Serenity Goes Home 4 the Holidays

Serenity was not looking forward to her first Christmas as an orphan after her mom and dad both passed away this year. She was all alone in the cold, empty house with her only company being the person who came to make sure she had fresh food and water. At least she had that but even that was going to end soon when the house would be closed up for good and Serenity would have to leave.




Serenity had a place to go – but no way to get there. Aunt Susie in Glacier Park, Montana would welcome Serenity into her home. But Montana is a long way from Sacramento. Aunt Susie wasn’t able to drive to California until after the spring thaw (the roads there are treacherous in winter). She would've liked to fly her but couldn’t afford the entire cost of shipping Serenity. And, trying to coordinate the logistics of everything, especially with the wintry weather, was mystifying to Aunt Susie.

Aunt Susie knew Serenity had been adopted from FieldHaven several years ago and her sister had always told her of the wonderful things FieldHaven does. So, she called us to see if we could help.

C.A.T. (Community/Cat Assistance Team) volunteer, Jackie, got the call and sprang into action. Within a week Serenity was snug and warm in her new home with Aunt Susie and her 3 kitty cousins.


It took a team of people to make it happen. Jackie coordinated everything here. The great staff at Banfield Pet Hospital in Lincoln made sure Serenity had a clean bill of health and all the necessary paperwork in place. Wendy Lemons, FieldHaven Volunteer Coordinator, delivered Serenity to Alaska Airlines at Sacramento Airport at 4:30 am and saw her safely onto the plane. Even Aunt Susie’s neighbors helped in the mission by plowing out her driveway so she could drive to the airport!

All of us at FieldHaven gave a cheer when Aunt Susie sent us a message from the airport with the picture of their reunion.

Thanks to all the supporters of FieldHaven for being part of the "team" – it is because of you with your generous support of donations and volunteering of your time that Serenity is happy at Home 4 the Holidays!

FieldHaven's VERY Brave Volunteers

The volunteers at FieldHaven never cease to amaze me with their compassion, dedication, energy and, last but not least, ingenuity!

The latest gig they have going was dreamt up by FieldHaven Foster Coordinator, Penny Dougherty. 7 chain-smoking volunteers have pledged to quit smoking if you will support them by donating $10 per month until they "fall off the wagon" or 1 year; whichever comes first. They call themselves the Chain Gang.

They've been planning Q(uit)-Day for over a week now; looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. Each step is a milestone. The last pack or carton of cigarettes purchased. The last cup of morning coffee shared with a smoke. The last wind-down-the-day beer with a cigarette. The last phone chat with a girlfriend while having a few puffs. The last quiet time on the deck reading the paper with a cigarette.

So, Chain-Gangers - what are you going to do with those free fingers now? Knitting? Texting? Dusting? Hey - how about petting a kitty? Yes, turn to your personal Purr Therapists to get you through these tough times!

The official kick-off began yesterday with a team breakfast accompanied by several rock-solid supporters.

And, this morning, they all assembled at FieldHaven at 6 am. Yes, 6 am! They took their challenge truly public on the Fox Morning News! And, they were actually in a good mood. Well, there was that 10 minutes between 6:00 and 6:10 when the news team wasn't there yet and they began wondering if I had totally scammed them. But the Fox 40 camera van showed up just in time. Oh, my, if they'd been much later the news lead-in could've been a whole lot different:

Volunteers at Local Animal Rescue Lynch Founder

But we had a great time showing off our kitties and the Chain Gang declaring their commitment to remaining smoke-free in order to raise much-needed funds for FieldHaven's new shelter. And, potentially saving their own lives in the process!

God Bless them in this journey.

Please support their efforts by sponsoring one, two or all of the volunteers.

For more information on the Chain Gang and to sponsor them go to

http://www.fieldhaven.com/campaigns/chain_gang/

To read and post to their blog go to http://stopsmokingchain.blogspot.com/

The Day That Changed My Life

It really was just meant to be a fun weekend in September 2007 with my sister Jann, good friend, Bev and our horses. We hauled our horses up to Red Rock Hounds north of Reno, NV to participate in a hunter pace – basically a timed trail ride with some fences to jump enroute.

I had no idea how Preston's and my life would change after that weekend. Actually, Preston had no idea his life was changing until about 4 months later......

Jann and I had recently re-connected with a childhood friend from back east. Lynn Lloyd had been in the Reno area for close to 30 years where she had started the “world-famous” Red Rock Hounds in 1980.

We weren’t sure about the actual hunt part, especially me. I didn’t know how my show hunter would take to the exuberance of the hunt field. But what harm could come from a hunter pace?

Well, none actually, unless you consider the radical 180-degree turn my life took at the end of that 8 mile loop up and over the sandy hills and sage brush and through the meadows and streams of the breathtaking Ross Creek Ranch in the Red Rock valley north of Reno. As we galloped across the finish line we could’ve been winning the Triple Crown for all the smiles we had on our faces and the thrill we felt. No, we didn’t win anything in the hunter pace. But we won something much more important that day; the renewing of an old friendship and the introduction to a stunningly exhilarting sport and a group of people that truly feed my soul and heart.

We did join the hunt the next day and, no, my show hunter didn’t grasp the concept very well – or, to be honest, not at all. But in spite of the whirling dervish of a ride Nathan gave me, I knew I had found something I wanted to pursue.

Imagine the indescribable feeling of being one with your horse as you gallop across the landscape (non-horsepeople, you have no idea what you're missing!) that is wide open and virtually free of human habitation. You mingle with wildlife as you go up and down the hills and valleys. The hounds that accompany you are amazing to watch as they work together to cover every inch of ground with their noses looking for that special scent. There’s the sound of horn that is used by huntsman to communicate to the hounds – one person in complete unison with dozens of hounds. Then there’s the coyote that flirts with the hounds – daring them to spot him or catch his scent. And, if they do – the merry chase is on! The hounds break into full bay in pursuit of the clever coyote until he gets bored with the chase and ducks into a hole or leaps to a high perch to lose his scent to the hounds. The “field” of people and horses follow as closely as possible to the hounds. All the while you are sharing this invigorating experience in the company of your closest friends and family.

