Information
Gwin has a minion!
We'll Love You Furever the Cooties
We'll Love You Furever the Cooties
Gwin
Legacy Name: Gwin
The
Sweetheart CelinoxOwner:
FauneAge: 14 years, 8 months, 1 week
Born: August 25th, 2009
Adopted: 1 month, 4 weeks, 1 day ago
Adopted: March 3rd, 2024
This pet has been nominated for the Pet Spotlight!
Statistics
- Level: 10
- Strength: 31
- Defense: 26
- Speed: 24
- Health: 31
- HP: 31/31
- Intelligence: 8
- Books Read: 8
- Food Eaten: 2
- Job: Kennel Cleaner
Welcome to the Pet Resource Center!
The staffer wears a warm, large, and genuine smile as they wait for you to approach. They sport brightly colored hair - a gradient of pinks and purples that matches well with their tie-die, logoed shirt. A quick scan of those at the front desk shows you that the logo is the only thing likely required on the uniform, as each staff member sports different colors and designs both in tops and bottoms.
"How can I help you today?"
the staffer asks, their green eyes gentle and kind.
"Um, I was thinking about adopting a dog."
You get out, unsure why you're suddenly feeling a bit nervous.
"That's wonderful!"
They respond, the cheer in their tone honest.
"If you'd like to fill out our matchmaking form, we'd love to help you identify individuals who may best meet your wants and needs! You're also welcome to scan through the profiles of our available friends."
They say as they hand an ipad in a durable case across the counter to you.
You're again a bit surprised. You had heard that this shelter was a very modern model, but matchmaking and ipads is certainly a far step from what you recall when you last walked the rows of kennels - over a decade and a half ago, parents holding your hands - searching for the right pup to call your own.
"We have a seating area on both sides of the lobby" the staff member gestures "and you are welcome to ask me any questions!"
Before you catch yourself you blurt out
"isn't carpet hard to keep clean with so many dogs and people?"
"We get that question a lot, and it's a good one! It takes a bit more work to keep it cleaned and sanitized, but so many dogs struggle with orthopedic issues or find slick surfaces scary so we decided to use carpeting in various areas to create a more comfortable and safe environment for our four legged friends!"
"Oh, I hadn't even thought of that!"
"Don't feel bad! Many folks don't think of it until the see a dog slipping or sliding first hand! It's our job to know that kind of stuff though" they give you a friendly wink.
"Well, thanks"
you say with a smile, feeling more confident.
"I'll go fill this out."
You walk across the lobby, heading to the left where you spotted multiple sets of chairs and couches, each set up in a circle to create a semi-"private" sitting area. Looking past the seating, you're surprised to find yourself being watched. Several pairs of eyes, accompanied by pointed fluffy ears, wiggling whiskers, and curious flicking tails, peer towards you from the other side of a glass window. Looking along the wall you notice three individual windows with atypical sizing and placement. You figure each to be about ten feet long, three feet tall, and set about five feet up on the wall. Given what you've learned so far, you figure this design gives the cats a view of the lobby without allowing for dogs or small children to rush them like regular full-height windows would.
"Clever!" you think to yourself.
Stepping past the welcomingly plush chairs for a better look, you find yourself peering into large "free roam" cat rooms; open spaces filled with carpeted and sisal cat trees and wall shelves, scratchers of all sorts of shape and design, bench seats and storage that - based on the small doorways on the sides - must be where the litter boxes reside, and even a TV in the corner playing a video of fish accompanied by soft melodic music. Some of the cats snooze in huts while others playfully bat at toys and pounce on their friends. It looks like a fun an enriching space, and you find yourself tempted to adopt a cat or two instead of a new canine pal.
A young gray cat streaks across the floor and up one of the climbing walls, batting at the tail of another cat who playfully gives chase. With a soft smile you can't hold back you turn away and sit, ready to find the new family member you've been long planning for.
