Jesse James Gets Adopted

Yesterday a very nice young woman came into the shelter and was interested in having a look at my pal Jesse James. Of course I was happy to tell her all about him. I explained to him that he is a great little dog but one has to really be observant and err on the side of caution as to how much contact he is ready for. I showed her how he will put his paw on your knee when he is ready to be picked up to put on your lap, etc. We also went for a walk with him. I showed her how I use the step-in harness and TTouch leash (which I donated to her), clipped to the side clips of the harness, which is a great setup for a dog who is small or very low to the ground like a dachshund. I explained to her how when you put on the step-in harness, it is easy to remember which part of the clip is where because "The female is always right" (thanks, Kathy Cascade, for teaching me that). Jesse gets VERY excited when he knows he is going to be going out for a walk, so it was good that she saw the reality of that and that it can be a bit of a challenge to get his harness and leash on!

The young woman fell absolutely in love with Jesse (I can't blame her) so she decided to adopt him. I am very happy for her and happy for Jesse that he is going to a very kind person. I have to admit it was very strange after they left the shelter though, as his absence was so palpable. I will miss him so much but I truly hope this works out well for both of them, and send them all the best for a great life together.

Taking Jesse James for a Walk

When I took the Chihuahua at the shelter (Social Tees Shelter), Jesse James, to have a bath a few days ago, I noticed that he gets so excited to go out when I bring out his leash. So today when I got to the shelter I took him out for a walk. Again, when I brought out the leash, he went running and jumping towards the door. Again, I put on a step-in harness with a double-ended leash clipped to the two side clips of the harness to have two points of contact, as Jesse can get pully on the leash. When we got out, he was very excited to be outside, smelling everything, looking around, etc. We took a little walk around the neighborhood, ending up at Animal Crackers, a wonderful local pet store on East Second St in NYC, where they gave him some treats, which helped to make the walk even more special for him.

When we got back from the shelter, Jesse munched on his treats from Animal Crackers and seemed more relaxed than usual and when it came time to put him in a cage for a night, he went in on his own and was very quiet and content there. I want to start doing this more often for him, or have other volunteers take him out, it really makes a difference.

Jesse James Gets a Bath

My friend and fellow volunteer Estee arranged for a local pet grooming and bath place, Puppy Love, to donate a professional bath for our friend Jesse James. So I got him ready to go out from Social Tees with a step-in harness and the double-ended TTouch leash clipped to the two side clips of the harness, giving him two points of contact. I had previously walked him around in the shelter with this setup and he was very cooperative. He also really responded the minute I brought out the leash, so that signaled to me that he likes to go out for walks! And indeed when I got him outside he was excited to be there, looking at everything, sniffing all the different smells etc. At points he did try to pull on the leash but if I spread my hands apart (each hand holding one end of the leash) or if I stroked one side of the leash then the other, he came back in balance. When we passed people, he was perfectly polite and we even passed a dog at one point, who he was curious about but as I wanted to err on the side of caution and keep him away, when I signaled to him on the lead to come back to my side, again he was quite cooperative.

When I got him to Puppy Love I told them that Jesse might get a little feisty with someone he didn't know, and they were totally unfazed. When I handed him over to the man who would bathe him, Jesse acted as though he already knew this guy. I felt very good about the whole situation so I'm sure he picked up on this as well.

When I came back to pick Jesse up, what a jolly little guy! The fellows at Puppy Love said he had been a perfect little gentleman and they gave him some treats. Jesse's fur felt so soft and he smelled great. It really did seem that he felt good being clean as well. Congrats Jesse! He's really coming along.

A Thanks to the Animals who Heal Me

I have to take a special moment to thank all the animals in my life for how much my connection with them has been healing to me. They give me so much every day (and of course a special thanks to my own cat Garbanzo)!

This past Saturday was a case in point. We were having an adoption event for Social Tees and I had a sore throat and was feeling a bit achy and like I was fighting a bug of some kind, but I went over to the event at least so say hi and see what was going on.

Below is a dear little tortoise-shell cat who I have been working on lately. She was initially very shy but has really come around. and I have given her special attention lately because I had to put some cream on a little abrasion she had on her tail. I saw her in the van and she was being so cute and kind of silly, sitting inside a metal ring generally meant for a water dish. Here she is looking right at me, aww!


This little darling was adopted this week by a very kind young man - they seemed to bond with each other instantly, and she was very comfortable sitting in his lap and being petted right away. She came a long way from the scared little kitty she was just a short time ago. I wish her well in her new home.

