Success Story - Ezy, Soft, and Balto

Every animal that comes through our doors is loved, but there are those few cats or dogs that really touch the heart. For some reason - length of stay, special needs, health concerns - everyone who works or volunteers at HSEC knows these extra-special guys, and we celebrate even more when they have success. So let's take a look at three of our recent extra-special success stories: Ezy, Soft, and Balto.

Ezy

When we began this blog in October of 2011, we had just one candidate for the very first blog dog - Ezy. By October Ezy had already been at the facility for longer than a year. Ezy was brought in as a stray with an uncertain pedigree and it was clear that he wasn't very comfortable around people. He was never mean or vicious, but he was very shy. Staff and volunteers had to be careful to approach Ezy the right way. He quickly warmed up to his favorites, but was often overlooked by potential adopters because of his shy personality.

A wise volunteer once said "there's a lid for every pot", meaning that every animal had an owner out there already waiting for them. Well, in Ezy's case he's more like a stock pot - and his lid has finally found him. His adopter is a volunteer who spent several weeks getting to know Ezy and making him comfortable before finally taking him home.

Some adoptions are so happy they just make you cry. We couldn't be happier that Ezy has found his pot!

Soft

Soft was another long-timer at HSEC. This older cat came from a home where the owner could no longer care for her, and it was clear that the seven-year-old was stressed out at the facility. We give our residents the best care possible, but our environment can be loud and scary and is no replacement for a permanent home.

Soft was also our very first cat of the month in October 2011, and she had already been in the facility for several months at that point. Because she was stressed, she could be shy and even temperamental. She certainly wasn't putting her best foot forward for potential adopters. Luckily for this beautiful long-haired cat, she was fostered by a wonderful family who finally made things official by adopting her in April.

Older cats can have a difficult time finding a home, and we were all a little worried about Soft. This is an adoption to celebrate for sure!

Balto

Balto was a more recent addition to our facility. A year-old malamute should have plenty of energy to spare, but Balto is hampered by the painful condition of hip dysplasia. He needed two surgeries just to have a normal, pain-free life.

We reached out to our friends through Facebook and on the blog to help us fund Balto's surgeries, using a new tool called ChipIn to track donations. We're happy to announce that we have completely funded Balto's surgery and care, raising $1005 in total!

Balto has already had his first surgery, and is doing well in his foster home. And best of all, potential adopters have stepped forward to give him a forever home! This is the best kind of happy ending and we couldn't be more grateful for the role you played in making it come true.

So from Ezy, Soft, Balto, and all of us at HSEC...

Purrfect Post Cat of the Month - Soft

Although most of our black cats are at PetSmart right now, one of our long-time residents, Soft, is still available for adoption at our facility!  She is our Purrfect Cat of the Month and we're hoping she finds her forever home soon!

Soft is one of the few senior cats available at HSEC right now, she is approximately seven years old and came to us from an owner who simply had too many pets to care for.  Soft has had some trouble adjusting to life at the shelter so she tends to hide as a way to handle her stress.  When volunteers come to spend time with her Soft can seem very aprehensive about human attention but just the opposite is true!

First of all, Soft is one of the best crate-trained cats we've ever seen!  She is a bigger kitty so rather than try to remove her from her cage by hand when it's time to play or clean our staff know to just put the open crate up to Soft's cage and she climbs right in!

 

Just the other day we put Soft in our kitty play pen and she had a blast with our Director of Outreach, Katie!  It took her a little while to feel comfortable enough to come out of her carrier but once she did Soft was ready for love.  She clearly enjoyed the extra attention as Katie was petting her and she didn't mind at all when Katie got a brush out to groom Soft's long lugurious fur!

If you're interested in adoptiong Soft please stop by our facility or give us a call at (252) 413-7247.  Her adoption fee is $70, she is spayed and up to date on all vaccines.  Her new owners will inheret all of her medical records as well as a free bag of Hill's Science Diet cat food to get started!

Soft is a lovely lady who needs someone special to be patient with her and put in a little extra love while she comes out of her shell and shows what a wonderful companion she can be.