Queen For a Day

Last Saturday, a Red Door staff and volunteer favorite was adopted. Queen, the little tortie who had been at the shelter since June, finally found a home. She was often overlooked in favor of younger, smaller kittens in the kitten room. The couple who adopted her had adopted a cat from Red Door five years previously, and had just stopped in to visit with some of the cats. When they came across Queen, they couldn't resist, and decided to welcome her into their home. The timing was great, and it was great to know that Queen would be spending the upcoming holidays in a new, loving home, where she would get heaped with affection and care. It also highlighted a great benefit to having been a previous adopter with Red Door- the green light! No application to fill out, no interview to sit though...just the willingness to open your heart to another homeless animal in need.

Happy Holidays from everyone at Red Door.

November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month!

Older animals tend to be one of the more overlooked when people visit animal shelters. People tend to forget that some cats can live to be nearly 22 years of age, so while a 10 year old cat may seem old, it would be the equivalent of a person in their 40's, and they still potentially have half of their lives left to live! Many senior cats are also healthy, or any health issues can be easily managed with the help of medications.
As volunteers of the shelter may remember, Esther was originally adopted from Red Door in 2002 when she was about 1 year old. Sadly, earlier this year, Esthers adopter passed away, and while various members tried to take her in and care for her, none of them could commit. Eventually she made her way back to Red Door. She didn't get along particularly well with other cats, and after being with someone who loved her for the previous 7 years, being back at the shelter was a shock for her. While her looks were very striking, her age and stressed out personality always seemed to dissuade potential adopters. Eventually, as we believe happens for every animal in our care, the right people came along and opened their doors to Esther and welcomed her with love. Recently I heard from Esther's adopters who sent along the attached picture and message:
"We are delighted with being able to provide Esther a new home and she has brought us so much joy. She talks to us a lot and is with us for the morning wake-up call as well as the bedtime devotion and playtime. We seek her out many times in the day so she has lots of attention. What a special cat she is!"
So next time you're in a shelter looking for a potential animal to adopt, don't look past the senior pets...they still need a lot of love, and still have a lot of love to give!

Rabbit Boarding at Red Door

Worried about your rabbit while you're out of town? Trust your bunny's care to our experienced rabbit-experienced staff.

Red Door is happy to announce the opening of our Rabbit Boarding Program--just in time for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.

Your rabbit will receive hands-on care in a rabbit-friendly environment. We offer fresh Oxbow hay; salads; daily exercise in a playpen; bunny-perfect climate control (A.C. in the summer, of course! and not too warm in the winter); and--best of all from a rabbit's point of view--no dogs barking!

We can give meds, too.

Make your reservations now. Write: info@reddoorshelter.org or call 773-764-2242.

Red Door on 190 North

Heroes

Jade 9/20/2010

Many volunteers over the years at Red Door know and remember Jade the cat. Originally Jade came to Red Door in 2004, after living on the streets and being cared for over a year by a woman. Potential adopters visiting the shelter over the years were always drawn to her because she was very striking and beautiful. However, Jade was always a bit of a wall flower, very sweet once you get to know her, but very shy to start with. For that reason, Jade was overlooked by adopters time and again for over 6 years.

Back in April, staff at Red Door discovered some tumors on Jade's underside. After having them removed by our vet Dr. Gia, she did a biopsy, and the results came back positive for cancer. The doctor speculated that even though we had caught the tumor, most likely the cancer had metastasized and spread. She said Jade most likely had weeks to months left to live, and it would be great if we could find a hospice foster home for the time she had left.

A family did step forward and offered to care for Jade during her last days. They provided over 4 months of love, attention, and care for Jade. They reported that Jade was frequently run throughout the house and loved to play. As you can see in her picture, she was absolutely content in her new home.

Sadly, Jade passed away yesterday. However, we can celebrate the fact that she was able to live in peace and happiness, as every animal should, for a brief time in her life. It really goes to show how living in a loving home environment can change any cats personality. So remember to give that shy or special needs animal a second look next time you're thinking of adopting...you could be looking at a wall flower turned social butterfly.

