Leash up your dog, put on your casual party clothes and bring the kids to one of the most fun events of the holiday season-- Lower Keys Friends of Animals' 4th Annual Claws and Paws Christmas Party and Fundraiser-- next Saturday, Dec. 4, at 2 p.m.
For a $15 donation you will receive a 5 x 7 color photo (like the one above) of you and your pet in a keepsake Christmas folder taken by the pros at Key West Photo Crew, goodies for your pet from Key's Pet Market, a chance to win some great door prizes for yourself and your pet, and a guaranteed good time!
The generous folks at Pepe's Cafe will host the Claws and Paws event next Saturday with Christmas cookies, great eggnog, and Sunset Ale, for starters. Rick Kirvan, who holds this year's title of `Papa' in the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, will once again play Santa Claws or "the last Papa of the 1900s," as Cheri Morgan calls him.
If you want to use your keepsake photo for Christmas cards, KW Photo Crew offers a 50-percent discount for reprints.
Lower Keys Friends of Animals(LKFOA) is an all-volunteer agency that holds low-cost and free spaying and neutering at their clinic at the Cat House in Key Plaza, fosters homeless animals for adoption, and maintains stray cat feeding stations throughout Key West and the lower Keys. Proceeds from thisfundraiser will go directly to LKFOA.
Info: call 294-9445.
Mrs. Brewsky dressed up for her lunch date with Key West Kritter Patrol volunteers at the Paradise Cafe last Tuesday in hopes that someone at the popular luncheon spot would see her and want to adopt her.
"She's the perfect dog," said Roy Stone, shelter volunteer and number-one dog caretaker at the Shelter. "She has those short legs and when she puts one of her paws up, like a `high five,' she looks right in your eyes and you can't refuse her.
"She's great with other dogs and kids, loves to ride in cars and just hang out, " said Stone. "The only thing Mrs. Brewsky doesn't like to do is share her food."
Mrs. Brewsky is about two years old and is spayed.
There are 40 other healthy and lovable dogs and puppies for adoption at the Shelter. Keys Pet Market in Overseas MarketPlace also has some shelter puppies there for adoption.
Cats and kittens abound! Over 100 are ready for adoption to good homes. Adoption fees for adult cats are only $10 total. Kitten fees are between $30 and $40 depending on whether the kitten is male or female.
Adoption fees for large dogs are still very reasonable, at only $20 total. All other dogs and puppies are about $60 total for licenses, spay/neuter and adoption fees. Info: call the Shelter at 294-4857.
Shelter Hours: M-F, 9-6; Saturdays, 10-2, and open Noon-3 on Sun., Dec. 5 for adoptions only.
Patsy Cline, who was featured in last week's Critters In Paradise Page (11/19 issue) was the object of a tug of war and near fist-fight at the Shelter last Saturday, Nov. 20.
Apparently, the story goes, her photo was seen by a man serving time at the Monroe County Jail.
On Saturday, while KW Kritter Patrol volunteer Lisa Cowan was washing the dogs along with some high school volunteers, the man came into the shelter and said he was looking for a dog to adopt. He walked into the back of the shelter and before you could say "bow wow" had a nylon cord around Patsy Cline's neck and was dragging her out of the back, through the Shelter office and out onto Jr. College Road.
Ce Ce Crane, who was in the cat house with Kathy Stupek, ran out when she heard Lisa Cowan cry out, "He's stealing Patsy Cline!"
Ce Ce took off after the guy (a real feat after major back surgery only two weeks before) and chased the offender who was running towardsthe public worksdepartment at the county office buildings.
While Ce Ce was running after Patsy's kidnapper, Kathy Stupek ran to her car and took off in pursuit of Ce Ce and Patsy Cline, while calling the Sheriff's Dept. on her cell phone.
In the meantime, Shelter Director Charles Brown and SPCA employee Donnie Aller jumped into the Animal Control Truck and headed out to help Ce Ce and rescue Patsy.
Ce Ce cornered the offender in the parking lot of the public works building and stood her ground until Charles and Donnie arrived.
"Charles faced down the dognapper who was yelling all sorts of foul curses at us-- I thought they might start fist fighting!" said CeCe. "Then Donnie grabbed Patsy's leash and hustled her into the truck, out of harm's way."
The dognapper took off again, running across College Road onto US 1 and over the Cow Key Bridge with Charles and Donnie in hot pursuit.
CeCe, Patsy and another SPCA employee, Wendy Ettish, who had also come out to help, jumped in the truck and drove to US 1 to help Donnie and Charles.
About that time, County Sheriff's Deputies showed up, apprehended the dognapper, and took him back to jail.
Although the man said that Patsy was his dog and that his girlfriend dropped the dog off at the shelter when he was sent to jail, it didn't look like he was a favorite of Patsy's.
"She didn't act like she liked the guy at all," said Crane. "She didn't want to go with him, and was dragging her feet."
After the dognapper was led off by the deputies, Charles and Donnie went to get into the truck for a ride back to the Shelter. But Patsy wouldn't budge out of the passenger seat (she loves to ride in cars).
So Ce Ce, Charles and Wendy rode in the cab with Patsy.
But because there was no more room in the cab, Donnie had to ride in the animal control dog cage in the back.
Some dogs have it made.