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"Dogs and cats instinctively know the exact moment their owners will wake up.
Then they wake them 10 minutes sooner."
˜ Unknown
By Kay Ladd
Margaret Farny started volunteering in the spring of 2001. She had planned to volunteer with the cats but then she found out we needed sewing help. Beginning in September, she has put her talents to excellent use. She has mended over 50 aprons - adding patching, closing tears, and adding ties. She mends the dog bed covers that are ripped by our energetic dogs. She also has made Christmas and Valentines' bandanas for the shelter dogs and cat baby blankets to go in some of the cages. It's volunteers like Margaret who really help us stretch our dollars.
dog haiku #55
tiny trembling tufts
do not be fooled by our size
small dogs pack a punch!
Creature Comforts is The SF/SPCA Volunteers' newsletter, produced
by and for The SF/SPCA Volunteers
If you have questions, comments
or would like to assist with producing
Creature Comforts, please contact:
Tina High,
Volunteer Services Mgr.
The SF/SPCA
2500 16th St.
SF CA 94103
TEL: 522-3523
FAX: 522-3517
email: tinahigh@sfspca.org
http://www.sfspca.org
Editor Nancy Thompson Design/Production Karin Jaffie Writers Betsy Bannerman, Karin Jaffie, Kay Ladd, Betty Rogers, Steve Salovitz, Nancy Thompson
The San Francisco SPCA
is a private, non-profit animal welfare organization made possible through the generosity of special people like you.
San Francisco SPCA Creature Comforts Volunteers Newsletter
The recognition dinner for our volunteers with over one year of service (working 3+ hours per week) will be held on June 25th at The California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.
The SF/SPCA will be honoring volunteers with a significant anniversary as of July 31, 2002.
If you are celebrating a 5-year increment anniversary this year (as of July 31) please give Kay Ladd a call at 522-3543 to make sure we have you on our list.
Invitations will be sent in late May.
HELPS OUR ANIMALS!
Did you know that your old furniture, clothes and other household items are worth money to The SF/SPCA? Well, they are, when you take them to the Community Thrift Store and designate The SF/SPCA (#63) as the benefactor! When your items are sold, The SF/SPCA gets a large percentage of the profits -- another way to help save lives of our animal friends.
The Community Thrift Store accepts your tax-deductible donations at 623 Valencia Street, (between 17th and 18th Streets) 10:00 AM - 4:45 PM, seven days a week. Call (415) 861-4910 for more information.
SUMMER HOURS
Maddie's Pet Adoption Center will be open until 7 p.m. beginning on May 1.
THANKS SF/SPCA volunteers and staff — 440 animals have been adopted & 240 feral cats have been spayed/neutered through February 28.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
volunteer orientation workshops
Enroll in Orientation workshops for new volunteers! Call (415) 554-3087 and leave the date of the session you want to attend.
Workshops on Saturdays
10AM - 12PM: SF/SPCA Multipurpose Room
243 Alabama St. San Francisco
Julie Mazzotta works full time as a research assistant for Exelixis Pharmaceuticals in South San Francisco. (She works with fruit flies in the genetics department, with hopes of learning more about human diseases.) She also attends Skyline College two nights a week (with hopes of finishing up requirements to enter vet school). She even swims or runs during her lunch hour. And on top of that, she gets up at 5:00 am three mornings a week and commutes to San Francisco to serve as CVS (Community Veterinary Services) volunteer organizer for The SF/SPCA. She says "maintaining my sanity" is just one of her daily challenges.
Julie started volunteering with the CVS unit in January 2001, to see if her interest in a veterinary career was realistic. She took over the volunteer coordinator spot in August. Since then she has completely reorganized the CVS volunteer database, email lists and files, set up a CVS section on The SF/SPCA website (for volunteers to check in and sign up for shifts). She has also established a special hotmail account for CVS volunteers, so they can contact her at all times with comments or complaints and she can update them weekly regarding CVS and other SF/SPCA goings-on.
Julie says her goal is to improve the volunteering experience for all. She responds quickly to volunteers' concerns and even posts hard copies of her weekly notices to those who don't have access to email. She has also asked vet techs and doctors for their feedback about the volunteers' activities. She keeps the CVS office organized, sets up the volunteer calendar, and stays in touch with Kay Ladd, SF/SPCA volunteer coordinator, and Kathleen Bennett, vet tech in charge of training CVS volunteers. She even deals with the CVS laundry!