At the end of the run we all stop to take a breath. The hounds happily gather around the huntsman with big grinning smiles and lolling tongues. The horses catch their breath and take a cool drink. The humans refresh from the flasks we all carry. The camaraderie between the people, horses, hounds, the wildlife and the beauty of the open space is unsurpassed. We love this sport, the wildlife, the hounds and horses and the land that is so special. We are all conscious of the sensitivity to the balance of nature – always careful to minimize our impact where we hunt. Always respectful to the wildlife whose home we are passing through for the day.

Let me clarify something about the term “hunt”. I often receive quizzical and sometimes disapproving looks when I mention that I am an active fox/coyote hunter. Let me be very clear. The term “hunt” is not to be mistaken for “kill”. Perhaps we should modify the terminology to be “chasing” rather than “hunting” as that is much more descriptive and typical of what the sport entails. We are hunting for a scent and the actual physical presence of a coyote (or fox if in other geographical regions) – not with the intention to kill. So, please do not judge my sport by what your assumptions are. Keep an open mind and I think you will find that fox hunters are a group of people whose goals are very much in unison with environmentalists and animal welfare advocates.

Llynn Lloyd, Master of Red Rock Hounds addresses the Fox Hunting naysayers quite eloquently in a recent interview published in The Chronical of the Horse. When asked "If you could sit down with an anti-hunting representative, what's the one thing about your sport you'd want to try and make them understand?" Lynn replied, "That hunting is actually a huge part of our soul as a human being. In general, no matter how deeply it's buried in the mind, we are hunters. And that the fun thing about mounted hunting is that we have all the fun of the chase without necessarily ending the life of the quarry."

This sport that grabbed me has also drawn in my sister Jann, my husband, Preston and several other friends. We are now a family of fox/coyote hunters.

Preston became "hooked" several months later when we went with Red Rock to a joint meet in Ridgecrest, CA. He went along for the ride without a horse. As we were driving home after a fun-filled 4 days he told me that he didn't want to be standing on the ground any longer. It didn't take me long to find him a great mount in Baxter. Less than 6 weeks later he joined his first hunt.

During the past 2 years we have had the priveledge of hunting on some of the most beautiful land in Nevada and California as well as a memorable trip to the traditional hunting territory of Virginia last year.

We are just starting our 3rd year as members of Red Rock Hounds. At the commencement of our 3rd season I found myself on the ground due to a riding injury several days before Opening Day. It's been a long 6 weeks but next week I should be back in the saddle. I can already feel the wind on my face as we take off in pursuit of the hounds......

Tally Ho!!

Horse and Rider Separation Syndrome – I Hate When That Happens

Ahhh…..28 years of exciting marriage for Preston and I. Definitely not boring, not normal (what is “normal”?), not always blissful. But definitely exciting most of the time.

What better way to celebrate the beginning of our 29th year of marriage than to continue the tradition that we started on our 25th – horse camping in this secret little place called Euer Valley just north of Truckee. Extreme quiet. None of the trappings of civilization – no lights, no electricity, barely any running water and certainly no cell phone or email coverage. Just what we were looking forward to after the hectic craziness of the past few weeks.

It was a true Smith-style vacation; Preston, me, 2 horses (Baxter and Smarty), 2 dogs (Bracken and Abby) and 1 cat (Louise). We set up camp in our usual spot in South Meadow Friday evening then went for a quick ride before relaxing around the fire.

Saturday morning we went out for a ride – just a leisurely one because Smarty is still recovering from the injury she had in March. We were cantering slowly along the valley floor when Smarty stumbled to her knees and I catapulted off and landed hard head first on the road. Now, you gotta know, falling off is nothing new to me. You can’t ride horses and not separate company once in awhile. Usually, it’s a jump up, dust off, quick assessment of the body – nope, no broken bones, just some dust and bruises. Hop back on and back to the business of riding.

But, ouch, this one wasn’t a bounce-back kind of fall. First thing I noticed was that I couldn’t breathe – got the wind knocked out of me – but after a few gasps the air gets back in. I still wasn’t inclined to get up after I could breathe again. The meadow was spinning around my head and I had some serious ouches in places I wasn’t sure of yet.

Once I got up I told Preston I think I needed to go to the ER – not usual for me to say that. He wouldn’t let me get back on Smarty to get back to camp so we walked – me in circles some of the time – I was a little directionally challenged. By the time we got back to camp I had a good inclination my collarbone wasn’t quite intact. I couldn’t shut my mouth and my lower jaw was a little shifted to the right. And, I felt a tooth that was a bit jagged – don’t know where the top half went.

Preston put the horses up and got the truck unhooked from the trailer. I couldn’t move my arm without some serious discomfort. Preston asked me if I wanted to take off my helmet. I told him no cause I thought my brains might fall out.

We headed out of the valley….bump, bump, bump, ouch, ouch, ouch up the rutted dirt road. At the ER at Tahoe Forest they got me right in and took xrays of my jaw and clavicle. The best part was the warmed blankets they covered me with – I was so cold!

Yep, a fractured clavicle (collarbone) and slightly dislocated jaw. The jaw would work itself back in place over the next day or so. But the clavicle…..6 weeks in a sling. And, nope, no riding. That really hurts!

After a stop at the drug store for good pain meds we headed back to camp. Preston suggested we might want to break camp and head home but why waste a perfectly good camping trip because of a few bruises and broken bones? We stayed the night.

We had a modified 28th anniversary celebration with cocktails and pain medications. I asked Preston if he thought I was more beautiful at this moment than on our wedding day. He still hasn’t answered that question. Sweet guy, he didn’t want to hurt my feelings.

Since I couldn’t climb the little ladder to our gooseneck bed I slept on the table-converted-into-a-bed with the dogs and Louise. Thanks to the pain meds and wine I slept surprisingly well. Until I tried to move the next morning! Who took my 49 year old body and replaced it with a 90 year old one that had just been hit by a train?

I’m now on Day 4 of this latest adventure and you know what? A fractured collarbone $%^&ing hurts! I’ve found it does help to scream “OUCH” at the top of my lungs when a stab of pain hits. If the pain is particularly severe add an expletive of choice – that helps even more. For an even better relief effect let out a good laugh after screaming and yelling.

I can barely move my right arm and can hardly lift anything even with the left. The collarbone is a pretty amazing piece of engineering. It is completely connected to all upper body movements. For example, if I lift something with my left hand the lifting is balanced out by the entire collarbone – yes, including the broken right side. I can brush my teeth, eat, wash my hair and type with my left hand but not much more.

