Tag: open door animal sanctuary

Once upon a time, Courtney Keefe adopted a dog named Chloe from Open Door Animal Sanctuary. Keefe had Chloe for eight years before the pup was diagnosed with stage 4 bladder cancer in October 2017. About a month later, Keefe’s mother was diagnosed with stomach, liver, lung and pancreatic cancer. Chloe passed away this past January, and Keefe’s mother passed away slightly more than a month after Chloe.

“It was a one-two punch,” Keefe says.

In the process of grieving, but still trying to go about her daily life, Keefe went to Open Door, to which she makes regular donations, on April 7. She had browsed its adoptable dogs online, but told herself she wasn’t ready yet – until she saw Jewel.

“I was taken in by her bio online,” Keefe says. “I called and asked specifically about her.”

When Keefe arrived at Open Door, staff members asked if she would like to take Jewel for a walk.

“[The Open Door staff] was blown away by how quickly we bonded,” Keefe recalls. “There was an instant connection. We’re perfect for each other.”

Keefe took the 45-pound boxer/Lab mix home the same day. The pup had been at Open Door for 10 months and had a hard time at the shelter. She could be aggressive, had her guard up and “didn’t show well,” according to Keefe.

She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but Keefe says she didn’t need an easy dog.

“I needed a dog that was going to require attention and extra TLC,” she says. “I’m in a rough place right now, and coming home to an empty house after losing Chloe and then my mom was so hard. I was sad and removed. There was a void, but Jewel has filled that and then some. We picked each other.”

Since adopting Jewel just a little more than a month ago, Keefe has divided her time between teaching at The Soulard School and tending to her new four-legged child.

“She sleeps on the bed with me and has full run of the house,” Keefe says. “She still has her guard up a lot of the time, but she’s slowly letting it down. With me, she’s already let it down, but with other people, she’s still kind of cautious.”

Keefe says it’s impossible to keep fluffy squeaker toys in the house because Jewel “murders them.” The pup loves playing fetch, lounging, chasing squirrels and going for walks. The two are still figuring each other out, but Keefe knows Jewel is in her forever home.

“The name just fit, because she’s a diamond in the rough,” Keefe says. “She got overlooked and had to be searched for. But the patience pays off, because I love her more every day.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Once upon a time, a litter of five kittens suffering from severe viral eye infections was dropped off at Open Door Animal Sanctuary. Since viral infections can’t be cured, all but one of the kittens lost at least one eye. Iris, though, lost both of her eyes ; her brother Sammy was the only one to retain full sight.

Open Door Animal Sanctuary had a post on its Facebook page about the kittens, and they caught the attention of Gina Evans, who regularly peruses the facility’s adoptable animals.

“I’ve always known about [Open Door],” she says. “They do great work, and when we were looking to adopt our puppy last summer, that’s where we went.”

When Evans saw Iris on the page, she knew she wanted to bring the blind kitty home. She found out Iris was in a foster home with Sammy, who was “her seeing-eye buddy,” and knew her family needed to adopt them both.

Gina’s husband, Frank, says they were initially a bit worried about Iris navigating the stairs in their two-story home.

“Their main spot where they stay is upstairs, but Sammy manages to wiggle his way downstairs for most of the day,” Frank says.

The stairs haven’t stopped Iris, though. Gina says the kitten will sit at the top of the stairs and listen to her surroundings. She navigates with ease, climbs couches and gets on top of the sink.

“It’s really pretty incredible,” Gina says. “She sees beautifully without her sight.”

The brother and sister are a tightknit pair and often get into trouble together. Gina says Iris is prone to toe-biting – her way of getting attention. The kitten has to be shut in another room while the litter box is being cleaned because she loves to play and will grab at the scooper.

“Sometimes you can hear her up there flailing around [in the litter box],” Frank says.

Sammy, on the other hand, loves hugs and “will ask for them,” Gina says with a laugh. “If you don’t pet him, he’ll paw at you until you do.”

The Evans family has only had the kittens for a few months and said they were only 2 months old when they adopted them from Open Door. The Evans’ two daughters, Gwen and Grace, love playing with the kittens, and Frank calls the girls “a big help” in taking care of the boisterous kittens.

“I just love having animals in the house,” Gina says. “They make it feel like home.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Once upon a time, Claire Krusie went into PetSmart for a gecko and came out with a dog. About 12 years ago, Krusie left the store with Billy, a tiny 8-pound puppy that she “just couldn’t leave without.”

She was able to adopt Billy through PetSmart because Open Door Animal Sanctuary sometimes hosts adoption events through the chain pet store.

Krusie was instantly protective of Billy because of his size. “People still think he’s a puppy because of his size,” Krusie says of now 12-year-old Billy.

Krusie is a preschool teacher and works long hours. She’s gone a lot and hates leaving Billy alone. He wasn’t the spunky puppy he once was and has heart murmurs.

One day, Krusie went back into PetSmart for dog food and ended up leaving with a new addition: a 7-month-old cat, also from Open Door.

“I was pretty worried about bringing another animal into the house,” she says. “Billy has neurological damage, and I’m very cautious.”

When the cat met Billy, the first thing he did was crawl in the kennel with the dog.

“They just laid down together and have been best friends ever since,” Krusie says.

The cat, originally named Jeff, became Bob because Krusie thought the two names went together nicely.

Krusie says they look like brothers because of their similar markings. Billy, who Krusie thinks might have some Jack Russell and corgi in him, is mostly white with some brown. His brother Bob is the same.

“Billy and Bob play together all day,” Krusie says. “Bob has really brought out this life in Billy that he had kind of lost in his old age.”

The two have been inseparable since Krusie brought Bob home about two months ago.

She says Bob is truly “the king of the castle” and won’t let Billy do anything without him.

“When they eat breakfast, I have to separate them because they’ll sit right next to each other,” she says. “At night, Billy sleeps in our bed, and Bob usually sort of does his own thing. But when they sleep at the same time, they have to be touching.”

During the days, Bob – being the considerably younger of the pair – constantly wants to play. “He’ll take his cat toys and bring them to the dog, asking him to come and play” Krusie says. “Billy is still figuring that out.”

Though the four-legged elder is still confused at times by his younger playmate, they’ll spend hours running around and chasing each other.

When they finally exhaust their energy, they have to sleep in the same place. Krusie says she tried buying separate beds for them, but the pair won’t use them.

She calls them a “quirky” duo, but they’re very protective of each other.

Billy not only has neurological damage, but arthritis and cataracts as well. He’s had a lot of the problems from a young age, but more have emerged as he’s aged, Krusie says.

“A lot of the issues he was having have stabilized since we brought Bob home,” she says. “Having a pet for your pet can help keep them healthy. We’re so blessed to have them both.”

Krusie says the long-running stereotypes about dogs and cats not getting along don’t apply to these two at all.

“It was my biggest fear (bringing Bob home), but it’s really nature versus nurture,” she says. “The reason I went with a cat is because Billy is so small. He has no idea what he is – he probably thinks he’s a cat!”

It’s been love at first site for the dog-cat pair, though. Although they’re still trying to figure each other out, Krusie says the two species aren’t very different.

“If animals are given love, they’re going to give love in return,” she says. “We’re thrilled Bob can break those stereotypes.”

Krusie can’t say enough about Open Door Animal Sanctuary and is so happy the House Springs shelter brought the dog, cat and human family together.

“Open Door saved my dog by bringing him to me, but also bringing Bob to him,” Krusie says. “Those are awesome instances where they’ve helped bring two amazing animals into our life.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.