Dorothy Fork, our community's grande dame of animal welfare and tireless organizer of low-cost and free spay and neuter clinics here for over 30 years, will celebrate her 85th birthday next Tuesday, Aug. 22.
There's a good chance that one of your animals may have been `fixed' at Dorothy's United Humanitarian clinics. A tireless advocate for spaying and neutering domestic animals, she has put her money where her mouth is, so to say, by spearheading the first low-cost spay and neuter clinics in the lower Keys in 1976. She held her last clinic on April 28, 2000.
National President of the United Humanitarians (UH) and local branch chairman of the local UH chapter, Dorothy has volunteered her services for over 26 years to her spay and neuter programs, and is directly responsible for `fixing' 9,737 cats, small dogs, and rabbits.
"I was hoping to make it to the 10,000 mark," she said this week. "And I got close, didn't I?"
A cat lover, Dorothy now has six cats, and feeds three backdoor feeders, all of which ("of course!") are spayed or neutered.
"All of my cats were either abandoned, were strays from the shelter, or dumped at my doorstep," says Dorothy.
Bootie, an 18-pound cat pictured above with Dorothy, "belonged to a couple who lived on a small boat. They were expecting a child and couldn't take care of him anymore," Dorothy said. "So they asked me to take him. They didn't want to take Bootie to the shelter because they were afraid he wouldn't be adopted," she said. "So they brought Bootie to me in a carrier with all his toys so he wouldn't feel lonely." Of course, Bootie's previous owners had nothing to worry about— if a cat lives with Dorothy, that's the nearest a feline can get to cat heaven on earth!
Although Dorothy says she is now "retired,"-- "Right now I'm trying to catch up on all my work that was put on `hold' for the last 24 years," she says. Then, almost in the same breath, she adds that she's "hoping to do some free spay and neuter clinics in the SPCA's new spay and neuter mobile clinic when it's ready in the Fall."
Dorothy may make her 10,000 mark after all!
I was shopping in one of our building supply stores last weekend and noticed Glue Traps for sale.
Glue Traps are a horrible invention. They are torture for geckoes, mice, rats, cockroaches, birds and other living creatures that have the bad luck to step on them.
The method of killing is simple-- the critter steps on this 6"x6" piece of cardboard, and its feet, feathers or fur get permanently stuck. Then the idea is to just throw the cardboard, with the animal stuck to it, into a trash can, and forget about the "pest." Out of sight, out of mind.
Meanwhile, the unfortunate critter struggles to free itself until it tires itself out, and eventually dies in pain.
There are better ways to control pests for our comfort and convenience than to slowly torture
them to death. Please don't buy Glue Traps.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This letter was sent to KWTN via e-mail on Monday, July 24, from Lisa Ostberg of West Palm Beach:
I was told about your column and your paper by Vicky Snow of Lower Keys Friends of Animals. Vicky told me about a feature you had last week about a gentleman who has adopted some special-needs cats.
My reason for writing you is that I am desperately hoping that you might be able to help me find a home for a very sweet stray cat that is FIV positive.
His name is Oreo, and I "inherited" him when my elderly grandmother was forced to move from her home because of failing health. She had been leaving food out for a little black and white stray cat for a few years, ever since his owners moved away and simply left him behind.
When my grandmother moved, I began trekking back and forth every few days to the next town to make sure that Oreo was doing OK and had an adequate supply of food. I've started trying to find a shelter or home for him but have not been successful.
When I drive up, he always comes running across the lawns to happily greet me. He's very friendly and will even leave his food bowl to purr and meow in exchange for some rubs and scratches and head pats.
I have been doing what I can to keep Oreo well fed and happy. I have had him neutered and vaccinated. However, I have had no luck in finding a shelter that will take him or anyone who will adopt him because he is FIV positive . . . and I have three other cats.
I don't know if you can help me, but it seems that the culture of Key West is a great deal more accepting of an FIV positive animal than the areas in which I've searched up here. I grin at the very awesome idea of being able to find a home for Oreo down there in Paradise.
I will be eternally grateful for any help you can give me to find a home for Oreo. Please call me at 561-969-2411, 561-967-2133, or e-mail me at SwedeLisa@aol.com.