fostering - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-28T09:41:12Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/fosteringLetter to the Editor: Fostering Ozzie and Harry: What a wonderful lifehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/letter-to-the-editor-fostering-ozzie-and-harry-what-a-wonderful-l2021-03-02T20:15:34.000Z2021-03-02T20:15:34.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8622062672,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8622062672,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="8622062672?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a><em>Ozzie and Harry, both born Sept. 1, have eyelid agenesis. One of Ozzie’s eyelids and both of Harry’s needed to be sewn shut. Their foster parent thinks they would be fine ambassadors or therapy cats for an organization devoted to blind people or for a retirement community. <strong>Photo provided</strong></em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I have done a lot of fostering cats and kittens over the last 10 to 15 years, working with different agencies and taking breaks when needed. I love each and every one of the felines put under my care.</p>
<p>But this experience was unusual. Both kittens born Sept. 1, 2020, had eye issues. The condition was eyelid agenesis and the end result was Harry had both eyelids sewn shut and Ozzie has one good eye and one eyelid sewn shut. </p>
<p>They are just the cutest brothers and are inseparable. They came to me from Ru4me Pet Rescue. My household includes two cats, both rescues, and two dogs, one rescued from a kill shelter and one from Puerto Rico. All the animals get along and some have developed special relationships — with Ozzie and Harry even napping together.</p>
<p>The boys can be lap cats, they can play hard, jump up on chairs, and manage stairs. Sometimes you would not even know that Harry cannot see and Ozzie has only one eye. </p>
<p>They are very affectionate and love people — even napping or sleeping with me.</p>
<p>As you can see, these brothers are destined to be “special” cats. It would be wonderful if they could be ambassadors for a special- needs group or therapy cats for a blind organization or retirement community. </p>
<p>Perhaps there is someone with a little extra time, due to the pandemic, who could make this happen.</p>
<p><em>Kate Pemberton</em><br /><em>561-866-7458</em><br /><em>delraynative@yahoo.com</em></p></div>Paws Up for Pets: Ocean Ridge couple enjoys the wonder of kittens’ first yearhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/paws-up-for-pets-ocean-ridge-couple-enjoys-the-wonder-of-kittens-2021-03-02T20:11:46.000Z2021-03-02T20:11:46.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8622056689,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8622056689,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="8622056689?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a><em>Christel Connelly of Ocean Ridge adopted two kittens from the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. Connelly, a high school French teacher, named them Binoche (left) and Juliette and says, ‘They make our house feel alive.’ </em><strong><em>Photo provided</em></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>By Arden Moore</strong></p>
<p>Kittens do the darnedest things. They can tackle toes, ambush ankles, leap like acrobats, wink at you with soft eyes, suddenly plop into a deep nap and try to chat with you in high-pitched mews.</p>
<p>Finding out what makes kittens tick can be tricky. They aren’t born with owners’ manuals. I often equate the first year of a kitten’s life as the wonder year — as in, you wonder where your sanity went.</p>
<p>Too often, nouveau kitten adopters learn as they go — and as their kittens grow. Just ask Christel and Jim Connelly, of Ocean Ridge. Their quiet home has erupted into delightful energy thanks to the arrival of a pair of sibling kittens they named Binoche and Juliette.</p>
<p>They were bestowed French names on purpose when the Connellys adopted them last month from the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League (via foster volunteer Emily Minor). Christel was born in Dijon in the Burgundy region of France (known for mustard and red wine).</p>
<p>She teaches French to high school students, usually via her home laptop due to the pandemic. In the background, her new kittens often make surprising and fun appearances.<br /> Their antics have made Christel realize she needs to learn a third language — cat.</p>
<p>“They are super sweet and love to play, cuddle and sleep, but I do feel like I am learning a new language so I can communicate with them,” laughs Christel. “Sometimes when I am teaching, they try to play with my computer screen and then they will lay down on my attendance book, purr and fall quickly asleep. Building relationships remotely is not always easy, but my kittens are definitely helping me connect with my students who love their antics.”</p>
