Rags to Riches

Well, Dewey is now saved. Dewey went from living on the streets, to a warm and comfortable home this morning. From the moment I picked him up as my second to last stop, gently placed him in the carrier, placed the carrier in the car, went about to my last stop where Red and Louie are, to the time I got to my house and put him in the back bedroom and opened the carrier door, he was an ANGEL. I figured he has not felt warmth since probably August, four months ago. And I got really lucky, he is a very very very sweet cat. He nuzzles his face against you already! He didn't even try to go into hiding when I let him out. No under the bed thing, just starving and thirsty! I left the room with him drinking out of the bowl of water I placed and came back in not five minutes later to find an empty water bowl! Its amazing, how thirsty these cats must be in the winter. Their only source of water is snow, if that. Its just so important to place water down for them at least. I am so thrilled I was able to save a kitty, with the help of two other angels in my life. They will help pay for the vet bill, and one even has a foster home for him to go to. But remember, he IS available for adoption, so please keep him in mind. Check back later, I will have two GREAT shots I took of him this morning. He is a poser!! Dewey is so lucky!!

I Blew It!

What a major disappointment for me this morning. I am so disappointed in myself. Red has drawn interest from a couple in Sodus who are wishing to adopt him. Red has been missing for three mornings now. He was there this morning, thankfully. I brought the carrier up to the lean to on the side of the house where I feed him, Louie, Creamy and the other big red cat, and set it upright so that the door was facing the sky. I opened it up, and then began to lay down the food and water. As Red was drinking from the water bowl, I scrunched him up by the neck grabbed his legs and threw him in the carrier, but before I could get the door shut, he got out, spooked as all get out, and will probably never trust me again. My one chance, and I blew it. This couple are very particular about who they get, so its not like I can give them Louie, who is very easy, or Dewey, also easy, to 'catch'. They want Red, and I blew the chance of him having a home. I have little faith I will get him now. It took a long time for him to trust me again since this past summer when I tried to get him. And poor big red kitty, the other one, is injured on his head. I will have to try to trap him after I get Dewey. These cats are suffering with their injuries, and its just not fair. They will both have to go to a shelter, as I do not have the finances, nor a home to bring them to to heal afterward. There is a sweet girl who reads my blog that is trying desperately today to find a no-kill shelter for Dewey, but if she can't, I need to get him, as he is acting sick, and I can't let him suffer. It was not a good morning for me.

Dewey

My poor Dewey. Dewey is the pretty grey tiger with the white diamond on the chest. He is an unneutered male that is very sweet, a stray for sure, as he lets me hold him. I picked up Dewey a few days ago and went to kiss him on the back of his neck, as I do with all my kitties, I love to kiss my kitties... don't you? ha!! Anyways, I went to kiss him and he stunk! I thought to myself, well he is living in this abandoned boarded up house, and maybe its very filthy in there, which is possible, but then this morning I noticed on his neck a wound. I think the wound is infected, which is causing this horrific smell. I must get Dewey off the street and to the shelter. In an ideal world, Dewey would go to my vet to be treated, and then to a nice warm home to live, but I don't have the money for the vet, nor the home for him. Sad, but I must get him, he is sick. I will grab him tomorrow, as he is easy to get - he comes right up to me. On another note, Red has not been seen in three days, but Louie is there, waiting faithfully for me each morning. Louie is the petite male that I first named Lulu as I thought it was a girl, then found out it was a boy and renamed him Loulou, now its Louie for short! He is now coming right to my door of my car and letting me pick him up and hold him. I must get him off the street before something happens to him. I pray Red returns, as there is someone very kind willing to take him into her home. I will say a prayer to St. Francis!

