Sonoma Pet Tales from Nancy King

News of man’s best friends and friendly felines in Sonoma.|

Happy New Year Sonoma – I hope everyone and their pets have been safe and dry during this rainy season.

The storm three weeks ago (when Broadway and MacArthur flooded), got us motivated to be more prepared. We are now at the ready with plenty of sandbags and evacuation procedures in place in the event of a flash flood.

Last week’s storms were not as bad as predicted, but there are more storms coming. Are you and your pet ready for an emergency?

Here are some simple steps you can take to ensure you’ll have everything you need for your pet’s safety.

1. Microchip your pet.

2. Put a pet rescue decal in the window

3. Know where your pet goes if they’re afraid, so you can find them and evacuate faster

4. Have a pet-friendly place in mind to go if you need to leave your home

5. Carry a picture of your pet in the event of a separation

6. Keep a crate or pet carrier handy for transport and safe keeping

Fortunately our feline population is down to a manageable number and we just ran an evacuation drill at the shelter in November. No one wants to think about worst-case scenarios, but being prepared is so much easier than scrambling at the last minute.

Here’s a sweet community story about a cat named Christmas. A few days after the first of the year, one of our volunteers told us that a stray cat had been found in her neighborhood on Christmas night.

Through some neighborly networking someone down the street offered to foster the kitty and also foot the bill for all Christmas’s vaccinations.

After three weeks of nursing and looking for a home for him, the good Samaritan could no longer keep him and brought him to Pets Lifeline.

But then the story of Christmas was buzzing all around town and lo and behold the day after Christmas came to Pets Lifeline, an adopter came forward. Thank you for Jamie Hildreth, Adriane McNaught, Vail Schaefer and her husband, Pam Landry, among others.

The day he came to Pets Lifeline, he was neutered and microchipped by our shelter vet. The next day (adoption day) five of the neighbors who came together on his behalf gathered at PLL to wish him well in his new forever home.

We are still looking for a forever home for our bonded pair of Chihuahuas, Sean and Connery. It generally takes longer to find adoptive homes for bonded pairs because many shelters are reluctant to separate a bonded pair for fear of the emotional impact it would have on them. That is the case with these two precious pooches.

They were found together over by Train Town in March and have been here ever since. They are the perfect duo for adoption. They can play and keep each other company while you’re at work.

On Jan. 21 and 22, we’ll be out at Muscardini Cellars for a celebration of life for Beni Muscardini. Beni was the beloved golden retriever of Michael Muscardini and Kate Eilertsen. The loss of a pet is so heart wrenching and we look forward to sharing the celebration of Beni’s life with all who drop by. Muscardini is donating 10 percent of all wine sales to Pets Lifeline over the two-day celebration.

Let us know if you need any additional tips on how to prepare for emergencies for your pets. Pets Lifeline actually has both dog and cat emergency kits for sale to put in your car if you have to make a hasty get away.

Until we meet again...peace, love and paws!

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.