Shelter Pet Magazine

The November Issue of Shelter Pet Magazine finally went live today in the App Store/ Newsstand for iPads and iPhones.    The App is here at iTunes.

The issue is also available at MagCloud if one wants to purchase the PDF file instead. You can read that on your computer, or download the file to your tablet if you happen to have an Android tablet.

Picking out the ones to feature was fun, not just because of their photos,  but their names-  Fuzz Aldrin, Fava Bean, Pop Tart, and Luke Skywalker.   

There is also a PDF download that is my gift to you if you happen to purchase the issue.  It's for tolerating my poor grammar and bad sentence structures, lol.  I'm no English Major, I'll admit it.

Some Days You Are Where You Are Meant to Be

Hello all.   This isn't my story, but it is one that is too good to not share.  Kaylee Greer is a pet photographer in the Boston area.  She often photographs homeless pets at shelters to help find them a home.  Her website is here.

This is her photo and her story.  You'll need a tissue, but it is one of those stories that will make you cry, and smile at the same time. 

Meet Miss Coco. 

The other day, the most wonderful thing happened.

It was Halloween, so I brought costumes up to the MSPCA and spent the day dressing up the adoptables and photographing them for their PetFinder profiles. On the way home from the shelter, I had to stop at PetSmart to get Joshua a bag of food. As I was walking in the door, I noticed a woman making her way towards the checkout with her arms full 
and fumbling with the dog on the other end of the leash she was holding. On the other end of that leash was the world's sweetest looking, old and grey Pointer mix. My heart just about melted when I saw her.

Just as they were passing by me, that sweet old pup must have decided she couldn't hold it any longer and stopped short to have an accident. The woman who was holding the dog looked so frazzled and upset that I offered to help. I told her not to worry about the pee, that I noticed she had her arms full and that I would take care of the cleanup for her, as I knew right where the paper towels were kept. I smiled and said 'when you gotta go, you gotta go!'. The woman thanked me profusely and stayed with the puddle until I arrived with some paper towels. As I was cleaning up the pee, the woman began to apologize and explain 'She has been having trouble holding her bladder, and lately there has been blood in it.' I could hear the profound and solemn sadness in her voice when she said 'She is my best friend and she is 18 years old.'

At that moment, I looked up at the woman and saw the tears begin to form in her eyes. She continued, 'I live with my son, and today we decided together that it's finally time to let her go.' She went on 'I am picking her up from being groomed right now because we wanted her last week with us to be special and for her to feel comfortable.'

It was at this point that I began to cry too. Right in the middle of PetSmart. With a stranger that I had only met 60 seconds before. We talked about the way that dog's touch our lives, and how some come into our world and when they leave - we're never ever the same. We talked about the purity of the love of a canine, their endless selflessness, their unwavering loyalty and joy. And that's when I had a thought. I said 'This is sort of a strange question - but do you have any beautiful photos of Coco? I mean really nice ones that you will remember her by?' Her eyes closed for a moment, and she said 'No, I suppose not.' And that's when I told her who I am - what I do. I said 'I am a professional pet photographer, and I just happen to have all of my camera gear loaded up in the back of my car right now because I'm on my way home from a shoot at the shelter. Do you and Coco have 10 minutes to spend with me outside?'

So we went outside together, and just within the confines of the modest little median in the PetSmart parking lot, we made some memories of Coco. When I showed her one of the images on the back of my camera's LCD, she lost herself to tears. And then, so did I. She hugged me with an intense gratitude that I have never felt before. I gave her my card and told her to expect an email with Coco's images very soon. I looked down at Coco with a meaningful gaze and ended our interaction with a kiss to her graying snout.

It's moments like those that make me grateful to have the privilege of doing what I do. If I am able to take the joy in one tiny moment, and freeze it in time so that somebody can keep it by their heart forever - then I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world. I think serendipity played a thoughtful hand in my meeting Coco and her Mom that day, and I am so grateful that I could give her a part of her sweet girl to hold on to forever.

Happy Halloween. From Thompson.

Is there a Priest in the house? Able to perform an exorcism on short notice? STAT!

(Everytime I play this video, it bothers the hospital cats, and the dogs start barking in the kennel. . . )

Shelter Pet Magazine is finally alive in the App Store.

It's almost 2 months late, but it finally went live today.  And the app says it is compatible with iphones and ipod touch.  I am not sure how convenient it is to read a magazine on an iphone, but if it works, that is a nice and unplanned benefit.

It is still available at MagCloud.com if someone wants to read it on their computer, or download the pdf to read on their Android tablet.

Here's the Link to the App Store.  If you download it, and you like it, please take a few minutes to rate it or leave a comment in the App store. I think it helps with visibility, and the more people that read it, maybe that'll be more homes, or foster homes, for homeless pets.

Have a nice weekend.  Cheer on the Dawgs in Jacksonville if you happen to be at the World's Largest Cocktail Party.

Still Looking for that Pet Halloween Costume?

Shelter Pet Magazine is 90% alive. Finally.

