(708)301-1594 
Open 11 am-4 pm Tuesday through Saturday Closed Sunday and Monday webmistress                   |
Shelter News from Shorty the Cat's Point of View
Shorty's Dilemma
HUMPH! Where does it say you have to be under a certain size to be a VIP? I thought the most important thing needed to be a VIP was a BIG HEART, and I certainly have that! Besides, I'm alot smaller than many of the VIP canines, so what does my size have to do with it?"Shorty all the dogs can be walked on a leash, now if you are willing to learn to walk on a leash, that would work. After all you are kind of heavy to carry around for any length of time."
Shorty, the shelter's spokescat, walk on a leash... NEVER!
"I hate to be blunt about this but I guess that's the only way I can get you to realize you are too heavy. But you have two options, if you still want to be a VIP. Number one, learn to walk on a leash, or number two, diet."
Diet!!! UGH, I hate that word, just the very thought of it makes me cringe, that's cruel and unusual punishment!
"I know how hard that word is on your ears, but we have to face the facts, unless we can somehow make it easier for VIP members to take you on visits, you won't be able to go."
Drats, not many options, is there?
"Well there is one other way, we could put you in a doll stroller and just be wheeled around."
Doll stroller! How embarrassing.
"Shorty, if we put several doll blankets in the stroller, you could hide under them so none of the other animals at the shelter could see you, and then take them off when you get to your destination."
Hmmmmmm now that's an idea, and the bonus would be that I'd be nice and cozy and perhaps catch a little cat nap before getting to my destination. Okay, I'm game, let's give it a try.
"Ok Shorty I'll be back in a minute, I put the doll stroller Lisa Ramsey brought, in the back room."
I must admit, the stroller idea sure beats walking on a leash or having to go on a ddddddiet. Ugh I can barely get that word out of my mouth.
"Ok Shorty I've got the buggy come take a look."
PINK!!!! You never told me the stroller was pink! I'll be the laughing stock of the shelter!
"Don't fret about the color Shorty, let's just see if it will work with you in it, we can always repaint it."
Okay, I'll give it a try, just make sure there isn't anyone watching.
"Shorty, the coast is clear, hop in."
Here I go 1, 2, 3
......KERPLOP. CRASH!!!!
"Shorty, what did you do to the stroller, it collapsed!"
I didn't do anything, I just did what you told me to do, and hopped right in. I didn't expect the wheels to buckle. HUMPH, it must have been poorly constructed.
"No Shorty, I don't think that was the problem. It's your size."
I've seen some dolls as large as me.
"Shorty, the dolls may have been as tall as you, but certainly not as heavy!"
And why were you laughing, that certainly wasn't the least bit funny!
"Sorry Shorty. I was just thinking, too bad we didn't have a camcorder, we could have taped the whole thing and sent it to America's Funniest Home Videos. We could have won alot of money for the shelter!"
Good Grief, that's all I'd need! Well, since I still want to be a VIP, I guess there's only one thing I can do and that's to go on a ddddddiet! But for now I better high tail it out of here, I have things to do.
"Shorty, where are you going?"
I have to go to the kitchen, Vicki has my food ready.
"Shorty, didn't you just tell me you were going to start on a diet, and in the next thing you do after uttering those words is to go get something to eat!"
I can't hurt Vicki's feelings, after she went through all that work.
"All that work? Like opening a can of cat food is hard."
For me it is!
"Shorty, what am I going to do with you."
Admit it though, without me around life sure would be dull.
Love, Shorty
P.S.
If anyone has one of those kid sized motorized motorcycles, or sportscars you're going to get rid of, please let me know. It sure would be fun going on VIP visits driving one of those down the halls.
"SHORTY!!!"
Uhoh gotta run!
From a Bleak Beginning to Happy Ending
The puppy was left to die in a dumpster at a construction site, amongst nails, scrap wood and broken glass. Had a passerby not heard the pup's cries, there is a good chance the puppy would not have survived.But after being brought to TLC, the pup was going to get a new lease on life. He was adopted by a very nice couple, Jan and Debbie Nigg. The Nigg's brought him back for a visit, and we could hardly believe it's been two years since his adoption. The Nigg's said he is the greatest dog ever!
We wanted to share this update with you since your donations help not only this pup, but others in similar situations, find a happy home. See the before picture of this pup on our return envelope and the after is here before your eyes.
Eye Surgery Donated
We did not realize Negra would need eye surgery when she first arrived at TLC (the Rottweiler pictured here with the Balich Family). We had noticed that Negra's eyes were constantly tearing, and seeming to cause her much discomfort. We took Negra to Dr. Caffarini at the Lockport Animal Hospital, for a check up. After thoroughly examining her eyes, Dr. Caffarini said surgery would be a necessity to correct Negra's eye problem. Dr. Caffarini had told us that surgery for her would cost a few hundred dollars, but then he added, for the shelter, he would be willing to do the surgery for free. We were very grateful to Dr. Caffarini for his generosity and immediately set up an appointment with him to have the surgery done.When she was brought back to the shelter after surgery, she looked pathetic with the hair around her eyes shaved, along with the Elizabethan collar she was required to wear, to keep her from possibly tearing out her stitches.
Even through post-op, Negra looked pathetic, her sweet personality showed through, which caught the eye of Nick Balich and his family. The Balich family fell in love with Negra and decided to adopt her. Now Negra's story has become another happy ending!
