Jake adjusted well almost immediately, but since then, he has absolutely become his full self — a happy, confident, healthy soul. I have now had an opportunity to see him in various situations — during home improvement projects with various disruptions in furniture availability, others working in my home, occasional visits from a neighboring cat, changes in weather that affect his interest in going outside. 

 

Through it all, he has expressed calmness — he is not disinterested or inattentive but seems to quickly assess the new condition or disturbance and usually decides it is not worth any further action or anxiety. I rationalize this as: for a cat who has been through the crisis of the Paradise fire and survived, he is not going to worry about little things. As an older cat (probably over 10 years old), I wasn’t sure how interactive he would become. And if he simply wanted to sleep and eat, I was fine with that: these are his ‘golden years’. But he has become more playful and more expressive and has developed some daily rituals that are endearing. 

 

Healthwise, he seems fine and this has been confirmed with visits to the local veterinarian. He did have some dental work (several broken and troublesome teeth removed) — and I was aware of this likelihood when I adopted him. But he recovered from that surgery well and quickly and it has not affected his appetite or eating ability. 

 

My friends and family have also ’embraced’ Jake — some of my dear friends in Carmel made a ‘welcome’ card for him. 

 

Jake truly seems to love his home and his life. I love having him in my life. He is a delightful soul and a constant reminder of the potential to survive tragedy and emerge whole, to live a happy ‘second’ life. 

 

My thanks to BHS for caring for Jake and giving him a ‘post-fire’ chance at life!

 

By BHS Adopter Doug Alexander

I wasn’t really looking for a dog. One evening, on a lark, I accessed the Butte Humane Society website and perused the dogs available for adoption … and there he was!

The next morning, I again checked the website and he was gone ☹️.  I contacted BHS and was told they had so many inquiries they decided to remove his pic until he was ready for adoption.  I filled out an application and pretty much forgot about it.
Two weeks later BHS contacted me to ask if I was still interested.  I made an appointment to meet “Odie” and knew he was the right size and a perfect match for me!  Stopped by Tractor Supply to pick up some food and a harness and headed home to introduce “Odie” to his new environs.

After a trip to the groomer for a bath and trim, three weeks later he and I loaded up my travel trailer and headed to Baja for a monthlong, beach camping vacation.  He was in “doggie heaven”!  Most of my Baja friends have dogs and, besides being the “new kid on the block”, he instantly socialized with all his new pals.

When we returned home we were greeted with snow!  Needless to say, he was quite surprised to have entered the truck for the trip home with 80-degree temperatures and exited the truck upon arrival home to temps in the 30’s!

I did decide to keep the name he was given at the shelter.  In fact, it was rather apropos.  The Baja beach where I winter is called El Coyote.  So, I just changed it a bit to El “Coy-Odie”!  All in all, he has been a terrific companion and a wonderful addition to my life.  Thank you, BHS for rescuing this little guy!!

When I first saw Tetra on the BHS Website a few months ago, I instantly fell in love with her tiny physique and contrasting giant bat-like ears. I hadn’t had a dog since childhood and wasn’t sure that I was ready to make that commitment, but I found myself going back to Tetra’s profile on the website each day. I was always surprised to see her profile still active and wondered how no one had scooped this little baby up into their lives.

 

Eventually, I messaged our Foster Coordinator to see if Tetra was available to foster. Luckily, unbeknownst to me, she was currently fostering Tetra and was actively looking for someone to take over! I brought Tetra home the next day and so began our journey. She settled into our house very quickly, joining right in with our lives and making our house her home. She and my boyfriend immediately took to one another, she loves to curl up in his arms and has learned that his beard is the best head-scratcher she could have ever dreamed of!

 

We had soon decided that Tetra was the perfect pooch for us and we couldn’t imagine parting with her. We started the adoption process as soon as we could and officially welcomed Tetra home. She’s nearly 11 years old, but that doesn’t stop her from living life to the fullest! She’s such a sweet gal with a complex and vibrant personality, she loves to snuggle in bed each night and is so fun to take on outings and trips. Tetra has been the perfect addition to our lives that we never knew we needed, we are so lucky to have her!

Written by Adopter Madeline Rau.

Sid and I have had a big year and he has been such a positive light. I took him on as a Foster after I was paired with him for the BARC program through Chico State Psychology Department. Because of the Camp Fire I was asked to continue to be his foster through the coming months. 

By the time he could have gone back to BHS I could not stomach taking him back. By then my home was his home, my bed was his bed, and my heart belonged to him. I knew of his behavioral issues and I believed because of that I was right home for him to continue and be consistent with his training. Based on my experience with him, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Sid loves his kitty brother, his little poodle sister, and kids, which was the opposite of what his sign said. We had to work on all of those things over time but it was not impossible. 

Things he loves: chicken, running after the ball but not bringing it back, runs through Bidwell, going to the barn in Butte Valley to take care of the horses and ride in the cart, having lazy days and visits to the grandparents in Sacramento. I love that I can give him the best last years of his life, just based off of his rap sheet of the amount of times he was surrendered.