Boxing Day

Thats what day it is in Australia! Well, Christmas has come and gone for another year. I had a great Christmas, I especially love Christmas Eve day. I think the older I am getting, the more sentimental I am getting, and appreciative of my friends and family. I think if someone asked me my favorite day of the year, its Christmas Eve Day. I treated all the babies I feed to some extra amount of wet food, their favorite, and what they really need in this kind of cold weather. I am so thankful for the donation that the Hilda, the 96 year old woman gave to me. She asked Mary to go out and purchase the food for me and I am thankful that Mary chose to buy wet food for most of it. Thank you Mary and Hilda!! I also received a monetary donation from a very very nice girl whom I have not met yet, but can't wait to. Her name is Pat, and she is a kind kind soul. Thank you so much Pat! Talk about kindness, and giving from the heart. That kind of kindness just overwhelms me. This morning, as I went to feed at my second stop on Third Street, I heard a soft whimpering/barking and went to investigate. I found two dogs in the back yard of the next street over, the one closest to the fence being a pit bull. I am sure the other one is too but I couldn't tell in the dark. I could make out the nipples underneath her belly, and knew she was a breeder. There were a few dog houses in the back, but I didn't see food or water. Not sure of the situation - the house looked almost boarded up from the back. So I drove around to the front, and there was a car or truck parked in the driveway. I did report it to 911 but they told me nothing could be done today because animal control was closed, and of course the Humane Society has two officers that cover five counties, and my call wouldn't or couldn't be answered for days at least, if at all. I will call again tomorrow, which the operator did urge me to do. You can tell, even though they aren't allowed to show their emotions, she WANTED me to call back in the morning to re-report it.

Law and Order

If any of you are television police drama fans, you should live in my world. Sometimes, there are some good episodes playing out in the morning, for real! This morning I went to all NINE of my spots. Nothing too dramatic at any of them, except when I pulled up on Bay Street and First, there were about 10 police cars, no exaggeration! Not sure what happened, but I pulled up at the tail end of it. There were some characters being put into the cars though, so glad I pulled up AFTER. Dewey was at stop #2. He is the SWEETEST boy around, he lets me pick him up, and as I scratch him and pull at his skin gently, he is purring away. He is very very desperate for a home. I need to think of something, and quick. There are also two dark, one being a calico, females there, so I need to think of something extra quick! I never got a response from Habitat for Cats about letting me get appointments for spay/neuter. Not sure about that... There are so many logistics that go into spaying a cat on your own, its just so much easier if you can trap and bring in the same morning. Without help from HFC, you have to first house the cat, then bring it to vet appt. for shots and initial exam, and then you make appt. for the neutering. Before the neuter, its already $125. The neutering part varies between $80 to $200, depending on the vet, and the sex of the cat. Last stop was where Red, Creamy, Butch (the dominant red), and Lou Lou hang. I didn't see Creamy, but Red Lou Lou and Butch were there waiting for me, always crying. I try to make it as comfortable under the lean-to as I can. I HATE leaving them behind. Please someone find it in your hearts to adopt these wonderful companions!

Mary Ann

About a month after an article was published that had a little paragraph on me in the Democrat & Chronicle - the subject being Civility (and kindness) written by Mark Hare - this woman called me - turns out her name is Mary Ann and she saw the article just then because she uses newspapers for her litter, given to her by her neighbor, so my name was just about to be pooped on until she saw it, and decided she had to find my number somehow (I didn't ask) and call me. She had a squawky voice (I have listed to Howard Stern radio show on occasion, and there is a woman caller by the same name that calls in and sounds like a crow - they even use a crow sound bite when she does), and was very loud. She told me what a good person I was to do what I do but that she didn't believe in me taking a cat to the shelter and that she would take a cat in if necessary. Let me just say that Mary Ann has a beautiful heart, she cares for animals, there is no doubt, but the poor woman just didn't sound like all her crayons were sharpened, so to speak. Sometimes mine aren't too sharp, but I get them sharpened a lot when they begin to dull. ha ha. She just didn't sound right. Anyways, I thanked Mary Ann and told her how much I appreciated her call and that yes, I would consider her for homes for cats in an emergency situation. Well, she called me again Sunday and asked if I was ever in her area, to stop by and see the way her place is set up and if I ever had the need to bring a cat over. I was going into work for a few hours, and she lives near the hospital, so I did go over. At first I pulled up into a somewhat modest little home, all fenced in, normal looking. As I went through the gate I heard many many many barks. She apparently rescues dogs, and as I peered through the slats in the back yard, I saw maybe 5 to 10 dogs, all barking in various ferociousness. She came out and Mary Ann's face was all different colors! Just like a box of crayons! Not sure about that, but she is a very petite little woman, and immediately proceeded to show me a few dog houses in the front with bowls of food placed in there for the stray cats she sometimes gets. She then brought me into her house and I was bowled over by the odor. I then saw that she had about 10 small dogs in her kitchen area, all rooms blocked by doors. She herded most out into the back and brought me to the kitchen area, where I saw one cat on the stove that had drool coming out of its mouth and three legs. Her two very small back bedrooms had about 4 cats each in them. My point of this story is that there are sweet people out there that have a good heart. I am not too sure if I would ever bring an animal there, actually I know I wouldn't, but there are good people. If I felt the conditions of her home was inhumane, I would certainly report, but I do hope she has enough sharpness to continue trying to adopt out some of those dogs. They were very cute actually, but elderly most of them, you could tell. Just another day in the life of me!! ha!

