Bebe (aka Lexi)

Lexi is a 12 year old cat that was at our shelter for approx. a year. NO one wanted her because of her age, even though she was such a loving cat! Eventually the perfect home came along Lexi and she is a VERY happy cat!


A few weeks ago my other cat, BG who was about 17 years old, died and went to kitty heaven. I missed him so much! He was so much company and very loving. I was so lonesome, I went to the Richmond Shelter and Carol showed me a lovely tabby cat about 12 years old or so, that had been in the shelter for quite a while. I was so lucky to get her. Most people want a young cat, I wanted one my own age which is "76"! Bebe is one of the lovingest pets I've ever had. She squeaks, chirps, wags her tail, and loves to be cuddled.


Now I know there is a Santa Claus! Merry Christmas!


Marie Baugh

RAPS Participates in a Holiday Craft Fair

Thanks to the organizational skills of the RAPS Communications Intern, Anastasia, talented RAPS volunteers got to participate in a craft fair at the South Arm Richmond Community Centre this November. Volunteers made crafts ranging from Yule Logs to Olive Oil soup, and all the proceeds went to supporting the RAPS shelter animals. A big thanks to all those who volunteered and made crafts!

Sabamaki (Sasha)

Dear ladies from RAPS,

I've been at my new mommy's home for 2 weeks now. Everything is going well.
I have to say, at first it was a little bit overwhelming for me. Mommy has another boy kitty and he likes me and follows me around.
I'm not very used to that but I've gotten used to him. He's a nice kitty but sometimes he wants to play too much!
Mommy has set up a few hangout spots for the 2 of us, so we each have our own favorite spot :)
Here are a few pictures of me. I'm doing great here! Thanks for introducing me to my new mommy :)
Love, Sabamaki (Sasha)

P.S. Mommy told me my new name means "Mackerel Roll", it is a kind of sushi :P

Skippy (Now Scruffy)

Skippy came to our shelter as a stray and he was very old! He needed his teeth cleaned and a cyst removed from his side. We had no hope for anyone adopting him because of his age. He stayed with us for about 2 months when Ruth Gray, our dedicated dog walker, decided that Skippy needed a home. She took our Skippy (now Scruffy) home and has not looked back since! Scruffy is in heaven!

Here is Scruffy.

He's been with me 3 weeks and has fit in well with his feline family. He is very good about not touching their food and has actually been with one of the cats on the couch. We walk in the am with Diane and our neighbour's dog Bailey. Bailey often isn't good with dogs but Scruffy's such a gentle soul that this is also working out. He lets her lead the "pack" and all is good. In the pm walk there is just the three of us and he loves being out. We visit Diane for tea after. She recently adopted a cat left behind in our complex. His name is Murphy and they have met once and both were very mellow.

See you!

Ruth

Grayson AKA Mitz

We wanted to let you know that we adopted Grayson (who renamed Mitz, due to his 4 white "mitts") in February of this year.

Mitz is doing well and is very much a part of our family!

He has such a personality, talks to us all of the time, and is so loveable!

Family and friends who come over to visit love Mitz, too.

His favourite sleeping spot is on our pillows between our heads!

We can't imagine our lives without him.

This is a photo of us that was taken two weeks ago (on Halloween).

-Rich, Natalie, & Mitz.

May

Hello there!

We just wanted to let you know how grateful we are that May has joined our family. She is an amazing girl and has fit perfectly in to her new home. The cats have adjusted to her antics and even the rabbit has established that he is higher on the totem pole than the dog.

Our strategy the first month was to make sure she was really tired at the end of each day so she didn’t have any excess energy for getting into mischief. This, along with a 2 hour home session with trainer Ann Jackson was the best thing we did. Ann sat down with the family and helped us iron out all the basic house rules and do’s and don’t for us as new dog owners. This was really helpful to ensure we weren’t making mistakes with her that would be difficult to fix later on. We also signed up for beginner obedience classes with Ann that the whole family attended. They started mid September and just finished up and May was voted most improved in the class! A lady assisting with the class has a purebred Kuvasz and was able to give us some valuable insight into the breed and would smile and nod knowingly when she saw May being silly.