<p>Christel admits her feline knowledge is limited, but she is determined to learn more about cat health and behavior. Years ago, she had a cat named Chloe and is grateful now that her kitten duo received a healthy start from Minor’s fostering for a few weeks.</p>
<p>“I think that they are better-behaved than I expected and I believe it is due to the fact that they were fostered and the foster mom did a good job,” says Christel.</p>
<p>Minor and her husband, Marty, of West Palm Beach, picked up this kitty pair on Christmas Eve from the Peggy Adams Rescue League. In about one year, they have fostered 23 kittens, including a trio currently with them named Linc, Pete and Julie (from the classic Mod Squad television show of the late 1960s and early 1970s).</p>
<p>“Even before the pandemic, I felt like I needed more joy in my life and I decided to start fostering kittens,” says Minor, a former newspaper reporter who now also volunteers for Meals on Wheels. “It has been so much fun fostering kittens who are adorable, but very young.</p>
<p>“Peggy Adams provides us with everything we need — blankets, cat food, toys, kitty pens — and we socialize them in our home until they are ready for permanent homes to enjoy wonderful lives.”</p>
<p>Katie Buckley-Jones, associate director of animal operations at Peggy Adams, notes that kitten season in Florida typically starts around March and April and continues through November.</p>
<p>Check out the numbers from this shelter: In 2020, Peggy Adams adopted out 3,216 kittens that were born primarily from free-roaming cats.</p>
<p>“Most of our kittens come from outside community-cat populations, so it is really important that we follow strict quarantine protocols with the kittens,” says Buckley-Jones. “We do not put unrelated litters together for play sessions because of this. Our foster families make sure to keep their pets separated from the kittens as well.”</p>
<p>She continues, “At that fragile age, kittens are at risk for so many diseases that can be potentially fatal, so it is important we protect them from any possible disease.”</p>
<p>For anyone who is interested in fostering or adopting kittens, Buckley-Jones offers these tips and insights:</p>
<p>• Do not engage in any hand play with kittens. Felines need to learn at an early age that hands are not toys. Playful hand wrestling with kittens can unintentionally teach them to bite or attack hands and other body parts in play. Instead, redirect kittens’ high-energy play toward wand toys or toss cat toys for them to chase and pounce on. <br /> • Size up the litter box for success. Newly adopted kittens fare best with small litter boxes with low sides to give them access. Also, initially confine your kitten to a small, cozy room like a bathroom that has kitty amenities like bed, litter box and food/water bowls. <br /> “Letting new kittens free roam in homes can cause them to become overwhelmed and stressed,” says Buckley-Jones. “Give them time to gradually get acclimated into your home.”<br /> • Do a room-by-room safety inspection. “Make sure to kitten-proof your home before they arrive,” she says. “Kittens like to play with dangly things like cords and wires. They like to try to climb up high and they like to scratch on things. Get them comfortable with having their nails trimmed while they are small and make it fun and rewarding with treats.”</p>
<p>Christel and Jim Connelly report that the fast-growing sisters Juliette and Binoche keep them amused and happy.</p>
<p>“They make me smile the first thing in the morning and with COVID-19 concerns these days, it is nice to smile the first thing in the morning,” says Christel. “I love to hear them purr and I love that they are cuddlers. They make our house feel alive.”</p>
<p>To learn more about adopting or fostering kittens, contact the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League via <a href="http://www.peggyadams.org">www.peggyadams.org</a>. The adoption center is open between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily by appointment only.</p>
