Jan25

--------------Jan 25-----------------------------

At the end of my second week at Compassion Seeds, I feel I should tell you a little more about them. Theyre a NO KILL sanctuary located in Healdton, Ok. They have over 100 dogs and I dont know how many cats, but theyre everywhere:), several cows, a donkey, a couple of peacocks, and one blind pig that I swear is stalking me. Many of the animals there are special needs companions and will likely spend their lives in sanctuary here. Many are just too old to adapt to a new environment no matter how loving it might be, some are blind, and for various reasons these animals will never leave COmpassion Seeds. And Im not sure any of them would really want to leave. They have a great life here, they get the care they need and lots of attention every day.

If you would like to visit their website, I am sure they would love to hear from you(though it may be a while before they get back to you, theyre quite busy with Catherine Titus's dogs) and I KNOW they would appreciate your support even if its just a wordof kindness.

Well, after 2 weeks they have 93 of Catherine's dogs altered and in foster care, with just 7 left that need to visit the vet. And they will be the hardest to catch....they are the ones that have eluded "capture" to the very last and theyre very aware that something is up....they just dont know its a good thing:)

I spend my days breaking ice, cleaning pens and gathering bowls for the next feeding.

And one special project.

Redman, pictured above....Im working with him. He is going to take a lot longer than I expect to be here to fully recover from his past. But I spend every afternoon with him, just getting him used to people(people that dont abuse him) again.I sit in his pen, I sing, I tell him stories, and if I run out of stories I read to him.

He was a pack animal for a long time before coming to Compassion Seeds and this presents issues I am not very familiar with but I figure this cant hurt.

Every day it feels like we start from the beginning. I turn his house around so he has to sit in the open with me, he paces the length of his pen back and forth until he finally settles down far from me. But slowly I started moving closer and closer to where he always settles down. He doesnt seem tomind lying close to me.

Then when he does settle down I pet him, he braces for what he surely must think is a beating on its way,until I stop then he gets up and paces the cage again, and settles in the same spot.

We did this for two weeks now, until one day....he settled down with his head on my knee!

Just for a second, I blew it when I reached out to touch him and we had to go through the whole routine again....but that IS progress!

I will leave you for now with photos of a few of the animals, by the way the unknown dog in my last update is Dude....Dude is a good dog, mostly blind but youd never know it.

Ihave no idea who this is but she/he is always in the background. I love cats but, cats are what they are....I cant train them and wont try:) So I havent interacted with them much other than to give them a qucik scratch on my way past....which seems all they want anyway so it works out just fine

Bruno, and dont let people tell you only mutts end up in shelters....there are quite a few bred and unwanted animals here. Bruno has been here most of his 12+ years. I wont show the photo of the condition he was found in, his story is much like many of the others. He wasfound passed out in the summer heat, covered in mange and near death. 12 years later he is an ol-l-l-d St Bernard and a sweet and loving animal. He lives in the yard with Noah and doesnt seem to be bothered by Noah's youthful enthisiasm one bit. He walks with a limp now but always comes "running" up to you when you come in the yard. He is a sweet boy, I wish Id seen him grow up.

Marilynn, named after Norma Jean, I think. She is a SWEETIE and a success story too.She has a home in Arizona now and will be leaving COmpassion Seeds soon to make room for another.

And last of all, for now, Hobo. Another success story. He has a home with the caretaker here, along with a 3 legged weimeraner(sp?) named Crystal...every good shelter should have a 3 legged dog, theyre always the best!

Unrelated....but in case no one believes Im being stalked by a 500 pound blind pig, I AM, and he is much bigger in person!....Everywhere I go, there he is. It takes him a while to find me by smell but he is always meandering in my direct grunting and snorting the whole way.

A big hello to everyone in Healdton, hey Karin, Jerry, Mike, Sharon....and Sandy down at the Grasshoper, hey howdy!

Click on the Eyes of Evie to visit Compassion Seeds, Inc.

My first week at Compassion Seeds

------------Jan 9.2008- Jan 17,2008--------------

Im sorry it took so long to get an update posted here but the first week on site is always a little busy, and communication is very difficult for me right now. But Im here and working hard to make a difference.

Like always I spent the first few days getting introduced to everyone and trying to get a grip on what is happening here, what their resources are, the lay of the land...etc. So, that I can determine where my talents would best be put to use. And after taking it all in, I have decided to lend a hand in the day to day operations at Compassion Seeds. Nothing glamourous, Im spending the cold mornings cleaning up pens, removing bowls from the evening meal and breaking ice in the water troughs....whatever they need me to do, Ill do it. Evenings are about the same...nothing exciting, but absolutely necessary.

I do have a couple of special projects going on that I hope help the situation here. I am uploading photos and descriptions of all the animals to Petfinder in hopes that gets even just one of them into a good home. And Im working with one very special dog, Redman.

This was my first visit to Catherine Titus. I think the picture speaks for itself. Dont let the video fool you though, the real Angels are at Compassion Seeds(CS). They immediately stepped up and have now taken 75 of the dogs in for spay/neuter and vet care, and placed them in temporary foster homes, at no cost to Catherine Titus. And now we fear Catherine may be leaving the state with all the money people sent in, and leaving the dogs behind for (CS) to care for.

But we try to remain positive here and hope this doesnt happen. CS,like any local shelter was already under financial strain and near maximimum capacity before any of this happened. To have 100 dogs dumped on them without receiving any of the funds intended to care for the dogs will be devastating...think positive!

This is Missy. She is a fullblooded wolf and acts it. She is a beautiful animal but not very mushy....I tried kissing on her and she just looked at me like I was nuts:) But she is beautiful and so much fun to watch.

A striking contrast in personality, is Noah....my FAVORITE of all the dogs here. I fell in love with him instantly. He is just so much like my Murphy was....full of energy and joy and he loves everyone and everything. I watched him play with a 6 week old lab puppy yesterday and oh I just want to take Noah home with me so bad I cant stand it. He was so gentle and sweet and patient. He stood so perfectly still, aware that his huge feet would crush the puppy and just whimpered with excitement to have someone to play with him.

I play with Noah every day now, not because of what I can do for him but for what he does for me....he just brings a smile to my face.

You know I dont know this guys name, sadly. I clean up after him every morning and feed him every night but there are just so many here....and its sad I dont know more about him because he is a GOOD dog. He is alert and intelligent, playful and friendly. i think Ill make it a point to get to know him better this week.

And lastly(for now) my special project while I am here. Redman is a vicjavascript:void(0)tim of severe abuse. I will be working with him every day, in hopes he will be more adoptable when I leave. I dont know though, Ive seen it take years to get a dog to trust you before. But he is progressing quickly.

I spent the first day just sitting in his "yard" with him, talking and singing while he sat as far from me as he possible could, far in the back corner of his house.

The next day I did the same, but turned his house around so he had to sit out in the open with me. And I touched him. He let me begrudgingly. And after a few days of this, he already regards me with curiosity at times instead of the constant fear her first exhibited. And now, he sits a tiny bit closer to me.

I hope to take him for a walk this week.

He is a sweet boy, and I know one day he will learn to trust people again...I just have to be very patient and hope that in the month I spend here I get to see a little progress.