We are so happy to have May with us; she is a wonderful addition to our family. I suspect we will have some trying times ahead but we have signed up for more obedience classes in the new year and can call Ann at any time if we have and questions or concerns. Thanks so much to all of you at the shelter for taking such great care of her and having the confidence in us to take her home.
Thanks again, Sandie, Bjorn, Rachel and Julia

Chico -- Now Pogo

Chico (now named Pogo) was a 1.5 year old Dogo Argentino that was surrendered to our shelter because the owner could no longer afford the veterinary bills. He came to us with infected skin and ears and he had severely ulcerated eyes. On top of this, Chico was deaf! Despite all of his ailments Chico was an extremely friendly dog that loved people and doggy playmates. The first time we put him in our front play yard he was in heaven! He ran his 95 pound body at full speed around our yard knocking over anything and everything that was in his path! Chico was a purely happy gentle giant! Even though Chico had such a great personality he still wasn't easily adoptable because of his special needs. He needed a lot of training, constant medical attention and a loving, patient home. We were so lucky when MyraJean and her family walked through our door and told us they were ready for the challenge. They knew they had A LOT of work ahead of them but for Chico they were willing to give it a go.

Pogo is an absolute dream. He has become a BIG part of our family and he is so well behaved. He is going to Canine College where he is already in intermediate classes as well as finishing up some private lessons, mostly to deal with some residual habits from his previous life experience. He is better behaved than any hearing dog I have yet shared my life with. Although he is technically the younger brother, his mellow presence has helped his new best little friend Huxley with his behaviour and attitude. Our friends and family have all fallen in love with him and our vet now considers him a favourite visitor. He is off his eye meds and along with some food modification seems to have resolved his eye issues fully. He has absolutely filled the BIG DOG hole that I had in my heart. On a side note - Thank you for what you're doing at RAPS. I know that Pogo would not likely have survived a more traditional shelter experience. We love RAPS!

MyraJean Marshall

Buddy

Just an update on Buddy and his first week with his new family!

I'll start by saying what a wonderful new friend/family member we have. He is kind and gentle and always makes me smile. He came home on Monday evening, Oct 6. He seemed unsure at first, a little hesitant and shy. This was completely understandable - I would be too, in the same
situation. We brought him in the living room where our cat, Stupie waited. She put her back up and tried to be afraid, but when Buddy totally ignored her she soon realized that there was nothing to fear. It took about 20 minutes of his ignoring her before she decided enough of this and snuggled up to him. They have been pals since. The first night went well with Buddy all cuddled in his bed in the living room. All was quiet. When I got up the next morning he was all wiggly-happy with tail wagging a-mile-a-minute. I guess he didn't expect to see the same person again. How very sad I felt for him; the psychological damage was done, he had been abandoned and it had clearly affected him.

My husband (Dan), son (Jeff) and I all got ready for work and headed out. It was to be Buddy's first full day in his new home and he was alone. Dan and I walked to the skytrain to head downtown to work. Suddenly Dan was not feeling well and had to return home. I continued on my way. Minutes later my cell rang - it was Dan. It turned out that our new friend was pretty sneaky and made sure that he waited until there were no people at home before raiding the fridge! Since it had only been about 3 or 4 minutes before Dan returned home, there was not much damage done - only one package of wieners eaten. Dan stayed home that day and installed a bolt on the fridge door. That problem solved! We set up the cam on the computer the next morning to record his attempts at raiding the fridge. Sure enough, the recording shows him going to the fridge and trying, but of course he had no luck.

