Puppies, kittens get new homes for the holidays

CORNWALL — All they want for Christmas, or the new year, or anytime is a forever home.Dogs, cats, puppies and kittens are always waiting to be adopted from the Little Guild animal shelter.November brought a literal truckload of animals in need of homes. A shelter in Philippi, W.Va., damaged by Superstorm Sandy, was overwhelmed with rescues and was desperate to keep them from the many kill shelters in that region. When Little Guild Director Denise Cohn and her staff heard the story, they rented a truck and made a marathon trip, driving, loading and heading straight back in little more than a day.Back in Cornwall, they found an amazing response from a wide area, with volunteers, donations of cash and supplies and foster homes, as well as Dr. Stephanie James from Sand Road Animal Hospital offering to examine and give shots as needed to each animal. They turned out to be a happy, healthy lot.To date, 41 of the 65 West Virginia dogs and nine of 23 cats have settled in with families. The week after the West Virginia rescue, the Little Guild was part of a national cat adoption event, 9 Lives for $9. Nineteen full-grown felines (who don’t get adopted as quickly as kittens) went to new homes. It was a wonderful madhouse of activity as staff and volunteers worked long hours to care for the overflow of furry friends, placing them in foster care and consulting with potential adopters.Cuddly cats and an assortment of new puppies and dogs remain. There are four puppies ready to go and another three who will soon be old enough. There are two beagles, two hounds and several Labrador mixes, as well as bulldog mixes, a shepherd mix, two each of boxer and pit bull mixes and a purebred boxer.The stories to date are inspiring. Of the 17 dogs who went to local foster homes, five families could not give them up and ended up adopting them. Four remain fostered. Half of the eight fostered cats are keeping those families; two have become part of the Little Guild family; and two are up for adoption.Sheltered in West Virginia in a communal setting, the animals are very sociable and generally have fit in well in homes with other pets.That was the case with Blink, a Yorkshire terrier still fostered by Barbara and Denis Curtiss, in their Kent home. Described as “nine pounds of sugar,” Blink is a 9-year-old who loves to snuggle with his human hosts and the five other dogs who live there.Among them is Philip, whose story is unique. Denis Curtiss drove the rescue truck to West Virginia and back, and the first thing he saw when he pulled into the shelter in Philippi was a dog tied to a tree. He said hello and it was love at first sight for what turned out to be a Snorkie — a Yorkie/schnauzer designer mix. Philip got to ride to his forever home on the seat next to Curtiss.For more information, go to www.littleguild.org.