bun, so he got used to them being by him and would realize nothing bad was going to happen. Luckily for them, Bun Bun was very food motivated so they started out by pushing a treat toward him and he would come and grab it and eventually became comfortable being near their hands. Ashley considers this Bun Bun’s first big breakthrough. And then all of a sudden one day it was fine. Bun was fine touching their hands.

For the next couple of weeks, once he was comfortable with taking a treat from their hands, Ashley and Drake would try to pet Bun Bun. Sometimes he’d hiss, or run away and go hide in his closet. If that happened, they’d go back to square one, just pushing treats toward him. Then two weeks later, Bun Bun all of a sudden decided he loved being pet. Just like that. So they’d scratch his head and he loved it; then they’d try to pet his back and he’d be afraid, so they’d take a step back and get comfortable again. Ashley and Drake took it slow and Bun Bun make tremendous progress over time. He got really chatty with a “man meow” and started to chat all the time. It took a while but he went from not even looking them in the eye to following them around and chatting away.

Bun Bun got so comfortable with Ashley and Drake that one day he decided he didn’t want to be in the closet anymore. Ashley went looking for him and found him sitting on the bottom shelf of their book shelf, pressed up against the books. So Ashley moved all the books from that shelf and Bun Bun had a new “fort” for himself.

It took a while but Ashley and Drake loved watching this cat that was once in rough shape turn a corner and start meowing for their attention, enjoy being pet, and seeing him decide that people were okay. It was heartbreaking for them and rewarding at the same time. Bun Bun was a cat that was in such bad emotional shape when they got him from the shelter, that the shelter employees weren’t sure he was able to turn around to eventually be adoptable. If not, the next step was to look into a barn cat program because they thought he may never want people. So what a joy it was for Ashley and Drake to witness Bun Bun, who was terrified and shut down at the beginning, become a super chatty love bug who loved being pet and would lay on floor and plop over on his side begging to be pet and would purr and purr and purr and purr. Ashley couldn’t believe he was the same cat they had seen at the beginning.

Once Bun Bun had made enough progress to be adopted, he had such big fluffy cheeks—his “buns” (hence the name Bun Bun)—and a cute quirky tail that only half-works so it looks like a fish hook, that he had many potential adopters who understood they’d need to be patient and take it slow with Bun Bun to keep his progress going. Now Ashley and Drake are on foster #2—Iris—and they hope to be as helpful to her as they were to Bun Bun.

Ashley learned during the fostering process that it’s so important to not give up on an animal. Her lesson is that no matter how scared animals are, deep down they just want someone to love them and speak their language a bit. For her it was incredible to see a cat so scared to come to trust someone again, and it’s one of the greatest things she’s ever done.

SASF thanks Ashley for sharing her and Drake’s experience with Bun Bun and for being a part of SAS’ fospice and foster programs. SASF is honored to help fund these heroic efforts, made possible thanks to generous and committed donors.

To learn more about the fospice program and foster volunteer opportunities, please visit: http://www.seattle.gov/animal-shelter/volunteer/foster-care

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When five-year-old Rex came to the Seattle Animal Shelter, he had a double ear infection so severe, he had trouble walking. From September 2017 to January of this year, his health would stabilize then the ear infection in his left ear would return. With support of SAS volunteers and SAS staff, he had great care and attention, but it’s hard to be happy and be a good candidate for adoption with chronic ear infections – especially as an 80-pound German Shepherd.

After visiting a veterinarian specializing in dermatology, it was determined that his left ear was so damaged from ear infections, that is would never heal on its own with normal medical care, and a total ear canal ablation (TECA) was recommended. He had surgery in mid-January and the doctor removed his entire ear canal and closed the opening to his ear, leaving the ear drum intact.

To support his healing, SAS knew a special foster home would be needed. This is where Krista and Andrew entered Rex’s life. They were coming off of an 18-month foster commitment with a dog (now adopted) named Chloe who overcame extreme fear and sensitivity to strangers while in their care. With a passion for helping dogs in dire need – often struggling with reactivity challenges, previous neglect, fear or nervousness toward strangers – Krista’s take is all they need is time and patience to turn their lives around.

Krista’s been involved with greater foster community for seven years, starting when she lived in Maine. After a move to Seattle, she and her boyfriend Andrew got involved with SAS Foster about 2 years ago and since that time, have fostered five dogs.

