Patapsco Valley View

Who Am I? The Story of Leo!

Volume 17                                   July 2013

Recently I have been dropping empty soda cans off at Howard County Animal Control. www.animal-advocates.org collects the cans and uses the money to help support pets in the shelter and foster programs - so if you have soda cans………. Of course while I’m there I have to stop in to see just who might be looking for a good home in case any of our clients might be in need of a furry friend to share their lives.

Now the Howard County facility has a great reputation for getting unwanted pets adopted and I recently spoke with one of the volunteers who mentioned that not a single adoptable animal has been euthanized at the facility this year. Great job!!! In fact, Howard County has done so well in placing dogs in new homes that they are actually working with other shelters in Maryland to offer dogs that have been found or given up in other areas of the state.

But some of the pets, especially older cats, do stay for a while before someone realizes the value of adopting an older animal. Most of the cats and dogs there have been found roaming, either the victim of an accidental escape from the house or yard, or a blatantly irresponsible act by a human being who doesn’t understand the responsibility of owning a pet. There are some sad cases of pets whose ’parents’ have died, other stories of older owners who can no longer care properly for their pets, and animals who are brought to the kennel because of neglect or misuse.

There are some wonderful animals available if you just want to open your heart.

About a month ago I met a rather large, orange, neutered male cat dubbed “Leo” by the staff. He had been found wandering and had been brought to the county facility to await his rescue. Leo seemed like a great cat, he would rub your hand as you tried to pet him and he would call out to you when you walked passed his cage. He was a rather large boy, not really fat, just ‘big boned’. He looked like a winner to find a good home quickly.

So I was surprised when I went back a week later and found that he was still there, and even a week after that….. I wondered if Leo would ever find a family to love him.

This week I went to the facility, dropped off my cans, and stepped inside. I looked around and realized that I didn’t see Leo. So I asked a volunteer who worked there and was told that HIS OWNER FOUND HIM!!!!

After nearly a month of living comfortably but still in a cage, Leo had gone home. After weeks of being lost, his owner had found him alive and well. Now Leo has a identity microchip, and if he goes missing again, it will only be a little while before someone at a vet hospital or animal control facility runs a scanner over him and contacts the registry to find his owner.

Microchips are safe, simple to implant, inexpensive, and can be a life saver.

Now the question is: Does your pet have a microchip?