Anita’s Animals - October 2011

Anita’s Animals

By Jackie Kellum

Oct. 4^th is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi and World Day For Animals, recognized universally by Animal Societies all over the world. At times it is hard to keep faith in humankind when you see cruelty in various forms in the treatment of animals here at Lakeside or elsewhere. One can only keep going forward, one day at a time, in the knowledge that there are many good people who not only show love and respect for animals, but act upon these good human traits by taking action like feeding a hungry animal or rescuing an animal that has been put in harm’s way. St Francis was said to say: If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who deal likewise with their fellow man.

One of the unspoken benefits of having a family pet is they always listen to you when you talk, unlike a spouse or friend. They do not care if you tell them all about your problems, complain about things, repeat the same story again, etc. According to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll taken: A third of pet-owning married women, said their pets are better listeners than their husbands. And eighteen percent of pet-owning married men, said their pets are better listeners than their wives. Consider this a companionship plus of having a cat/dog in your family.

Now, is the time to make plans for your pet in case you can no longer care for your family pet. Please do not wait until the unplanned circumstances occurs. Check Anita’s website www.anitasanimals.com and click the tab: Pet Godparents. There is a form available that can be completed on the computer and printed out, giving detailed instructions about YOUR wishes for the care of your family pet[s] in the event of an emergency.

This is a sad and staggering mathematical fact: One female dog and her offspring, can produce 67,000 dogs in 6 years time. One female cat and her offspring can produce 20,736 cats in 4 years time. Anita and her volunteers wish to acknowledge and express gratitude to the group of individuals, collectively known as Animal Buddies Campaign [ ABC ] for their support of spaying-neutering of some of Anita’s Animals. ABC is the only group / entity that supports Anita for this specific, much needed medical care. This group held two fund-raiser events, a March Bazaar in front of Vet. Pepe Magana. The other was a June spaghetti dinner, with live music event at Salvador’s restaurant-Ajijic. Because of the community’s caring, generosity, and desire to decrease pet over-population, these two events created a “credit “ for sterilization surgeries with Vet. Pepe who provide a discounted rate, and Anita was able to have twenty-two cats and dogs spayed-neutered.

Everyone is aware of these difficult economic times we are all dealing with, and sadly, many more people are “turning-in” their animals due to finances and at times because of their own personal health problems. Due to the dramatic influx of in-coming animals, the need for donations has also increased. Donations that Anita receives in the form of pet food, items for “re-sale”, money, etc. it is especially appreciated during these times. Thank You for your help and caring!!