by Wendy Hunter

I’d like a dry martini, Mr. Quoc, a very dry martini. A very dry, arid, barren, desiccated, veritable dustbowl of a martini. I want a martini that could be declared a disaster area. ~Hawkeye Pierce, MASH

Well, it’s been a crazy busy weekend, including Easter, Cesare Chavez Day, and my parents’ 69th anniversary. And if my lovely father were still here, he would be savoring a nicely chilled martini this evening. Tito’s please, two olives, and very light on the vermouth. And like most red-blooded sports fans, he would currently be obsessed with the wild and wacky world of college basketball, also known as March Madness. I have to admit, I’ve never been a hoop fan, but for some reason, I find the girls teams much more exciting to watch than any pro men’s team. And this year’s sweetheart player for Iowa is extremely talented, incredibly fast, and considered to be the greatest female basketball player in college history. Her name is Kaitlyn Clark, and if you haven’t heard of her, you better start tunneling out from that rock you’ve been under. You can’t turn on the TV without hearing her life story, and what a superstar she is both on and off the court. The sportscasters are completely enthralled with Kaitlyn, and can rattle off her stats and shoe size, and all that really important stuff. But the thing that really makes these talking heads happy, is just saying her name. And not just her name, her FULL name. The other day, I started counting how many times they said Kaitlyn Clark, until I just lost interest. I’m sure that in a dorm room somewhere, there’s a bunch of Iowa college kids taking shots every time her name is said. “Kaitlyn Clark’s down the court…Kaitlyn Clark’s at the net…Kaitlyn Clark scores her 97th basket…Kaitlyn Clark shoves the ref!” Shots!

Come, come! Let us go to breakfast. The morning air has given me a rude appetite. I long to say grace over a fresh egg… ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

We didn’t have any shots at ARF St. Patrick’s Day breakfast, but we did have tons of tasty treats, that were both sweet and salty. Fluffy pancakes and French toast were piled high, along with bacon, sausage, and the ever popular cheesy potatoes. Made-to-order omelets were quite the hit, as well as scrambled eggs, chorizo, and warm tortillas. There were pastries, and cakes, gallons of coffee and juice, plus scrumptious yogurt parfaits. A new addition this year, much to my tummy’s great joy, were delicious chicken and waffle bites. That combination of sticky and savory really hit the spot. YUM. Don’t ask me how many I had. So kudos to our chef and his merry band of cooks! At Animal Rescue of Fresno, we take our food very seriously, and it’s obvious that the public does too. We had a great turnout, under sunny skies, and the attendees seemed to have a pretty good time. Another addition to our event this year was a puppy-approved Kissing Booth. For just a nickel, people could take a photo with their pooch, or even an ARF dog. Lots of smooches were shared all around, and it proved to be quite the crowd pleaser. I think the doggies enjoyed it as well because, hey, who wouldn’t want to live the celebrity life for a day?

Twenty fingers, twenty toes,
Two sweet babies with cheeks of rose.
Born the same day, two gifts from above,
Lives entwined, two babies to love.
~Author unknown

At Animal Rescue of Fresno, it really is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get. There are certain things that happen all the time, like calls for abandoned kittens, a dog running through the streets, and the people looking to relocate their pet because they’re moving TOMORROW. We get calls from those who have found wildlife creatures, like injured squirrels, cranky geese, or the occasional reptile. We’ve even had a purple pig hang out with us for a while, and sometimes you get a chocolate-covered turtle or a raspberry cream. Recently a couple relinquished two tiny puppies to ARF with an interesting backstory. We received a call from a couple who had a female French bulldog and a male Shefki, which is a German Shepherd Husky mix. The female was having issues with a lot of panting and heavy breathing, so they took her to the ER. They discovered she was in labor, and the hospital did an emergency C-section where they delivered two baby girls. The couple were confused, because the dogs were never together, except for when they were in the backyard. Hmmm. Methinks that’s when they were watching I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant and forgot there were two unaltered adults outside having some sexy time. Hey, kiss me before you do that!