<p><br /> Arden Moore, founder of FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, author, speaker and master certified pet first-aid instructor. She hosts Oh Behave! weekly on PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more at <a href="http://www.ardenmoore.com">www.ardenmoore.com</a>.</p></div>Coastal Stars: Dogs find forever love through temporary homehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/coastal-stars-dogs-find-forever-love-through-temporary-home2017-05-03T17:22:55.000Z2017-05-03T17:22:55.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960719074,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960719074,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960719074?profile=original" /></a><em>Ben and Mayra Stern of Highland Beach have fostered more than two dozen dogs of a variety of breeds</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>and sizes until the dogs are ready for their forever homes. The Sterns kept Cubby, whom they call their ‘ambassadog.’</em><br /><br /><strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>By Rich Pollack</strong><br /><br /> Ben Stern was devastated when Smokey, his beloved pet Pomeranian of 16 years, died in 2013. <br /> “He was the first pet I truly got attached to,” Stern said. “When he passed away, it was gut-wrenching. My heart was ripped open more than ever before.”<br /> Stern was despondent for weeks, unable to focus.<br /> His wife, Mayra, who had grown up in a family with pets, suggested getting another dog, but her husband wasn’t ready. After six months, however, she was able to persuade him to take a different route. Rather than adopt, the Sterns would agree to foster a dog. <br /> “Fostering was a perfect option for me, as I was still not ready to adopt another dog but was ready to fill the void,” he said. <br /> Since that day in early 2014, the Sterns have fostered more than two dozen dogs of all breeds and sizes, bringing them into their Highland Beach home and caring for them until the animals are ready to be adopted. <br /> “I have pictures with all of them,” said Ben Stern, 54.<br /> Fostering a pet, as you might imagine, isn’t easy. Many come with issues, physical or emotional; and then there comes the time when the foster dog is handed over to a new family he or she will live with permanently. <br /> “I cry with each dog,” Ben Stern said. “I’m sad for a week, but knowing that they’ve found a loving home, that’s the goal.”<br /> For the Sterns, who work closely with All for One Pet Rescue based in Royal Palm Beach, the rewards of fostering dogs far outweigh the downside. <br /> “They come to us with broken spirits and then, with love and patience, we help make them better,” Mayra Stern said. “We give these dogs a second chance and their new families an amazing dog that will bring joy to their lives, too.”<br /> Because they have the flexibility to work from home in their real estate business, the Sterns can spend time with dogs they foster. They get help from their son, Alex, 13, and from their secret foster-care weapon, Cubby, a 3-year-old mixed breed who is part border collie, part spaniel and part black Labrador retriever.<br /> The one foster dog the Sterns couldn’t quite bring themselves to give up, Cubby is the Sterns’ “ambassadog,” working with each of the new ones and helping all feel welcome. <br /> “He’s a therapy dog for the other dogs,” said Mayra, 44. <br /> The Sterns say a few of the other dogs they have fostered stand out in large part because of the issues they’ve brought with them. <br /> Norman, for example, a blind bichon frisé, was the first dog the Sterns fostered. He was getting ready for eye surgery and needed drops in his eyes every three hours. He stayed with the family for about two months, before and after surgery, and evolved into a different dog. <br /> “Once he got his sight back, he became Normal Norman,” Mayra Stern said. <br /> Another dog that had a special place in the Sterns’ hearts was Jasmine, a purebred Pomeranian like Smokey and Duster, Mayra’s dog when she and Ben first met. <br /> Jasmine had been used for breeding and had never been out of a cage for four years. While she was fine with other dogs, she wasn’t so great with people and needed a lot of socialization. <br /> While most dogs that come to All for One are either found, taken out of other local shelters or given up by their owners, the organization recently took in a few dogs from South Korea, rescued from a dog meat farm by the Humane Society International. <br /> One was Princess, who ended up with the Sterns and eventually found a good home.<br /> Because it is all-volunteer based and not a shelter, All for One depends on people to foster dogs until they can be adopted. The organization covers all costs, including food and medical bills, and through events at local pet supply stores and other venues helps to find permanent homes for the pets. <br /> Families and individuals are always being sought to foster the dogs, but Ben Stern makes it clear that it’s not for everyone. <br /> For the Sterns, however, it’s something they plan to do for quite some time.<br /> “I can see myself doing this for the rest of my life,” Mayra Stern said.</p></div>