Special thanks to Jade's foster family and to all of Red Door's foster providers for the work they do everyday. We wouldn't be able to do it without you.

Coraline: From foster to adopt

Many volunteers at Red Door are familiar with Coraline, the cute little cat who showed up on our door one day with four newborn kittens. All of her offspring had been adopted, and Coraline still waited. Finally a lovely couple came along interested in adopting Coraline, but they had some reservations. One of them had experienced allergies to cats in the past, and wanted to be sure that adopting a cat wouldn't worsen those allergies. So they decided to try fostering Coraline first, to see if their allegies became an issue, and also to make sure that Coraline was the right fit for them. Needless to say, and as you can see from the photo, they felt Coraline was a wonderful fit (and she agreed), and the foster parents reported no allergy flare ups. The couple was more than thrilled with her, and they decided to move ahead with the adoption.

Fostering is a great way to try out an animal, especially if you're unsure if the animal is the right fit for your home, or if you're concerned about any issues. The process is very similar to that of adoption, though it's not as permanent. That way, if it doesn't work out with the animal for some reason, they can come back to the shelter, and we can say that they got a nice vacation from the shelter. Of course, everyone's hope is that it does work out in the end, and that their story ends the same as Coraline's.

Of course, some volunteers foster animals, long term or short term, for a variety of reasons. Some foster just to give the animal a break from the shelter, some foster because it helps to create space for more animals at the shelter, some foster because a home environment is always more enjoyable for an animal than a shelter environment, some foster for terminally ill animals or animals with medical conditions, etc. The reasons are infinite. Please consider opening your home to foster an animal in need.

At the shelter

At the shelter
Originally uploaded by reddoorshelter

Red Door wants your help in making great videos of the animals at our shelter. If you have experience with Flip videos, please send us an email at toni@reddoorshelter.org

I Wish I May, I Wish I Might...

People interested in donating goods often ask us what sorts of items we need at the shelter. We have a wish list on our website (http://www.reddoorshelter.org/donations_wishlist.html). However, now for the first time, Red Door has a comprehensive list of all goods we use on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis at the shelter through our Amazon Wish List:

http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/3URHF5GPKB9M3

And remember, if you use this link: http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwreddoorshe-20&o=1&p=20&l=qs1&f=ifr Red Door will receive a portion of the proceeds from each sale! It's like making a double donation!

Cookie gets Blogtastic

Check out recently adopted Red Door cat, Cookie (now Boo) and her new blog!

http://booyah.posterous.com/

Time to Wash That Dog!

With all of the hot, rainy, muggy weather we've been having now is the perfect time to get Rover rinsed! On Sunday, July 11th, join us at Central Bark Doggy Day Care (3358 N. Pulaski) for some scrubtacular dog washing. The dog wash takes place from 11am-2pm. A clean dog will cost you only $10, and all proceeds go to help homeless animals at Red Door. What a deal!

Cat + Patio = Catio!

Catios--safe outdoor play areas for cats--are in style. Check out the whole trend, plus links to catio suppliers in today's New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/garden/17catio.html?scp=1&sq=catio&st=cse

The cats at Red Door are lobbying for their own catio this summer.

Honey Do List

Honey has made out her own Honey Do List:

*Do support Red Door's rabbit rescue efforts! (After all, they rescued me and, even though they put me on a diet to lose weight, I'm very grateful.)

*Do bring my allowance to the Gimme Shelter! event this Sunday, June 13th. There is a fabulous raffle and tickets are only $1.00 each. Plus, maybe I can convince the people in the dog massage tent that I'm just a little puppy.

