Betsy and Spot win you over
By Lynn Weisberg

Although those of us who volunteer at the SPA think all our animals are special, every now and then, one comes along and wins everyone over. We have two of these right now: Betsy the dog and Spot the cat.

Betsy is a small cocker spaniel mix with beautiful honey and white coloring. She came to us with a broken leg which has healed completely and she has become the roommate of choice for other dogs. No matter which dog we put in with her, she is happy for the company. She is very affectionate, smart and small enough to be a part of your life even if you don’t have a lot of space. She greets everyone with a wagging tail and kisses, and loves to play.

Spot is a gorgeous large male cat, all white with a black spot on the top of his head. His owner died, but had made arrangements for the SPA to put him up for adoption. Spot is a gentle lapcat, who clearly loves to be held and petted. Due to his gentle nature, he is somewhat timid around other male cats but is happy with kittens and female cats. He was very sad being in a place without much human contact, so Lola, one of our “cat people” friends, is fostering him and helping us look for a loving home. If you are interested in having a devoted friend, please consider Spot. 

Have you ever considered adopting an older dog? We have a number of dogs just waiting for you. We use the phrase “red collar dogs” to identify the ones that have been with us for a year or more, and each of them has a red collar attached to the cage to enable everyone to spot them quickly. We want to have as many of these dogs adopted as quickly as possible, because no matter how great a shelter is, it’s no substitute for a home! It is not true that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks; older dogs can learn quickly and are calmer than puppies. They have generally outgrown the “chewing everything in sight” stage and are incredibly grateful when given a chance to live cage-free and with caring owners. Many of our dogs have gone through basic training at the SPA and are eager to learn more. We hope you will visit all our animals and even if adoption is not possible for you right now, we always need volunteers to walk, pet, play with and love the animals on site.