The matchmaking questionnaire is thorough, but not overly complicated. You're no longer surprised by the modern touches, and find yourself enjoying considering your answers to some of the questions like "what were your favorite things about any dogs you have had in the past?" and "what would your ideal day look like with your new dog?".
As you give thought to your answers to the most recent question you hear the double doors open with force. You look up to see a family of three walking briskly across the lobby, the mother holding a cardboard box as her two young children work to keep pace. Your stomach drops as you see the look on their faces; the tear stained cheeks of the youngest child, the preteen biting their lip and clenching their hands, and the hardened eyes of an adult bracing themselves for the worst. Two of the staff members are on their feet immediately, both coming around the side of the counter and meeting the family before they even reach the desk. The three adults begin to speak in soft voices, but with how quiet the lobby is at this time of day - only the soft music playing gently in the background - you can't help but overhear the conversation.
"Got out of the house .... by a car ... broken leg .... can't afford"
With each word you lose whatever focus on your questionnaire you had left and resolve to being a silent observer, unable to ignore what's occurring despite wanting deeply to give the family privacy. Eyes downward as you sit, you feel a wave of sympathy crash across you, you've seen this before, and can't help but feel your stomach and throat tighten as the staffer begins to respond, but then -
"I'm so sorry this has happened. Let me call one of our techs up right away."
The staff member pulls a radio off their belt and clicks in to the active channel -
"Vet Staff to Lobby Please, Suspected Car Strike to Adult Cat
""On the way" comes an immediate reply.
The staff member puts the radio back on their belt as another from behind the desk slides an ipad across the counter to them.
"Our vet will need to assess your kitty to determine what kind of treatment they will need. If we can help them, we will."
She looks at the young boy who now clings to his mother's pocket with one hand, the other clenching the hem of his shirt
"And we usually can help, our vets are very good"
she tells him directly, giving an encouraging smile that brings a bit of light back into the boy's eyes.
Two techs appear donned in light teal scrubs, moving quickly but without tension or panic. They take a quick glance at the cat, exchange a few words with mom, offer some gentle words to the children, and then carefully take the box and disappear through the door as quickly as they came.
"We can't afford much"
Mom says softly, a guarded tone tinging her words.
"That's perfectly fine.
The staff member responds with a confident and reassuring tone.
" We are privileged as an organization to be designed and funded as a resource center for the community. This means that while we ask that people pay what they can so that funds can be spread out to help as many families as possible, we are able to provide these services without any mandatory fees."
Your jaw drops, you've never heard of this before.
"But .... do we have to give her to you?"
The pre-teen speaks up, confusion and hope mixing on her face.
"Nope! Our goal is to keep animals in their homes with their families however possible. If you surrendered your kitty to us, she would still need the treatment before being adoptable to a new family. It doesn't make much sense to put her in a shelter and ask her to adapt to a new home when she has a perfectly loving, safe one already!"
You see the whole family sag with relief, tears now springing into the mother's eyes.
"As soon as my vet has a chance to look her over we'll get all their notes on the IPAD. As long as we can help your kitty, I'll have you sign some paperwork and we can get started on any treatment."
Both the mother and daughter now can't help but hug the staff member, shock and relief pushing fresh tears down their cheeks. The young son though, just little enough not to have followed everything, looks from one face to the other with confusion. His chin quivers and he tugs on his mom's pocket, gaining her attention. She leans down and scoops him into her arms, kissing his cheek and offering reassuring words. They may not be out of the woods yet, but things are looking brighter.
"It will probably be about 30 minutes. We have some snacks and drinks over there"
The staff member gestures to the back corner behind the desk
"and some coloring pages, crayons, games, and toys in that room"
she gestures opposite the refreshments to a door you hadn't noticed. It is labeled with bubble letter stickers that read "Young Paws Club" and painted with multi-colored paw prints.
The family offers heartfelt gratitude to the team, who all wish them well with honest smiles, before making their way to the snacks and distractions while they wait for the vet's news.
