400 Life: The Pet Issue

400 LIFE AUGUST 2020

the pet issue

Local animal hospital offers rehab for pets, opens retail store Boy sells cat toys to support his new kitten, area animal shelters Groups helping furry friends find forever homes

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2 | 400 LIFE | August 2020

contents from the editor

Since mid-March, when my family and I began hunkering down in our home, one of my favorite times of the day has been lunch. Before the pandemic, I ate lunch at my desk. Now, I spend lunch in the kitchen with my family. And when I’m done, I extend my break a little bit with a game of fetch with our almost-5-year-old dog, Scout, in the backyard.

It’s been a wonderful ritual, to unplug from work and the news by throwing a tattered football over and over and over until Scout “gets side-tongue,” as our family likes to say. The game becomes so automatonlike that my thoughts can drift wherever they need to; back to work-related matters even. Though more often, I try to stay in the moment, enjoying the simple transaction of throw and return between dog and owner. Scout’s not my proverbial best friend, but he’s a great one, and I have valued his affection and companionship more than ever during the pandemic.

Turns out many are having the same experience. Forsyth County’s major animal shelters have seen an uptick in adoptions (though none as unconventional as little Smokey’s with the Corrigan family).

If it’s a puppy, you’ll eventually need a good place to give it some exercise, so we have a guide to Forsyth County’s dog parks in this month’s issue.

If it’s a cat, you’ll want to get it a few toys (for your future viral cat video); consider getting one from Jonathan Nicol and his new business, Fun 4 Felines.

And if they have any health care needs, take a look at Crestview Animal Hospital’s new animal rehabilitation program and retail store.

Or maybe after reading these stories, you’re inspired to get a new furry family member. Potential candidates are hanging around Halcyon’s Village Green every Tuesday night waiting to meet their future owner.

Bringing one home may be just what you need to get through these crazy times.

— Brian Paglia

4 Crestview Animal Hospital offering rehab, retail After going to work at Crestview Animal Hospital, Tina Johnson suggested to owner and veterinarian Dr. David Sewell that they needed to have their own rehab center to better help animals in need in Forsyth County.

10 Halcyon, the mixed-use development in South Forsyth, has brought back the weekly event where visitors can meet dogs available for adoption with Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelters.

contributors

12

Editor Brian Paglia

Publisher Stephanie Woody

Production manager Tracie Pike

Advertising director Nathan Schutter

Staff writers Kelly Whitmire Sabrina Kerns

Advertising Stacy Clark

Photography Ben Hendren Special contributors Becky Cahill

Cover photo Susn Matthiessen Unsplash

This magazine is a product of the www.ForsythNews.com

Groups aimed at rescuing, rehoming animals had to look at how they do business and make changes.

16 When Heather Nicol came across a box of kittens, her son, Jonathan, reacted in much the same way any 9-year-old boy would — he absolutely begged her to keep one. Find out what he did to do just that.

14 Rescue mission turns into new

`

family member for Cumming officer

18 Local dog parks give your

best friend a place to play.

22 400 Reads: Books to teach children about animals

August 2020 | 400 LIFE | 3

400 spaces

Crestview Animal Hospital has a rehab center for animals and recently opened a retail store.

Your pets’ one-stop shop

Crestview Animal Hospital encourages stronger, healthier pets with new rehab center and Vetted Pet retail store Story by Sabrina Kerns | Photos by Ben Hendren

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hen Tina Johnson’s dog had knee surgery eight years ago, she scoured for animal hospitals in the area that offer canine rehab to help with her pet’s recovery, but she found that the closest rehab available was in Atlanta.

“I lived up here, and I just didn’t want to do the drive,” Johnson said. “It’s an expensive thing to do anyhow, so to have to add the drive.”

After going into work at Crestview Animal Hospital, Johnson suggested to owner and veterinarian Dr. David Sewell that they needed to 4 | 400 LIFE | August 2020

have their own rehab center to better help animals in need in Forsyth County.

After looking into what all they would need to do to open one, she ended up back in school to become a vet technician and then at the University of Tennessee to earn her Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner certificate, starting what later became a much larger expansion at Crestview aimed at helping clients make sure their pets are receiving the best products and care.

Johnson finally opened up the rehab center at Crestview in May, and the animal hospital also just opened up a new retail store in the same building on Wednesday, July 15, to start offering a convenient place where clients can ask questions about and purchase products for their pets recommended by their vet.

Faith Coddington, a vet technician at Crestview, said that she is excited to be managing and opening the new store, which is right next to the rehab center. This way, anyone coming from the center can also stop at the store and pick up any food, treats, toys and even care products that will help them continue to care for their pets at home.