The Preacherman

This morning, I went to my second stop, where Dewey and Zina hang, and found that the boards I have placed there, along with towels for warmth behind them, along with the plastic water bowl and the paper bowls for food were gone. What makes this so… unusual in comparison to the normal meanness I've experienced before with punks trashing my stuff, is that this is a small church. And guess what it says over the doorstep to the church? 'Home of Acts of Kindness' I am going to stop there sometime and speak with the pastor about this. I can understand someone not wanting to make the place look bad (in this already sad neighborhood), but why just throw my stuff away? I am glad I went past there from a different angle and was able to see my stuff by the garbage at the back. I left a note with my number to call me, but I doubt they will. What kind of House of God would be so mean - they knew it was for the cats. Home of Acts of Meanness is more like it. God is watching!

On another note, Acts of Kindness were plentiful this weekend. I received two donations. One by a 96 year old woman named Hilda - straight from Germany, who has a heart of gold. She donated wet food for the kitties. Bless her heart. The other is from a kind man who was referred to me for behavior issues with his cat, which I wasn't able to help, but he in turn has helped me in donating food. We've never met, but he has left food donations for me - cat food that is… I also received a bag of towels from a sweet girl named Lauren, who went out of her way to deliver them all the way from Spencerport on a very cold and snowy evening. Also, I received five fleece blankets from a girl who works here at the hospital, her daughter having a fondness for animals too, and whose cat just delivered SEVEN kittens yesterday. I also received towels from my very own sister Ann, who, in spite of her - how do I say it --- low fondness (?) for animals, did this act of kindness for me. Thank you - there are just such good people out there.

Tomorrow, don't let me forget to tell you about Mary Ann. Now there's a story… :)

Names

I've decided that my babies deserve a name. My first stop, usually there is an orange cat that I rarely see, and it 'lives' under a porch that I feed next to. But guess who came strolling up the sidewalk, but Dewey! Now, I feed Dewey and a calico down at the next corner, a couple of blocks away. I wonder if he saw my car, or could hear me make the kissing noise to call attention to my arrival. These cats are really smart. I held Dewey, he is a pretty pretty boy, and just the sweetest. Then onto the next stop where I did my thing with the shy little calico I will name Zina. She is very shy, but is letting me get closer and closer. She used to hide in the bushes, now she comes close, waiting for me to put the wet food down. She loves the water I replace with the ice in the bowl too. The next stop the kitties hide under the porch of the abandoned house, hopefully in the bale of straw I pushed under there. They are close to feral, but at least can be seen, which makes them semi=feral. The next stop is Smokey. My poor Smokey. An old grey and white spotted long haired boy. I just can't trap him. And he has always kept a distance from me, but I am sure he is grateful for my arrival every morning. Then onto Seventh Street where Fluffy and another unnamed white with dark gray spots lives. Then onto the next spot where Benny lives, although Benny hasn't been seen since the snow started early December. I don't see any cats there, although they have a great shelter, I just go to replace the food and water. Then around the corner where I go to the back of Paul's house where I have an igloo shelter and a lean to, and replace the food and water there, then onto Bay at the lot where Wilbert lives, and replace the water and food there, these are ferals at this spot. Never see them. Then onto the last and most heartbreaking, Hayward, where there are two reds and a black kitty. I had decided to name the black kitty Lulu until I felt around the back this morning. Now the spelling will be Loulou. A boy! I was quite surprised because he is a very petite male. And then there is Red, who is such a good boy. And the other one is a creamy creamy orange I will name... Orangie! I am glad I am giving them names, it gives them a little more ... realness. They are all innocent creatures who deserve a good home. I hope you will consider!

Its Friday!!

