A few weeks ago we looked at pictures of the newest additions to Petfinder pages. This week we look at the oldest additions. There is a warning. Because some of these animals have grown old in no-kill organizations or foster homes, possibly with people who always hoped they'd not be adopted, there is a possibility that the winning photos are obsolete ones that just haven't been properly removed from the system. The organizations probably still exist, though, and the goodhearted souls who want to meet the animal who's been waiting longest will probably get to meet an animal who's been waiting for a long time, so we will use these images as we find them. With cats the problem may be just that they're ordinary-looking gray tabbies or shadow-like black cats. With dogs the problem is usually more serious.
So many readers have said the same thing. "I already live with animals. What can I do to help these animals? I can't offer them a home." Scroll down to see an example of how you can help. Just sharing their photos with friends who don't have animal companions (yet) helps boost the signal, but you can also sponsor their adoption by families who need pets but don't have a lot of money to spare. You can pay either part or all of the adoption fee. At least one of these pets can be delivered to the right home with a free crate and some supplies thrown in, thanks to a generous sponsor.
Zipcode 10101: Jane from Point Pleasant Beach
Jane is used to being an outdoor cat. Though she's friendly to humans and knows which one hands out the food, she's not much of a lap sitter. She does rub up against people she likes. She tolerates dogs and has made friends with at least one dog. She's just sort of ordinary-looking.
Retired Racing Greyhounds from New Hope (Pennsylvania)
Greyhounds make great pets. Seriously. I wrote this web site out of a Dog Sanctuary that had one for a season, and I loved the big quiet fellow. Greyhounds have been bred to be some of the easiest dogs on Earth to love. Short smooth coats hardly ever shed. Quiet personalities, peace-loving, gentle, tolerant of other dogs. Sweet dispositions, actually, but walking beside one tends to command instant respect from other humans you meet. There are just two minor but VERY important considerations:
(1) They were born to run. They really want to go all out and run like the professional athletes they are, and if they do, they'll run you off your feet, guaranteed. They need a big yard where they can run at their pace before you try teaching them to walk with you on the street. Perhaps your present menagerie includes a horse? A recently retired Greyhound can probably run faster than your horse.
(2) Their fantastic potential as pets has probably been completely neglected while they were racing dogs. They've not been living in a human home. They've not been trained to walk at heel, sit, stay, tell someone they want to go outside, or come when they're called. They're used to being in close quarters with other greyhounds but not necessarily with other people's yappy puppies; they're not used to motor traffic, or chatty humans, or real-world rabbits. They need all that training as they adjust to civilian life.
So, greyhounds are not for everybody...but a few greyhounds are still available for adoption by the few people who have what it takes to adopt them.
Lady from Greentown
Petfinder says the individual dog who's been listed as adoptable longest, but not been adopted, is this Pit Bull Terrier from Pennsylvania. They don't say much about her. Meh. With dogs...there's another alternate, right? But somebody Out There might want to e-mail the organization and find out the story.
MJ from NJ
The non-Pit-Bull-Terrier who's been listed as adoptable longest, but not adopted, is MJ from New Jersey. His current guardians say he's a good dog most of the time, and they can read the signals and know when he's starting to panic, but he is a panic biter. Well...I don't like recommending a dog who's bitten people to anybody, but someone who wants to adopt the neediest dog out there...?
Zipcode 20202: Sweety from West Virginia
Right, so for one thing she's been in a Humane Society shelter. I apologize. There's an alternate selection. I was actually moving the mouse pointer down to another cat photo, having considered this one and decided she got the red ribbon, and the computer snapped her web page open. It felt as if Sweety were saying, "No! Pick me!" She does have more than looks in common with our Founding Queen, Black Magic, who was the perfect first cat for me. Though spayed, Sweety has adopted orphan kittens. She's not fond of dogs or baby humans and she takes a while deciding to bond with adults, probably because she's been a stray or in a shelter for so long. She is one of those black cats who fade into the background when people look at the shelter animals who are up for adoption. She probably deserves to be picked first. She just might be the perfect once-in-a-lifetime cat for somebody Out There. Still. The Humane Pet Genocide Society.
