How it happened I don’t know, but for some reason, our house has become a home for lost pets. Until recently, our house had three bunnies, four cats and six dogs living with us – at the same time.
At home, I have been assigned the job of taking care of the bunnies and the dogs. I am responsible for food, cleaning and long dog walks each day. My wife is responsible for cuddling with the cats, she says.
Our six dogs come in all sizes and shapes; some are small and furry with lots of energy, while the rest are big with lots of love and wet, slimy licks whenever you’d like one.
One of our dogs is an English Springer named Sherman who can’t help but whine throughout the day. “Please play with me,” he says. At night, Sherman snores louder than any human I have ever heard.
Another of our dogs is Kodak. Kodak is a mixed breed, a chicken soup of a dog. Kodak has decided it is his job to protect the house. He makes sure that birds do not land on the deck, and he is quick to investigate each sound he hears. The only thing wrong about Kodak’s protection skills is that Kodak is too nice; he thinks that big licks and a wagging tail are the best way to protect his castle. At night, Kodak likes to come up and rest his chin on your knee. He will leave it there until he is satisfied you have scratched his head enough – a reward he earned for protecting the castle all day. And when I go to sleep, Kodak always lays beside my side of the bed.
Sadly, we lost Kodak last week to old age. His body just couldn’t keep up with his spirit any longer. I will miss Kodak tremendously, and our house already seems different without him there.
Kodak and Sherman and the rest of our dogs are wonderful, but they aren’t exactly police-trained crime fighters. Of course, we love them anyway.
The great thing about our dogs – and the cats and bunnies – is that they were rescued. We found each of them at the animal shelter or we took them in because someone couldn’t keep them. And I have to say, owning a rescued pet is a wonderful experience.
Here in Mendocino County, we are lucky that so many organizations are committed to rescuing dogs, cats and sometimes even bunnies. And these agencies do so much more: they care for mistreated animals, provide needed medical care, and get these rescued animals ready to be great pets and companions for local families.
If you are looking for a pet companion for your family, please start here in Mendocino County. The Mendocino County Animal Shelter (467-6453), the Humane Society of Inland Mendocino County (485-0123), the Mendocino Coast Humane Society (964-7729) and Bones Pet Rescue in Covelo (367-1543) are great places to start. You can also search for pets located in our county at www.pawstoadopt.com and www.petfinder.com.
If you’re looking specifically for a cat, the Anderson Valley Animal Rescue has great cats for adoption at Rainbow Agricultural Services and the Mendocino County Farm Supply here in Ukiah.
Not sure you are ready to adopt a pet? Our animal shelter is looking for weekend foster parents—think of it as a trial run. You can learn more by visiting the Mendocino County Animal Care and Control Facebook page.
If you read the title of this column, you might be asking, “So how does adopting a rescued cat or dog help fight crime?” Well, I’m glad you asked, because even though I have no scientific data to support this claim, I think we can all agree that owning a pet makes you happier, and happy people commit fewer crimes.
So please, help make Mendocino County safe – adopt a cat or dog today!
As always, our mission at UPD is simple: to make Ukiah as safe as possible. If you have suggestions on how we can improve please feel free to call me. If you would like to know more about crime in your neighborhood, you can sign up for telephone, cell phone and email notifications by clicking the Nixle button on our website: www.ukiahpolice.com.
