Happy Tail: Snickers and Oreo

We received these pictures with a note that simply said "They are the best thing to ever happen to our family!  THANK YOU!!!!" Funny how a few words can say it all.

2012 begins with some happy tails!

Anyone that has adopted a pet from us knows we practically demand photos of the pets enjoying their new homes.  These "happy tails" are what keep us going and we love every picture that is shared with us.  So we are starting the new year off with pictures of two recently adopted pets, Thumper, a young mixed breed dog, and Jelly Bean, an older bunny.

 Jelly Bean made friends with the pets in his new home right away!

Jelly Bean in his spacious new digs

Thumper and her doggie sibling, Daisy

Update on Handsome

Handsome spent 6 months at the shelter waiting for just the right owner to come along.  He obviously chose wisely, as we received this update today from his new owner.

Just thought you would like to know how "Handsome" is doing. First is that his name is now "Buddy" & he seems to approve. Second, is that you said he is a 'great' cat...I'm sorry, but you were wrong....He's a Fantasticcat!!! The moment Andrea & I let him out of the carrier, he was checking out the whole apartment, which included climbing up to the top of the kitchen cabinets. He handled that very well. He quickly found the litter box & approved it . I fed him & he ate everything! After about an hour of him walking everywhere, he came over to me in my recliner & jumped up into my lap & began head butting my hand to pet him. There he remained for about an hour...not letting me stop petting & scratching him behind the ears! This is something that I never expected so soon! He was amazing...he follows me everywhere in the apartment...wants constant attention & love...wants to play all day & night! He is running,jumping & seems very happy to be here.  He lets me rub his belly & lets me hold his paw...it's so cute when he stretches out on the rug & lies on his back & has his paws folded in the air...this is the sign to me that he wants to play!

This afternoon, I was taking a nap Buddy was sleeping beside me...he then came up onto my pillow & started to run his paws through my hair! He actually laid down on my head & slept there for about an hour...occasionally caressing my cheeks with his paws! This little guy is amazing! He's right here watching me write this email. He says he misses everyone that took care of him for the last 6 months, & he's throwing special kisses to Jackie for loving him being his special friend. I, personally want to thank everyone at the shelter for doing such good things for these unfortunate animals.

Matching Challenge Underway

The Medfield Animal Shelter is pleased to announce this year's fundraiser!

A group of longtime shelter supporters have offered to match every dollar that is donated to the Medfield Animal Shelter between November 15, 2011 and January 15, 2012 — up to $15,000! Previous matching challenge fundraisers have helped us raise a significant portion of our operating budget for the year, allowing
our volunteers to spend more time helping pets in need.

This year's challenge grant will help the Shelter to continue meeting the needs of the many cats, dogs and other critters we are asked to help every day. In order to address the cat overpopulation problem in the only way that has proven to be both effective and humane, we have recently created a small surgical suite we are using to host one or two low cost spay/neuter clinics for cats every month. We made a significant investment to do this, but feel it is a crucial part of fulfilling our mission to help end the overpopulation of pets that results in an estimated 5 million companion pets being euthanized at shelters in the U.S. every year. All of our work is possible thanks to our wonderful volunteers and supporters.

Pets in Massachusetts continue to lose their homes at an unprecedented rate due to the economic downturn, and we want to be able to help as many as possible in 2012, so we need your support. You can make your
donation to this worthy cause go twice as far by making a donation to the Medfield Animal Shelter by January 15, 2012! Please include a note with your donation letting us know that your donation is for the Matching Challenge Grant. The Matching Challenge Grant is open to anyone wishing to support the Medfield Animal Shelter, so please spread the word and make a donation today!

The Medfield Animal Shelter is a no-kill shelter and every dog, cat and rabbit is spayed or neutered prior to being placed in a new home.

For more information about the shelter, please visit our website: www.medfieldshelter.com. Tax-deductible donations can be made online by clicking on the Donate button, or mailed to:

Medfield Animal Shelter
PO Box 271
Medfield, MA 02052


Here are just a few of the many pets the shelter took in and found homes for in 2011

More photos from our Happy Tails files

We can't say it enough times: we love hearing from adopters and seeing photos of the pets living as cherished family members.  Here are a few recent success stories:

Emma spent most of the last year and a half at the shelter.  It was very hard on her, because she doesn't enjoy the company of other cats, and as an older kitty, she just wasn't happy at the shelter.  Her dream family finally came along, and she made herself right at home.  She and her new mom both enjoy watching birds at the bird feeder, and Emma has a nice perch for that now.  She also took over a living room chair.  Seeing her looking so happy after only a few days brings tears to the eyes of the volunteers who cared for her and dreamed of this type of home for her!

 Kalli, formerly Brooke, came to the shelter 3 1/2 years ago.  We will never know what happened to her in her past, but it would be hard to find a more scared dog.  She would curl up on a dog bed and not move.  It was heartbreaking to see.  But she got lucky and found someone to take a chance on her.  She didn't make it easy, especially when she escaped shortly after being adopted and was on the run for 5 days, but she has slowly adjusted and gotten better.  She still has her quirks, but has done better than any of the dog trainers consulted would have ever predicted.

New Spay/Neuter clinic up and running!

 Kitties lined up waiting for their turn at the clinic

Our surgical suite isn't big, but it gets the job done!

On October 4th the Medfield Animal Shelter held our second low cost spay/neuter clinic for cats in our new surgical suite.  Twenty four more cats have now joined the ranks of those that can no longer reproduce and add to the pet overpopulation problem.  Our next clinic, scheduled for October 18th will be for feral cats.  Thanks to a grant we received from the Massachusetts Animal Coalition, every cat that is coming to the clinic will be spay or neutered and vaccinated at no cost!  Our volunteers are very excited about the new clinic and are very actively helping care for the cats that attend to make sure they are warm and comfortable while they recover from their sugery.  If you are interested in volunteering at a spay/neuter clinic, please contact jackie@medfieldshelter.com.  We are hoping that in 2011 we might be able to do clinics for dogs and are working on some grants to help fund that initiative.

National Feral Cat Day

Alley Cat Allies has designated October 16th as National Feral Cat day.  Organizations and people that care about the stray and feral cats in their community will be hosting a wide variety of events to show their support for the humane treatment of all cats.  The Medfield Animal Shelter will be hosting a spay/neuter clinic just for feral cats on October 18th, in support of National Feral Cat Day.  Spaying and neutering addresses the cat overpopulation the in the only way that has proven to be both effective and humane. The clinic is free for feral cats thanks to a grant from the Massachusetts Animal Coalition!  Space is limited, and you must make an appointment in advance by calling 508.359.8989.

Ginger was a feral cat that the Medfield Shelter fed and looked out for for many years before she suddenly decided she might want to live indoors.  We were never sure what caused her change of heart, but were thrilled to no longer worry about her out in cold and other bad weather conditions.

Alley Cat Allies is a wonderful organization that supports the efforts of individuals and organizations providing care to stray and feral cats. They promote programs that are mutually beneficial for cats and the community, including Trap-Neuter-Return and accessible, affordable spay and neuter services.