With a lightness in your heart, your focus slides back to what you had been doing before the commotion had begun. You tap the screen back to life and reread the last question, then dive into your answer with a heightened eager to see what other wonderful surprises this place has in store for you today.
When you hit the "Submit" button a few minutes later a small pawprint icon appears and turns in circles on the screen above the words "We're fetching your new friends". After about 20 seconds, a page full of pictures appears: pointy ears, floppy ears, lolling tongues, watchful eyes, some mid-air as they leap for toys, others rolling on their back with floppy paws. How are you supposed to choose?!
Under each photo is a button that reads "Get to know" with the name of the dog. You click this for "Sam", a gray pittie with an exuberant smile. The profile includes the normal things like age and sex, but also has lists of likes and dislikes, personality traits, and even notes from their former home, volunteers, and fosters.
You make a mental note about Sam, loving his intelligence and passion for playing ball, and click back to the photo page to see who else you've matched with. It's hard to choose, with so many beautiful souls looking for their forever home, but there are a few that you feel uniquely drawn towards, and you know that amongst those is the dog you are meant to meet.
A wave of excitement begins to bubble up in your chest as you rise from the soft chair and make your way back across the lobby towards the curved desk. The same bright-haired, kind-eyed staffer greets you.
"Did you have any questions?"
They ask.
"No, it was really comprehensive! But I've finished the form now and found a few dogs that I'd like to meet if that's alright."
"That's fantastic!"
They beam at you, and you can tell they mean it to their core.
"Let me grab my treat pouch and a few toys and we'll head to one of our meet and greet yards. Who did you want to meet today?"
"Um,
oh my gosh is this really happening
"I was interested in Artemis, Sam, and Crater"
"Ohhh, you'll have a hard time choosing between them, but you can't go wrong!
She laughs.
"Don't worry, I honestly think that part of it is the thinking it all through stuff, and the rest if just knowing when it's them, you know?"
Their chipper demeanor really does rub off on others, you can't help but smile wide as you nod.
"Okay then,"
they come around the desk and begin to walk you towards a bright blue door on the back wall,
"ready to meet your new best friend?"
How To Help Shelter Pets
Able and ready to open your home to a new family member? There are thousands of shelters and rescues across the world with animals waiting to be scooped up and brought into their forever homes.
Donation
Monetary donations can be very helpful as shelters can allocate the funds where they have the most need, but there are lots of things you can donate that will be put to good use! Animal specific items like treats, toys, beds, harnesses, etc are constantly needed and many organizations have wishlists on sites like amazon and chewy to make donating easier! Old (but clean and not holey) blankets, sheets, and towels are always needed for bedding, cleaning, and enrichment, cardboard items such as boxes and paper towel rolls make great enrichment (you can even donate with a print out about ways to use them for the animals!), and other home items from muffin tins to washing machines can be of use to a facility in need! If you aren't sure about an item, you can always email the local shelter or rescue to confirm it will be of use before taking the time to stop by!
Sites like Cuddly are designed to make donating to specific needs a breeze no matter where you are located!
Volunteering
So many animals in the shelter suffer from stress due to limited resources, especially time. Volunteers can provide life-saving quality time with all species; activities may include walking, playing, bathing, training, or even just sitting together so they have time out of the kennels and cages. There are many roles to fill beyond direct animal interaction; answering phones, cleaning, assisting with adoptions, and more!
Fostering
Fostering is a HUGE help to animals, especially those who are fearful, overly energetic, or have just been at the shelter for too long. Many smaller organizations rely on fosters and cannot save lives without them!
Fundraising, Sharing, & Advocating
Sometimes we can't get where we need to go on our own. Creating monetary fundraisers or item drives, sharing adoptable pets across social media platforms, and speaking up when it comes to necessary changes in local and federal laws can change the world for animals in need.
Supporting the Local Community
A great way to help shelters is to prevent animals from arriving there at all! Be a voice of support and guidance on social media, not one of judgement. If you have the means, open a pet pantry or partner with a portable vet and fundraise for them to come offer free vaccines and low cost spay / neuter to animals in the area.