Johnson said that, despite a slow opening due to Continued, Page 6

Faith Coddington, left, a vet technician at Crestview, said that she is excited to be managing and opening the new retail store. Tina Johnson, right, opened up the rehab center at Crestview in May. August 2020 | 400 LIFE | 5

Tina Johnson said she has been seeing new clients coming into the rehab center every week.

the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been seeing new clients coming into the rehab center every week, trying to help their dogs with weight loss, recovery, joint pain, strength-building, balance and other issues.

One of the main pieces of equipment that Johnson uses to help dogs with exercise and canine rehab is an underwater treadmill. She can treat dogs of any size by placing them on the treadmill, which sits inside of a tank, and then slowly filling the tank with warm water up from the bottom. Once the water gets to a certain point, she stops filling it and starts to help the dog to walk along the treadmill.

“When we put them in the underwater treadmill, they have less weight because of the buoyancy of the water, so by allowing them to have that buoyancy, they don’t have to put as much stress on their joints,” Johnson said. “And they’re able to get a good walk in without the added stress and pain of if they were outside carrying all of their weight.”

Johnson said that even dogs that usually do not like being in the water end up going through with the underwater treadmill exercise and even enjoy it.

It is a purposefully slow process with each new client to make sure that each dog feels comfortable Continued, Page 8 6 | 400 LIFE | August 2020

Photo courtesy Crestview Animal Hospital

One of the main pieces of equipment that Johnson uses to help dogs with exercise and canine rehab is an underwater treadmill.

Photo courtesy Crestview Animal Hospital

Tina Johnson said that even dogs that usually do not like being in the water end up going through with the underwater treadmill exercise and even enjoy it.

and relaxed as they are getting used to the new environment, and Johnson always recommends that the owners stay to help cheer on their pup as well.

Although she has mostly treated dogs so far, Johnson emphasized that the rehab center is available for all kinds of pets. Even for animals who would not be relaxed or calm in water, they have a variety of other exercises and equipment for pets who need help with their physical health, including laser therapy, passive range of motion exercises, massages, therapy balls, wobble boards, and more.

“It’s really nice to able to do this,” Johnson said. “It’s a big thing to be able to help the animals out, and I’m seeing a lot of success.”

Johnson said that one of her clients did not even notice how much stronger their dog had gotten from their exercises in the underwater treadmill until taking their dog to the groomer.

“The owner came in and said you know I took her to the groomer, and normally the groomer has to put the dog up on a ramp to get them on the grooming table,” Johnson said. “They 8 | 400 LIFE | August 2020

have to totally assist that dog up that ramp. She said when I took her in the groomer said, ‘Hey, what have you been doing with your dog? The dog went right up the ramp no problem and got on the table.’”

Coddington is trying to help animals and their owners in similar ways through Crestview’s new retail store, called Vetted Pet. A boutique-style little shop with its own entrance next to the rehab center, Vetted Pet offers specific products that are actually used in the animal hospital and recommended by the hospital’s veterinarians.

“Basically, [Sewell’s] thought process is that there’s best products, and that’s basically what is recommended through here,” Coddington said. “Your pet has been vetted, so it’s had a look over by a doctor and this is what we think is the best thing for your baby.”

Though she said that their prices are not as low as a giant pet retail store like Petco or Petsmart, Coddington said that the store is meant to make shopping and figuring out what is best for their pets easier for clients. Crestview vets and vet assistants have

always tried to point out products to clients to go find and try out to help with their pets’ health, but Coddington said that, especially with so many products to choose from, finding the right product can still be difficult at other stores.

“Say you just want to go in for a shampoo, and you have 30 shampoos you have to pick from and you don’t know which one is the right one or the best one or something of that nature because there are … tons of them,” Coddington said. “So basically, [Sewell’s] whole thought is to make it so that there are your three very top options when it comes to a retail basis.

“So basically, you can come in here and those are the products that are going to be just borderline just before prescription-recommended products. So it’s easy to choose from, it’s easy to figure out, and you don’t have to be mish-mashing ingredients and figuring it out and all the mumbo jumbo — it’s all pretty much done for you.”

The Vetted Pet is offering a variety of products, including pet foods, healthy treats, different toys, health supplements, harnesses and leashes, harnesses and slings for dogs going through rehab, and more.

Both Coddington and Johnson are excited about the expansion at Crestview Animal Hospital and all of the new services and products that they have on hand to offer to clients, and now, residents such as Johnson have options for keeping their pets healthy close to home.

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August 2020 | 400 LIFE | 9

400 eats

Yappy Hour recently returned from its coronavirus hiatus July 14 as part of a revamped night of activities at Halcyon.

Yap it up

Halcyon events provide spotlight for local pet rescue Story by Brian Paglia

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hat do you get when you combine happy hour with some yappy guests?