Alternate Selection: Ingrid from Nottingham
A true "friendly feral" cat, Ingrid is looking for a barn to keep mice away from. She's friendly "on her terms, and only on her terms," they warn. The organization sometimes arranges for animals to meet potential adopters at Petco stores in Towson or Timonium, but they want to "approve an application" first. They can deliver her, with a crate and some supplies, to locations within three hours' drive.
There is no fee for adopting Ingrid. Someone has already sponsored her. You, too, can sponsor the adoption of a deserving animal by a family who need a pet. Petfinder tries to ensure that all organizations are legitimate, that if you sponsor an animal's adoption the animal will be available free of charge or at a greatly reduced charge to someone who can offer it a home. Nothing is perfect but this organization seems pretty legitimate to me. I'd warn only that, no matter how legitimate you and your correspondent are, real names, home addresses, bank information, etc., should never be transferred through the Internet. How do you know nobody's going to steal your car keys from me? You know you didn't hand your car keys to me, that's how.
Cookie from Landenberg
Going on nine years old, Cookie is a Pit Bull Terrier, the breed that tends to languish in shelters because people are prejudiced against them. They say Cookie is a little old lady of a dog who still likes brisk walks and play time with her humans.
Alternate: Dexter from Delaware
He's six years old, weighs about 35 pounds, has some special medical needs, and has had some behavior problems. Basically this dachshund-schnauzer mix thinks his vocation in life is to protect his humans and their home. From any approach by other animals. He must be an only dog. He might attack visitors, too. You need to be able to set up an environment for him where he won't become overprotective, even if you want a dog who might make a burglar or a Bad Neighbor very, very sorry he came to your house. (If, for example, you are a neighbor of mine, you'd need to make sure Dexter would never be able to get out and attack anyone else's more peaceable pets--pleasant though it would be if our Professional Bad Neighbor were marked for easy identification...)
He's been sponsored for adoption, but they're not saying what the adoption fee is or how much of it the sponsor has covered. Dexter is in a foster home already and may be there for life "unless that one in a million home" is found for him. They want to know all about you. They use an online application form. If you have a one in a million home to offer this dog (they say he is a lovable pet when he's made up his mind that you're his human family), this web site reminds you that the real names, home addresses, and other personal information about real people do not ever belong on the Internet. The organization is probably legitimate; everything else crawling around the Internet is not. There is a legitimate need to document that you can afford this dog's veterinary expenses, but don't put any financial information online.
Zipcode 30303: Penny, Lilith, and Vera from Atlanta
Penny is the one facing the camera, with the coat the color of a new penny. Lilith is the one with the misaligned fangs that show, and Vera is the ordinary gray tabby. These are not ordinary cats; they're a social cat family. That seems to be the deal breaker for Penny. If you want one cat, you must adopt three. I think there's a great deal to be said for being owned by three sister cats. I also think the foster family have become attached to the Weird Sisters and don't mind keeping them fur-ever, though that's just a personal insight based on my life with social cats.
Alternate: Matrix from Macon
Matrix, it seems, likes to slap things. Playing with her with a toy like this one should help, but they warn that "You will get your hands slapped many times" in the process of bonding with this cat. What can I say? If you are a regular reader, have enjoyed the story of how I've grown to love my cat Serena even though many people would say she's unadoptable and "awful," this is your opportunity to bond with a cat whose purrsonality sounds similar to Serena's. When she's had enough running, slapping, and clawing at things she may eventually decide to snuggle up with you. They want you to promise that she can be an indoor pet. If you rent, they'll want to know that that's all right with your landlord.
Part Platt Hound and part Cur, Rocky gets along well with people but can be a bully with other dogs. He's not all that big but he wants them to know he's the boss. If they have their own opinions, maybe they want to fight to settle it? So...the organization says he's been in their shelter for more than twelve years. All that time he's been waiting for a home where he can be the only dog.
