A-8 The News, Monday, January 24, 2011

Dogs thrive on love & attention, no matter the sourceBy Bev Grecoexecutive director, Cumberland County SPCA

Dogs are amazingly resilient creatures. This is rather surprising since they are

also such creatures of routine.Their ability to adjust to life altering

events is incredible, given that they are such intelligent, sensitive animals.

This past week, a local family was forced to give up their three dogs because of economic ruin.

I can only imagine the turmoil people go through when they suffer financial ruin.

Losing your job.Losing your home.Losing all that you derive your security

from.On top of which you must give up three

little dogs that you have loved and pam-pered for years.

On top of which you get to explain this to your young children.

Beauty, Belle and Miyako were brought into the shelter last Tuesday.

Beauty is a 7-year-old mini poodle weighing in at all of five pounds.

Belle wants to be a pug, but looks as if there is a little French bulldog thrown in the mix.

She is only a year old and is the daugh-ter of Miyako, a 4-year-old pug.

Belle and Miyako are attached at the hip and although Belle is younger, she is larger and more outgoing than her mom.

They mirror each other’s actions — sleeping together, moving together and looking to each other for comfort in the foreign environment of the shelter.

This is a long way from the home they once roamed freely and the security of the blanketed crates they chose to sleep in at night.

In spite of their obvious insecurity, they are full of love and the snorting affection for which pugs are so well known.

Beauty, on the other hand is all poodle,

able to have the world eating out of her paw with a perpetually wag-ging tail (abnormally long for her breed) and her insistence that your lap is her lap.

No matter who you are!

I have been foster-ing her until she can be spayed and placed in a permanent home this week, and she has come into my home, seriously outweighed by my own pets (cats included) and taken over.

She takes no flak from any of them and becomes tenacious when it comes to gain-ing the best spot on the sofa.

I took her with me to visit my mother, to a home she had never visited, with people she did not know.

She walked in the door, spotted my mother in a comfortable chair with a warm blanket across her legs and in sec-onds had completely commandeered the situation.

She jumped into my mother’s lap, immediately ingratiated herself and stayed there for hours, getting her back scratched and belly rubbed.

It is very apparent that although she came from a home with multiple animals, she will do just fine as long as she has a human who she can mold to her needs.

In spite of the upheaval these three little girls have suffered, they will fare much better than their former family.

Dogs thrive on love and attention, no matter what the source.

These three are all easygoing and will be a blessing to whomever’s home they end up in.

The sad part is these girls are typical of the hundreds of released dogs we receive every year. They are lucky to be small, relatively young and recognizable breeds.

Many of the others are not so fortunate.

They may be large or a bit older or simply less desirable because they lack a specific pedigree.

Do yourself and an ani-mal in need a great favor: Come visit the shelter. Nothing will warm up a cold winter night like the love of an adoring pet curled up next to you.

—Shelter Needs: Large canned dog food,

dry puppy and cat food, cat litter, sponge mops, dryer sheets, bleach, gift cards for grocery, hardware and pet stores.

—Pets of the Week

CatsJILL is an adorable 6-month-old kitten

that is playful and affectionate. She is a darling and has been waiting a long time for a forever home of her own.

PREACHER is a young, male short-haired cat that is sweet and friendly. Black cats are always the most difficult to get adopted, please consider giving Preacher the forever home he deserves.

JOHNNY is a handsome, adult male short-haired cat with a gorgeous, silver gray coat. He is calm and easygoing and loves attention.

EVITA is a young, female cat with lots of personality. She is an orange and gray tabby with some white added in. Evita loves everyone and would love to have a family of her own.

MELODY is a young, female cat that is very sweet and on the quiet side. She loves attention but will wait nicely for you to reach out to her. She is a beautiful cat with lots of love to give.

LALA is a very interesting looking black and orange female cat. She has a

fun personality and is sweet and easygo-ing. Please consider giving Lala a loving forever home.

DogsDEMI is a very sweet, 8-month-old

pit bull terrier mix. She was released for adoption along with her litter of six pup-pies. The puppies are now weaned and this young dog is hoping for a forever home of her own. Demi is crate trained and semi-housebroken, having only occa-sional accidents. She is friendly and fun loving and good with other dogs.

CHEYANNE is a very nice, 2-year-old golden retriever/chow mix. She is good natured and affectionate and loves peo-ple. Cheyanne walks nicely on a leash and is well mannered. This is a very nice girl and she gets along well with other dogs too!

TIGER LILY is a very sweet, 5-year-old rottweiler. She is housebroken and crate trained and gets along great with kids. She is an active girl that will need good daily exercise and is best suited to a home without cats. Tiger Lily is a big, friendly, sweetheart and gets along well with other dogs.

MACK is a 2-year-old mastiff mix that is as sweet as he is good looking. This friendly, good natured guy loves every-one. He likes attention, knows sit and is eager to please. Come visit us at the CCSPCA and get to know this great big sweetheart.

MONKEY is as cute as they come and as sweet as can be! This 6-month-old mixed breed puppy looks like she has some boxer in her background as well as possibly lab and pit. She is a friendly, comical girl that loves everyone.

BENNY is a friendly, easygoing 1-year-old shepherd mix. He is a nice, medium size and has a gorgeous, soft black coat. Benny has it all, good looks, nice person-ality and a happy, people loving tempera-ment!

JILL

BENNYMONKEYMACKTIGER LILYChEYANNEDEMI

LALAMELODYEVITAJOhNNYPREAChER

Urgently in need of a loving, forever home!

SHERLOCK is a gorgeous, 1-year-old spaniel mix. He is the size of a large spaniel but is much heavier boned and has a beautiful, soft coat. Sherlock is shy and will need a patient

owner who can take things slow with him and help him social-ize and learn about the world. He gets along well with other

dogs, but because of his shyness, is best suited to a home with-out children. Sherlock has a lifetime of love to give.

JESTER is a handsome, 6-month-old kitten. He is sweet and funny and loves attention. Come visit us at the CCSPCA and get

to know Jester, he may just steal your heart!

Lummis Dental Your veterinarian needs to monitor the progress of your pet’s preventive program, so regular dental checkups are essential, just as twice yearly checkups are for people. For pets that form plaque quickly or that have a history of oral problems, frequent examinations and cleanings may be advised.

Manheim Medical Arts Building

Maniheim & Irving Aves.Bridgeton, NJ 08302

We’ll care for your Dentistry needs... ...while your vet cares for your pet’s!

• Family Dentistry • Experience • Compassion • Pain-Free Dentistry • Reasonable Cost • Aesthetic • Evaluations • Same Day Emergency Appts.• Payment Options • Warm & Friendly Atmosphere746171

Return your pet for regular dental checkups to your vet.

Supports the

SPCA

(856) 451-0111www.lumisdental.com

Robert A. Lummis DMD, M.A.G.D.The Cumberland County SPCA is located at 1244 N. Delsea Drive,

Vineland. Phone: (856) 691-1500. Fax: (856) 691-2703E-mail: adoptions@cumberlandcountyspca.org

Website: www.cumberlandcountyspca.org