Yappy Hour.

Halcyon, the mixed-use development in South Forsyth, has brought back the weekly event where visitors can meet dogs available for adoption with Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelters.

Yappy Hour returned from its coronavirus hiatus July 14 as part of a revamped night of activities at Halcyon. Every Tuesday, visitors can bring their dogs to the development’s “Village Green” and enjoy the many pet-friendly restaurants and shops nearby, patronize a booth at the new farmer’s market, or listen to live music.

Furkids pops its tent up to show off some of its pups in need of a permanent home. It’s an opportunity to 10 | 400 LIFE | August 2020

“It’s always a popular spot to come over to the Furkids tent and see the Furkids dogs. ...

We’re glad [Yappy Hour] has been able to kick back into gear again.”

- Samantha Shelton, CEO introduce themselves as the newest nonprofit shelter in Forsyth County. Guests can even walk away with a new family member.

“It’s always a popular spot to come over to the Furkids tent and see the Furkids dogs,” said CEO Samantha Shelton. “... We’re glad [Yappy Hour] has been able to kick back into gear again.”

Furkids was founded in 2002, but it relocated its headquarters and cat shelter from Doraville to Forsyth County last fall. The organization, which operates the largest cage-free, no-kill cat and dog shelter in the Southeast, moved into a 9-acre property at 5235 Union Hill Road — just a trailhead on the Big Creek Greenway away from Halcyon.

Naturally, they’ve been spending a lot of time there.

One of their most successful pre-COVID-19 events: puppy yoga.

“It’s just a great way for us to get in front of the community,” Shelton said, “and this is our backyard.”

Furkids is still getting acquainted with its new home, and vice versa, no thanks to the pandemic. After moving into its new headquarters in mid-October, the organization had big plans to connect with the community, but COVID-19 disrupted those.

But while other animal shelters were temporarily closed during the past few months, Furkids remained open to continue with appointment-only adoptions.

“We have not skipped a beat,” Shelton said.

Now, Furkids is back to taking in cats and dogs from animal controls that are operating again. It’s back to welcoming volunteers to its headquarters.

And it’s back to making visitors at Halcyon melt from puppy love every Tuesday night.

“We love where we are in Forsyth,” Shelton said.

For more information, go to visithalcyon.com/ events/yappy-hour

August 2020 | 400 LIFE | 11

The Forsyth County Animal Shelter had to come up with an adoption plan when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the facility to close.

Pandemic Pals

How these local animal groups are helping Forsyth’s furry friends find forever homes Story and photos by Kelly Whitmire

T

he response to the COVID-19 pandemic has meant more time at home, financial insecurity and that work, school and shopping are now being done in online and contactless formats.

In response, even officials with groups aimed at rescuing animals and helping them find homes said they have had to look at how they do business and have had to make changes, such as contactless adoptions.

When the pandemic began, like many government buildings, the Forsyth County Animal Shelter closed to the public and temporarily halted the typical adoption process, instead going to foster and foster-to-adoption methods before opening adoptions through an online screening process, which Shelter Manager Cindy Iacopella said started with a “matchmaking form.”

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‘We had an overwhelming response from people in our community reaching out to help the homeless animals.

We placed almost everybody. I think at one point, we only had like five cats in the building and like 10 dogs, and

that’s like a historic low for us.’

- Cindy Iacopella, manager of the Forsyth County Animal Shelter

“So, they will send that form back to us,” she said, “and then we call the potential adopter and just spend some time just kind of getting to know them as people and what their household’s like, and if they have picked a potential adoption candidate, we will go over kind of the behavior traits in that animal just to make sure their personalities match up.”

Iacopella said the change not only means that there is less of a chance of spreading germs between employees, who are essential workers, and the public but allows adoptions to be tailored to the families they are going to.

“Animals have personalities just like people,” Iacopella said, “so if you’re looking for kind of a couch potato dog that’s super mellow, but you immediately picked a dog that we have identified as being high-energy, we will then spend some time trying to matchmake with another candidate.”

Iacopella said the program was so popular, at one point there were nearly no animals to adopt.

“We had an overwhelming response from people in our community reaching out to help the homeless animals. We placed almost everybody. I think at one point, we only had like five cats in the building and like 10 dogs, and that’s like a historic low for

us being that we’re an open-admission shelter for Forsyth County.

That means we take in all animals, we don’t turn any animal away based on breed, health, any of those types of situation.”

Samantha Shelton, CEO of Furkids, the largest no-kill shelter in the Southeast, said the organization has also moved to contactless adoptions and found homes for 82 cats and dogs in a recent weekend and another 40 cats were recently transported to Martha’s Vineyard as part of their transport program.