Caring for Your New Family Member.
Adopt A DogWe know transitions can be hard, so here are some fabulous tips and resources to set everyone up for success!"
Learn About Your Dog
Fear Free Dogs 101
Body Language
How Dogs Learn
How to Meet Needs
Body Language, Relaxation, and Healthy Play
Pattern Games - The Best Way to Teach
The Downlow on Dog Training
Pain Awareness
KikoPup Videos
Adopt A CatHere are some helpful resources and tips for sharing life with you cat-panion!"
Learn About Your Cat
Cat School - Enrichment
Fear Free Cats 101
ASPCA Comprehensive Cat Guide
The Cat Daddy Videos
Body Language
The Case for Keeping Cats Inside
Overstimulation
Adopt A BunBunnies are more complex than many people realize but have no fear, we have plenty of resources to help you out if you need!"
House Rabbit Society
The Right Living Space
Behavior, Training, and Enrichment
The Importance of Enrichment
Support Your Local "Kill Shelter"
While "No Kill" is a great idea, it doesn't mean what most people think! The term officially means an organization that only humanely euthanizes individuals who are "suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed". To qualify as a "No Kill" organization, the shelter must have a live release rate of 90% or more.
Best Friends Website
Why is "No Kill" Misleading?
The mission and ideology behind the "No Kill" movement is a good one! Unfortunately, things often get oversimplified and organizations get put into "kill" and "no kill" buckets and treated based on those labels without consideration for the big picture.
What Factors Impact a Shelter's Statistics?
Is the shelter open-intake or managed-intake.
Open-intake shelters say "yes" to everyone who comes through the door, though shelters that follow the HASS model from the ASPCA may try a lot of surrender avoidance like offering resources such as training or vet care. Managed-intake organizations choose who they accept into their program, meaning they may avoid having to make hard decisions by refusing the animal at the door. Certain organizations may also charge surrender fees, which can cause an imbalance in the surrenders between organizations.
Where is the Shelter Located?
Some organizations have many active rescues as well as many other shelters nearby. This spreads out the population and prevents one shelter from being overwhelmed. Alternatively, some shelters are in densely populated areas with no nearby partners, meaning every animal in the area being surrendered will go to them.
How Well Funded is the Shelter?
Not all shelters are funded equally at a government or private level. The more resources poured into a shelter, the more space, staff, food, medical care, etc they can offer. When any of these resources are limited, hard decisions are forced on the organizations.
How Do Social Issues Effect the Local Populations?
If you've ever looked for a rental, especially lately, you know that there are many limitations on animals - weight, breed, and number of being the primary factors targeted. Even when certain animals are allowed, a predatory rental structure means people can be charged excessive fees at move in and monthly. When the population is already deeply impacted by ongoing or systemic issues, they can be forced to choose being a roof over their kid's heads or keeping their beloved dog. This isn't just true for housing either, but for basic and medical care. With growing costs for everything from food to vet visits, many animal guardians are struggling to provide their animal companions the life they feel they deserve and may turn to the local shelter in hopes of their animal finding a better life in another home.
- - - - -
These are just a few of the factors that impact the outcome statistics of shelters and rescues.
Simply put, it often has nothing to do with the effort or care of the staff or organization but rather the larger issues surrounding breeding, pet stores, housing, care, and surrender.
And in the end, your local "kill shelter" needs your support right now more than the organizations that are thriving and already above the 90% goal.
Profile template by Lea
w. edits byFaune
Writing byFaune
Pax the Dog byJaded
Kota the Cat by
Yusuke
Quill the Bun bySquishyfish
Background from Jemmastock on Freepik
Web fonts from Google Fonts.
Leaw. edits by
FauneWriting by
FaunePax the Dog by
JadedKota the Cat by
YusukeQuill the Bun by
SquishyfishBackground from Jemmastock on Freepik
Web fonts from Google Fonts.
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