The Sept issue of Shelter Pet Magazine has turned into a late October issue.   I thought I was being careful about which company I chose to publish the App in the first place. I chose wrong.   It has been one delay after another . . .  Apple was billing people in the App store, but the company wasn't delivering the magazine.  The company had outsourced the project to someone in Germany who refused to look for the problem, and kept saying the App worked perfectly.  So I had no choice but to pull the App from the App store.   Anyone want to buy several unused Apps? only slight defective?  it'll only cost a few thousand dollars for the set. . .

But I found another company to put the App together correctly for the App Store.  It should be in Apple Newsstand in a few days.  So if you have an iPad you might want to wait on that version.

If you don't have an iPad, the issue IS also available at MagCloud.com

On MagCloud you can do a few things.  You can read it on your iPad with MagCloud's iPad App.  You can read it on your computer with their WebViewer.  If you download the PDF, the hyperlinks will work from your computer.  You can also read the downloaded PDF on an Android tablet if you have one of those.  So you'ze got options.

The photos are low resolution, designed for a digital publication, so I would avoid the printed version all together.

Shelter Pet Magazine

By Andy Mathis

72 pages, published 10/16/2012

Shelter Pet Magazine is dedicated to helping homeless pets find a home. To advocate and encourage adoptions and fostering, and to help rescue groups place their rescues so other pets can be saved. You'll also meet people behind the scenes using their time and talent to make help make a difference. This particular issue was designed for digital publication. Some of the photos are low resolution and will be grainy if printed. Some of the…

Happy Weekend, Everybody.

The Yellow Dog Project

Hello all,

While it might appeared that I have died, from the lack of blog posts, it isn't true.  I am still here.

I came across this today and wanted to share it.  It's a simple idea but could be really helpful for lots of dogs.   Some dogs need their space, for whatever reason.  I had a Great Dane as a patient and  kids in public made him nervous.  Especially if the kids were loud, excited to see him, wanted to hug him, or they had some physical challenge or a mental or emotional disability. 

They made him nervous and his owners had to be extra careful with him in public, if they were traveling,  to keep someone from getting bit.

The Yellow Dog Project would have been perfect for him. 

You can visit their webpage here.

Please take a second to share this link with family and friends, especially those with small children,  school teachers, etc.  It might help to keep a child from getting bit.  Or other dogs for that matter, if people know to be careful with their pets around such a dog. 

Miss Fancy

If you remember a long, long, long time ago- in the 1990's- you'd remember my first dog, Jezabelle.   She was old and had to be put to sleep in November 1999 with cancer.   She was little pit mix, white with a patch over part of her face and eye.    She was a pound dog.  The hospital, where I was working at the time,  served as a holding facility for the city animal control officer.    Had a home. Didn't have a home. Tied to a tree. and eventually made her way back to the veterinary hospital, a few months later, only because of her Rabies tag on her collar.

It seemed like it was meant to be, so  I ended up keeping her. 
Below is my business card that I still use today. 

So when I saw this girl below, you know who I immediately thought of. 

This is Fancy.  She is a from a animal shelter on the other side of Athens, about an hour away.  

6 years old.  55 lbs. Obviously has had several litters of puppies. 

 

 

She was running out of time and options. So I contacted a local rescue group to foster her for them.
She was surrendered by her owner, so I was told that she is about 6 years old.  For 6 though, she has a rather young spirit and a sweet soul.   She's had a couple of medicated baths for her skin,  and will probably be getting spayed the end of this week or maybe the first of next week. 

If you want to see all her photos, click on these links to see the Flickr sets.  Set 1. Set 2.  Set 3. 

She'll be going up on Petfinder and Adopt a Pet.

Zorro Needs a Home or Foster Home

This is Zorro.  He was brought in the other day for euthanasia because his hair was matted. There is (was)  too much cat hair in his house according to his owner,  and her landlord.  ( Never mind that there is another cat and a Yorkie dog that live there too. Booooo. )

He's about 12 years old according to the owner.  He went to the vet for his vaccinations 11 years ago.  (Boooo some more.)

Me- Is he sick?
Her- No.
Me- You've lived there for 3 years plus.  Does he have to leave today?
Her-  Yes.
Me- Have your tried to find him another home?
Her- No.
Me- And your other dog and cat is fine to stay there?

After His Haircut

Her- Yes.

Okay, got it.  I'll stop asking questions before I blow a gasket.  

She let me keep him to see if I can re-home him with someone who appreciates him.

He seems like a really quiet cat. Would be perfect for an older person who might not want to deal with the antics of a kitten or a younger cat.  I think he prefers inside.  I am not sure he is happy about living in a cage though, even temporarily, as he hides in his sleeping box, or his litter box.  You find him peeking over the top during the day. If you go in the cat room late at night, when it has been quiet and dark, he is out of the boxes then.

We took his photos the day he arrived, and after he had a haircut to get the matted fur off of him. 
You can more photos on Flickr.   Here or Here.

If someone local would like to foster him, while his photos go up on Petfinder.com and Adopt a Pet, that would be fine too. I'll update his booster shots- Feline Leukemia, FVRCP, and his Rabies.
Contact the office and we'll work out the details.