And all seems to be well. Its not blizzarding outside, and its not frightfully freezing! I have had a few nibbles this past week on Red and Blackie, which I am hoping turns out to be a dream come true. These two babies are in desperate need to get off the streets, and I hope we've found a good home for them both! I did see Blackie this morning, but not Red. I think this might be the first time in over 6 months I have not seen him. I do worry about that, but pray he is back on schedule tomorrow morning. I was able to pick up Blackie this morning, which is a good sign. I am a bit bite shy with cats since I was bitten - albeit in my own home - by Mama Girl. I am also going to post a picture/pictures - not sure how many came out - of a new boy I've named Dewey. He is on the corner of 4th and Pennsylvania and waits for me daily. His shelter had been through bars to an open basement window in a boarded up house, but I now have a box shelter the teacher and her students made, and also have a lean-to against a tiny church on the corner, that so far has gone undisturbed. I put a few towels in there, and draped one over one end, so that the wind and snow cannot get in. Don't know how warm it is in there, but warmer than if their was no shelter. Also, I did see Smokey yesterday, and I believe he used the second shelter box on Goodman and Central. He is an old boy, and is not looking well these days. He is uncatchable though, so I just say my prayers! Keep an eye out for pictures of Dewey! He is a BEAUTY~!~

Agua

That means water in Spanish....

Its been a snowy few days here in Rochester! I have done a lot of digging, and used a ton of towels and throw rugs to keep my babies warm. Its really tough on these guys, and the little tiny comforts I can give them - even if it lasts only a little while - mean a lot. I have almost run out of towels as they are scattered around the city - am now down to nothing. I even have some stuffed in places where the snow can get in between the boards and other shelter I have, it helps at least keeps the snow out. I had to skip one spot this morning on Seventh Street so I could make it to two I had to skip yesterday. Seriously, its backbreaking work when you have to shovel. So I have to save my back, and sacrifice one of my spots. This spot I missed should be okay, although no drinkable water, which I find these cats savour. I see them licking the water almost as soon as I get it in the bowl. That’s how important water is to them, and it makes me wonder if its true if cats lick the snow for their water when none is about. I see people look at me shoveling at abandoned houses, in back of buildings, while they come out to brush off their cars. I always yell over to them 'I know I must look crazy! - I am just feeding the kitties!' - and they laugh and wave. Truly, I am crazy.

Monday Monday....

The Mama's and the Papa's... remember that song? WAAAAY before my time, but they still play it! :) Lots of news here today! The school teacher who's students built shelters for the cats came by on Saturday to drop off two with her husband and puppy! Very very kind people. They are neat little shelters and will make comfy places for the kitties that use them. I sure do hope they use them, and that they aren't taken from where I've placed them. I hope Smokey, the old guy on Central and Goodman, uses his. He had NOTHING. We are due a wind storm this week with lots of snow and cold. The other spot I placed one at is really iffy, but the two cats that are hanging around there REALLY needed some shelter, so I hope they both use those. By the way, the cats at this spot are friendly, and in need of a home. One is calico, the other is gray and white tabby. I filled water and food this morning at all my spots, and tried my best to place towels and such so that the snow we are getting doesn't get into their little shelters. I am grateful for the two I received this weekend, but really wish I had those at every spot, I wouldn't worry so much. Will get two more this weekend as the students built a total of four. I have 9 spots all together, so could really use five more! I also have a girl who has recently been in contact with me who reads my blog (hopefully) and wants to donate bath towels that I have been asking for. There are just so many kind folks out there. Also, "Gracie", the girl I rescued a week ago this past Friday, is doing very well at my mother's house, along with her 'son' Danny Boy. Remember, my mother lost her/my grandmother's 21 year old cat Kelly a couple of weeks ago, so Gracie has done a good job of filling that lonely void for Danny. All is well.

Well... The Weather Outside is Frightful!

It’s the afternoon, and I just realized I had not posted today! Oh how I miss my blog! Its been a very busy week. Backbreaking, to say the least. I must shovel my way to my shelters. We keep getting dumped on. Tonight another foot they say. Its just miserable doing it, but rewarding when I arrive home. I know I've done my best. I am really getting low on towels for the kitties. I have a lot out there now, some being used as screens for the shelters, to keep the snow out. I did not see my Smokey, the old kitty on Central and Goodman. Its so hard for him to walk to the makeshift shelter I have for him. The snow is high. There are three kitties out there now that are sweet and loveable that need a home urgently. One is a grey tabby, I think the sweetest of all. The other is a black tiny little thing. She cries and cries when I arrive in the morning. And the other is Red, the red kitty I've been telling you about since last summer. Very hard to trap, but will let me pet him and love him, so if I do grab him, it will be by the scruff of his neck. These three are desparate to get off the street. Red's picture is in a past post. I will try to get the gray and black kitty's pictures soon. Its hard when its dark in the morning but I will do my best! They are really really sweet!

