Currently viewing the tag: "Catoctin pets"

CATOCTIN pets

By On · Add Comment · In Columns

Rescued: Furry and Furever Loved

Michele Tester

Pam Ryan of Thurmont has adopted from shelters many times before, but she had never adopted through a rescue organization. That is, until Josie. The main difference between shelters and rescue groups is that shelters are usually run and funded by local governments, whereas rescue groups are funded mainly by donations and most of the staff are volunteers.

“These people, like all the other organizations, save so many animals from overcrowded shelters, as well as those that have been lost, abandoned, and abused. There are groups that fly the animals in from shelters all over the United States and beyond, as well as groups that arrange for transports state by state until the animals arrive at their destinations to hopefully find good homes. The volunteers work very hard in whatever spare time they have and operate through donations to give these animals the good care they need until, hopefully, they find their loving and forever homes,” said Pam. 

Josie, a dilute calico, approximately a year old at that time, came to Pam from Sarah, who is the owner of Furever Love Rescue in Hedgesville, West Virginia. Josie was a stray that showed up one day at the rescue, sitting on top of their fence. She was brought inside with the other cats and dogs that were up for adoption. Sarah considered keeping her, but Josie was very rambunctious and a pest to all the other animals, many of whom were older and wanted no part of this exuberant cat. So, Sarah decided that Josie would be better off in a loving home of her own.

“Let me just say…..she is a real pest and very mischievous, and, luckily, her dog sister Lexi puts up with her!” laughed Pam.

A home visit was made to see the environment in which Josie would be living. Pam’s loving home passed, and the adoption went through. Josie was brought to live with Pam the following weekend. 

“Josie was a perfect fit and has been with us for almost three years now. My dog, Lexi, and her are best buddies and play together all the time. I think Josie thinks she’s a dog. She chases us through the house and fetches her little pom pom balls, just like a dog would,” said Pam, smiling, “Josie doesn’t let Lexi out of her sight, and vice versa. They are truly best friends. She is very vocal and loves to talk, purring loudly. I would say she is a very happy cat and loves her home.” 

Pam has always adopted through shelters and now through a rescue. “I’ve had some amazingly wonderful cats and dogs over the years. I truly believe that just because an animal ends up in a shelter, it doesn’t mean that they have something wrong with them or can’t be loved. I believe they are all so very special and seem to know that you saved their life and gave them the loving home they so deserve. They love you unconditionally.” It doesn’t get much better than that. 

CATOCTIN pets

By On · Add Comment · In Columns

Emmitsburg Resident Wins Dolphin-Naming Contest

Blair Garrett

Naming pets can be a fun way to form a strong bond between pet and owners.

For MaryAnne Ruffner of Emmitsburg (pictured right), she was able to connect two dolphins spotted in the Potomac River to the whole world.

Over 1,000 new dolphins have been spotted since 2015, and thousands more are thought to live throughout the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay. Two in particular, temporarily named D1 and D2, went without official names until a contest was put out to name the pair of bottlenose dolphins.

“I follow WTOP on Facebook, and they posted a contest from the Potomac Conservancy, and it just popped into my head,” Ruffner said. “It was really neat; I was surprised. My love for the ocean and all the ocean creatures is what got me to do it.”

Ruffner has told friends and family of her contest win, but her excitement has yet to be made public until now.

Through more than 3,200 entries across the United States, Ruffner’s pick of Mac and Chessie lead the pack over the two-week contest. The contest concluded in June, where D1 and D2 were given their new, official names: Mac and Chessie.

Mac and Chessie, perhaps named after the fan-favorite dish of mac & cheese, or more likely the PotoMAC and the CHESApeake Bay, ended up taking the contest in a landslide, nabbing 27 percent of the total votes.

Other popular names receiving votes across the country were Cherry and Blossom (16%), Ebb and Flow (14%), Powhatan and Piscataway (10%), and Echo and Radar (10%).

Most named dolphins spotted in the Potomac and Chesapeake over the years are named after historical figures like presidents, members of congress, and first ladies.

Ruffner’s newly named dolphins are a bit different from the rest, but with efforts to clean up the pollution in the Potomac underway, it’s entirely possible for more dolphin-naming contests to pop up in the future.

Over the years, bottlenose dolphins have often migrated up the Potomac basin to raise their calves, leading to mass sightings and more research to be done on these particular mammals. Scientists believe that the efforts to clean up the waters will only lead to more dolphins raising their young even farther north in the Potomac. Bottlenose dolphins have been reportedly spotted as far north as the 301 Harry Nice Memorial Bridge and rumored to have ventured as far north as Georgetown many years ago.

Dolphin watching at the beach has been a favorite activity for a long time for Ruffner.

