Animal Updates
Something is always happening in the lives of Home for Life® residents: achievements, visits from sponsors and supporters, and milestones. This page highlights just a few of the many events that residents experience throughout the year.
December 18, 2011
"Happy holidays" from the cats of Home for Life®
In this update, we feature the photography of Katie Thering Berger who, together with her dynamic husband Gene'o, own and operate Kage Imagery.
Although Katie photographed both cats and dogs during her visit, we thought we'd share her beautiful portraits of our cats. Cat lovers know that when the weather turns cold, nothing beats curling up with a warm cat! We hope that browsing these photos will warm your heart.
Autumn's miracle
Autumn is a feminine yet athletic Doberman who lives at Home for Life® with her constant companion and fellow Doberman, Spirit. As is appropriate with all guard breeds, Autumn is protective of her space, yet gentle with our staff. Because of past mistreatment, Autumn is uncertain of children and wary of strangers—especially men. However, in the protected setting of our sanctuary, these concerns are not a factor. The sanctuary is her haven, where she feels secure and safe.
Portrait of Autumn taken this summer by Mark Luinenberg
Autumn's years at Home for Life® were happy and worry-free until late last fall, when we noticed she had difficulty walking. The difficulty rapidly progressed to the point where Autumn was unable to walk at all. She quickly became quadriplegic, unable to walk or even stand on her own.
In the face of this tragic development, Autumn's spirit remained vibrant: she didn't seem to be in pain, still relished her food, and took interest in the activity around her. Spirit, her loyal friend, would lay beside Autumn on the floor cushions, even though he preferred the couch.
The staff dutifully carried Autumn outside several times a day to relieve herself, which she could still do on her own. Autumn is heavy, so caring for her during those weeks was no easy task. The staff and board began to debate Autumn's fate, wondering if we were doing the right thing by keeping her alive.
We sought advice from several veterinarians, including specialists. A few days before Christmas, we met with surgeons and neurologists who advocated aggressive treatment, including surgery on Autumn's neck. Yet the prognosis was not good—only small improvements were expected, not recovery.
The surgeon slated to perform the surgery would have to do it the next morning, because she was leaving town for the holidays. She seemed rushed and preoccupied. Autumn looked into our eyes. We could see she wanted to live, but she was also afraid, as though she knew that her fate hung in the balance. The situation just didn't seem right. We didn't like the rush before the holiday, the slim prospects for improvement, and the pain we knew the surgery would cause. We resolved to table the decision until after Christmas. We went with our guts, but we doubted and questioned our decision at the same time.
We brought Autumn home for the holidays. Was it anthropomorphic to imagine that Autumn seemed relieved to be back in her townhouse with Spirit by her side? We decided on a conservative course of treatment that included pain control, steroids, and muscle relaxants. For many days, there was no change. Were we doing the right thing for Autumn?
Anyone who has worked with animals, or who knows a particular animal well, realizes that they let you know when they are ready to give up on life. They convey it through eye contact, a lack of interest in food, and a general detachment from daily activity. Autumn did not show us these signs. It was not time to give up on her; she had not given up on herself.
It's hard to find a photo of Autumn without Spirit by her side.
Slowly but surely our faith was rewarded. One night we found her outside on the snow in her dog run. She had crawled out the dog door in order to go to the bathroom on her own. Always extremely fastidious and clean, Autumn hadn't been willing to wait for the staff and had taken matters into her own hands. We got her inside safely, but she was very proud of herself. We watched her carefully after that, as she began going outside to watch the other dogs exercise, and to keep an eye on other sanctuary activities.
On pleasant winter days, we set her outside on her hammock, where she reclined like Cleopatra, wrapped in a warm coat, quilts, and blankets. Spirit would stand by her side or lay on another hammock close by. Propped up by pillows, Autumn took in her surroundings and participated in sanctuary life. (See the video from last winter below. Autumn appears on her hammock about halfway through.)
Then one day in February, a staff member who was cleaning the dogs' townhouse looked outside to find that Autumn had risen to her feet and was walking around the dog run! She walked like a toddler, deliberately placing each foot on the ground, thinking carefully about each step. But she was walking!
Fully recovered, Autumn runs on all fours, with Spirit close behind.
From that point on, Autumn improved gradually yet steadily. By this summer, she was walking like she had never lost her mobility. She now runs in the fields with Spirit again! For more photos of Autumn and Spirit running together, see Mark Luinenberg's Picasa album from his photo shoot this August.
Autumn is one of three dogs at Home for Life® who became quadriplegic and later recovered fully. Their stories remind us to never give up, and to honor an animal's choice to live with adversity. Not every animal who becomes disabled or gets ill will recover as miraculously as these three did. But we have witnessed miracles often enough over the years to know that we must support our animals as long as they want to live. If an animal has faith and wants to keep trying, we must have the same faith.
All the way from Japan: Momo
Momo is very unique looking—neither red tabby nor white, but a thick cream color with a wash of orange patches, like a watercolor.
Momo's story begins in Okinawa, Japan, where he was found by some elementary school children. Just a kitten, Momo was also blind (his name comes from the Japanese word for "blind"). Eventually, animal control was called and Momo was taken to the local pound. There, he would have only days to find a benefactor or face euthanasia.
Luckily, Momo was rescued. A woman whose husband was stationed in Okinawa had recently founded a animal rescue. A small organization consisting of the woman, her husband, and a few friends, they were paying for each rescue out of pocket. One of the veterinarians at the pound contacted them about Momo.
It was speculated that Momo's blindness was the result of an untreated upper respiratory infection; his eyes eventually rotted out of their sockets. Upper respiratory infections are common in Okinawa, where the climate is damp and warm.
The rescue group was unable to locate a home for Momo, but they could not give up on him. When they talked with the animal control director about fostering Momo, they were instructed to take a healthy cat instead. They persevered nonetheless, and eventually brought Momo home.
The couple cared for Momo for several months, treating his infection and teaching him basic kitty manners. However, being in the military, their future in Okinawa was uncertain, and they wanted Momo to have a permanent home. Knowing how hard it was to place abandoned pets on the small island, they were hesitant to find a local solution for Momo.
Home for Life® is now happy to be Momo's permanent residence. The rescue organization contacted us on Momo's behalf and flew him to the U.S. to live at our sanctuary.
Momo's story is continued in the right column.
Here you can see Momo's fresh pink toes, a testament to his youth.