Good Day Sunshine!

Well, the sun is shining, in spurts, mixed with heavy snow, but at least the sun is shining at the moment. It helps so much - we take the sun for granted at times. We see so very little of it in Rochester. The following excerpt is from a shelter building website. Its something I wish was a quote by me. Its hard to get shelters to areas I feed at as they are either someone's property or its an abandoned house.

"It never ceases to amaze me at how the cats instinctively gravitate to their shelters. Sometimes, as soon as they are finished and in place, I will see them venturing in. At other times, I have had them sit and watch while I measured and installed the shelters. Even when I find a little nook, barely big enough for one cat and manage to create a shelter, I find cat hair, leaves, etc. I have come to understand, over the years, the value the cats place on their shelters. It has been a remarkable experience for me to observe their little faces, sleepy eyes and dry coats, as they come out and stretch and go to their food. On those cold and stormy nights, when I am cozy in my bed, I can feel good, knowing I have done my very best to provide them with a loving place to rest their little heads."

I guess my point is that I WISH I had shelter for my babies out there, but I do the best I can with what I have. I continue to wish for bath towels and food donations.

Knee Deep

I won't tell you what another foot of snow does to me, or the kitties that I feed. That IS what we've had since yesterday morning though. I will share with you an e-mail I received yesterday from a girl who adopted one of the kittens I rescued a while ago. This girl gives the most descriptive and delightful updates, and get a gander at what this kitty looks like now:

Hi Janine, I used to send you pictures from my blog, but they updated our security at work so now I can't get to my blog and worse, I can't get to yours. Here is my blog so you can go look at pictures of him: http://knitatation.blogspot.com/ It is a knitting blog, so you will have to look thru boring knitting content to get to pictures of Mickey. He is so cute. I think I told you the vet estimated his birthday at August 11th. He has probably trippled in size since we got him from you, but still looks like a little kitty. When he runs through the house it sounds like a herd of elephants! He is sooo cuddly and snuggly in the morning when I first get up. Then look out when he wakes up. He loves toys. He has stuffed mice all over the house. He still loves the dog. He chases her tail and bats her ears and the dog just sits there. He is starting to bite (hard) which is very annoying. We tell him no and won't play with him when he is like that. He gets on a chair and flys thru the air and lands in the Christmas tree. I only put red bows on it this year, no ornaments, and its undecorated in the morning when I get up. (but I really dont care!) Luckily that one is fake - the real one goes up tomorrow - we'll see how that works. Probably only soft ornaments this year. Quote from my son "I have stopped telling people the crazy things Mickey does because no one believes me. I have never seen an animal do acrobatic stuff like that". We are trying to decide if he is part raccoon! LOL My husband gets home from work before me so he starts dinner. The other day I got home and he said sorry but dinner is going to be a little late...Mickey crawled up and wanted to snuggle and that might now happen again for a week so I took advantage of it. He was digging in my two big plants so I got rid of them. Dirt all over. I was not happy. I even sprayed that "NO PET" stuff. My husband said he hopes he will not be a dirty cat. He finds someone to sleep with every night. Even when he is in a wild mood, he knows where we all are because he doesnt like to be alone. Can you see where I'm going with all of this? We are all totally in love with him, and he rules the house! thanks for checking in. I wish I could send you pictures directly. Let me know if you can get them from the blog. Take care!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it NOT Snow!