Julie insists her role as organizer is "not overwhelming or stressful" and adds, "My early start to the day at The SF/SPCA makes the rest of the day so much better."
"My early start to the day at The SF/SPCA makes the rest of the day so much better."
Julie lives in Brisbane with her boyfriend, Dustin. They like to swim, run, play lacrosse and explore new restaurants in the Bay Area. Last fall they adopted two kittens, Katy and Lora, from Maddie's Pet Adoption Center. The kitties, which Julie calls "my furry children," are sisters and were initially raised by Kay Ladd's family. Lora was born with a mild neurological disorder, and having the sisters adopted together made the transition to a new home easier for Lora. "It does not slow her down," Julie says. "She runs everywhere her sister goes. They are both doing great and brighten up every day. I think Dustin and I got the better end of the deal!"
Julie has an amazing attitude and energy to pull off work, school, volunteering and pet ownership. "Volunteering gives me a different perspective on my life, because I am not working just for money," she says. "It makes me feel productive, and that I am helping someone other than myself."
Mary Destri became interested in volunteering at The SF/SPCA shortly after moving to San Francisco from Asia. She had spent three years in Japan and one year in Singapore. Mary had seen The SF/SPCA's Outreach Program at several sites in San Francisco and felt that she would like to be a volunteer too.
Mary's job was quite demanding, so she realized that she needed a volunteer position that would fit in with her schedule. She decided that being a Special Events volunteer would be a good way to start, and did this for about three years. Mary realized that if she waited for a good time to become more interactive with the cats at Maddie's Pet Adoption Center, she might wait a long time. Therefore, she just made up her mind to do it in spite of her busy schedule.
There are so many opportunities for volunteers at the SF/SPCA to contribute to the welfare of animals and broaden their perspective in various ways.
Mary has always been very fond of animals, and particularly of cats, so her next step was to start working with them in The SF/SPCA's in-patient hospital and the treatment room. She also worked with neonatal kittens. And eventually she started working as a Cat Behaviorist.
Mary is a "Reiki" therapist and uses this therapy on the cats with very good results. She says, "Reiki is a form of energy exfoliation and infusion which is done through touch." Mary works for the East Bay Community Recovery Project in Oakland and one of her many jobs is doing Shiatsu and Reiki on people with HIV and people in addiction recovery. She has found that Reiki works very well with the high strung cats to help them relax and also with fearful cats through use of a "phantom touch" with her hand slightly above the animal.
"Have you ever known a tree-hugging cat?" That's how Mary describes Rosalie. But Rosalie wasn't hugging an outdoor tree; she was hugging a cat tree at Maddie's like a koala bear, as if her life depended on it. This was because of her great fear when she was first brought to The SF/SPCA. Mary was so pleased to see Rosalie change from a tree hugger to a "nuzzler".
Rosalie has many loving friends at Maddie's and Mary was one of the Behaviorists who helped bring about this change. Mary said, "She never left the middle shelf of the cat tree for months and would not allow anyone to touch her." She feels that witnessing and being a part of such a change is the most interesting aspect of her job and the most rewarding.
Mary grew up with several dogs and cats in her family. As a child she had a cat named Pyewacket. Her grandparents used to watch a show on TV called "Pyewacket Presents" and that name appealed to her. She wasn't interested in dolls as a child and dressed this blue-gray kitty in doll's clothes.
"Cats can be very cooperative when something feels good, which, to a cat, is the way everything is supposed to feel as much of the time as possible."
˜ Roger A. Caras
She now has a cat named Samantha, a former SF/SPCA cat who initially belonged to a neighbor. He was often out of town and Mary took care of Samantha when he was away. When the neighbor moved to London, it was Mary's chance to adopt her. They were already good pals so this was a happy situation for both of them. Samantha is now 15 years old.
When I asked Mary how she felt about working with "animal people" she said she was usually too busy at Maddie's to have a lot of interaction with the other people there. Then she went on a trip to Brighthaven, a refuge for cats with disabilities, with some volunteers and said it was a good opportunity to become better acquainted. Her Brighthaven experience was wonderful in other ways too, as she became aware of how cats with serious physical problems could still have long and happy lives.