Of course he enjoys his walks and does well both on and off leash. He is obedient in his malamute way - which means that he will listen and obey, but usually in his own good time! We brush him quite frequently (which he needs) and of course he loves that. What is really neat though, is that Dan discovered that Buddy loves to be vacuumed! In fact, he almost insists on it. If the vacuum is on he comes right up and pushes his way in front of it until you give in and vacuum him too. He is not sure about having his nails clipped though and seems a little frightened by it, but he'll get used to that too.

Buddy still has moments when he looks to be sad and his thoughts are somewhere far away. Those 'looks' are becoming fewer as time progresses and it has only been a week since he came to our home. I can only hope that with time he forgets all about being abandoned and only thinks about how loved he is now.

Dawn Ackles

Cookie -- Update!

Hello everyone!

It’s been a week so I thought it would be a good time to update you on how Cookie’s doing. Well, she sticks to me like glue. We go out for nice long walks three times a day, Cookie already knows when I’m coming home from school so she waits at the bottom of the stairs for me everyday.

She is a VERY quick study; she has already learned Wait, Stay, Come, and Roll Over! Although she DEMANDS treats before she does anything the first time you ask her to. Cookie has decided that she has to be asked politely before she does anything for me, so here I am saying “Cookie, can you sit please?” and of course “Thank you”!

There is a soccer field right across the street from my house; so a few days ago I tried to let Cookie off leash when no one was around (I get up to walk her at 6am before I go to school). She is very good off leash; it only takes me one or two tries to get her to COME and she heels wonderfully both on and off leash. We have met a lot of dogs while walking outside and Cookie has been good with most of them, although there was a bit of a disagreement between Cookie and a husky two days after she came home. On a happy note, Cookie made a best friend yesterday- a three-year-old golden retriever. The two of them were chasing each other around the park for the better part of an hour…

Bye, Alena and Cookie.

Cookie is finally home!

Cookie is a seven year old Rottweiler cross that spent her entire life in a backyard. She was surrendered to RAPS because the owner tied her up on a prong collar all day long. When Cookie first arrived at RAPS she was fearful and sad. She was at the RAPS City Shelter for eight months without a single soul showing interest in her. Until one day a teenage girl named Alena came into our shelter and fell in love with her. Alena didn't care that Cookie was an old dog, she just knew that Cookie was meant for her. For three months the entire family came to the shelter every Saturday to visit and walk Cookie while they waited for their house to be sold. Their new home was purchased just for Cookie, complete with a big backyard for her to run around in! Cookie will never be chained up again and she will spend the rest of her days in Alena's loving arms. She is a true rescue story and the staff and volunteers at RAPS could not be happier.

Chance

Way back on a snowy day in December we came to RAPS to meet Chance. My daughter Zoey Jones had met him previously and kept telling us to come and meet him too.

We were thinking about getting another dog as Coco (our older Shih Tzu) needed a buddy.

Well, we fell in love with him and wanted to have him join our family. Chance has made himself very much at home, (we were shocked when we went to the vet for a check up and Chance has gained 6 pounds since he came to our home) and Coco loves him, but tries to keep him in line. He adores her! He is happy and playful and has experienced many firsts, like the trip to the beach, camping, and a ferry ride!

Thank you for letting us adopt him.

Shawn Needham and Maria

PS -- Chance is the blonde Shih Tzu and Coco is black and white.

Tricia Helfer and sister, Tara, support RAPS!

Since Tricia and Tara Helfer first visited the RAPS cat sanctuary on March 30, 2008, we have enjoyed Tara's company on several other Sunday afternoons. The well-known actress (Battlestar Galactica) and one-time Ford Supermodel of the World and her sister share our love for cats and are very supportive of the work we are doing.

It was wonderful to have Tara come out recently, and we hope Tricia will be able to visit us again soon, when her work once again brings her to the Vancouver area.

Teak

Just a short note to let you know how Teak is doing. He has settled in well and is enjoying all the attention and exercise he is getting. He is eager to learn and walks well on the leash. He loves playing soccer in the garden and his favorite game indoors is dropping his kong or ball from the top of the stairs. Watching it bounce all the way down, then retrieving it and doing it all over again.

