by Wendy Hunter

Gnome and elf and fairy,
Witch and ghost make merry
On this last of dear October’s days.
—Lettie C. Van Derveer

BOO! It’s Halloween again my friends, and tonight the streets will be filled with all kinds of creepy crawly things. Gigantic spiders lay in wait for unwary children, motion activated skeletons make the kiddies scream with glee, while ghosts and goblins float above the sidewalks in a spooky haze. Not only does Netflix offer up some mighty fine viewing, it also provides some amazing costume ideas for dressing up in one’s favorite weird and/or wacky character. I’m sure the cast of Stranger Things will make an appearance, along with the glamorous gowns of Bridgerton, and those hapless contestants of the ultra-gory Squid Games. “Red light, green light” will never be the same. By the time you read this, Halloween will be long gone, with nothing left but some scattered Snickers wrappers and fun-sized bags of M&M’s. We hardly get any Trick or Treaters at our house these days because ringing doorbells has been replaced with Trunk or Treat events. People hardly trust their neighbors anymore, let alone that decaying home down the block with the broken windows and darkened doorstep. Shiver. When I was growing up in the 70s, we never heard of horrible things like razors in apples or poisoned candy bars. We were warriors then, and blindly went from house to house, our bags slowly filling with sugar. I am sure that has absolutely nothing to do with my diabetes diagnosis.

It’s impossible to be gloomy when you’re sitting behind a marshmallow.
—Charles M. Schulz (Lucy roasting marshmallows with Snoopy.)

Speaking of sweet things, raise your hand if you remember the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man from the original Ghostbusters movie. Almost all of you, not bad. At Animal Rescue of Fresno, we have our very own Marshmallow man. He doesn’t wear a sailor suit, or stand ten stories tall, but he’s squishy and fluffy just the same. This handsome boy is about two years old, and thinks his mission in life is to announce every visitor at ARF’s doorstep. As soon as you step one foot inside our building, Marshmallow will announce your arrival. “Someone’s here! Someone’s here!” Okay, it’s just barking, but that’s what I think he’s saying to the entire world. Yup, he’s a pretty funny guy, and very smart, too.

We’re not quite exactly sure what Marshmallow’s breed is, but we’re thinking maybe some sort of Poodle mix with a bit of Lhasa Apso thrown in for good measure. One thing we are sure about is that he’s not a big fan of other dogs, and doesn’t really care for cats either. Marshmallow really enjoys having a person to himself, and doesn’t quite know what the word “share” means. He would do best in a home where he is the King of the Castle, and there are no other pets around. Something else he enjoys is a good stroll around the block. He may have short little legs, but he can really move once he’s out on that leash. So, what if he looks like a mop on a skateboard?

The bells ring out, and how they dance
Below, around the Christmas Tree!
—Hiram Ladd Spencer

When Marshmallow arrived at ARF, he was, to put it bluntly, a matted mess. His fur was dirty and tangled, and definitely didn’t smell like a bed of roses. Phew. It must have been so uncomfortable for him, and we couldn’t get him to the groomers fast enough. Luckily, he did very well during the grooming process, and he looked like a completely different dog. Wow, there was actually a face underneath all that hair!

The most important thing potential adopters must know about Marshmallow is that he occasionally has seizures. He wears a necklace of Jingle Bells to alert volunteers when he may be experiencing one of them. You might automatically think of a seizure where the body shakes and convulses, but not in Marshmallow’s case. When he has one, he kind of stares off into space and doesn’t appear to know what is happening. It doesn’t last very long, maybe seconds or a few minutes. The one time I’ve seen him during a seizure, he was panting and laying on his tummy while a volunteer gently stroked his head. He is on medication now and takes a pill twice a day. He will remain on medication until the vet determines he does not need them anymore.

On the meds, he’s only had two seizures, and there’s really no guarantee how long he will continue to get them. According to the website Carolina Vet Specialists, “In dogs, seizures typically happen suddenly, without warning, and last just a brief period of time; a few seconds to a couple of minutes. While there are different categorizations of seizures your dog may experience, it is not unusual for an individual dog to experience more than one type of seizure, and it may surprise you to know that not all seizures necessarily involve convulsions.” If you’ve got a lot of love to give, Marshmellow would love to be your new best friend. Jingle bells included.

Love may be blind, but his ears are monstrous keen.
—Minna Thomas Antrim

Now I know what you’re thinking; I’ve seen that cute little face before. And you would be right. Her name is Goldie, and I’ve written about her in this publication not too long ago. And yet, she’s still at ARF. This adorable senior dog is more than ready for a loving family to call her own. There’s nothing NOT to like about this lovely creature who gets along with dogs, cats, and even children. Goldie is your basic brown Chihuahua or, as we like to call them, a “California Specialty.” Honestly, she can be a bit grouchy, but if you were eleven years old in dog years, you might not be in the best mood all the time.

Goldie’s eyesight is not the greatest, and she does require drops in both her eyes daily. Because she doesn’t see well, she tends to get a little scared, especially when being picked up. She would really enjoy a one-on-one relationship with one person and no other dogs around. When she bonds with a person, she REALLY bonds. For example, she is absolutely obsessed with our volunteer coordinator Mindi, whom she shares office space with. If Mindi leaves the office just to step outside for a few minutes, oh my goodness, the drama begins. Goldie will stand at the door, cocking her little head to hear Mindi’s voice, whimpering and pacing as if the world had ended. It’s SO tragic. Now who wouldn’t want to be adored like that?

Marcie: How can you pig-out on all that junk food every day, Sir?
Peppermint Patty: Life is more than carrot sticks, Marcie.
—Charles Schulz, Peanuts

Though her eyes may be failing, Goldie has excellent hearing due to her radar-like ears, especially when food is around. FOOD! Oh my gosh, the food this girl can consume is crazy. I don’t know where she puts it all because she’s so tiny. Unfortunately, her former owners only fed her human food, so she thinks dog food is garbage. But if you walk in the door with a McDonald’s cheeseburger buried in your pocket, she knows it right away. Goldie will eat a little bit of canned dog food and hard small kibble, but she really enjoys cottage cheese, chicken, scrambled eggs, and the aforementioned fast food.

Even though Goldie gets along with dogs, and because she grazes all day, it’s best she is the only dog in the house. Since her vision isn’t 100%, she thinks other dogs are trying to harm her, and she reacts to defend herself. If only all of us could have a metabolism like hers where we could eat anything and keep our girlish figures. Goldie definitely wants to have people around, and if you leave for a while, she’ll sing loudly and off-key. That’s her way of letting you know she’s not happy about the whole situation. Eventually, she stops her serenade. Goldie’s not a big fan of going on walks but wouldn’t mind a little stroll on the patio or backyard. For an older person with a nice comfy bed and some tasty treats, Goldie would be the perfect pillow partner. Snooooooze…

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.