There are so many opportunities for volunteers at the SF/SPCA to contribute to the welfare of animals and broaden their perspective in various ways. Animals are unique and we learn from them all, not only about them but also about ourselves. We want to give a special thanks to Mary and her special "touch", for bringing new and positive experiences to our animals.
WALKING - As often as possible, dart quickly and as close as possible in front of the human, especially on stairs, when they have something in their arms, in the dark, and when they first get up in the morning. This will help their coordination skills.
BEDTIME - Always sleep on the human at night so he/she cannot move around.
HIDING - Every now and then, hide in a place where the humans cannot find you. Do not come out for three to four hours under any circumstances. This will cause the humans to panic (which they love) thinking that you have run away or are lost. Once you do come out, the humans will cover you with love and kisses, and you probably will get a treat.
ONE LAST THOUGHT - Whenever possible, get close to humans, especially their faces, turn around, and present your butt to them. Humans love this, so do it often. And don't forget the guests.
Amy Mack gives us a perfect example of the kind of people that volunteer at Maddie's Pet Adoption Center. A mother of two school children and provider for her family, Amy still finds time to foster adoptable dogs from Maddie's and write a little poetry to boot.
Amy and her family have lived in San Francisco for a number of years. Although they wanted a canine companion, Amy says, "We were unable to adopt a dog because our family was caring for Barney, a silver tabby cat, who lived to the ripe old age of 17." So the Mack family did the next best thing; making visits to areas that dogs were known to frequent and interacting with the various dogs there.
Amy says, "The first time I visited Maddie's, I was 'bowled over' by the level of commitment I witnessed from staff and volunteers alike" and she immediately enlisted as a proud member of the volunteer community.
Feeling emotionally drained after the death of her beloved Barney, Amy says was reinvigorated by a group e-mail from staff member Seija Surr concerning some Chow Chow puppies that needed fostering after the untimely death of their mother. Taking two of the pups, Amy immersed herself in caring for them and was delighted when the pups were adopted after being displayed in the window of a local department store.
By then, Amy and her family had caught the fostering bug. When staff member Marti Watts told her about a little dog-girl named Chula who had been shot in the leg, Amy agreed to look at her for possible fostering. Charmed by Chula's sweet but hesitant behavior, Amy decided to adopt her after first conferring with her husband and sons.
Amy reports, "It took a lot of attention to get Chula out of her shell and accept the love our family was offering to her." And now Amy is delighted to tell us that Chula has grown into a happy, playful dog who is an integral part of the Mack family life. Amy says she and her family feel lucky to have Chula and we're sure Chula feels the same about the Macks.
Oh yeah -- Amy's poetry;
Chula lies on my bed, wrapped in the comforter/
Her legs in the air, not a care in the world.
The rain and the wind pound against my window/
Does it get any better?
Hero Award Jeff Place and dog Zack with the National Search and Rescue Organization.
All dressed up and off to the ball...
Our cute, clever canines enjoyed fun, food, friends and family at CLAW's annual fundraiser benefiting The SF/SPCA's Cinderella Fund. Here are some photos of our two- and four-legged friends meeting, greeting and glowing at the ball!
Here's a little cutie with broken leg, and stylish cast that couldn't keep him away!
Holly Stempien, Michele Stamatopoulos and Loretta Levy - all holding SPCA puppies.
Humanitarian Award Ed Sayres and Corinne Dowling
Gloria Marchi, Rikke Jorgensen and dogs.
All Bark & Whine Ball photos courtesy of Paul Glassner
Julie says her goal is to improve the volunteering experience for all. She responds quickly to volunteers' concerns and even posts hard copies of her weekly notices to those who don't have access to email. She has also asked vet techs and doctors for their feedback about the volunteers' activities. She keeps the CVS office organized, sets up the volunteer calendar, and stays in touch with Kay Ladd, SF/SPCA volunteer coordinator, and Kathleen Bennett, vet tech in charge of training CVS volunteers. She even deals with the CVS laundry!
Amy Mack gives us a perfect example of the kind of people that volunteer at Maddie's Pet Adoption Center. A mother of two school children and provider for her family, Amy still finds time to 