Preston has been a great nurse. He has even been cleaning litter pans – what a guy! He’s even helping me get dressed. I did find that’s he much more experienced at taking bras off then putting them on – today when taking my bra off I found that it was on inside out!

As much as this hurts and as lousy as I feel I know it could've been worse. I'm just grateful that in a few (short?) weeks I'll be back in the saddle!

A $34k Boost in Funds for the New Shelter

Now that I’ve had a little over a week to recover I wanted to take a few moments to reflect back on FieldHaven’s fundraiser.


The first annual (hopefully) Classics, Cats and Cabernet fundraising event held at FieldHaven on August 29, 2009 was, from all sides, a fabulous success!


We were decidedly nervous about hosting an event of this scale given the lousy economy, the short planning time we had and just the format in general. If we hosted it would they come? Did the community really care enough about FieldHaven to support us? Would people come to spend an evening at FieldHaven?



Our first hurdle was attempting to secure sponsors. And, yes, that was a big hurdle. The board voted on moving forward with an event just a few short months ago in late April. As we quickly discovered, most companies put in their budgets for charitable contributions much earlier in the year. Combined with our poor timing and the general economy, very few had extra funds to sponsor our event. But several companies and individuals were able to dig deep and support FieldHaven. To them we extend our deepest gratitude!



Ticket sales were launched in mid-July. The emails and mailings went out. I waited for the flood of ticket sales. And waited. And waited. Finally, on about the 5th day I thought that Paypal must not be working. So, I bought my own tickets using Paypal. Bing! An email came into the FieldHaven Paypal email box almost immediately. That made my heart sink but we all kept the faith and if you were here you know that between 350 and 400 people showed up on party day so those ticket sales did pick up.


Many new people were introduced to FieldHaven through some great press. The Lincoln News Messenger published an article that really told the story of the new shelter campaign. Several radio interviews, including an interview on Insight at Capital Public Radio and a PR interview with Walt Shaw on KNCI, gave the event even more exposure.


The party was fantastic! What an incredible feeling of love and support we all felt. The attendees braved stifling heat – about 102 - to ogle over the very cool classic cars and wood boat, sip wines, sample some incredible foods, listen to wonderful music and bid on the wide array of auction and raffle items. And, of course, spend time with all our adoptable and sanctuary cats. Even a few kittens came out of their foster homes to charm the party-goers.

The music provided by the very fun group, Brazen Hussies and the Bad Boyz, was absolutely perfect for the setting and format. Even the horses appeared to be rocking out as 2 horses tried to dance with each other over the bars of their paddock causing me to make a mad dash to the barn to break up the equine rumba before a leg could become caught.


The food and wine turned out perfect in spite of some stressful moments in the weeks leading up to the day. We heard great comments from attendees that the variety of wines and different foods was extraordinary. A huge debt of gratitude to my close friend Jane Cozart and caterer George Carreras for coordinating the food offerings. And, to the restaurants and food vendors who served and endured the heat to cook their specialties!


Greg Patton MC’d the day, corralling the audience to bring in some very successful live auction dollars. Greg had some fun with a couple of the unique auction items we had including a sight-seeing Bayou trip and several wine-tasting and tour excursions.


FieldHaven volunteers really stepped up to the challenge and made the day a complete success. Being an inaugural event there were a lot of “loose ends” in spite of all of our best planning. The flood of auction items exceeded our expectations so we were up until the early morning hours of Saturday cataloging and displaying donations. We anticipated a lot of bottled water would be needed but an hour into the event we ran out. In the middle of printing last minute signage the printer cartridges ran out of ink. A volunteer picking up some of the wine found that the store had sold some of our put-aside wine. My cat Louise appeared to have escaped the house in the morning. Every person on the property was helping me search for her – until she was found snoozing in one of auction item boxes in my dining room! All of these challenges were met with a deep breath and a quick plan to take care of the situation. The volunteers in this organization continue to amaze me at how competent, dedicated and caring they are. I am humbled and honored by the very fact that they are part of FieldHaven. This day could not have happened without them.


During the entire day FieldHaven was bursting at the seams with the good will and love of a community who turned out to support a wonderful and worthy cause.


And, at the end of the day each and every one of the FieldHaven kitties was comfortable in their respective beds in the Cat Trailer……….dreaming of the new shelter we will be building someday soon.


Cats, Classics and Cabernet raised nearly $34,000 towards the new shelter fund. Many thanks to our sponsors for their support. Stay tuned for information about Cats, Classic and Cabernet 2010.



You can view photos from the event at

http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4315849#imageID=79959180

and

http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4326485#imageID=80449451

There's a great video also online at
http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4323992#imageID=80425505

Provence, France - Day 7 - Fitting it all in!

So glad that little bug I had lasted only a day as Friday, our last day in Provence, was packed with plans to fit in as much as we could.

First we re-started Thursday morning as Sarah, Vicky and I went into Goult for a morning walkabout with the kitties. We finally got to speak with Simone, a French cat lover, who we had seen all week but couldn’t talk to. So wonderful that Vicky was able to talk with her and get stories on the various cats about town.

Next, we headed to the last Market Day in Bonnieux . More treasures were found then we were off to wine tasting at Chateau Saint Esteve de Neri , the winery and vineyard of the owners of the mas, Alexandra and Allan Wilson. Allan poured us samples of their wines while engrossing us with stories of making the transition from a British banker to a Provencal vintner and the challenges of international wine sales.

The winery and vineyards were in the country village of Ansouis . Surrounded by lavender and sunflower fields and olive orchards, it was the quintessential Provencal countryside setting – so perfect for our last day in this heavenly piece of the world.

After leaving the winery in our Mercedes bus (the one with the scrape down the right side) with Sue, Sarah and myself on board with Preston driving, we attempted to follow Fran, George, Leann and Paul in the VW to another perfect little restaurant in a perfect little village. But, alas, the bus just couldn’t keep up with the VW and we lost the lead car. What was the name of the town we were going to for lunch? No idea.

