Tesla's love goes on

By Elliott Storm

Hi. My name is Tesla, and you know something.....God made me for my innocence, as he made the angels to serve him...And for me to offer you my unconditional love, and supreme friendship.
What's more, I just wanted to thank you for loving me, and that is from my heart. Being that special part of your family gave me much pride. much happiness and loving you back was so. so easy.
When I left my birth mommy sometime ago, it made me sad, I cried, I was so scared, and when you picked me up and kissed me that first time I trembled. And oh how I remember you were their to dry my little doggy tears, thank you so very very much.
That first night I didn't know what I would do, where I was! Who are these little ones talking to me! Oh mommy, I was so frightened. And I know when I cried you felt my wounds, my spirit, and you did all you could do to make me comfortable.
When I whimpered I was calling you, telling you "I know you now .....You're my mommy and I love you so very very much."
Gosh it was fun to grow, to be one of your very own, to run, to leap, to play, and when my brother and my sisters played with me, I played back, I was home, our home, and when I was hungry you game me my nourishment.
Mommy I wanted to give you more, and when you looked into my eyes you knew I did.
When I was sick you cared for me, and when you were tired and sick, I was the to comfort you.
Mommy you taught me love, and I taught you mine.
I am gone. I'm in heaven. And when you look at my pictures, know my heart and my spirit is still with you. I love you mommy.


Editor's note: This beautiful piece, written by a Milford resident who knows a lot about loss and healing, recounts what beloved Tesla might have been thinking in her beautiful canine head. It also is clearly a message to Helen and Kiley about their loss and the love that always will be with them. To learn more about Elliott Storm, visit http://www.thesescarsaresacred.com/home.html

Shelter care

The Connecticut Humane Society hopes to garner votes in a nationwide contest that, if it were to win, would bring in $10,000 towards the expansion of its Waterford shelter.
The America’s favorite animal shelter contest is sponsored by Care2.com.
The project includes a complete renovation of the Waterford shelter and infrastructure, additional sanctuary cottages for the Companion Animal Sanctuary, establishment of a second Fox Memorial Clinic, a quarantine facility, pet cemetery, and a nature trail, society officials said in a release.
The Connecticut Humane Society "continues to be dedicated to a mission that has remained unchanged since it’s founding; to promote the kindness and humanity toward people, animals and the environment" the statement said. The progressive improvements its makes to the organization as well as the creation of vanguard programs such as the Companion Animal Sanctuary and the Fox Memorial Clinic, are all designed to serve the neediest members of the population, pets that have no other place to go, the statement said.
Go to www.cthumane.org/vote, to vote for CT Humane’s Waterford shelter. The contest deadline is Jan. 31.

No pause in caring for those with paws

By Patricia Villers

ANSONIA — During last month’s busy holiday schedule, Ansonia High School’s Student Ambassadors made sure no one forgot the needs of dogs in the city’s shelter.
The approximately 20-member group raised $135 in its first Paws for a Cause campaign to benefit the Ansonia Animal Shelter. The students also collected dog food and many blankets and fleece throws.
Student Ambassador President Penny Efthymiou, 17, said Thursday she was pleased with the drive’s success.
"I’m surprised how much money we collected," she said.
She said Angela Khan, 17, came up with the idea.
Khan said her family has three dogs. "I want to continue this next year," she said.
Any items that the shelter cannot use will be donated to the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center, she said.
Efthymiou designed a dog paw on green paper that Student Ambassadors sold for $1 each to fellow students, as well as family and school staff. The donors wrote their names on the paws and students used them to create a paper Christmas tree on a wall in the school lobby.
Ansonia Animal Control Officer Jeanne Roslonowski picked up the donations Thursday accompanied by Dixie, whom she described as "the calmest one" of the five canines at the shelter.
"This is great," she said. "It’s because of things like this that keep our dogs (alive). They are in danger of being euthanized. We need donations to keep going."
Principal Susan McKernan expressed pride in the hard-working Student Ambassadors.
"While they are a small group, the Student Ambassadors do a wonderful job," she said. "Their efforts on behalf of Ansonia Animal Control showed their caring and consideration."
She also said she was proud of the students who organized the school’s food drive and collected hats, scarves, gloves and more to decorate a Christmas tree in the lobby. The items were divided between Birmingham Group Health Services, Inc. and the Howard F. Tinney Community Center, both in Ansonia.
The Student Ambassadors have other community projects on tap. Efthymiou said they plan to participate in the Bowl-To-Benefit The Umbrella, a program of Birmingham Group Health Services Inc. that assists domestic violence victims. The daylong event starts at 8:30 a.m. March 7 at AMF Lanes in Milford.
Patricia Villers can be reached at pvillers@nhregister.com.

