Pet Therapy:  A Working Partnership
By Nadine Jones, RAPS Volunteer

One of these special partners is a tall slim, grey-haired senior with a love of people and animals whose name is Ruth.  And the other is a short fat blonde Pomeranian with a bad heart who also loves people and is full of life and curiosity at ten years old. Her name is Tong Tong.  They are working girls and members of the Richmond Animal Protection Society.

Once a month Ruth and Tong Tong set out to visit patients at a chosen care facility.  There are ten such human and canine partnerships in Richmond.  Ruth also coordinates a similar organization called Wagging Tails Pet Therapy who visit and bring joy to inmates at nursing homes and hospitals including  Holy Family Hospital, Central City Lodge in downtown Vancouver, the Arbutus Care Home and the Kiwanis Home in Richmond, among others.  They also visit a program called  ASK, the Arbutus/Shaughnessy/Kerrisdale Day Care program which offers a much-needed day’s respite to care-givers.

“The type of dog most desirable for hospital visits is one which loves people” said Ruth “and the breed and age don’t seem to matter – some dogs seem to know immediately what is expected of them and interact with patients, as though it is their goal in life to make people happy.”

When I asked Ruth a typical reaction of patients she told me about a charming Chinese lady at one of the Vancouver facilities who didn’t speak English.  “She didn’t have to speak at all to let me know her feelings.  I had a Jack Russell Terrier visiting with me at that time and the lady took the dog in her arms with a smile that lit up the room and held on to her for over half an hour until I finally had to take her away to visit other people”.

An Activities Director to whom I spoke at one of the Facilities which partakes in the Pet Therapy Program said, “Quite a number of the patients here just count the days between visits.  They know the names of the dogs and often have treats for them; it is the highlight of their lives!”

Christie, who oversees the RAPS' newsletter for RAPS calls Ruth “our dear volunteer Ruth”.  Apparently Ruth’s home is never too small to answer the need for loving care for an animal.

Right now she is boarding a friend’s spaniel, and then there is a blond Labrador Retriever, Noel, who is sixteen, very frail and almost totally blind, and of course Ruth’s recent acquisition, Tong Tong.  The Pomeranian was tearfully relinquished to RAPS by a lady suffering from cancer who begged that her beloved pet go to a loving home.  Tong Tong did: she lucked out!

“When I took Noel  - who weighs 76 pounds”, related Ruth, “she was 14 years old, unwell, and not expected to live much longer but here she is with a huge appetite, a huge voice, and who looks as though she’ll be around for quite a while longer”.

Ruth and her husband never had children but she has made up for any lack off offspring by mothering so many needy dogs and sometimes cats also.   “She takes in dogs from the RAPS city shelter that are too old to be adopted or who need a quiet, special home”, says Christie.

Ruth, one of the very special people who give their time to enhancing the life of needy animals, has been involved in the Pet Therapy program for over ten years and has been a member of RAPS since it beginning.  Old and needy animals are very lucky there are people like Ruth in this world. 

Generous Volunteers Save Farm Kitten’s Life
By Marianne Moore, RAPS Volunteer

Little Bree is one of a group of young “urban barn” cats brought in to RAPS Cat Sanctuary last year.  She appeared to be suffering from chronic congestion and upper respiratory symptoms that didn’t respond to medications.

Poor Bree wasn’t able to breathe or eat properly and, while her siblings thrived, she dropped to just three pounds.  Despite her failing health, Bree’s amazing, loving spirit never failed: she continued to happily greet visitors, clamber onto their shoulders and nuzzle their ears, purring loudly all the while. 

We were determined to find out what was causing Bree’s problems, so we held a fundraiser at the Cat Sanctuary.  Staff and volunteers all welcomed the opportunity to help save the life of this special little girl. Within a very short period of time, enough money was raised to pay for a rhinoscopy, which revealed that there was a large mass at the back of Bree’s mouth and leading into her ear.  No wonder she couldn’t eat or breathe properly! 

Fortunately, it appeared that the mass was a non-cancerous, inflammatory polyp.  A few days later, a surgical team at Canada West Veterinary Specialists and Critical Care Hospital successfully removed the growth and, although it will take a while for her to regain her weight, Bree is back at the sanctuary with her furry and human friends, eating up a storm to make up for lost time. 