We took a casual drive in the general direction of the unknown village. After a few “wrong” turns and few photo-op stops near the sunflower fields in full bloom we came to a(nother) darling village; Cucuron. This looked like a good candidate for a very Provencal lunch.
Preston started heading down a street when I saw a sign that I interpreted as “no trucks”. Preston didn’t heed my warning – we’re in a bus not a truck. OK but don’t say I didn’t tell you.
Less than a minute later our little bus was shoe-horned between ancient stone buildings with the street just in front of us narrowing even more. In centuries past the street could accommodate a horse drawn wagon. But in the 21st Century? This was definitely the sort of street those itty bitty SmartCars were designed for.

Our dilemma was that the only way out was to back out. We had already made 2 turns down this street so narrow I could wash the windows of the houses sitting comfortably in my bus seat. It wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that at any moment one of the above-mentioned SmartCars could come careening around the corner and slam right into the back of us. Please, we don’t need any more French Fender Benders! Even Preston, who is always boldly showing off his backing skills with our 30+ foot horse trailer, was a bit nervous in this situation. I knew this was so when, as we were backing out, I saw the most darling cat sitting in the most picturesque window sill just outside my bus door. I asked Preston to stop so I could snatch a few photos and he said “NO”! Darn.

We successfully backed out. Preston , once again, showcasing his backing skills. As we backed out I re-pointed out the sign with the picture of a truck with a red line through it. But what do I know?

The rest of our visit to Cucuron was incredible. We found an incredible town square with a large pond in the center surrounded by large shady trees and several restaurants with picturesque outdoor seating. We sat outside and had a lunch of the most incredible salmon.
After a leisurely lunch we meandered our way back to the mas, stopping along the way for some photo ops, to buy some wine and a quick trip to the lavender factory to get some take-home gifts.

That evening, our last in Provence, we were treated to another catered dinner by Helen. The dinner was preceded by a cocktail hour with a guest; our friend Laura from the French Fender Bender incident.

To say that Laura provided some color to our cocktail hour is an understatement. Laura is from New York City but spends 3 months every summer in Goult. Laura is married but she doesn’t live with her husbands nor does she let that fact keep her from…..exploring. She described how she lives her life by the “4-F principal;” Friends, Family, Financial and …..well, use your imagination for that 4th F-word!

After dinner we made one last trip into town to watch the sunset by the windmill. Back to the mas for packing……

Click here To enjoy photos of the day.

Michael Vick - Is He Sincere?

Much press has been given to Michael Vick's release from prison, his subsequent reinstatement to the NFL and, something that surprised many of us in the animal community - his affiliation with the Humane Society of the United States.

Now, many of you know that I am a strong advocate for the work that HSUS does. But that doesn't mean I need to agree with them on everything. This is one area where I'm really, really questioning Wayne Pacelle's decision to use Michael Vick as an icon the anti dogfighting campaign.

Frankly, with so much to tend to my own little corner (oh my, will kitten season ever end? will we stop uncovering hidden feral colonies that need TNR?) I have only been following the Michael Vick story from a high level. However, I just took a few minutes to watch the 60 Minutes Michael Vick interview.

Sorry, but I don't believe this guy has one sincere bone in his body. Watch it and tell me if you agree or disagree.

Wayne, I really hope you prove me wrong this one.

Provence, France - Day 6 - Cherries and Fender Benders

Thursday, June 24 – We wouldn’t appreciate all the perfect vacation days if we didn’t have at least one “not so perfect” day to give us a little jolt of the real world. Thursday was that day in a couple of ways.

Started out pretty good except I woke up feeling a little punky – maybe too much rosé? I didn’t have the headache to go with that malady but I sure didn’t feel right.

Ignoring that not-so-great feeling, I prepared to go into the Goult to get some early morning photos of kitties coming in from their night of partying. Preston had plans to spend a part of the day with a French co-worker, Celine, visiting some Daf (the European Peterbilt truck) dealers.

Here’s where I made one good decision. Preston was to meet Celine in the center square of Goult at 8 am. He could drive up there but how was I to get the rental car back since I wasn’t a registered driver? According to Preston, it was only a ½ mile back to the mas – I could surely drive the car back. Nooo….I didn’t think that a good idea – what if something happened. Stu said he’d drive us up so off we went.

Just out of our driveway on the narrow dirt road to Goult we passed a lady on her morning walk then suddenly in front of us – directly in front of us – was a little white pickup barreling around the corner. Stu reacted quickly and went up onto the bank but it wasn’t quite enough and the little white pickup slid right down the side of our van – ba-boom! Dang! A French Fender Bender!

Fortunately, our walking neighbor, whom we found was American, spoke French as the pickup driver didn’t speak a word of English. After much talking and gesturing back and forth Laura (our American neighbor) said Bruno (the pickup driver) wanted us to follow him back to his house just on the other side of Goult.

After dropping Preston to meet with Celine, Stu and I followed Bruno to his farm – a cherry farm. After a conversation with Bruno and his wife, if you can call gesturing a conversation (she didn’t speak English either), Stu and I left with an appointment to come back that evening with Vicky as translator and a crate of cherries. Yes, cherries! Bruno is a cherry farmer and wanted to give us a bit of an apology. Fender Benders French style!

We went back to the mas to share our story with all hopes of kitty photos abandoned. Good thing, too because shortly after we got back my punky feeling turned nasty and I went down for the rest of the day – fever, chills, aches, vomiting – what fun!

Talk about being pissed off – there’s nothing worse than wasting a day of vacation being sick! I kept trying to get up and get on with the fun and headed right back to bed.

When Preston returned from his morning with Celine to be greeted by a green wife he decided it would be more fun to go to the Lavender Museum than hang with me. Can’t blame the guy! But, the Lavender Museum? Well, that’s a place that Sarah and Sue wanted to visit so Preston generously agreed to be their chauffer for the excursion. So, next time you see Preston be sure to ask him all about Lavender and Lavendine – and how wonderful it smells in the Lavender Museum.

Vicky and Stu did meet with Bruno and his wife to get all the information about filing for insurance. And, they came home with another crate of cherries!

So, there’s the story of how we modified our unscathed rental van to match the swipe down the side of the 2nd van that was there when we rented it. Now we had a matching set of side-swiped Mercedes rental vans.

Here’s a few pictures of the day (none at the Daf dealer or the Lavender Museum?!) - http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4192290#imageID=74989962

Provence, France - Day 5 - St. Remy

Wednesday, June 23 – An early morning call to head to the market in St. Remy, one of the biggest markets in the area. St. Remy was quite the bustling town and the market was very crowded. We got some great cheeses, sausages, pasta and mussels for Wednesday night’s dinner at the mas.

