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Two women’s love for their pets has transformed into cash for two Bay Area rescue groups.
Oakland Animal Services is receiving a $25,000 grant and Cat Town in Oakland is getting $50,000 from the Petco Foundation as part of its annual Holiday Wishes campaign.
Both women submitted letters about how adopting their pets have made a difference in the animals’ lives, but much more importantly, how these pets have changed their owners’ lives.
Julianne Chai and her boyfriend somewhat reluctantly agreed to foster a terminally-ill pit bull named Samson, thinking they would be providing hospice care to the big “love bug.” They already had a smaller dog who was not used to sharing her space, but Sampson won them over fairly quickly.
Samson, who has hemangiosarcoma, a deadly canine cancer, had a lot of tough breaks in life. Someone threw him over the fence at Oakland Animal Services with a note to do with him what they wanted. Then came the cancer diagnosis. Samson was given just three months to live.
Chai says the dog didn’t waste a moment making his new family fall in love with him. The couple started Samson’s bucket list and set out giving the dog the best days of his life, which included being officially adopted by them.
That was more than a year ago, and Samson might be a poster dog for what the love of a good family and being in a safe, stable home can mean. He continues to check off bucket list items, including going caroling this Christmas.
“Each day with Samson,” Chai wrote, “our leap of faith was rewarded in ways we never anticipated.”
Britt Dionne’s letter about how her rescued cat, Bruce, has helped her manage the chronic disease of “corporatitis” — spending too much time in a corporate environment — won grants for Oak Town, where Bruce was adopted.
Bruce is committed to saving his loving human from the harsh effects of her affliction.
“My treatment plan is rigorous and built around a program of aggressive snuggling,” Bruce “wrote” in the submission letter to Petco. “Because my mom also suffers from untreated Busybody Syndrome and has a hard time sitting still, I’ve found that full body snuggles are my most effective method. Simply petting my impossibly soft black fur isn’t always enough to calm her down. If I place myself on her lap — or even better, her chest — she’ll often submit to 20 minutes of snuggling at a time.”
Bruce also offered advice to other life-saving cats. When taking their stressed out humans for walks on leashes, stop often and allow the human to experience the moment, Bruce counseled. They are, Bruce says, human beings, not human doings, and they really need to learn just how to be.
This year, the Petco Foundation awarded 51 Holiday Wishes grants to rescue groups around the country, giving $755,000 to support year-round lifesaving efforts of animal welfare organizations.
Oakland Animal Services and Cat Town both are included in the People’s Choice Award balloting, which continues through Dec. 19 and offers a chance for another $25,000 award.
