300 Days and Counting

300 Days and Counting

Kaye is celebrating her 300th day with Berkeley Humane this week, and although we’re big fans of anniversaries, this isn’t a cause for celebration – unless a party will bring Kaye an adopter!

Kaye is the last of 150 animals to find a home here in the Bay Area that were all evacuated in advance of Hurricane Irma from a shelter in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Why has it taken so long to find a new home for this sweet, 30-pound girl? Because her story did not start in Florida. Kaye began her life on the streets of Puerto Rico, was rescued, and sent to the Humane Society of Broward County (HSBC) in Ft. Lauderdale.

Then in September 2017, Hurricane Irma threatened Ft. Lauderdale. With less than 24 hours to plan, HSBC's entire shelter population was put onto a plane and flown to California. Once safely landed, the dogs and cats were greeted by a collation of animal welfare agencies, including Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation, East Bay SPCA, and Berkeley Humane. The animals were quickly divided between the three partners. Once back at Berkeley Humane, we discovered that our new arrivals included three very shy dogs originally from the streets of Puerto Rico. We named them Holly, Kendra, and Kaye.

At Berkeley Humane, all of our animals come to us from larger public facilities that are often overcrowded or under-resourced. It is not uncommon for these animals to need individualized behavior plans to help them acclimate to their new environments. However, Holly, Kendra, and Kaye were different in that they had never actually bonded with people and didn't have a clue how to be a typical family pet. 

Berkeley Humane's patient and loving team of volunteers and staff worked hard over the months to come to slowly bring out their individual personalities. Holly and Kendra were eventually adopted, but as of today, Kaye has not found her perfect match. The right family for Kaye will recognize her sweet personality, but will also give her the time she needs to build her confidence in a loving and patient environment. 

“Kaye should not be forced or rushed into new situations – she will decide when she’s ready. She’ll need time to adjust to a home at her own pace,” explains Jesse Schumaker, Berkeley Humane's Animal Care Specialist. “She’d love a home where she can have dog friends. Her personality really blossoms when she is around other dogs who are confident and can show her the way.”

The good news is that Kaye does like people. She can just take a little while to warm up to someone, but she is playful and food motivated. Very food motivated! 

“Kaye does bond very strongly with people, especially people who feed her. She loves deli meat,” laughs Michelle Jewell, Berkeley Humane's Veterinary/Adoption Specialist. “With food and lots of patience, her adopter will soon have a 30-pound shadow following them all around their home.” 

Kaye's one-year anniversary is coming up quickly and if ever there was a dog that deserves to be out of a shelter and into a loving home, it's our girl Kaye.  The volunteers and staff at Berkeley Humane are appealing to our community to help find Kaye, who has traveled over 4,000 miles, find a happy ending to her story.

Please share

You can help by sharing this blog post or sharing Kaye’s video to help find her perfect match.

Think Kaye might be the one for you? 

Our staff can provide guidance and adoption advice for her love and care. “The things that the Berkeley Humane staff emphasized about adopting a traumatized animal were really helpful, even despite our previous experiences with other shelter animals,” says Erik, adopter of Holly (another dog from Puerto Rico who was rescued with Kaye). “They will prepared you for the extra time and effort that is necessary to Kaye’s adjustment.”

Contact us

Berkeley Humane

dogs@berkeleyhumane.org

510-845-7735

2700 Ninth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710

www.berkeleyhumane.org