After returning to the mas in the early afternoon we lounged by the pool for most of the afternoon until we found out there was a tack shop in a nearby town. Sarah, Preston, Sue and I piled into the VW and went in search of the French tack store. Of course, we couldn’t leave France without finding one. Hey, at least I didn’t go in search of any animal shelters!

After another stunning dinner by Chefs Fran and Vicky we headed to Goult for our now routine evening walkabout winding up at the local terrace restaurant for after dinner drinks and dessert. We could certainly get used to this lifestyle!

For today's pictures go to http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4169569#imageID=74225385

Provence, France - Day 4 - Gordes and Roussillon

Tuesday, June 22 – Preston elected to have a casual day at the mas while Sarah, Sue, Leann and I went to market Day at Gordes, a stunning Cliffside village that has become an “in” place for the rich and famous to buy houses. The architecture is incredible and the views unmatched but the crowds of people take away the charm of the village. While I was in awe as the tour bus drivers negotiated the narrow main streets and tight roundabout in the center of town, I couldn’t help but think how sad to see such a 21st century blemish mar the picture of the simple centuries-old village. With the possible exception of St. Remy (where we’ll go tomorrow) I think Gordes was the most tourist-spoiled city we visited in France. For the most part, all the villages we visited have been untouched by modernism. And, actually, to the credit of the French, even Gordes and St Remy have no lasting scars by way of fast-food restaurants, modern buildings and such. At the end of the day when the tour buses leave the village is returned to its sleepy, ancient charm with only a few discreet mentions of modern day marvels; an occasional ATM machine or a satellite dish hanging off the side of a 16th century home.

After partaking in the market in Gordes – and steering very wide of the kitten and puppy displays by the Gypsies – we went on to Roussillon for lunch. While Roussillon is just as breath-takingly beautiful as Gordes is best known for the ochre from local mines that is used as a coloring agent in some many of the buildings in this area of France. The red, brown and yellow colors in they are so vivid and spectacular. Even walking around Roussillon will result in some souvenir ochre collecting on your shoes.

We had a leisurely lunch in Roussillon before heading back to the mas for some serious pool lounging (with lots of rosé), a light dinner in and our evening walkabout in Goult.

For today’s pictures go to

http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4168253#imageID=74174117

Provence, France - Day 3 - Visiting Ancient Rome

The Mistal continued to blow as we caravanned to Glanum http://www.softseattravel.com/Glanum-Roman-Ruin-in-Provence.html the site of some fascinating Roman ruins that were buried for centuries then discovered in the 1920’s.

After strolling the ruins we walked to the nearby Asylum Saint Paul de Mausole where Vincent van Gogh was hospitalized for a year and where he painted some of his most famous paintings, including Starry Night. That was quite the depressing place! Blood-letting, ice baths and other treatments of that time were described. Makes getting a root canal without novacaine seem tame in comparison!

In the afternoon, Preston, Sarah and I navigated our way back to the train station in Avignon to pick up Sue who was just arriving. Her departure for France had to be delayed 2 days as she awaited the return of her husband from a 4-month stint in Iraq. I love Sue’s attitude. “Hi Honey, welcome home from the warzone . Here’s the kids – I’m off to France for a vacation. Have fun!”

Back to that navigation thing. Finding our way to the train station was definitely an adventure especially not understanding the road signs, the roundabouts (which we sometimes went around 2 or 3 times before figuring out which road to take) and the crazy drivers. A near miss with a vespa vs our bus, some dirty looks for the “American tourists” and we finally found the station….and Sue!

On the way back to Goult we stopped at the local wine cave (pronounced “kav”, meaning the wine cellar) to fill up on rosé. “Fill-up” literally. Check out the pictures!

That evening we took the first of several evening walks into the village of Goult that always ended at one of the village restaurants for a nightcap. In the village I discovered – guess what? Cats! No surprise there I’m sure to most anyone who knows me. Cats were snoozing on the sidewalks, in the streetside gardens, on the stone walls – kitties seemed to be in every corner. And, much to my relief they were almost all healthy, friendly kitties. And, yes, I immediately checked out the most important thing – nearly all were spayed or neutered! Whew! I would not have to stay behind when everyone went home to implement a French spay/neuter program! My camera started going crazy snapping pics of the kitties. More on the Cats of Goult to follow.

For pictures of today's adventure go to http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4165236#imageID=74092656

Provence, France - Day 2 - Market Day at Isle sur la Sorgue

Sunday, June 21 – Market Day!

The markets in France are similar to our Farmers’ Markets but much more “authentic” – each town has a market day and this is where the restaurants get their fresh produce. On Sunday we went to one of the largest markets in Provence; Isle sur la Sorgue. This market is known for vendors that sell everything from fabrics to antiques.

It is here at the market where I had my first encounter with a French chat (cat). You see, there was this sweet mom cat with 2 kittens that one of the vendors was displaying in a little wooden cart along with a puppy and a miniature goat. Was this perhaps the French version of a pet store or even a rescue of some sort? Since I couldn’t read a work of the signage I had not a clue. I picked up a darling kitten (and very healthy looking) for a cuddle and a much needed kitty fix. The proprietors of the cart chatted away to me in French, thrusting boxes of candy into my face. I had not a clue what they were saying since I understand barely a word of French. After a quick snuggle I put the kitty down and strolled away with the people continuing to talk to me. I presumed they were trying to get me to buy the kitten or donate to their rescue.

It was later that I learned that I had just fallen for one of the biggest tourist traps in the French Markets. Vicky, who speaks fluent French, apparently got an earful from them and they were not happy that I hadn’t paid to pet the kitty! Now there’s a new angle for fund-raising – charge to pet the kitty. We ought to try that at FieldHaven! These people are gypsies who live in RVs traveling around to the markets with their cute and cuddly animals, convincing tourists to give them money. And, from what I learned, they also use the animals as a diversion for distracting tourists while they pick their pockets. At least I didn’t get caught in that scam but leave it to me to get in “trouble” over a kitty my first day in France!

After the market we retired back to the mas for a lunch of some tasty paella from the market, some lazy time by the pool and more rosé – lots more rosé.

That evening we had a fabulous catered dinner by Helen, a local woman originally from England. Helen can create a fabulous meal!