They were so much alike, from their hair to their feet,
That people would stare when they walked down the street,
And no one, not even their own mother, knew
Which one was what one, and what one was who.
~Dr. Seuss

Unfortunately, after giving birth, the mommy felt like I do about babies, and promptly said, “Um, no.” She had no interest in feeding the puppies, and no matter what the owners tried, she dug in her heels. She wasn’t making much milk and refused to nurse, until the owners forcibly held her down so the pups could eat. According to wagwalking.com, “If your dog had a cesarean section, she is likely to have mixed feelings about her pups. During a normal birth, the mother produces oxytocin, which increases the hormones to give her the urge to take care of her puppies. If your dog gets a cesarean section, she will not get this boost of hormones that help urge her into motherhood.”

The couple ran out of ideas and started calling around, and the puppies are now being fostered by our Vice President and get to hang out in the ARF office. Ahava and Simcha are doing very well. Ahava means “love” and Simcha means “joy and blessing.” I’m interested to see what they look like as they get older; I mean Frenchie and Shepherd? I see little short legs and very long hair with the attitude of both. These girls have to be fed every two hours, which is another reason I’d be a lousy mother; I love sleeping way too much. Geez, I get irritated when my crazy Cocoa dog starts barking at 2 a.m. At least I can get her to quiet down if I give her a favorite jerky treat. And unlike a baby bottle, I don’t even have to heat it up. Score!

Most of the time, we have people who come along and “donate” a dog. Which means they are surrendering their pet for a number of reasons. Usually, we never hear from them again. In the case of the black puppies, this couple are the kind of responsible people who are still contributing to the well-being of the animals they surrendered. Recently, our twin puppy parents came by and donated two more cans of puppy milk, which are about $25 a pop. They continue to donate whatever they can, which is an amazing thing to do. They are a fantastic family, and are so grateful that ARF took in their puppies. The fact that they are willing to help ARF in caring for those puppies means the world to us. Good job peeps.

Even when they’re brought into the woods again, Hansel says, ”Do not cry, Gretel, go to sleep quietly, the good God will help us. ~Brothers Grimm

And now for the kind of story that I love. When I was at the St. Patrick’s Day breakfast, I met a lovely sad-eyed Boxer who was taking up temporary residence in the ARF office. His name is Hansel, and he has dark chocolate eyes, an affectionate personality, and a whole mess of stitches up his back right leg. Hansel had apparently been hit by a car and was found with that back leg dangling. He was taken into a local shelter, and then received surgery to remove the leg, which was too damaged to save. For a dog who has been through such trauma, you would think he would be frightened of everybody. But this adorable dog had me falling in love with him the second we locked eyes. So sweet, so friendly, so wanting to please. At the pancake breakfast, we have a lot of people coming into the office to just look around or use the restroom. Hansel never ever barked at anyone and enjoyed all the attention from adults and kids alike. He’s a young one, and at the time, very skinny. I don’t know if it was all the pain meds, but he was a sweetheart to everyone he met. I was thrilled to hear that he was going to head home with some repeat adopters as soon as he healed up. You might remember my article about “Greta”, the horribly skinny, pregnant Boxer who came to us a few months ago. The people who adopted her are adopting Hansel, and I predict a fantastic future for everyone. I wonder if Greta’s family would think about changing her name to Gretel. Now THAT would be a fairy tale ending…

It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn’t.
~Barbara Kingsolver

Animal Rescue of Fresno
4545 E Dakota Ave.
Fresno, CA 93726
Website: arf-fresno.com

Check out more animal rescue stories in our Pet Perspective section and check back every month for another animal rescue adventure from ARF. Advertise in KRL and 10% of your advertising fees can go to a local animal rescue. We also have a pet Facebook group for KRL and we would love to have you join!

Wendy Hunter has been volunteering with ARF since 2014. She grew up in Fresno and has been an Office Assistant with Fresno County for 7 years. She has been writing all of her life, though never professionally, and currently writes personalized poetry for birthdays, weddings, pet remembrances, etc.