The Kat Files

I hope those of you who are celebrating the holidays had a joyous week. My family started our Christmas festivities the Saturday before Christmas Day with my husband’s side of the family. We celebrated at my mother-in-law’s home. Good food, good company, and good vibes. On Christmas Day, we celebrated at my home. It was a small gathering that included my hubby, Andrew, my Daddy, and my mother-in-law. My mother was in Atlanta visiting my sister and her family, and my oldest son celebrated the day with his girlfriend and her family. Later in the evening after our guests departed, Andrew and I went to my BFF’s home (annual tradition) and hung out with her and her family for a few hours where we enjoyed each other’s company while drinking wine and apple martinis. Unfortunately, my hubby had to work on Thursday which meant he had to retire to bed early, so he wasn’t able to hang out with us this year.

In the midst of this jovial holiday season, we were entertaining an unexpected guest who arrived at our humble abode on Monday evening. A sweet female pooch wandered into my garage as I was closing up for the evening. Since she was making no attempt to leave any time soon and was friendly, I gave her some dog food and water and let her be, figuring she would return from whence she came. Wrong! When Andrew came home later that evening, she was still hanging around. I did some research on Lost Pets of Tangipahoa and found a picture of a lost dog that looked just like my new furry friend. I contacted Lost Pets of Tangipahoa to inquire about the dog on her site which was in fact the same dog. She had been found near the Ponchatoula Wal-Mart the week before, secured for five days, and released when no one came forward to claim her. The finder could not keep her because she had a male dog and this little lady appeared to be in heat.

So, Amanda, the admin for Lost Pets of Tangipahoa, posted her picture again for me, and I agreed to keep her over Christmas. On Tuesday morning, Andrew and I took her to a vet nearby to see if she was chipped, and sadly she was not. Christmas came and went and no owner. As much as I do NOT need another dog and even though Tooty does not like her being in our house, I considered keeping her. I thought over time that Tooty would come around and learn to like her. After all, my German Shepherds, Sophie and Sonic, accepted Tooty when we took him in off the road. Unfortunately, she has one flaw…she does not like cats. That is a deal breaker because we have our beautiful kitty Puar. Needless to say, it has been interesting and a little stressful keeping all the fur babies separated.

On Thursday and Friday, I contacted local rescue groups to see if they could help me find a place for her. I also reached out to my FB friends and family to spread the word about her situation, hoping for suggestions, guidance, or someone who could take her. If I could not find a good home for her, I was left with no choice but to bring her to the local animal shelter and hope for the best. Sadly, our animal shelter in Tangipahoa Parish is a “limited intake shelter.” I was striking out with some groups (full or no fosters) and receiving no responses at all from others. Finally, I contacted Amanda with Lost Pets to tell her that I was running out of options, and we were going to have to bring her to the shelter by the end of the day on Friday. Amanda contacted Northshore Humane Society to see if they could help. At the same time, Shelly had a possible family that wanted her. The family fell through because they have three cats. Northshore came through with Amanda’s help; however, we would have to wait until Saturday to bring her to the facility.

Well, dear reader, the baby girl is still with us. I spoke with Briana at Northshore on Saturday morning, and she asked if we could keep the pooch for a couple more days until they could find a foster to take her. Of course, I said yes. Although every day that she stays with us, we get more attached to her, and she gets more attached to us. On Northshore’s FB page, it appears a foster was finally found yesterday evening, but we have not been directly contacted, yet. I’m hoping we will be contacted tomorrow morning, so we can get her placed in a good home (without cats) where she can receive the love that she deserves.

I have been pretty emotional throughout this whole process. I have a soft spot for animals. Undoubtedly, I am more of a cat person than a dog person; however, this sweet canine has stolen my heart, and I want to do right by her. I’ve learned these past few days that unwanted/abandoned fur babies are an epidemic, and there are not enough people/resources to advocate for them. God bless everyone who does advocate for them. If my circumstances were different, I would keep her in a heartbeat, and I would name her Stella. Happiness!

“People leave imprints on our lives, shaping who we become in much the same way that a symbol is pressed into the page of a book to tell you who it comes from. Dogs, however, leave paw prints on our lives and our souls, which are as unique as fingerprints in every way.” ~ Ashly Lorenzana