Crafty

Crafty came to us from a shelter that we don't visit very often for dogs - the Hayward Animal shelter. HAS has a wonderful group of volunteers and rescue groups that help out weekly to ensure that the most adoptable animals find great new homes. We help out when we are needed with the dogs, but our help is most needed for the cats.

One day while visiting the shelter looking for some cats/kittens, I came across two 3 month old pit bull puppies. They were everything that you would expect from the breed: they were happy and active with goofy personalitites - plus they were just adorable. After spending some time with them, I knew that they would be perfect for our program. I brough them back to the office and everyone here fell in love with them too- we even had some staff members fostering them for awhile!

Crafty and Spring were spayed and Neutered; they were also vaccinated and given microchips - we don't take any chances with our babies! Eventually they went into "regular" foster homes where they were taugh basic manners and attended some obedience classes. They started going to mobile adoption events where they were the stars of the show.

Crafty was eventually adopted from our website, but his sister spring is still available for adoption. So if you know anyone who is interested. . .




Have them fill out an application

The Story of Dusty and Daisy

My best friend and I were having a writer's day early in November. We heard cats crying and we went out to see if we could help. The cries led us to a home on my street. In the back of the house was an abandoned chicken coop behind a tangle of used auto parts, beer cans and spare wood. We could see Daisy and Dusty locked into a 1 foot by 4 foot section of the coop.


There was no evidence of food or water and no litter box. The cats looked panicked and dirty and smelled terrible. I could not reach in to pet them through the chicken wire. We talked to the children who lived in the home, and they told us Daisy and Dusty belonged to an uncle who had to give them up when he moved. They said the cats had been there for about a month. I asked if I could talk to the uncle and talk to him about signing the two girls over to me so I could re-home them. On Thanksgiving day, the children came to the door saying their uncle had come to visit and would we come down to get the cats. The cat's owner did not speak much English, but he told me he was very sad this had happened to the cats, and cried and kissed them goodbye when I packed both girls to bring them back to my home. Daisy was so friendly and so sweet, she took to our family right away. Dusty was shy for the first few weeks, sitting far away and watching me with her sapphire eyes. It took about a month to get the girls back to a decent weight, and smelling better. A pre-adoption physical revealed serious dental issues for both Daisy and Dusty - with Daisy having a great deal of teeth removed. She had 1 remaining fang and all the teeth on one side removed. Daisy also had a bad case of ear mites that had scarred her ears. After their surgery, both girls recovered quickly.

Daisy is a total people cat and sweet love bug. Even given all of the pain she had to be dealing with, she was generous with her purrs and affection. Dusty had grown comfortable enough to regulary demand belly rubs. We knew it would difficult to find forever homes for the 7 year old girls, as they did not show well in the cages at the mobile adoptions. We were fortunate to have found wonderful homes for both ladies. Dusty used her sweet deep blue eyes to win the heart of her "soul mate". The lucky new adopter had said that she and Dusty belonged together because they had so much in common. Daisy met her new life companion at Your Basic Bird in Berkeley. She is now the benevolent alpha cat in a four cat home full of love and kitty perks. She has been re-named Ruthie, and her new mom posts pictures of her on facebook.

Pearl Found a Home

Pearl, a beautiful white lab/shepherd, has been with HAR since the winter of '08. She came to us through a joint rescue effort to help with a horder situation in Gabbs, Nevada. There were 58 dogs living in deplorable conditions after their owner died when a neighboring racher contacted the Nevada Humane Society. To help ease them of this huge burden, HSUS EARS and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary were able to trasport some of these animals to Contra Costa Animal Services in Martinez.

Hopalong/Second Chance took in Pearl and Pawl (a sweet, 6 year old, black lab boy). Once here, they were seen by a vet where it was determined that pearl had a severe heart murmer and was deaf. After some time in a foster home, it was also apparent that she was also almost blind. Pearl was clearly a special needs dog and it would take just the right owner to care for this girl.

Here at HAR, we believed that the perfect home was out there, and we kept our fingers crossed that one day we would get a call asking about Pearl. And, recently, we did.

Pearl, now Zuma, was adopted into a quiet household with another dog - Enzo, a 7 year old black chepherd mix. The family reports that Enzo has taken the big brother role quite seriously and is teaching her the ropes on their daily walks. Zuma is even getting trips to Point Isabel where she is getting to meet other dog friends and gets to visit with her foster family.

Zuma's new family says " My husband and I are very thankful for [the fosters'] dedication to this special dog, and that the timing worked out for us to be the lucky ones to give her her forever home"