Thank you for letting us adopt him!

Bridget, John, Dylan and Teak

Ta Ta

Ta Ta was a 7 year old Rotti/Shepherd that was surrendered into our care because the owner couldn't walk him. We soon understood why! Ta Ta is a magnificent, large dog that feels the need to protect whoever is walking him, which means that he needed a very dog savvy handler to be his next owner. We didn’t know if such an owner would come along for Ta Ta as he is an older dog, but finally the right couple did!

Ta Ta is now living is new life on an acreage in Abbotsford where his new family is complete with a cat and a little dog companion! Congrats Ta Ta!

Tank - Update

Hi there, just an update for all of you. Tank is doing very well. He is enjoying his home a lot. He went and met with the vet on Saturday and all seems well. He seems to have a little issue with my reading glasses though. Ha Ha. He kind of ate them. He had to get a spray of water for that one. At least he didn't swallow them. He is getting along very well with our golden doodle Jack and still has a little bit of issues with the cat. He just wants to chase her. He seems to be losing a little interest in her though. We are so happy to have him as a member of our family. He is a keeper!!!!! Thanks to all of you for taking such good care of him.

Jay

Jay is a 7 year old schnauzer that came to us in horrible condition. He had almost no fur! Now he is healthy and happy in his forever home. Here's a letter from his new mom:

Hello!

These are just a few pictures taken today of Jay. Jay is doing great! He is happy, showing some personality, and getting more confident every day. His fur is starting to come back, and it is soft, fluffy, and shiny.

When I come home from work I always pick him up and he puts his paws around my neck and nestles right in. When my husband comes home from work he gives him the hello bark. He is a wonderful addition to our family, and we are so lucky to have him.

I will send you more pictures and updates as he progresses with his new fur coat.

Thank you!

Marie

Princess -- Now Known as SuzieQ

SuzieQ found her forever home back in January after living with us for over 5 months!

She is living with her devoted owner on a horse farm in Ladner.

She is so happy and still as beautiful as ever!

Tank

Tank has been adopted!!!! This beautiful boy has been at our shelter for over a year and now he is in his forever home! He has found himself a loving family of four to take care of him and he also has a new labradoodle brother!

The staff at RAPS could not be happier for Tank as he has always been a gem in our hearts. Although he was here for OVER A YEAR he always maintained a happy disposition, even after his cruciate ligament surgery.

Tank represents why we believe so strongly in no-kill sheltering... there is truly a home out there for every dog.

All the best Tank!

Brutis & Bailey

Brutis and Bailey are doing really well! Brutis’s surgery went smoothly and recovery is right on track. Brutis and Bailey ended up going to separate homes but they live just around the corner from each other! Both their families love them very much and are so happy to have their new additions to the family.

Thanks to everyone in the community that helped to support these dogs in their time of need!

Sincerely,
RAPS

Boomer - Update

Hello to the incredible staff at RAPS!!!

I can't begin to tell you how much we LOVE Boomer, the love we have for him is indescribable. He is our baby, the absolute best best bestest dog in the world!!! We can't thank you enough for letting Boomer be a part of our family. Whenever we have a bad day he always cheers us up when we get home with hugs and kisses.

Boomer loves spending time at our cabin in Birch Bay. He doesn't like the water but loves to run in the puddles on the beach. He loves playing soccer and running with kids. I could go on and on about how great he is! We're just so thankful to have him in our lives!! Thank you so much!

From Julie, Devin and Wesley

Bessie

Bessie was a 14 year old dog that was found wandering the streets. No one ever claimed this sweet girl and she was in horrible condition. After treating her thyroid condition and giving her several baths we made Bessie a bed in our office because she was too old to be in the back of the kennels! Bessie found her forever loving home 3 weeks after entering our kennels and she will never wander the streets again.