We are extremely grateful to both the generous RAPS family who provided the funds for Bree’s treatment, and to the Canada West Veterinary team who reduced the costs to make it more affordable for us. We’re delighted to have our beloved little Bree back with us, and finally eating and breathing like a healthy kitten should.   

Go Cats Go!  Cats in Winter Sports
by Marianne Moore, RAPS Volunteer

As far as I know, there are no major winter sporting events in which cats compete, but if there were, I’m sure that their unique skills would make for an impressive spectacle.  There are several cats at RAPS’ cat sanctuary that would be first in line as choices for Team Cat Canada.   Here are just a few examples of the winter sports in which some cat sanctuary “cathletes” could be contenders.

Sliding sports: When hunting prey, playing, or just relaxing, cats can really “get down”.  The resulting aerodynamic profile would be perfect for sliding sports, such as luge or skeleton.    Here, one of the many black cats practices his luge position, while Marmie demonstrates the perfect, head-down tuck position for the four-cat bobsled event. However, team bob-sledding may not be so successful at an all-cat event, since it would be difficult to find four cats that would cooperate as a team and keep their heads down, even if medals were at stake.

Figure Skating: The height and agility a figure skater can achieve in a jump are what separate them from their competition.  If they could just skate, cats would really put on an entertaining figure skating show.  They’re exceptionally graceful and can jump straight up and effortlessly  – no need for those long, boring backward skates that humans need to lead into a spectacular jump.  Even better, there’s little danger of a cat suffering an embarrassing upset onto their backsides – cat landings are usually perfect. In this photo, note the height and body position that Kevin attains on his jump.   Their grace and flexibility would allow cats to perform breathtaking duets, too, as demonstrated by the dancing pair above.        

Ski-jumping: Cats are not only able to jump high, but they can also soar over long distances. They aren’t afraid of heights and have a wonderful sense of balance, all of which would make ski-jumping a natural sport for them.   Their uncanny ability to land on their feet would come in very handy here, too.  In these photos, an agile black cat proves that he has no fear of heights and Dusty demonstrates perfect mid-flight form.

Hockey:  Unfortunately, lack of teamwork skills (see Sliding Sports, above) may make cats unsuitable for hockey, but many are competitive scrappers, not afraid to throw down the gloves for the team when necessary.  Here, Jerry shows the “rock-em sock-em” personality that often lands him in the penalty box. During a recent pick-up game of “keep the ball out of the bed”, Lincoln uses his sharp vision, naturally fast reactions and slick paw-work, all skills that would make him a first round goalie draft pick.     

Nordic events (cross-country):  Sure-footed, speedy, and with excellent traction (thanks to pads and claws), some cats just love racing through the snow.  However, most of them prefer to stay warm and dry indoors on snowy days so the Nordic events cat team would be quite small, probably just the one hardy member shown in training here.

Like people, not all cats are athletic.  Many would prefer to just be spectators and cheer (or jeer) from the sidelines.  Also, like people, they really hate waiting outside to get into the popular events. 

Come to RAPS Cat Sanctuary on the next cold snowy day and cheer on your favourite “cathletes”.  See you there!  Bring cat treats for the post-game celebrations.

The Goat Goes Home
By Christie Lagally, RAPS Volunteer

Marty was not being respected for the goat he was to become when he was given to a family in Richmond to raise for  'goat curry.'  Luckily, Marty's 'family' did not want to explain to their 5 and 6 year old kids (no pun intended) that they would have to eat their new pet.  But the family could no longer keep Marty in an upstairs bedroom, and they made the right decision to surrender this baby goat to the Richmond Animal Shelter. 

One month old Marty was still drinking milk, and had to be fed many times a day.  As a result, he lived in the shelter lobby, socializing with the visitors and 'rock climbing' on his kennel.  He quickly grew into a real goat, and moved into the dog kennels till a home could be found.  It turns out that Marty was no stranger to dogs.  He got along well with them and they with him. But little goats grow fast, and soon Marty had a set of horns and a full head of steam! 
This January, Marty went to a wonderful couple with a beautiful farm.  We know he'll be very happy there. 

A special 'Thank you' to Careen Maloney for the use of her Marty photo.  Check out Careen's Rescue Blog.