12 1/2 years and counting.

I was a foster mom for Hopalong in 1999 and on. I ended up adopting a dog and two cats.

Unfortunately my beautiful Sylvester, who clawed his way into being an outdoor cat, disappeared about 8 years ago, and I still look for him whenever I see a flash of black and white. He is a dead ringer for the "Sylvester" cat you always see.
Mick and Smoky are still going strong, both of them now 12 1/2 years old. I have since adopted another cat, brought to me as a kitten by one of my students, and he is huge, playful and loveable.

Mick is now a volunteer "listener" for the PAWS to read program at the Castro Valley library.
I loved being part of Hopalong, and I really love what they are doing for our homeless pets!

How Byron Won My Heart

When I met little Byron, he did not immediately come right to me. He did not reject my advances, but he refused to be held... I was nonetheless drawn to him, which is something I can't quite explain, except that I understood he was afraid. He along with his four brothers and sisters were all being fostered by my roommate. They were all very young, not used to the house, and definitely not used to me, as I had only just returned from a trip out-of-state.

But as I said, I was drawn to him. The time spent with the little pack of five dark furballs involved a lot of care and trust-building, and was easily one of the most rewarding experiences I've had. I've always grown up with cats as pets, and even raised one since she was a newborn, but had been without an animal companion after moving to California. Though the five kittens were not technically my fosters, I helped socialize them now and then. Byron was always the one I inevitably found myself spending the most time with, but it wasn't until a mere couple of days before they were scheduled to return to Hopalong that the extent of our attachment became evident. I offered to take care of their food and litterbox while the fostermother was out of town for a day or two, and in that time, Byron refused to leave my side. He had a fondness for resting on my right knee, and I jokingly referred to him as my Kneebuddy, though as pictures show, he's learned that my lap is much more comfortable.

It was only a day or two, but I knew then and there that Byron wasn't someone I could let slip away from me. He loved me and he won my heart... I suppose the rest of the story is obvious. I adopted him, and brought him back to the home he was fostered in. He was already used to the surroundings, and ultimately was much more interested in me, purring mile-a-minute and giving me little loverubs and headbutts. Since then, he's been renamed to Chococat, after the Sanrio character who is dark-furred, just like him. We call him Choco for short, and he leads a positively happy, adventurous life with his brother, who was adopted by my roommate. Generally his days are filled with rambunctious wrestling all across our hardwood floors and over my bed, and periods of rest, right next to my right hip, if not directly on the center of my chest. He also has a fondness for squeezing into the comfortable spot between my laptop and my lap - admittedly, he's "helped" me out by pushing the space bar
for me - and as pictures show, he likes to reach out and act as my paperweight, from time to time. An easygoing, happy life, which has brought me moments of peace that I haven't felt in a long time. The kind of peace a pet owner shares with their pets, and I have Hopalong and my roommate to thank for that. Thank you for giving little Choco a chance to find me!

Indigo

Our family adopted Indigo about six weeks ago, and its already hard for us to remember our lives before we had this cuddly little guy. We all smile and laugh a lot more than we used to, and there is a lot more hugging and wet, slobbery kisses.

Indy is very smart and was basically house trained when we got him at 11 months old, and he took to his doggy door immediately. He has also learned to sit, and to walk on a leash without pulling, and he is progressing well on learning to come "here" and to lie down. We are working one on one with a trainer, because Indy did show some aggression after he'd settled into the house for a couple of weeks, which came as a surprise to us -- that such an adorable, affectionate and fluffy pup could cop big dog attitude! He is doing much better now that we all have clearer rules to follow, however, and he has always been very friendly with other dogs and when meeting new people.

We just got back from a few days' vacation in Bolinas, where we discovered that Indy's ideal life is as a beach bum. He loved playing chase with the waves and digging in the sand and running in a pack with all the big dogs off leash. When we came back and went through our photos, we realized that we'd basically forgotten to take any of our daughters -- our new little boy is hogging all the attention! But the girls definitely don't mind -- everything we do together is more fun with Indy along -- he reminds us that when work is done its time to play.

Thanks, Hopalong!