Below is the lovely calico friend of Carrot Top. She looked so peaceful as she took a nap in the van, it was cozy and warm in there. She and Carrot Top were adopted this week as well by two young women, so good luck to them too.

After visiting with the animals in the van, I needed to go back to the shelter to give eye medication to some tiny little kittens we have there. I try to make this event a more pleasant one by combing and cleaning the kittens, doing ear strokes and other TTouch on them while I have them out to give the eye drops. They really are quite cooperative, and they all want to come bounding out of the cage when I open it. The interesting thing is that they sometimes seem to have a sense of taking turns, as the last kitten who I need to give eye meds to (and I go in a different order each time) will often come to the door on its own, seeming to know that it's his or her time out with me. The mom cat and all her five kids are all completely socialized and hopefully in a couple of weeks they will be ready for adoption.

And below you will see two pictures of my pal Jesse James, who is coming around more and more. Other volunteers in the shelter who used to be a little afraid of him are now able to pet him and sometimes he will even give them a kiss!

You can see how happy he looks below. I am able to touch him on all parts of his body now, though I do have to be a little careful around his mouth area as this can be a little iffy still. I think he just gets nervous when there is too much going on and if there are larger dogs in the shelter - he seems to generally get along with dogs around his own size.

At the end of this day, when I was back in the shelter, Jesse came up to me like he often does and puts his paw on my knee, as you see in the picture below. This is his signal he wants to be picked up to sit on my lap. Of course I was happy to do this! He is now very comfortable in my lap and ready to receive TTouch there. He gives me kisses there as well. What a great little guy. I have also been teaching him (using treats) to sit on command. This is challenging for him and sometimes I have to just wait for him to sit, as he will often first try to jump up to get the treat, but ultimately he realizes what he needs to do and he sits and receives the treat.

So by the end of this day I had just about forgotten that I had been feeling so lousy in the beginning of the day. My body aches and sore throat had totally gone away. I have to thank the animals for that!

Jesse and the Cats

This little Chihuahua pictured above has become very bonded with me lately, following me around and checking out what I'm up to. He is very endearing, but he does have some issues! He can get jealous sometimes if you are paying attention to another animal, so sometimes when I am doing TTouch on one of the cats who is loose in the shelter, he comes up and starts barking or lunging at the cat. Most recently, when he does this, I will do TTouch on him with one hand and on the cat with the other. This settles both animals down pretty well, reassuring both of them. I am hoping I will have a chance to do this enough to give Jesse some more confidence so he does not feel like he is being neglected when someone else is being paid attention to.

Below is a picture of Jesse and Jigsaw Sr. (he was brought back to the shelter recently -- as we are a no-kill shelter, we assure adopters that they may bring back their animal if for any reason it doesn't work out in their home). Jigsaw cannot use his front left leg, so he cannot run as quickly as the other cats, though he can get going at a pretty good clip and can jump out or reach if need be. However, I was particularly concerned about getting Jesse and Jigsaw off to a better start with each other so they are the two that I worked on first with this concept. After TTouch, Jesse is still watching me as I am nearer to Jigsaw but he didn't feel the need to come over and bark and threaten this time. I know it will take time for Jesse to become more peaceful and comfortable when he is around cats, but we're off to a good start.

RIP Cartwright and Thank You Jesse James

I had very sad news yesterday. The little black kitten w/roundworm who I had rescued took a turn for the worse a few days ago (other health complications as his immune system was very delicate) and sadly did not make it. I felt so filled with sorrow for this little guy, we had really tried to help him. I hope we at least helped him feel more comfortable, loved and less alone in the last few days of his too-short life.

I found out this news when I took one of the shelter dogs to the vet to be neutered, as when I got to the vet I had a chance to ask about the kitten's condition. Needless to say, when I returned to the shelter, I was really beside myself. Robert, who runs the shelter and has had so much experience with both the joyous and the sad events which can happen in a no-kill shelter, had some really helpful words to offer.

Then something very unexpected happened. Our little Chihuahua who I have been calling Jesse James, as he is kind of an outlaw little guy, has been very friendly to me when the shelter is quiet but this day he came right up to me, seeming to know that I was very sad, put his little face right in my face and began to lick me.

I did some TTouch and he snuggled near me for a while. Most of the rest of the day, he stayed near where I was. I was so touched by that and so grateful. I knew that he truly sensed what I was feeling.

I hope that wherever Cartwright's little kitty spirit is now, he is happy and free. I will always hold a special place in my heart for him.