From the SPA
By Christine Foster, Sept 8, 2006

Rare pleasures

 

Molly is some sort of poodle. Is there a dachi-poo, maybe? You know, a dachshund-poodle designer breed? Or maybe she’s even rarer than that.

One of our volunteers told me that the original poodle breed in France was like this—shorter legs and longer body—and that it has been re-bred and reintroduced at truly extraordinary prices.

Patti, the same volunteer who was telling me about “antique poodles,” is a retired dog groomer who did a great job with the bedraggled little thing, removing all the knots, tangles and filthy, matted hair when she first arrived a couple of weeks ago. Now we can all see Molly is a real find, however she came to look the way she does. She is a young black adult with attractive white markings, a sweet disposition, a bounce in her step and a sparkle in her eye. Small, cheerful and sociable, she would make a wonderful companion animal. (And you can tell everyone she’s an “antique poodle!”)

And speaking of companion animals, cats really are the ultimate in “no fuss, no hassle” love. No need to walk them, and of course they are largely self-trained and completely self-cleaning. They have distinct personalities, offer oodles of affection and bond strongly with their special people.

Unlike dogs, they adapt easily to a house sitter if you travel, and if you work, or are out a lot, they can easily be left alone for hours—particularly if you have two so they can keep each other company. Cats also have the wonderful knack of sleeping up to 18 hours a day. I personally wonder if this is how they manage to live so much longer than dogs. In any event, they usually wake up only for what they like best in life: food, play and you (not necessarily in that order). We have wonderful cats and kittens at the SPA. Zebediah, a young male, is full of beans but also extremely affectionate. He is an attractive and unusual pale marmalade color and seems to know he’s a good-looking boy. He’s also the perfect age to join a new home and figure out where he’s going to sleep for 18 hours a day!

Please come and visit these and all our other great animals at The Sociedad Protectora de Animales, open from noon to 2pm, Monday through Friday, for adoptions and volunteers. The clinic is open from 10am to 2pm. A donation of 250 pesos for cats and 300 pesos for dogs is requested for adoption and includes sterilization. We are located at Los Pinos 7, a right turn off Calzada de la Estación. Call Mauri at 154-5930 for more information or visit www.spasanmiguel.org  to learn more about us and about how to sponsor or adopt an animal.