In August, a white miniature poodle with a ruptured eye was found as a stray by a good Samaritan and brought to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. This poor doggie arrived disoriented and in pain, quite traumatized. The shelter’s clinic team sprang into action and surgically removed his right eye, which was damaged beyond recovery. He was dubbed Kevin by the staff and was housed in the clinic while he healed. Despite his rough start, Kevin quickly settled in and became quite the social butterfly, receiving the honorary title of Clinic Dog.
He assisted staff with data entry, therapeutic snuggles, belly rub opportunities, and even checking in on other patients, felines and canines alike. He personally greeted every person and every animal that came into the clinic. He did not care for being kenneled, and since he was of such a calm and pacific nature, he was allowed free range within the clinic as much as work flow allowed. In between his duties as official greeter he took restorative naps on his orange blanket with his emotional support monkey.
I’m a volunteer in the SCCAS clinic, so I had the joy of becoming acquainted with this special pup. When I took him out on leash for a potty break, he would quickly do his business, then turn right around and head indoors to get back to his haven, lying down on the recovery mat and sticking his legs in the air so that his halter could be removed. It was apparent that the clinic was his safe space, where he felt a sense of belonging and could feel the reassurance of being around other animals and people.
Once Kevin had recovered from his eye operation, he was accepted for transfer to the fabulous Center For Animal Protection & Education (CAPE), a rescue organization that among its missions specializes in older and special-needs dogs. It was reassuring to everyone at SCCAS that CAPE was taking him into their hands. After a couple of weeks in foster with CAPE, Kevin was listed online and an application was received immediately from someone who turned out to be the perfect fit. And so this gentle lamb of a pooch has found his soft, permanent place to land.
Kevin is just one of an untold numbers of stories where animals come into shelters and are so much better off than they were in their previous situation. Hard-luck animals who just need another chance are cared for, fed, warmly housed, given medical attention if needed, and loved by staff and volunteers.
In the shelter, every effort is made to find each animal’s best outcome. Many hands were involved in giving Kevin the life he deserved, and many hearts were made happy to hear of his success story. Thank you, Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, CAPE, and all the other animal welfare groups that go the extra mile for animals.
