Saturday, August 20, 2011

Special Needs Pets & Their People

This is my first in a weekly post about Special Needs Pets. Moki and pets like him are an inspiration to me every day. I volunteer at Animals in Distress, located in Limeport, PA. We are a no-kill shelter, and we have two spokescats, Spook Cat and Eli. Both are paralyzed in their hind legs, both have a playpen for daily living, and a special crate for night time. Eli has learned to use a cart for better mobility! I tell each adult and child who visits of their stories, Spook was hit by a car, and Eli was used as target practice in a terrible apartment building. Even with such harsh pasts, they are sweet boys, playful and loving to all who visit. They have daily needs and can never be adopted out unless the person has skills and time to care for them 24/7. Every day, they are sweet, hold no ill will to their care givers who prod and clean them daily, make us laugh with their tricks and truly inspire me to accept others for who they are inside, not what makes them different outside. To see Eli move along with his cart his thrilling; any child who sees him can think, Hey, I can get up and try to walk too! Never judge a special needs pet or person from the outside, take a moment to get to know them; you will have a friend for life!