[insert Photo of MC with one or more animals to accompany article]
Margie Callahan served as a shelter pre-adoption interviewer-investigator for a year in the early 1990s, and also as a member of the Animal Matters Hearing Board from 1994 to 1996. Only one family was denied adoption during that time, she recalled, because they had just moved into their new home and were still in the process of getting settled. The house didn’t even have furniture! Margie was reluctant to bring a needy animal into this chaotic environment so she deferred adoption and suggested that the family contact her at a later date.
Margie remembered working with Carol Johnson, who used to be the shelter’s kennel director and later became director of its computer network operations. “Carol did a fantastic job managing the kennel to keep it running smoothly. She is a very talented, admirable person,” Margie said.
Margie remembered working with Carol Johnson, who used to be the shelter’s kennel director and later became director of its computer network operations. “Carol did a fantastic job managing the kennel to keep it running smoothly. She is a very talented, admirable person,” Margie said.
Former volunteer and board member Fumi Winter was another stand-out in Margie's recollection. One time there were two dogs attacking each other. "Without any hesitation or concern for her own safety," Margie said, "Fumi went over to the fighting dogs and sat on one of them to stop their fighting. She sat there until they were secured in a safe area."
New physical plant needed for the shelter
New physical plant needed for the shelter
Like many others, Margie feels the shelter building is too small and in too poor physical shape to deal effectively with the number of animals that pass through its doors. “Given the increasing number of animals that need special attention, the building needs to be bigger to comfortably accommodate all of them.”
There are negative ramifications from the lack of space. “One time (a number of) Chow dogs were brought to the shelter because they had been abused by their owners. Several Chows needed separate quarters because the barking of the other dogs upset them. This put a severe strain on the shelter’s resources because it was too small to accommodate their needs."
Adopting Cosmo, the shelter cat
Cosmo was a big, fat cat who arrived at the shelter in 1996. In fact, he was sent back to the shelter quite a few times for running away. His future was precarious, to say the least, since he would have been euthanized if no one had adopted him. Margie heard about him and went to the shelter to meet him. “I immediately fell in love with him and adopted him. I saved the cat’s life!”
How he got his name is a good story. “He was a very good jumper," Margie said. "He loved jumping from counter to counter and onto the top of cupboards. His behavior reminded me of the character Cosmo Kramer on the 90s hit TV show, Seinfeld. Hence I named him Cosmo.”
Currently Margie owns six cats and two dogs. She spends about $50 a month on pet food, quite an expense in today’s economic climate.
How he got his name is a good story. “He was a very good jumper," Margie said. "He loved jumping from counter to counter and onto the top of cupboards. His behavior reminded me of the character Cosmo Kramer on the 90s hit TV show, Seinfeld. Hence I named him Cosmo.”
Currently Margie owns six cats and two dogs. She spends about $50 a month on pet food, quite an expense in today’s economic climate.
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