For pictures of Day 2 go to: http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4158044#imageID=73850442.

Provence, France - Day 1

Following is a journal from a 12 day trip to France Preston and I took to celebrate the 50th birthday of my oldest (length of friendship, not age) friend, Sarah Boudreau (aka “Jones”). There were 10 of us in our group. The trip was organized by Sarah’s sister, Fran, and her step-mom, Vicky. Also accompanying us was Stu, Sarah and Fran’s dad, Fran’s husband, George, Leann and Paul , friends of the family and Sue, a friend of Sarah’s from Norfolk.

Because I was “forbidden” to bring along a computer (insider joke) I couldn’t write up my journal until our return to the states. Of course, I could’ve done it the “old-fashioned” way of Vicky and Fran by hand-writing it everyday. But since I often can't even read my own hand-writing that may have been a fruitless effort. So here I am post-vacation recreating each day in my mind. Now, there’s a challenge for this almost-49 year old, menopausal brain!!

I’ll do a blog entry for each day – may take me a couple of weeks to get the whole trip done.

Day 1 - Saturday, June 20 – After flying all day Friday and overnight then losing 9 hours of time (6 for Sarah) Preston, Sarah and I arrived at Charles De Gaulle in Paris early Saturday morning. Somewhat – no – a LOT tired as we met up with the rest of the crew at the high speed train station. A 3 hour, super fast trip through the French countryside brought us to Avignon in Provence.

Here is where we learned what the “Mistral” is in France. Here in Sacramento we’d call it a Delta Breeze on steroids. Bright sunny skies with a wind forceful enough to knock you off your feet if you weigh less than 100 lbs (not me).

The rental car process was a lengthy one but the monotony of waiting was broken up by the eye-candy at the rental counter in the form of some very darling Frenchmen – all in their 20’s. Nicholas’ transparent blue eyes – oh, we talked about them all week.

Our rental cars were 2 Mercedes “buses” and a VW. One of the buses had a lengthy scrape down one side and was missing some molding. We’ll revisit that fact later in the week.

A 45-minute drive to the village of Goult and we found our mas (farmhouse) down a quiet dirt road near some vineyards. The mas was everything described to us and more! Just an absolutely quintesstial 1700’s stone house with all the period charm but with every modern amenity. Even a (very slow) wireless internet connection.

Preston’s and my accommodations were a remodeled pigeonnier (yes, a pigeon house) that opened right to the pool. Cute, cute, cute!

Fran and Vicki bought out the local market of some wonderful fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese and rosé wine. Yes, rosé. One of the first things we learned about France is that rosé wine in a staple in France. No, we’re not talking about the socially-unacceptable White Zinfandel that all of us Californians cringe at when our out-of-town relatives order at a restaurant embarrassing us to no end. Yes, we are wine snobs. But in France It’s cool to drink rosé. And, just wait til you hear how it’s dispensed!

Enjoy the pictures of our first day at http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4157904#imageID=73845913

A Tale of 2 Cats and 2 Years (and the importance of microchips)

Blake went missing nearly 2 years ago from the home of his adopter. The teenage black kitty had been adopted from FieldHaven just a few short months prior. Blake was on the “shy” side and one day he scooted out an accidentally left open door. His family searched and searched, postering the neighborhood, checking the shelter – anything to bring this kitty home. A kitty whom they had fallen in love with in spite of the fact that he seemed to not be fond of human affection. As time marched on their hope waned and they adopted 2 small dogs into their family.

Last week I was just stepping out of a meeting at Placer County Animal Services when a staff person stopped to let me know that a semi-feral cat had been surrendered in a trap that morning. At first he seemed destined to be classified as a feral but, alas, a microchip was found – a microchip that had been implanted by FieldHaven. Thank you PCAS for checking for microchips on all incoming animals no matter how un-owned they may appear.

I quickly checked the chip in our database and found his adopter’s contact information. The adopter was surprised by the call – after all Blake had been missing for so long they didn’t harbor any hope that he’d be found. She was ecstatic and told me her daughter really missed that silly shy cat. She said she’d love to bring him home but was concerned about the 2 new canine family member – would Blake be comfortable with them?

After a conversation with her we elected to bring Blake back to FieldHaven where we could all work together to work out the best solution for him.

We have found that Blake has reverted back to his mostly feral state. Volunteers are working with him to see if he can be re-socialized enough to return to his family or if a different living situation would be better for him. But, thanks to his microchip, he is safe and cared for. And, his family is comforted by knowing where he is.

River was found by a jogger wandering in the open space behind the Lincoln Home Depot in October 2007. He was skinny and starving. A neutered male that obviously belonged to someone at some time but he was not microchipped and a search did not turn up an owner. Several months later River was adopted into a great home. But River knew he didn’t belong in that home. He let his adopters know that he didn’t want to be there in that unpleasant way cats do – he peed everywhere he wasn’t supposed to.

The adopters tried everything; a medical workup, the pheromone plug-ins, trying to reason with him, whatever they could try they did. But to no avail.

Tearfully, they returned River (now known as Linus) to FieldHaven after a year. That was 2 months ago. We did another medical work-up in the hopes something had been missed. Nope, River was just a chronic bad kitty!

We love River but, heck, do you know how hard it is to adopt out a 5 year old, black/white, slightly overweight pee cat? We’ve been down this road before and we just try and keep the faith. You just never know when “that person” will come along. Sometimes it takes months and months but we just keep trying.

River hasn’t had the best of times at our PetSmart Adoption Center – he gets stressed there and doesn’t put his best face forward to the public. Instead he hides somewhat and just sits there. No head-butting “take me”s against the adoption center windows for this guy.

This week Jen decided to try River again at PetSmart just to see if he would like it any better. Who would’ve known how that decision would turn out.

Last night Kristian was shopping at PetSmart when she wandered by the adoption center and began looking at kitties in the adoption center. When she saw River sleeping in his bed she thought of her family’s black and white kitty, Charlie who went missing shortly after they moved to Lincoln nearly 2 years ago never to be found in spite of months and months of searching.

When River lifted his head to look at Kristian she was stunned by what she saw – a black nose and a black dot in the center of his white chin just like Charlie. It was Charlie!

Admittedly, we were skeptical when Kristian called last night. Could she really recognize her black and white cat after 2 years? Kristian came to FieldHaven today with pictures – no doubt about it – it’s Charlie.