Pet Quips
* Buy a dog a toy and it will play with it forever. Buy a cat a present and it will play with the wrapper for 10 minutes.
* A dog is the only thing on Earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
* An aquarium is just interactive television for cats.
* Cat's motto: No matter what you've done wrong always make it look like the dog did it.
* Although cats are rather delicate creatures, and they are subject to a good many ailments, I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia.
* Dogs shed, cats shred.
Why Neuter Your Dog or Cat?
Most people can see the obvious benefits of spaying a female cat or dog, in order to prevent unwanted litters, but they do not realize the many behavioral or medical benefits of having their male cat or dog neutered.Neutered dogs and cats are healthier, and are less likely to develop prostate and testicular tumors. A neutered animal is far less likely to roam, and is not as apt to fight, which reduces the risk of injury and the dangers of infection, saving you expensive medical bills.
Behavioral changes for the better are noted after neutering. For the male dog altering makes the dog more content to be a homebody, and better behaved. Neutering reduces the annoying and embarrassing urge of male dogs to "mount" people's legs and lifting his leg to "mark" everything in sight including your furniture. For the male cat, altering will stop that awful spraying on everything to mark his territory, which can be quite odoriferous to say the least, (and next to impossible to get that odor out of fabric or anything else it should permeate). In both species, neutering reduces the aggression against other animals. An unaltered male dog or cat sensing a female in heat has only one thing on his mind. It is not unheard of for male dogs to jump fences, or tear open a screen door to find his lady love. And your neighbors will surely be calling you at 3 am when your male cat decides to serenade his intended. We have noticed that the majority of lost pet calls in the spring and fall are for unneutered animals. The first thing we tell owners to do if they are lucky enough to get their pet back, is have it neutered. Neutering relieves the male dog or cat's sexual frustration, and allows him to relax and enjoy being a part of the family. As hard as it is for some people to believe, a neutered animal is happier and more content. A neutered animal generally has a better disposition with the children in the family too.
Neutering is a safe and painless operation, your veterinarian will have him in and out in no time at all, ready to go back home. In towns that require pets to be licensed, neutered males are generally eligible for a reduced license fee.
By neutering your dog or cat, you enhance its chances of living a long and healthy life, save yourself a great deal of potential trouble and cost, and make your pet a more content family member.
T.L.C. Garage Sale June 7th and 8th
You won't want to miss this one!
Where: 414 Hillview in Lemont. Take State Street in Lemont to Freehauf, go East on Freehauf to Hillview, then turn left and watch for the T.L.C. Garage Sale signs.
Time: 8 am until 2 pm.
From clothes to furniture to things to decorate your home. Many new items, some slightly used, but all in excellent condition.
Everything is priced to sell!
(We are sorry we can't accept any more items, but Sharon Hager's poor garage is already bursting at the seams.)
Reliable Van Needed
It came as quite a shock, when the shelter's van caught on fire, on the way to an emergency pick up. The fire started in the engine compartment, and spread to the inside of the van. Fortunately nobody was injured, and there weren't any animals in the van at the time. But the poor van is no longer usable, with the steering and the gear box melted, all windows shattered from the intense heat, and the entire interior burned to a crisp.
As for replacing the van with insurance money, our agent advised against it, since it was an older vehicle, and though it was reliable, it no longer held any Blue Book value. Thus we only insured the van for collision and bodily injury.
Needless to say, the shelter is now in need of a van. If anyone has a reliable van that they would be willing to donate, it would be greatly appreciated, and your donation would definitely be tax deductable up to Blue Book value. Please contact the shelter at 708-301-1594.
You Snooze, You Lose!
The TLC website better known as tlcanimalshelter.org has done wonders, for having increased the adoption rate at the shelter, and we have Sandi O'Brien to thank for this, she's done a fantastic job! Each Friday afternoon, Sandi updates the site, with pictures and information about the animals awaiting adoption, along with many other features Sandi has added to the site.
But there is only one problem... if you see the picture of an animal you think you would be interested in adopting, don't dilly dally about driving out to the shelter to check it out. Remember, as you sit there staring at that adorable face on your computer screen, there are lots of other people doing the exact same thing. So don't delay, you snooze, you lose. We want to make adopting that special furry companion as easy for you as possible, just call the shelter at 708-301-1594, and we will be more than happy to put a hold on the animal you're interested in for an hour or so, to allow you time to drive out to the shelter. Now how's that for service? We hope to see you soon!
VIP's Bringing "Puppy Love"
The VIP program has been received well and is bringing a great deal of happiness to many people. We are very proud of all of our two legged and four legged VIP members.As part of the VIP team all canine members wear TLC bandanas, and their human partners wear VIP shirts. We recently included VIP photo ID cards for the members, a project Lisa Ramsey worked diligently on. Lisa asked each of the members to submit a picture of themselves and their canine buddy, so she could laminate the photo to the ID card. We want to also thank Lisa's husband Tom, for working until the wee hours of the morning to help get the IDs done in time for our last meeting. Since they had just gotten back from vacation a couple of days prior to the meeting, and Lisa was bogged down with things to get done.
Are you interested in becoming a VIP? Please call the shelter for further information. You can see by the photo of Valerie Doubrawa's canine buddy Windy Pooh, that there's nothing like a little "puppy love" to bring a smile to someone's face.