It was a slow week for adoptions at Have a Heart. Kitties Oliver and Lexie found their new families. Lexie was the most recent store greeter at All Pet and Equine in Mountain Home. Thanks to the folks at All Pet for caring for the greeter kitties until they are adopted. Stop by All Pet and Equine soon to meet the new greeter, Jamie, a 5 month old red male tabby with a purr motor you can hear from across the room. Although adoptions have been a bit slow, our volunteers had plenty to do in order to get ready for the Spay and Neuter Clinic, which is being held at the Shelter this week. The Shelter is continuing to operate with a smaller crew of dedicated volunteers. Between the difficulties dealing with the Covid-19 virus and having less help, we have not been able to care for as many dogs and cats as usual. Hopefully, after the Spay and Neuter Clinic is over, we can take in a few more animals and get back to featuring an adoptable dog and cat each week.
Last week’s article featured one of our foster families that had cared for dogs and puppies for HAH. This week we would like to spotlight one of our feline fosters. The foster that we are spotlighting this week is Peggy Spiegel. She lives in Yellville and works full time at ASUMH. She is married and her husband is happy to help when we ask her to take on this important responsibility. She began fostering for us when we got a litter of four abandoned kittens. She named these orphans after some of Charles Schulz’s beloved Peanuts characters. So far, she has fostered several orphan singles and litters and has cared for over twenty kittens! She fattens them up and keeps them healthy, socialized and well-loved until they are old enough to come into the shelter for adoption. The most recent is a little blind kitten named Andrea Bocelli, after the blind Italian singer. She started fostering him when he was about 6 weeks old. He was found abandoned in Bull Shoals Park. She also just took on two orphans, named Chuck Norris and Arnold Schwarzenegger, estimated to be only 2-1/2 weeks old. They were found after recent storms in our area. These are big names for these three kittens to grow into. They may be tiny but they are fierce. Peggy is an amazing foster parent and has experience taking care of the most vulnerable babies: neonatal kittens (those that are only a few days old or even newborn). Just like premature human babies, these newborns require round-the-clock care to survive. They have a special room in their house just for raising kittens where they will be safe and protected. She and her husband do get attached to these tiny kits and Peggy is often eager to be part of the adoption process and meet potential adopters to tell them all about the personalities of the little ones they’re interested in adopting. It takes a special person to give all this time and love to these orphans, knowing at some point you will have to let them go with a prayer and a kiss. If you think you may be up to the task of being a foster parent for some of Have a Heart’s orphans, contact the Shelter for more info. Have a Heart is located at 657 Highway 202 in Yellville. Hours are Thursday through Saturday, 9 am to 3 pm. Phone 870-449-7387.