*Do be my naturally charming self to every adopter who comes to meet me. Because I know there are lots of rabbits who need rescuing and as soon as I leave for a happy forever home, some new bunny will be saved.

http://www.reddoorshelter.org/

3 Days to the Doggy Splash Pools!

You won't want to miss all the fun at Gimme Shelter! on Sunday, June 13th. It's Red Door's 10th anniversary and everyone will be celebrating! Join us at Indian Boundary Park, 2500 W. Lunt, Chicago. www.reddoorshelter.org

Make That a Decade of Rescuing ALL Animals

Yes, we concentrate on rescuing, sheltering, and re-homing cats, dogs, and rabbits. But Red Door is the no-kill shelter for all animals needing help. Here are just a few of the other animals we've rescued during the past 10 years:

Sweet Pea & Lily, abandoned at the park, where they wouldn't have made it through the winter (big white ducks can't fly away);

Zsa Zsa, the tiny bantam chicken running down Ridge Avenue, dodging through cars;

Boris, who was left in a box--his injured wing needed some nursing;

Blanche, who was standing in a snow bank with frozen feet; and

Khaki and Cooper, two impulsive Easter buys who weren't wanted a few days later.

Everyone got care, food, shelter, and a new loving home where they could live as a companion animal. www.reddoorshelter.org

50-Ft. Memory Wall -- See the Names of All the Rescued Animals on June 13th

You will want to see the 50-foot Memory Wall this Sunday at Indian Boundary Park, 2500 W. Lunt, Chicago. It will show every name and many photos of the animals rescued by Red Door over the past 10 years.

If you've adopted from Red Door, you can place a heart or star sticker by your pet's name on the wall. And even if you haven't adopted, you'll want to stroll past this most special memory lane. It will be at the 10th Annual Gimme Shelter! Walk for the Animals event Sunday, June 13th. Details at www.reddoorshelter.org

Over 50-feet long??!! That is a real decade of rescues.

Thelma & Louise Are On a Runaway Rampage for June 13th

Thelma and Louise are seriously on a robbing rampage for this Sunday's Gimme Shelter! Walk for the Animals. It's Red Door's 10th anniversary and these two rabbits know that--if not for Red Door--there'd be no no-kill shelter in the Chicago area for homeless bunnies to go. You don't want these two to turn into disapproving rabbits, do you?

So empty your pockets and give a little up for Thelma and Louise--and all the soon-to-be-abandoned Easter bunnies that we'll be taking in. You can make a secure donation at www.firstgiving.com/reddoor-rabbits

400 Pelicans Saved in Louisanna, 1 in Chicago

We're happy to show you this photo of 400 Louisiana pelicans who were rescued from the recent oil spill. This is after they were washed off by a dedicated crew of volunteers.

Red Door has a fondness for pelicans--after all, we got a call one night in 2006 about an injured pelican on the Morse Avenue beach. It was hard to believe, but it was true! We worked with Flintcreek Wildlife to be sure the pelican was rescued & they rehabbed the lucky guy.

You can read more about the Louisana pelicans here:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/08/louisiana.pelican.hospital/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn

And you can see photos of the Lake Michigan pelican that Red Door got the first rescue calls about here:

www.flintcreekwildlife.org under "American White Pelican Release."

We're not just about cats & dogs & rabbits & chickens & ducks. We've saved pelicans, quails, voles, mice, and other critters, too.

Adopt a Cat Month & Red Door's Memory Wall

I'm Mortimer & I was adopted from Red Door. So you'll be able to see my name on the Memory Wall this Sunday at the Gimme Shelter! Walk for the Animals event. I hear the wall will be over 50 ft. long & will show the name of every animal Red Door has saved in the past decade. Join the cat team at www.reddoorshelter.org

Chicago Fire Department Gets Pet Oxygen Masks

Paco is thrilled that the Chicago Fire Department has received a gift of over 200 pet oxygen masks. These masks will go a long way towards helping save pets who are in need.

Paco knows all about need--he was abandoned and had to make his own way until Red Door rescued him. He's doing fine--even though his right ear has a little wear and tear! Now he's waiting for a forever home to adopt him.

You can help pets like Paco by supporting Red Door's Gimme Shelter! Walk for the Animals on June 13th. No dog? No problem? We'd still like to see you there. And if you can't make it, maybe you can make a small, Paco-sized donation at http://www.reddoorshelter.org/

And on June 2, the Chicago Fire Department used their new masks to rescue the lives of two dogs and two cats who were trapped in a fire in West Rogers Park. What great news!