Today Jen and I had the most incredible joy of witnessing the reunion of Kristian and Charlie. These are the times in rescue and animal shelter that make our hearts swell with love and pride for the work we do. How can it get better than this?

Charlie/River/Linus now has a microchip. But we hope he never needs to use it.

The Lincoln News Messenger was also there to witness the reunion – watch for the story in next week’s paper.

Please microchip your pets.

Kristian and Charlie - see the black spot on his chin?

Tackling the Biggest Killer of America’s Pets – Is a Law the Way to Put an End to Euthanasia?

Before I get into a discussion on whether I support CA SB 250 or mandatory spay/neuter laws in general I must emphasize that any opinion expressed here is solely my own and does not necessarily represent the opinion or position of FieldHaven Feline Rescue in general. While I am the President of the Board of Directors of FieldHaven (and volunteer Executive Director) the Board has not discussed nor positioned themselves on SB 250 or other mandatory spay/neuter legislation.

OK, now having gotten that out of the way. How do I feel about SB 250?? I am definitely sitting on the fence and heavily leaning towards the opposing side. What?, you say. Me, the self-proclaimed spay/neuter “nazi” who never hesitates to ask someone if their cat or dog is fixed and is downright evangelistic about spaying and neutering?!

Yes, you heard right. I am NOT convinced that a law to require everyone to spay and neuter their pets is the best way to get the job done. That job being putting an end to euthanizing of 4.5 million dogs and cats a year for no reasons except there are not enough homes and there are too many irresponsible people letting their animals breed.

We all know it is an American tragedy that these animals are killed each year and I think (hope) we all agree on 2 points; all cats and dogs should by spayed and neutered unless a breeder has a responsible, purposeful breeding program and that puppy mills need to be shut down and done away with.

Beyond that, there seems to be 2 definite factions – those that are for mandatory spay/neuter and those that are opposed. I lean towards the latter and here’s why:

Access to low-cost spay neuter – Not all areas in California are as fortunate as we are in Placer County with our low and no-cost spay/neuter programs. For example, several counties in the Central Valley have very limited or no low cost spay/neuter clinics or programs. Veterinarians will not provide discounted rates to anyone and many will not even accept feral cats for spay/neuter. How can we enact a law when there are no provisions for people who want to comply with the law but cannot afford to? How can we put a law in place that doesn’t even provide a reasonable means for people to comply? Wouldn't that would be like mandating that everyone has to get a driver’s license but putting DMV offices 200 miles apart.

A Law will Discourage Citizens from Helping – In a survey by Alley Cat Allies it is estimated that 82% of owned cats are already spayed/neutered. But only 3% of stray and feral cats are fixed. We have found through our spay/neuter assistance program (SNAP) at FieldHaven that a majority of the cats are strays and ferals that caring citizens have taken on the responsibility for. Sometimes, these people are unable to continue caring for them and we then assist them in trying to find them homes. But, more often they are very willing to continue caring for the cats once possibility of them multiplying has been addressed. My fear is that these caring people will not be so willing to help the cats if a law has now made them legally responsible for them. What happens if a new cat shows up that isn’t fixed? They may now think it much less complicated to call animal control to pick up the stray since they don’t want to risk any legal issues than to get the cat fixed and continue caring for it.

A Law Will Not Reach the Target Audience – I think most educated, intelligent law abiding citizens in America “get it” with respect to having their pets fixed. Do we really think the population of people that have the majority of unfixed pets are of the socio-economic group that are going to go “oh, it’s now a law honey – you better get your pit bull neutered”? Let’s be realistic here….... those are the people that we have hand-hold through the spay/neuter process by making it extremely easy and attractive for them to get the animal fixed. A law is only going to alienate them and make them even more resistant .

What about the couple in rural Lincoln who had 42 adult cats spayed/neutered through FieldHaven’s SNAP this spring, none of which were their own? All cats that had wandered onto their property or people had abandoned in the area. They are happy to continue caring for them now that they are all fixed. They didn’t need a law to do what they feel is morally right – they needed the financial assistance to get the job done.

We need to focus our efforts towards providing access to low-cost spay/neuter. For people like the couple with the 42 cats in rural Lincoln. That’s 42 cats that are not being euthanized at animal control. For people that would like a pet but don’t understand the importance of spaying and neutering, we need to provide education and easy access to low-cost spay neuter. For the busy family that finds a stray female cat in their yard we need to make it very easy for them to get the cat spayed and keep the cat in their family rather than making it complicated so that it becomes easier for them to just drop the cat at the animal shelter.

If all of the money spent by everyone supporting or opposing mandatory spay/neuter were to be put towards providing low-cost spay/neuter with easy access I think we’d be a lot further along in our effort to decrease the euthanasia rate in shelters.

Am I too idealistic in believing we can accomplish our goal without laws? I have a good friend who once told me, tongue in cheek, that my optimism reminded her of Pollyanna. Maybe I am too Pollyanna-ish – what do you think?

Here are some websites from both sides of the fence for you to peruse to form your own opinion:
http://www.yesonsb250.com/sb250-home.php
http://network.bestfriends.org/california/news/33373.html
http://capwiz.com/alleycat/issues/alert/?alertid=12987106&PROCESS=Take+Action&external_id=10519.0
http://www.akc.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=3802

PS: I am NOT opposed to requiring breeders to pay for an annual breeder’s license fee. But only if that license fee would be put towards accessible, high-volume low-cost spay/neuter programs.

More Fun and Learning at HSUS (and wearily heading home)

Yesterday's most enlightening session was on one of the most current trends on the internet - Social Networking. I have dipped my toes into the waters of this booming craze with this blog, a facebook page and a LinkedIn page but, no, I have not TWITTERED yet. I found out that I am oh so out-of-date and I better get my tweaking my tweets because I could be missing out on lots of Twitter friends! New friends who could be FieldHaven supporters. Oh NO, I guess I better get twitting, twigging and tweating!

This morning’s session was another brain-burner (ie, giving me lots of good info…..and ideas). It focused on feline behavior and how to rehab cats in shelters with the goal of making them more adoptable presented by Miranda Workman of Purrfect Paws Animal Behavior Center in New York. The Erie County SPCA has a great program called AdvoCats. I think we have some AdvoCats at FieldHaven! Let’s give the FieldHaven team a name – any suggestions for a catchy moniker?

