Please Meet Our New Family Member — Niko

Please meet our new family member, Niko.  He’s a 1 year old boy Maltese (or Maltese mix, one can never be sure with a rescue puppy).  Red Bear has wanted a Maltese for a while now, so when we saw him at the Ventura County Animal Shelter (VCAS), we jumped at the opportunity.  He had been picked up as a stray, and when no owner claimed him within the “waiting period,” we were there to adopt him.

One of the great things about VCAS is that it is a “no kill” shelter — in fact, it is the largest open admission, no kill, municipal animal shelter in California!  From what I’ve learned, it has a lot of creative and innovative people to care for the animals and find homes for them.  And the shelter also has programs to have jail inmates and “at risk” teenagers learn to care for animals as part of their rehabilitation — helps the animals and helps the humans.

I really appreciate the whole approach of the people, volunteers and paid staff, at VCAS, and the communities that support it.  They really go the extra mile (or more) to make sure the animals are healthy, and treat them if they need that, and find homes for all of them.

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As one little example of their helpful attitude, Niko had no health problems, but he was SO dirty and matted from being on the streets for some time, we wanted to have him groomed as soon as possible — but shelter rules (as in most of California) say that all animals must be neutered before they can be adopted in order to prevent breeding of more unwanted animals.  It was going to take 3 days before Niko could be neutered (visiting veterinarians do check-ups, treatment, and neutering) and 10 more days after the surgery before he could be bathed.  But VCAS let us arrange to have a mobile dog groomer go to the shelter to “beautify” Niko BEFORE the surgery, and I’m sure Niko felt better getting cleaned and his fur cut quickly, so he could feel cooler sooner in the summer heat.  And he definitely looked like a new puppy when we got to pick him up after his surgery, and bring him home!

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Now he’s learning who is who in his new family, and he’s so good-natured and energetic and fun to watch.  I don’t know why, but don’t pets add a lot to our lives?  There’s something special and fulfilling when you have pets in the home, I think.  I don’t want to go on philosophically about that, but here’s a something Chief Seattle (yes, the city was named after him) wrote to U. S. President Franklin Pierce before the Civil War, and it says a lot about the human-pet connection.

“If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to man.  All things are connected.”

What do you think?

 

What I Wore:

Storets Top

Levi’s Jeans (old, similar here)

Zara Bow Mules (Similar here)

Straw Tote Bag (I putted a Chanel ribbon on)

 

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