Winter is not supposed to be here this early! Here it is the first week of December, and we had over 10 inches fall upon us yesterday and over night. Last night, after shoveling my sidewalks and driveway three times, I was thinking about the chore it would be for me the next morning, to clear the feeding spots for my babies out there. I left the house at 5:39 am., and returned at 6:48 a.m. I was hustling out there! Brought the snow shovel, and lots of towels. I know towels are not ideal in this kind of weather as they are so moisture absorbant, but they are good for immediate use as in some spots, I lay a towel down on the wet ground so that the kitty can eat on a somewhat dry surface for the moment. I also use the towels as ground cover behind some of the boards I use as lean tos where I have no containment shelter. I change them daily, and I do a lot of washing/drying at home. I also am in need of thick heavy bath towels. I recently had a donation of towels, but they are very thin, and not bath size, but they do help! So, out I went this morning with my shovel, where I had to shovel all 8 locations. I didn't see all of my usual suspects at most of the locations, I don't know where they go, but some were grateful to see me, I could tell! I had my niece stay over this weekend, and we went out Sunday morning to do the feeding. At one location, as we were just about to drive away, a young man came around the corner with a gas tank. Mind you, its 6 am., its dark, its snowing hard, and I have half my family in the car with me! Call me crazy, but as this guy approached us asking for a ride to the gas station, I DID feel bad for him. I got out of the car and told him I had no money, was just there feeding the cats, had my 12 year old niece with me, told him to look at the neighborhood he was in, told him to remember how many shootings there are in that neighborhood, and told him it was hard for me to believe that that’s what he really wanted, was gas. He said he fell asleep in his car after drinking around 3 am. with the motor running, and the gas ran out. He was at a club. I told him I wanted to frisk him - I did. I watch too many cop shows - :). Good thing too! Anyways, he was clean, we let him in the back, gave him a ride to the nearest Fastrac, he offered to put gas in my car, he reeked of booze, I lectured him, he said it was a blessing he fell asleep and didn't drive because he thought he was still drunk, he was 21, and told me he attends the local community college majoring in music. He told me that me and his mom were going to heaven for what we do. He couldn't have thanked me enough. He turned out to be a very nice man, and I am glad I did it. I told him the only thing I wanted from him was his compassion to animals.

Grey Girl!

Well, today I ventured out with a slight intention of getting a kitty for my mother who just lost her/my grandmother's cat after a long and happy life - 21 years old Kelly was! Knowing I had SO many to choose from - although I have been wanting to give Benny a home, especially, but Benny hasn't been seen for the last two days so I wasn't sure. My first stop was at a location that has NO shelter, so I just place a few bowls and have a very flimsy piece of wood covering the bowls down against a small church. There is a kitty that comes right up - I believe he is the cat that I first reported was starving to death as he just gobbled up food a month or so ago like he hadn't eaten in weeks. But I have come to believe he is just plain hungry when I see him each morning. He is still eating voraciously! I was going to grab him, but I am not sure about him yet. He will let me touch him because he is impatiently waiting for me to place the food down. He is also a little older looking, and not that pretty. I know that sounds harsh, but my mother is not quite as excited about bringing in another cat so I had to find a special looking one, not just a plain one. Even though the plain one is beautiful to me. So off I went to the next location and sure enough, this pretty gray and white kitty that greets me just kept hanging around next to my car, as if to say 'take me!'. So I did. Will place my usual ad of FOUND in the paper, but I think this sweet girl needs a warm and loving home. So, fingers crossed, this kitty will join Danny Boy at my mothers house! YAY!

Christmas Wish List

I timed my 'outing' this morning. It took me exactly one hour from the time I left my driveway to the time I came back home. I made my babies as comfortable as I could, with towels and a blanket or two left behind. I need to get some hay, or is it straw, to place at a few locations. I see they are nesting in the few I have out already. My wish list would be to have some nice thick bath towels, obviously old and used ones for us human folk, but clean! I would also like some nice thick blankets. And some hay (or straw). Need to find out where I can get some straw and place it at my few shelters. Otherwise, the snow is stopped for now, and the rain, and I am thankful for that.

What a MESS!

it is out there! I won't down you with the details of what the rain does to not only my psyche, but I am sure of the kitties out there. But all is still well with the world. We have but one life, we make the best of it that we can. Put on a happy face! Some better news is that my 'informant' had animal control check on the dog last night that has been locked up in the garage. Apparently, this guy that lives there said his son left it there, and at first he didn't want it, but that he actually likes the dog now. He even invited the officers in his house to show them the basement he is fixing up for the dog. Yes, I know, its not an ideal situation to have a dog stay in the basement, but I didn't get all the details of how often the dog is cuddled, played with, walked, etc. There is also a mattress, food and water in the large garage for now also. So I did feel better after hearing this. Peace of mind, thats all we ask for when we report these things. I just wish Humane Society had different standards regarding that.