Rusty

Dear Sonya, Lauren & All Our RAPS Friends,

Thought you would like to know it's only Day 1 and Rusty has fit right in. What a sweetheart! Did a little counter-surfing for a loaf of bread tonight, but other than that he has been a total gentleman. Thanks so much for helping to put us together!

Kindest regards,

Linda, Terry, Harley, Digger & Rusty

Aggie

Last Wednesday my boyfriend (Matt) and I adopted one of your dogs...Aggie. I wanted to send you an update on how she's doing. We decided to change Aggie's name.....so she's now known as Abby. We thought the name was a bit softer and reflected her personality a bit more :)

She's a gem....truly an awesome girl. She fit into our home right away....and our other dog (who usually isn't the greatest w/ other dogs) took to her immediately...no problems at all!!! We took her on a few trips to the local pet stores, and she quickly won over everyone there...giving kisses to everyone she met! It might be early to make such a big statement, but I think she's going to be a great ambassador for her breed :) She's pretty mellow, but plays really well with our other dog (who actually takes it easy with her!). She can't keep up with him all the time and gets tired out after about 10 minutes, but they have a great time together.

The first night we had Abby at home, I was in bed reading and she silently crept into the room, up onto the bed and immediately wiggled under the covers where she promptly went to sleep and started snoring! We don't let our dogs sleep on the bed, but I had the feeling she was absolutely grateful for the cozy spot to sleep (so I let her stay for a while) :)

Yesterday I brought Abby to work with me for the first time....she's quickly made friends with everyone here...easy to do with her wiggly bum and eagerness to meet everyone! In the afternoon she decided to venture out into the hallway....where she sprawled out in the middle of the hallway in a patch of sun. I've got some photos of it...she looks so content.

So...Abby is doing well. We want to thank you so much for giving us the chance to bring her home with us. Abby has been a breath of fresh air. I feel truly grateful for her....she's a real success story.

Thanks again...and we'll update you when we can!

~Andrea & Matt~

Boomer

Hello to everyone!! from Boomer and family. What a gentle, funny, loving guy he is, we are all sooo happy. Tasha (our family dog) LOVES her new brother she wants to play play play !!! He is SO patient with her, not one snap or growl. I have the next 2 weeks off so it will be great fun bonding with him. Our walk went well with only a little pulling but nothing we couldn't handle. Boomer is currently cuddled up with my youngest son in his bed. He's soo sleepy, it has been an exciting day for him!

Thank you again!

Signed, Julie and Wesley

Rockin' Animal Picnic a huge success!

The Richmond Animal Protection Society's first annual spring picnic was held this past Sunday at the Richmond Animal Shelter on No. 5 Road. We had great attendance, lots of good food, great music and face painting, and the highlight of the afternoon was certainly all of the great competition in the Doggie Fashion Show! Thanks to all who attended and donated their time and money to support RAPS!

Remembering Josie

Josie came to us on August 8th 2007 as an 11 year old stray with a good appetite and a great personality!

After charming everyone at RAPS, she moved on to charm all of the novice dog walkers. Most volunteers remember Josie as their first walk. She was well known for her dancing and her tongue laden smiles.

As time passed, she got a bit older and passed on peacefully May 15th 2008, surrounded by people she loved. She will be dearly missed by all.

Cookie is ready for a new home!

Cookie is a beautiful black and tan Rottweiler/German Shepherd cross who has never had a chance to bloom and grow into the dog we know she can be. All she needs is a chance.

Cookie spent the first seven years of her life at the end of a chain in a yard. Because of this she is very under-socialized and nervous of strangers. She was surrendered to the shelter and she needs an understanding home where she can learn to socialize again.

This is a very special dog that with some loving kindness would become your best and closest friend and loyal companion! She is spayed, up to date on vaccines, and well trained. Please give her a chance to prove herself, you won't be sorry you did!

Welcome to the Richmond Animal Protection Society Blog!

All our latest news and great animal stories will be posted here. Check back often!