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 Whiskers
Story
In honor of Adopt-a-Shelter Cat Month last June, Hillsborough County
Animal Services (HCAS) in Tampa, FL, made a special effort to find
homes for its kitty population. They made a deal few could refuse:
Adoption fees were cut in half for all available cats.
One lucky beneficiary was a dapper black-and-white
kitten called Whiskers, named after the star catcher of the Tampa
Bay Devil Rays, Dioner Navarro—also fondly known as Whiskers. Like
his namesake, Whiskers the cat has magic fingers; he’s a polydactyl
with seven digits on his front paws and six on the back.
In June, accompanied by Marti Ryan of HCAS,
Whiskers made his media debut on MIX 100.7 (WMTX-FM), and posed
for photos with Tampa-area radio personalities. During the segment,
he licked the microphone nervously but gamely played along when
DJ Nancy Alexander cast him as the subject of a contest for concert
tickets. “How many toes did we say this cat has?” she asked listeners.
The winning answer, of course, was seven in the front, six in back!
By the end of the day, Whiskers’ 15 minutes
of fame earned him a forever home with his new pet parent, Gina
Rosenberger. As it happens, this cat lover already had a polydactyl,
and had been searching for a companion for years. A friend heard
Whiskers on the radio, passed the info along to Rosenberger, who
quickly contacted HCAS. “My other cat is also named after a sports
figure!” She told HCAS staffers. “He’s called Monte Mitten, after
Tampa Bay Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin!" Touchdown!
Carmella
Walks And Talks Femininity
Carmella may have come to Hillsborough County Animal Services in
Tampa, FL, as a stray, but she had the distinction of being a particularly
lovely and dainty pit bull. Feminine isn’t a word usually associated
with pits, but Carmella is no usual dog! HCAS volunteers made her
a frilly collar and loved to take her on outings. They couldn’t
say enough about her perfect, ladylike behavior outdoors.
Along came Kristine and Sara Surgeons, who attend
the University of South Florida. They did their homework and carefully
researched the kind of dog they were looking for. They came across
a “foster needed” plea by HCAS volunteer Connie Johnson, and the
rest was history once they met the beautiful Carmella!
Carmella was the very fist adoption from the
new Hillsborough Pitbull Ambassador program! The new family is getting
along famously, and Carmella is enjoying the upgrade on her name—Meela.
This wags-to-riches
success story was a true group effort.
What makes ASPCA® Mission: Orange™ so unique and inspiring? There’s
no trick—collaboration is the name of the game. One of our earliest
success stories is that of Little Man, a four-year-old American
Pit Bull Terrier whose happy ending came as a result of what can
truly be called a group effort.
In early March, the ASPCA invited Donna Reynolds
of Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls, a.k.a. BAD RAP
(a pit bull advocacy and fostering group based in Oakland, CA),
to Tampa, FL, to help the ASPCA® Mission: Orange™ target city’s
shelter system develop assessment protocol and adoption policies
for their adoptable pit bulls and pit mixes. During her whirlwind
two-day Tampa trip, which included three separate shelter tours
and many meetings, Donna saw dozens of wonderful dogs—but one particularly
social pup at the Hillsborough County shelter caught her eye.
“I spotted this little imp pressed to the front
of his run—ears back, lip puckered out and tail wagging furiously.
In spite of all that, he had an old-world air about him. He was
filthy, way too skinny and on his last day before the shelter would
have to put him down to make room for incoming dogs. I got that
rush of excitement in my belly that comes from meeting somebody
very special. I couldn’t leave without him, so I pointed him out
to the staff and shouted ‘If he tests well, I want to take him home,’”
remembers Donna.
Named “Little Man” right on the spot, the affectionate
pit bull not only tested well, but the staff at Hillsborough quickly
learned that he was a delightful little showman eager to learn tricks
(his current repertoire includes “sit pretty”, “roll over” and “army
crawl”). Like many shelter dogs, Little Man had kennel cough, so
was not allowed to travel on a plane at the time. The Hillsborough
staff was happy to nurse Little Man back to health so he could reunite
Donna in California and join the BAD RAP family of adoptable breed
ambassadors, which he did on March 20.
While Little Man’s cross-country adventure is
a symbol of hope for all involved in his rescue, his circumstances
were, sadly, far from unique. It is believed that he was seized
from a Tampa drug house. When brought to the Hillsborough County
shelter, he exhibited classic signs of neglect, including severe
malnourishment and a bad worm problem. At the shelter, his chances
of finding a forever home were heartbreakingly slim. In 2006, Hillsborough
took in 36,091 animals, of which eight percent were adopted. The
euthanasia rate for the year was a staggering 82 percent. However,
with the ASPCA helping Tampa to set up and promote accessible spay
and neuter resources and adoption programs, these numbers should
significantly improve in the coming years.
Now in Oakland, Little Man is being fostered
by Donna, who is having a blast getting to know him and prepare
him for adoption. “He really is a prize, and the perfect ambassador
for the breed,” she says. “He’s a happy boy who mixes nicely other
dogs and loves to greet visitors. He’s becoming quite a celebrity
around here!” And to bring the happy ending full circle, the ASCPA
sponsored the Hillsborough veterinary staff to attend BAD RAP’s
Oakland Pit Ed Camp—where they got their chance to reunite with
everyone’s favorite Little Man.
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