Editor's note: This story, which originally appeared in the New Haven Register, is reprinted here with permission. The photo is by the Register's Arnold Gold. Both also can be seen at www.nhregister.com

Another greyhound goes missing, this time in Newtown

Sighting a boost to greyhound search crews

By Nancy K. Crevier

Newtown Bee

Elwood, a 6-year-old black and white greyhound, has been missing from a Turkey Roost Road home since December 23.

Searchers have placed a live trap near the area of the only sighting this past weekend in hopes that the thin-coated dog can be captured and returned safely to his family. The hunt for Elwood, the black and white greyhound goes on. Local volunteers and searchers from the Greyhound Rescue andRehabilitation (GRR) organization out of Cross River, N.Y., We AdoptGreyhounds, and the Connecticut Greyhound Adopt organization have been seeking the dog, owned by Greg and Kara Pansa.

Greyhounds, unlike most other dogs, have only a single layer coat and extremely low body fat, making them more susceptible to cold weather than other canines. Elwood was not wearing a protective coat when he disappeared from his yard, and family and search members can only hope that the dog has found shelter. Four sightings over the weekend have raised hopes that the greyhound may still be in the immediate vicinity of his home, although three of those sightings were discredited, said local GRR member and volunteer Dawn Adams.

"One sighting in the Toddy Hill Road area could definitely be legitimate, though," said Ms Adams. "Any sighting is very helpful. "This week, the search has turned down the level of involvement,though.

"We are asking people to stay out of the woods and not call for the dog at this time," Ms Adams said, Monday, January 5.

"At this point, he has been missing for nearly two weeks and wherever he is, he is in survival mode, and scared."

The search groups are focused on keeping the greyhound in the area,and because the dog has probably become too frightened to respond even to its owners, a live trap similar to the Havahart trap, has been setout in hopes of luring the dog into it. "We are hoping to set up two more traps this week, too," said Ms Adams.

The trap is checked every couple of hours and baited with food, as well as items with the owners' scents and Elwood's own bedding. "We can only hope to capture Elwood now," Ms Adams explained.

Area residents are asked to keep their eyes open for any sight of the 80-pound, deer-like black and white dog. He was last seen wearing a blue collar, and has identifying tattoos in each ear.

"Do not call his name, and do not approach him, if you see this dog,"urged Ms Adams. "He is scared, and will run. Retreat quietly and call either 914-763-2221 or 914-403-0872."

Any information about the greyhound is greatly appreciated, she said.

Editor's note: this story was provided by Eliza Hallabeck. It is a reprint from the Newtown Bee, where Eliza is a reporter. Tesla's Love will print any story about missing pets. Send them to teslaslove@gmail.com

The search goes on for Finnley

Distraught owner ‘amazed’ by public response to lost dog

By Bridget Albert
When Milford resident Kellie Roper brought her pet greyhound to Companion Animal Hospital of Milford on Dec. 29, she never expected she would be going home alone.
Roper adopted Finnley Nov. 1 from ReGap CT, a rescue group, and brought the dog to the animal hospital for dental work.
"When I first called to make an appointment for Finnley I asked if they knew how to handle a greyhound. They said ‘yes’ they did," Roper said. "Apparently they don’t."
She has not seen Finnley since that day.
Despite some sightings of Finnley in the Walnut Beach area, a widespread search and newspaper advertisements the animal hospital placed, the animal has not turned up.
"People I have never met have come from 1½ hours away, scrambling through brush and forest helping me look for my dog," Roper said.
"People in Milford have amazed me calling with wishes and prayers. It’s nice to know there is still such generosity left in the world," she said.
Roper said Finnley is black, with a gray muzzle, weighs 54 pounds and wears a pink/purple collar with yellow bones on it and might be dragging a leash. Roper also said the greyhound has a REGAP of CT tag, and that the dog is shy but extremely friendly and loves the sound of children.
Roper said she was told by hospital owner Dr. Kenneth Preli that veterinarian Dr. Dave Champaigne took Finnley outside after the Dec. 29 dental work.
"He said she became tangled in her leash and when (Champaigne) went to untangle her he dropped the leash and she bolted," Roper said.
Hospital administrator Rona Preli said when Champaigne went to pick up the leash Finnley "was probably disoriented."
"I was told he chased her into the K-Mart lot and jumped in a stranger’s car to try and follow her. He borrowed a cell phone and called the office and they evacuated the office and went looking for her," Roper said.
Rona Preli said eight of the office staff of 10 people immediately left to look for the greyhound and searched until 8 p.m. that night and for the next four days. Since then, she said, staff have continued to canvass the area, putting up fliers and talking to people.
Roper said the greyhound community, as well as the Milford community, have been extremely helpful, finding time to help her repeatedly canvass the beach area and put up fliers everywhere. Rona Preli said the hospital contacted area police and fire departments and animal control officials.
Roper said Milford Animal Control, which has increased patrols in the vicinity Finnley has been seen, has been "truly amazing."
Roper said before the dog was lost, Finnley had changed her life.
"She has made me take a step back from work stress and Ironman training. She has made me relax. She has been a wonderful stress reliever," Roper said.
Anyone with information on Finnley can reach Roper at (203) 506-4790.

