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Shelter Stories (2008)

by Patrick McDonnell(Favorite Author)

4.55 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0740771159 (ISBN13: 9780740771156)

languge

English

genre

Graphic Novels & Comics

publisher

Andrews McMeel Publishing

review 1: I loved it, it tugged at my heart and made me give my own senior rescue dog a tighter hug. The comics were too cute, and made me smile. I, too, wish there was more information on the animals featured, but at the end of the day they were all adopted and living healthy, happy lives and that made me happy. I had started this earlier today, but finished it tonight even more emotional after learning yet another city here in Hampton Roads killed another loving animal, and once again there were arrangements already made for them to be adopted/rescued. I thank the author, Mr. McDonnell, for bringing the plight/thoughts of these animals (including the small animals, hamsters, rabbits, etc) to the forefront in his comics and through this book. If people like him will continue to... more garner positive attention for shelters around the country, people like me will continue to push our local governments for our shelters to be a safe haven with the sole purpose of re-homing displaced/stray animals into new loving homes (No Kill).
review 2: I enjoyed all of McDonnell's cartoons and the premise behind the collection, but I wish the stories about the adopted animals were a bit longer. However, any literature that promotes animal adoption deserves many accolades, and I'm glad McDonnell has devoted himself to assisting the HSUS in this cause.If you're interested, the following is the story of my dog, Otis, a former pound puppy.I waited a long time to replace my childhood dog, Maggie--seven years, in fact. Throughout college I wanted a dog so badly it sometimes hurt, but financial and time restraints kept me from being able to adopt. After graduating and finding a good job, my boyfriend and I decided now was time for a dog. We considered our living arrangements--medium sized apartment, good neighborhood for walking--and decided a female, three-or-more-year-old, Schnauzer or terrier mix would be right for us. We knew we wanted to adopt a pup from a shelter, and set out first for the Mobile County Animal Shelter. We sat outside while the shelter opened, and once allowed inside, we were informed we'd have to wait another hour until we could go back to the kennels. We patiently waited until we were let inside, and once we did, it was love at first sight.I knew when I saw Otis, all fifteen pounds of scruffy Schnauzer mix, that he was the one for me. While the other dogs howled and barked, Otis calmly dashed back and forth in his kennel, quietly leaping up and down. Energetic, but quiet--just what we wanted. But I knew not to pick the first dog I saw, choosing instead to go by every single kennel in the pound, petting the pups and discussing them with my boyfriend. We almost selected two other dogs before settling, at last, on the one who first stole my heart. Never mind that he was only a year old, or male. He was ours.We've had Otis since October 6, 2008. He's gained weight and is kept well-groomed. We don't have a lot of money, but what we do we spend on our pup. He is well-fed, sees the vet, attends events put on by local animal groups, has more toys than we do, and goes on at least three walks a day. We spend all our free time with Otis, and I spend my time away from him obsessing about his well-being. It took him a while to get over the 'shelter mentality,' but he's bonded with us and with my loved ones' pets. To be honest, I don't know what I'd do without him.We are all three grateful to Maddie's Fund for keeping Otis alive and adoptable until he and I could find one another. We are also grateful to the staff at the Mobile County Animal Shelter for taking good care of Otis while he was in their care. Without the help of these organizations, I never would have found the missing piece to my life. less

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