While Chloe’s adoption took a little longer than expected once the right person was found, Krista was already reaching out to the shelter to see if they could potentially take Rex and give him a break from shelter life. SAS wanted to find a home post-surgery to help him get on a regular schedule and to see how his personality would manifest once he was no longer in pain and in a stable, loving environment.

Since coming home with Krista and Andrew, Rex has made a lot of progress in terms of accepting touch, affection and discovering the joy of toys. With a true shepherd personality, Krista needs to hide his favorite toys at night because he just wants to go-go-go. Krista said, “He’s affectionate in a shepherd way and likes to be near us all the time, but he’s not a lap dog. He comes in for head rubs and butt scratches all the time.” He also likes to keep watch over his people and will repeatedly check on Krista and Andrew when they are in separate rooms.

“Rex loves to play and is silly, often throwing his own ball for himself to chase inside,” said Krista. He likely qualifies as a ball junkie as he loves balls of all sizes and has been caught sneaking golf balls out of the bedroom and playing with a 10-pound medicine ball. He loves his toys and chewing them, and he knows what belongs to him, leaving all of Krista and Andrew’s possessions alone.

He’s transformed into a sweet and gentle guy who trusts his people and likes to be their shadow. Given Rex had little to no socialization, Krista and Andrew are working on managing reactivity and his dog body language as he likes to come in strong in an excited sort of way. While his dedicated duo is supporting his ongoing development, Rex is hoping to find an adult-only home with strong shepherd experience. Another dog in the family, may be OK, but it would be easiest for him to be an only dog. He needs a family comfortable with his background and ready to keep working with him on his socialization – both with other dogs and human strangers. He also would appreciate someone willing to play with him and his toys. While he’s not a snuggler, he is happy to love on you from a short distance. Rex also loves food.

“He’s very food motivated, and I started stuffing his KONG with apples and carrots and he loves it,” said Krista. “He’s so food motivated, he can be a challenge to train as he wants the food so badly, his brain can’t focus on the training.” To counter that, clicker training may be next on the agenda. In the meantime, Rex is happy to demonstrate sit, lie down and is working on watch me, stay and paw commands. “Rex deserves a chance at a wonderful life after the struggle of his first few years, said Krista.”

If you or someone you know is shepherd savvy and potentially a good match to help Rex find his forever family, please visit his pet profile

Furry Harry, aka Hair Bear, is a 12-year-old cat who was rescued by the Seattle Animal Shelter as a stray. His back right leg was badly fractured and had to be amputated. After surgery, he spent a month recuperating at the veterinarian hospital before he was taken in by SAS foster program volunteer Katy, as a foster. She noticed that he did not seem particularly interested in eating when she brought him home. The vet did some testing that showed nodes on his spleen and some kidney issues. Harry was treated with pills and when that didn’t work, he had a splenectomy and liver biopsy. The biopsy showed a liver issues that was treated again with more medicine and this time around, Harry showed improvement. Katy stated that he was the first cat she had to give meds to and he was “a complete angel about it.”

Taking him to the veterinarian was emotionally tolling, and Katy was worried that there would come a time when SAS could not do anything more for him, but thankfully that time did not come. Harry continued to improve physically and adjusted to missing a leg. There were times when he would slip around on the floor and not make the jump to the couch. As he improved though, he was able to move more successfully around the house.

In spite of his physical challenges, however, Harry was the most loving cat Katy has ever fostered. He would curl up by her side and sleep with her. “He was a constant source of sweetness and love,” Katy said. He had a hard time playing with toys because it was awkward to pounce with three legs, but he learned to play with a circular ball toy. As he got more confident with his missing leg, he was able to jump on the bed or the couch. He loved to fall asleep in strange positions and spots and liked to lay on Katy’s bowling ball bag. He would follow Katy from room to room and would jump on her lap and meow at her. Harry had some quirks too such as sticking his head in his cat grass and chewing on it. He also slept right next to Katy’s head. Once when her husband was eating dinner, Harry jumped on his lap and tried to eat the food right off his fork. For a cat with three legs, he jumped very gracefully to get a smell of that dinner.

When asked what makes Harry a success story, Katy exclaimed, “Based on all of his health struggles, he should not have been a happy cat. But not only was Harry a happy cat, he made me so incredibly happy to have him near each and every day. None of his medical issues could stop him from being his sweet and loving self.” Harry has since been adopted by two sisters who love him dearly. He gets along with their resident cat and can still be found sleeping in strange positions and spots.