Alrighty then – time to head to the airport. I am READY to come home!!

HSUS Animal Care Conference in Las Vegas

Since Sunday night I've been in Las Vegas at the Annual Humane Society of the United States annual Animal Care Expo mingling with hundreds shelters, rescue and animal organizations. I've been staying at Bally's on the strip. LV is really isn't my kind of town!

On Monday I was across town at the Rio presenting at a medical record conference with my partner Jan. But, Monday evening I put my shelter hat on and dug into learning as much as I can at HSUS.

Here’s just a few of the interesting things I’ve learned, observed and experienced so far this week:

New Shelter Pet Campaign

HSUS is launching a HUGE adoption campaign in July! There are about 4,000 shelters, rescues, etc in the US today all working hard to end pet overpopulation. Much progress has been made in the past 2 decades but there are still 3.7 million cats and dogs being euthanized each year in shelters. This number has been slowly decreasing but not fast enough for all of us working towards the goal of No More Homeless Pets. Consider this: only 20% of household pets are being adopted from shelters! When people are thinking to add a pet to their family they need to think first of the shelter! HSUS, Maddie’s Fund and the Ad Council are joining forces to launch the Shelter Pet Project to basically ingrain it into the American public that a shelter is the best place to get a new pet.

Stay tuned as preparations for the campaign launch unfold – this is going to be exciting!

Pets being surrendered to shelter due to economic hard times

Every shelter is seeing the impact of the economy in more pets being turned in with the most common reason being “we have to move and the new place doesn’t allow pets”. Some solutions offered in one of the round table discussions I attended:

· PetCareInsurance has a policy for renters to cover any damage made by their pets.
· One organization posted inquiries on Craig’s List for pet-friendly rentals then compiled a list.
· HSUS has a brochure called “13 Steps to Finding Rental Housing that Accepts Pets”

Adoption Returns

We are definitely not alone with this problem. No one had any great solutions in spite of a variety of adoption screening practices among the group. A couple of points:

· Don’t alienate people returning animals. No matter how hard it is to “bite our tongues” sometimes we should look at this as another opportunity to educate, educate, educate so hopefully those people will think twice about the commitment before adopting another pet.
· Another reason to not alienate – this person could be a future donor or could say positive things about the organization to their friends.
· Shelters that have done studies on home visits vs no home visits prior to adoption do not report any decrease in returns when they do home visits.
· Same for imposing “waiting periods” before an adopted animal can go home.

I attended a fabulous session in the afternoon presented by Drs Hurley and Newbury of UC Davis on shelter statistics. Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with the details of that session but, being the stat geek that I am, I came away with some great ideas!

The exhibit hall also had some terrific networking opportunities. This being Las Vegas and the land of the $4 cup of coffee and $8 scoop of ice cream (yes!) I decided I should suck it up and try the food HSUS was offering for lunch and dinner. You know, it actually wasn't so bad. Don't know how they make that "chicken" taste like chicken but it was pretty tasty. But I have to draw the line at the fake shredded cheese. I can really understand being a vegetarian but veganism ......hmmmm....I just don't have that much willpower.

OK that was Day 1. I’ll fill you in on Day 2 (today) later tonight (or tomorrow morning).

Letter to a Friend

Last June, a dear FieldHaven friend, Susan Gardiner passed away. We were entrusted with the care of her 4 cats. Here is a letter I wrote to Susan today to let her know where her kitties are now.

Dear Susan – We are starting 2009 without your soft smile, your easy laughter and your always positive attitude. Our lives haven’t been the same since you left us and we miss you.

We think of you often and your spirit lives on here at FieldHaven and in your beloved cats. All of us took very seriously the responsibility given to us to care for your furry children until a new human family could be found for each of them. I wanted to let you know where Gretta, Mikey, Paisley and Casey spent their holidays.

Gretta is reigning royalty in the home of Julie Anderson along with her new 4-pawed family. Julie’s home is a peaceful nirvana for each member of her feline family. Everyone there is assured a lifetime of the best care and love. Gretta couldn’t be in a better home.

Mikey is settled into his new home, finding his sleeping position on the bed or snuggled into a corner of the couch to best observe the household action. His 4-footed sibling is a dog and his new dad reports they get along wonderfully.

Paisley spent the holiday in a “hopeful” home. Paisley and her prospective parents are still working out their differences and it looks like it may not work out to be a marriage. But we will work hard to find that very special match for Paisley. It will come. And, in the meantime, Paisley will continue to be showered with love by the many FieldHaven volunteers.

And, then there’s Casey. I know Casey and you had a special bond and I assured you I would look after him and bring him into my home if we couldn’t find that special place for him. I wanted to give Casey an opportunity to have an “exclusive” relationship so I waited several months before making that decision to introduce him to the queen of my household, Louise.

Thank you, Susan, for bringing Casey into your life several years ago and for entrusting him to our care after you left this earth. Casey has been the best Christmas present Preston and I could have!

As I write this Casey is sitting with me in my office. He is a good companion, giving head butts, curious looks and a solo concert of loud purring throughout the workday. He romps through the house chasing imaginary mice, picking his favorite toys out of the toy basket and chattering at birds through the window, imagining himself as a successful hunter. He enjoys giving Preston and I each equal time of his personal vibrating self on the rare times we’re sitting down in the evening. Surprisingly, with a houseful of family for 4 days over the holiday Casey was in the midst of the bustle, enjoying every moment of the attention. My nephew, Evan, was so excited to have Casey sleep with him – a special treat.

We are still working out a few kinks amongst the girls of the household. Like most siblings, they have their bickering but each one has their place in the house to call their own. Casey has Timothy’s old room which has been remodeled since Timothy passed. Colors to complement Casey’s splendid silver grey fur of course.

He imagines himself wanting to go outside but whenever he does you can bet he’ll be back in quickly. A few times he’s been out and has ventured down to the Cat Trailer, maybe to check in with the crew down there. I’ll see him wandering about and call him. He glances at me for a second then leaps into a full run, hastening back to the house just as fast as he can. It’s almost as if he says, “that’s right I have a HOME now!”.

Rest peacefully Susan. Your babies are well loved and cared for. Thank you for sharing them with us. And, for gracing our lives with yourself for all too short of a time.

Fondly,

Joy