HAPPY ENDINGS AND
FOREVER HOMES
By Jeannie Howard
A forever home is something many humans often
take for granted, but for so many dogs and cats the
comfort that comes with a forever home is only a
dream. Animals in the shelter and rescue system face
the reality of an uncertain future on a daily basis.
“It’s a big, complicated, and emotional issue,” said
Cheryl Nickerson, executive director of the Contra
Costa Humane Society, an independent animal rescue
organization.
While spaying and neutering the pets we currently
have as well as participating in and supporting catch
and release programs certainly helps to ease the growth
of this problem, it is but one piece of the larger issue.
Overcrowding is a common struggle for many shelters.
When these facilities run out of space an unfortunate
result is often the unnecessary euthanasia of healthy dogs
and cats. Adoption is by far the best way to help the
dogs and cats that are already in this world.
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Organizations like the Contra Costa Humane Society
and the Tony La Russa Animal Rescue Foundation
(ARF) help to alleviate some of the overcrowding by
partnering with shelters locally and throughout the state
to rescue animals from those facilities. “We try to go
to some of the shelters that have higher populations by
rescuing from those shelters that have higher intakes,”
described Wendy Taylor-Tanielian, marketing manager
for ARF. “We are out on rescue runs every week
bringing.” Through these continuous efforts, countless
dogs and cats have been given another chance at finding
a home.
Both of these organizations are deeply rooted in
caring for not only the physical health of the animals
but also the emotional health while they await their
forever families. All dogs and cats are fully vaccinated,
spayed or neutered, and microchipped prior to being
available for adoption. “We have an onsite clinic and a