“I would love to live at the beach and just watch the dolphins,” she said. “We have Tom’s Creek in the backyard, so that’ll do for now.”

For more information on the Potomac Conservancy, visit its website at www.potomac.org, where you can learn or donate to help their projects in cleaning up our waters.

CATOCTIN pets

By On · Add Comment · In Columns

The Story of “Hoser”

Time-honored Dalmatian Mascot of the Vigilant Hose Company

It’s likely that only a few in our community know the significance of the Dalmatian Dog graphics affixed to the larger emergency vehicles of the Vigilant Hose Company (VHC) of Emmitsburg. While many have probably noticed the graphic representations of “Hoser,” they may not have paused to reflect on what the graphics actually represent.

As a very young puppy, Hoser arrived at the VHC fire station on West Main Street just off Town Square in October 1993. Named by VHC members Frank Davis and Steve Hollinger, she loved the firehouse life—and all who came to visit.

For years, she happily greeted hundreds of attendees at numerous FD-sponsored affairs, like the Annual Fire Prevention Open House events held each October, as well as station visits year-round by students from nearby schools. At nearly age 13, it was indeed a sad day when she left us in January 2006.

As tributes to her memory, Hoser is easy to spot on the sides of VHC apparatus. Her images vary slightly based on the role a particular vehicle plays: firefighting, emergency medical work, etc. When looking closely at her photograph, it’s easy to see she had one brown eye and one blue eye (something not altogether uncommon in the breed).

It was in Appleton, Wisconsin, back in 1995, during the pre-delivery final inspection of then new Tower 6, when the late Charlie Stouter, a past VHC chief/later president and area businessman, noted a blank space on sides of the aerial bucket, which seemed to potentially need something more. His observation led a graphic artist, based at the Pierce Fire Apparatus fire truck manufacturing plant, to create Hoser in the graphic form from an actual photo of Hoser, as taken by area photographer and VHC member, Bob Rosensteel, Sr.

History of the Breed

Dalmatians have long been associated with firefighters, but most do not know precisely why. Dalmatians originated from a historical region of Croatia, in southeast Europe known as Dalmatia, and are famed for their spotted coat and unique job description. Horses and Dalmatians get along well together. Dignified, smart, and outgoing, their temperament is naturally protective of those with whom they live.

During their long history, these “coach dogs” or “carriage dogs”—as they were also known—accompanied horse-drawn rigs of nobles (even gypsies) and firefighters. In larger cities during the 1800s, long before motorized fire engines became the norm, heavy firefighting vehicles had to be pulled to fire scenes by horses. Dalmatians, as often depicted in old-time romantic paintings, drawings, and photos, proudly rode on or ran alongside fire engines and ladder wagons pulled by horses.

Soon after arrival at what was certain to be an hours-long fire incident, the teams of fire horses would be disconnected from their rigs and moved to safe locations around the corner or down the street to protect them from flying embers, falling building timbers, etc. Being very protective, Dalmatians were ideal companions for horses at those long-duration fire scenes.

Dalmatians were especially well-suited to both guard unaccompanied horses and also to keep them calm. These roles became unnecessary once horse-drawn fire engines gave way to steam and then gasoline-powered apparatus. Some fire departments continued using horses on into the early 1920s. In TV ads showing Clydesdale horses pulling Budweiser Beer Wagons, Dalmatians were aboard for their calming effect while wagons were being unloaded.

Hoser’s Loyal Following Here

In addition to her many friends from far and wide, Hoser once got to meet then U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton. It was on July 3, 1994, when he stopped by the VHC while on his way back to Camp David from a day of playing golf in nearby Carroll Valley, Pennsylvania. The front page, above the fold, of the Tuesday, July 5th USAToday, showed the President getting a kiss from Hoser out front of the fire station. Additionally, four similar photos showed up on the front pages of many major metropolitan newspapers, nationally, as well as on the front page of the Frederick News-Post.

Jay Leno, during his July 5 late evening opening monologue on the Tonite Show, showcased one of the photos to joke about how “Sox” the White House Cat may have been just a little bit jealous. In the days following, many former residents of greater Emmitsburg wrote or called area family members and friends to say how proud they were to see Emmitsburg and its fire company in the news.

Probably the most famous Dalmatian ever would have to be “Sparky the Fire Dog,” who helps teach fire safety to children. Sparky focuses on home and building fire safety, while his good friend “Smokey Bear” helps focus the attention of both adults and children on wildfire prevention. Both Sparky and Smokey are frequent VHC visitors. So now you also know the story of Hoser and her important connection to the men and women of the Vigilant Hose Company / Frederick County Station 6.

Visit the station’s website at www.vhc6.com and www.facebook.com/VigilantHose6.