Editor's note: This is a reprint of a story originally printed in the New Haven Register. It is printed here with permission of the Register.

One Cool Cat

On this cold New Year's Day with new snow all around us, Tesla's Love offers this story to warm your heart. Happy 2009.


By Mark Brackenbury

Bo was an outgoing, amiable sort, always there with a friendly head butt.
But he had his quirks.
He loved eating chicken and cold cuts on the counter in the kitchen, drinking from the faucet on the bathroom sink, sunbathing, and claiming the softest chair in whatever room his family was in. If he could have told the difference between a weekday and the weekend, he would have made a fine alarm clock: he woke us at 5:30 every morning, almost to the minute.
Bo was a polite little man, chirping what seemed like a thank you whenever we opened the door to let him inside. And despite claws that looked rather menacing when he opened his paws and stretched, he never once scratched anyone. Not that he didn’t use the claws to his advantage. When we weren’t paying sufficient attention to him, he would reach out and give a little tap on our face or arm, extending just enough claw to make his presence felt in no uncertain terms. He was death on sweaters.
In his younger days he loved walks with our golden retriever, Brandy. He scooted along behind us, his feet working furiously to keep up and his black tail straight in the air. In later years, after Brandy was gone, Bo would make the long walk down the driveway with me to get the paper, dawdling behind out near the road but then racing back to the front steps to wait on me. He also enjoyed racing up and down the hallway, sounding like a herd of horses, before stopping himself by sliding on the carpet runner.
He was less enthused about eating on the floor, drinking from a bowl, being cooped up inside and being alone. But the two things he hated most, cold weather and riding in cars, sometimes forced him to compromise. Particularly in his old age, Bo was something of a weather wimp, poking his nose into the outside air and quickly turning and scampering inside if he felt the slightest chill. Riding in cars was a major trauma - for Bo and us - because he always got sick within a few minutes.
Maybe his fear of travel had to do with how he came to us, which always remained a mystery. In the fall of 1990, Bo arrived along with a new refrigerator. As I opened the door for the deliverymen, there was Bo yelling at me from a big rock across the front yard. He seemed well groomed, friendly and unafraid, so he must have had a home somewhere. But despite our advertising and calls to the delivery company, no one ever came forward, and Bo was ours. The vet guessed Bo was about 7 months old.
He almost didn't make it much further.
The next spring, one of our teen girls was home alone after school and decided to do some laundry. As she opened the dryer for a moment to check on some clothes that weren't quite ready, the phone rang. She slammed the door, turned the dryer back on, and ran to answer the call. When she returned to check on the clothes 15 minutes or so later, Bo staggered out, dazed and bleeding from the mouth.
The vet said the prognosis was grim, that the key would be whether he could eat, which seemed a longshot given that his mouth was burned. This was on Good Friday. Saturday, we were losing hope because the vet said he showed no interest in food. Well, a quick trip to the supermarket for some sliced turkey changed everything.
By Sunday - Easter - Bo was back home.
We are not particularly religious, but wow, what irony. Other than a little droop on one side of his mouth, Bo was none the worse for wear. But he never – ever – hopped in the dryer again.
Bo lived to be 18, dying essentially of old age this spring. Of course, he had slowed down a bit in his later years. His attempts to jump onto the counter started coming up a bit short (he seemed embarrassed), and occasional hair loss because of a skin condition made him look a bit rickety at times.
But in other ways he never changed. He still woke us up at 5:30 each day, ate his sliced turkey or roast beef, and followed us from room to room. And he still stood at the top of the stairs yelling at us as we came home at the end of the day, annoyed that we were gone so long but happy to see us.
A cool cat, as always.