Letting Go Is Never Easy

By Daniel Quagliozzi

It is with tremendous sorrow that I write this weeks blog entry. After 12 long and happy years, I was forced to make the hardest decision a pet guardian will ever make. My 18 year old companion; Matilda came to the end of her magical journey last week after battling many indignities that seemed to be adding up over the years. The onset of renal failure and her slowly accumulating cognitive dysfunction were making her daily life very difficult with basic needs like drinking, eating and walking becoming extremely difficult.

I could not bare to see my best friend decline this way, fully knowing that every one of her future days would be clouded with confusion, pain and discomfort. After long tear filled discussions with my wife, we made a promise to end her pain and let her go on in peace. A decision we would torment ourselves while still understaning it was righteous and necessary.

Matilda left us on August 28th, 2009. All the moments leading up to her final one were torturous. Saying goodbye to my best friend and trying to detach myself from her was something I quickly realized was going to be the hardest moment of our relationship. After all, Matilda was a truly unique friend that had so many memorable quirks. You may remember her from many blog posts in the past. My last hurrah for her was the story about how a friend watched her when I went to Hawaii. Matilda was ALWAYS by my side, starting the moment I would enter my apartment until the moment I fell asleep. We were always joined at the hip. In keeping with our commitment to each other, she never left my lap until she fell asleep that very last time.

You can imagine that there is a profound sense of emptiness in our home now. You find yourself looking for her in her normal places or hearing her when she is never going to be there, a transition I will never ever get used to. I smell her sweet smell. I still find things she hid in the corners or under the bed. Most of all I still expect her to be by my side, even though I know she always will be. My best friend is gone but forever in my heart.

For myself and others that choose to work in animal welfare, losing an animal that is close to you is very unique. You can't just go back to your desk job and forget your troubles. The next day, you are back in the shelter working with cats or dogs. There are reminders everywhere you turn. The best part is that you find yourself turning to your coworkers who support and understand everything you are going through. Yesterday, I cried on the bus, surrounded by strangers on the way to work. When I got to work, I cried among animal lovers who understood my pain.

Having worked in a shelter environment for over 7 years and seeing many cats come and go, I have been spared the pain of personal loss as Matilda was my first and only cat. I can honestly say that I am now looking at what I do for a living with a whole new perspective. Just when I thought my work was important, I now know just how much impact each cat has on the humans it touches. Matilda was a great ambassador for the cause and I will never ever forget her. I also know that she had fans all over the world. Readers of this blog would almost always respond in high numbers when I posted about her. Rest assured that she is in a peaceful place. Matilda is everywhere now.

If you are going through similar pain or loss of your animal companion, the SFSPCA has a Pet Loss Support Group once a month.

http://sfspca.org/programs-services/pet-loss-support

Pet Loss Support Group Sessions
No reservations are ever needed, and groups meet on the first Tuesday of every month in The SF/SPCA Humane Education Classroom, located at 243 Alabama Street. (View map) is staffed by volunteers from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

Web Sites
http://www.aplb.org/
http://www.petloss.com/
http://www.pet-loss.net/
http://www.cvma.net/list.asp?parentid=1303&title=pet_loss&titletype=pets&ptitle=Its+About+Pets
http://www.deltasociety.org/Page.aspx?pid=307

BREAKING NEWS 5/13/09

Wow, every week "Litter Did You Know" seems to be gaining popularity. We give our heart felt thanks to the editors of http://www.sfgate.com/ for featuring "My Cat Made Me Do it" on the front page of their site. It has generated a huge interest in our blog and created a worldwide fanbase for my 18 year old cat , Matilda. We both thank you dearly.


Daniel


UPCOMING EVENTS:

COME BUY SOME AMAZING ART AND SUPPORT THE ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY PROGRAM!


The Art for AAT auction will be held on May 16th at 201 Alabama Street. Come meet AAT volunteers and therapy animals and hear about the real impact of our work firsthand. The auction will feature Bay Area artists and collectors who have donated beautiful items in support of The SF/SPCA AAT Programs. There will be dozens of pieces in a range of prices. For donors, including first time donors, we will have two special talks on Parrots and Therapy and our new MESCAAT program. All proceeds benefit The SF/SPCA AAT Programs.


What is Animal Assited Therapy?

At The San Francisco SPCA our Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) Programs started in 1981, making us the oldest program operating within a larger animal welfare organization. We currently have more than 100 volunteer teams making visits to locations throughout San Francisco. Working with their own friendly dogs, cats, small animals and birds, our busy volunteers share the human-companion animal bond with more than 40,000 people annually.
The Animal Assisted Therapy Department operates two programs: the General AAT Program and the Puppy Dog Tales Reading Program. Both programs are designed to facilitate communication, healing, and motivation by bringing the love of companion animals to people in mental and physical healthcare facilities, libraries and schools.

For more information on becoming an AAT volunteer please call 415.554.3060 or email AAT@sfspca.org to request an application.

Zynga Partners with San Francisco SPCA to Raise Awareness for Helping Homeless Animals

Zynga (http://www.zynga.com/), the largest developer of social games, and The San Francisco SPCA today announced their recent successful partnership, which has resulted in more than $20,000 in donations for the animal welfare agency. Through virtual transactions of real-world in-game currency in Zynga's highly popular virtual world game, YoVille, players can adopt special SF/SPCA shelter cats and dogs from the in-game shelter through virtual transactions paid with real-word money.

YoVille is a free-to-play online virtual world game that is located on Facebook and MySpace. Users create custom characters and apartments, and can invite their real-world friends to play and interact with them in the YoVille universe. Through the newly added Pet Shelter, players are able to adopt a bulldog wearing an SF/SPCA vest with YoCash, YoVille's real-world in-game currency. The sale of each bulldog donates $2 to The SF/SPCA. Players receive an in-game philanthropy badge for adopting their SF/SPCA companion animals and are able to take them to their YoVille home to care for them and play with them. In addition to the bulldog, players are now also able to adopt a special SF/SPCA cat.

"Zynga builds games for social networks, and one focus for social networks is altruism and philanthropy," said Mark Pincus, CEO, Zynga. "We had been looking for ways to help users of Facebook and MySpace give back to society while interacting with their favorite social network game. In YoVille and The SF/SPCA , we found the perfect match."

"We are thrilled to partner with Zynga," said SF/SPCA President, Jan McHugh-Smith. "By reaching out to the virtual world, Zynga helps raise awareness about adopting shelter animals and, at the same time, supports the local community by selecting the San Francisco SPCA as the designated non-proft receiving this generous support."

MAYA STILL NEEDS A HOME!!!

Despite our best effort to get Maya adopted on "CINCO DE MAYA", she is still here looking for a home. To help you get a better idea of Maya's amazing personality, we have posted a video clip below:

If you are interested in adopting Maya, give The SF/SPCA a call at 415- 522-3500