HOLIDAY PALS
SPCA finding Christmas homes for pets in need
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

PHOTO PROVIDED Maggie, a young Shar Pei rescued by the Finger Lakes SPCA, snuggles with her new owner, Wesley Namet. Maggie was abused by her previous owners, but now is about to enjoy her first joyful Christmas.

BATH - When the Finger Lakes SPCA earlier this year rescued a young Shar Pei named "Maggie," the young dog was in desperate shape.

An old harness strapped around her body had broken through her skin. Flies had deposited eggs in the festering wound; the nits already were hatching. Maggie was in pain, disoriented and even frightened of the strangers trying to take care of her.

Life has improved for this lucky dog, and for many other dogs and cats whose lives have been touched by SPCA volunteers. In the midst of the 2007 holiday season, many pets are about to spend their first Christmas living with adopted families that love them and are loved in return.

Maggie was adopted in late summer by Sue and Wesley Namet, a Waverly couple whose dog - another Shar Pei - had died just before Christmas 2006. According to Mrs. Namet, a supervisor at work e-mailed her a description of Maggie that had appeared in The Courier- Advocate. She showed the description to her husband, who quickly agreed to visit the animal shelter between Bath and Hammondsport. Maggie soon was a member of the Namet family.

She is a snuggler and devoted napper, Mrs. Namet says. She also has claimed a chair as her own napping area, repeating the Namet's earlier Shar Pei's fondness for a particular piece of furniture.

A relaxed dog whom the Namets' vet estimates to be three years old, Maggie "takes five minutes to walk from one side of the house to the other," according to Sue Namet. "She just mosies along."

Vicki Mosgrove, director of the animal shelter, says the SPCA actively searches for families interested in adopting a pet. "We advertise and we post animals on petfinder. com," Mosgrove says, adding the shelter has seen a recent increased interest in pet adoptions.

The adoptions include "Mona," a cat that had been tied to a tree and beaten with a wooden handle. She has been adopted by a Pulteney family and, according to Mosgrove, is in "kitty heaven" now.

Then there's "Sylvia," a feline survivor of Hurricane Katrina who arrived at the shelter after losing her family in the storm. She eventually was adopted by Andrea Stowe, a former member of the shelter's board of trustees who has adopted many cats over the years - so many, in fact, she has built a feline addition to her home in Avoca with an outdoor play ground.

"She's pretty much queen of the area," says Stowe, who changed the cat's name to Tallulah. "She has a special hammock she likes when she wants to be by herself. She'll head-butt you when she wants attention."

Mosgrove says the shelter encourages visits from families interested in a adopting a pet. Expect an interview, because shelter personnel are more interested in finding a good match than in getting rid of their clients. Mosgrove also discourages surprise pet gifts on Christmas day. "We don't adopt pets out as gifts," she says. "We want to see a match with the whole family."

For more information on adopting a pet, call the shelter at 776- 3039. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. except Thursday and Sunday, when the shelter is closed.