March 07, 2008, Nana is here!, By Mauri Formigoni

Do you remember the book, the movie and the play Peter Pan, with the wonderful dog Nana? The double of this charming fictional dog came into the shelter several weeks ago, badly injured. Ari, a female Old English Sheepdog mix, had been hit by a car.

Although her injuries seemed to be mainly bruises, she limps slightly when tired and holds her paw up to you to show you her bue (in Italian), dolorido or ouchy. She is sweet, loving, eager to please and grows stronger by the day. One family of friends of the shelter came in to adopt a dog and wanted her, but they were concerned that their stairs would be too hard on her, so they are considering several others dogs. I had always admired Ari, but seeing others desire her made me realize that she has a great deal to offer. If you want beautiful, good-natured, quiet dog who happily sleeps in the sun and loves slow walks, she may be just what you need. Sounds a bit like a romantic ad for companionship, but maybe it is! This photo shows just her head, but she has a grand Nana-type body to show you when you visit. Come meet her.

Macho Nick is no saint!

Happily, our cat population is down. Adoptions have been good and we are preparing for the annual spring flooding of kittens. Constance Stevenson, our volunteer photographer, and I spent much of Monday morning getting new photographs ready for Atención. We both adore the new cat, Nick, who is an adult male Siamese—very studly, absurdly macho, strutting around trying to impress us all and flirting outrageously. Constance took 20 photos, but each time he closed his eyes. So although I am writing about Nick, we are showing photos of other available cats. Consider them all.

Dangerous snacks

There are constant reminders that grapes and raisins are dangerous for your pet. As few as seven per day can affect your pet’s kidney function and can even lead to death. Please find other healthy treats, like cheese, bread, or meat (but not candy for dogs or cats!). This is a very serious warning, once again.

More ways to express your love

There are always opportunities for volunteers if you care about animals, but cannot adopt. You may volunteer to visit for an hour or two a week and work with the animals most in need of social contact. Some animals are terrified when they arrive and need to be reassured that contact does not mean abuse. Others are simply too small and need human touch and warmth. You can donate a certain amount of money which will guarantee a special needs animal has medications and tests. We also need others to help write this article, drive animals to the Jardín on Thursdays at 11am and pick us up at 1pm. You will need a vehicle large enough to hold another adult, several bags of supplies and books, a cage of kittens and several dogs. It doesn’t take long, but serves a great purpose. Our weekly visit to the Jardín is important as it allows us to show off the animals for adoption and answer questions. The animals are healthy, just bathed and groomed, fairly well behaved and eager to meet new people. We also need to find new ways to get new memberships (annual membership is 350 pesos per person) which keep the organization going. Any new ideas for fundraising are also greatly appreciated. Call 152-6124 during office hours for information or to make an appointment with Dr. Cristina, our veterinarian. Our hours for visits are Monday–Friday, 11am–2pm. Your visits are always welcome! Our website is www.spasanmiguel.org.