However, at the outset of the pandemic, Shelton said Furkids was having some issues with bringing animals into the program.

“As we work through the number of animals that are in our program, and especially on the dog side in the beginning, we had a hard time finding dogs,” she said. “The majority of our dogs come from animal control, and when the animal controls were closed throughout COVID, we were not able to bring dogs into the program. We worked with what we had, and we got down to like four dogs in the building. And normally we have a capacity for 65.”

Continued, Page 14

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‘It’s just a period of unknown’ Debbie Bertsch, executive director of the Humane Society of Forsyth County, said the organization had seen an impact on the community, including an uptick in the number of owner surrenders.

“We have seen an increase in owner surrenders due to COVID and the loss of income,” she said.

“To help offset the impact of animals being surrendered and provide support to the local community we are offering our pet food pantry services to help families provide for their animals until their financial situation improves.

“As an organization, we strive to support the physical and emotional needs of the animals along with their owners by providing assistance for pets in terms of pet food and low-cost spay/neuter (SNAP) services to keep pets in loving homes.”

At Furkids, the group’s biggest fundraiser of the year had to be canceled along with other bouts of bad luck.

“And then we also had to close our thrift stores for six weeks, and our thrift stores bring in a third of our annual operating budget,” she said. “So, to have lost that for six weeks was a negative impact on us. We’re trying to recover from that.

“While we’re trying to recover from that, we had one of our vehicles stolen, one of our vans we use for the thrift stores was stolen, and then our Lawrenceville store was broken into the weekend before last. So, all a sudden, there’s just been some negative energy, some negative things happening. That’s been a bit of a downer.”

Shelton said members of the organization were “remaining strong and optimistic” and were focused on taking care of the animals and thanked the community for their support and donations.

“It’s just a period of unknown,” she said. “We’ve just tried to be as flexible as we can, figure out workarounds. We’re very solutions oriented. We’re trying to come up with solutions to the new problem of the day, the new challenge; we just try to figure out what we can do to solve any roadblocks to adoption and just try to work around those.”

‘Taking advantage’ While COVID has overall been a negative, Bertsch said the pandemic has given the Humane Society a chance to review some of their processes and “find some positives during all of this negativity.”

“We are taking advantage of this current COVID situation and evaluating many systems and operations,” she said. “We are expanding our low-cost vaccine clinics. We are also going to be implementing new software that will allow us to send reminders,

schedule appointments online, and view records. We are extremely excited for these changes. Watch our website for upcoming dates.”

Iacopella said the community had been generous and donations for items like dog food, blankets, toys and peanut butter, which can be dropped off at a cart outside of the shelter, had increased.

She said the shelter was “in a fluid environment” and probably would be for a while.

In the meantime, the shelter will continue to update policies and hold events to help animals find homes, such as the Summer of Love adopting event, where all adoption fees are waived through Labor Day. “We’re going to continue to fine-tune our policies and procedures to accommodate adoptions and hold sort of virtual adoption events, those sorts of programming issues that we were able to do out in the public but now are no longer an option,” she said. “So now, we’re looking at increasing our social media presence and trying to see if there are volunteer opportunities people can do virtually.”

Furkids made the switch last year to a new platform that manages their adoption software, medical reporting and closing with the adoptions, which Shelton said has made changes during the pandemic a little smoother. “... We have not skipped a beat,” Shelton said. “We’ve got a fantastic team of staff and some volunteers that have continued to work with us throughout this time. That has really helped us to achieve some pretty exciting results with adoptions.”

Also last year, Furkids moved to a new headquarters in South Forsyth, which involved downsizing about 50% from their previous facility. A renovation helped save more money on utilities.

Shelton said since many of the group’s volunteers were in highrisk categories, they had not been able to help out at the center, but there were still plenty of opportunities for those who could volunteer.

“We do have volunteer opportunities for people, especially on our 9-acre property. ... If anybody wants to come out and volunteer outside in the garden, we could use their help,” Shelton said.

“If there are any gardeners out there ... it’s a beautiful space to be to come outdoors and work by yourself or your family.

“We rely on volunteers to do a lot of the work that we need to do out there, and unfortunately we have not had any of our corporate partners have been able to volunteer until the first of the year.”

If you’re looking for a new furry friend, here are a few places to start Humane Society Forsyth County 4440 Keith Bridge Road 770-887-6480 Forsythpets.org

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Forsyth County Animal Shelter 4065 County Way 678-965-7185 Forsythco.com/Departments-Offices/ Animal-Shelter

Furkids Animal Rescue 5235 Union Hill Road 770-613-0880 Furkids.org

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‘Kitties love ’em!’

9-year-old sells cat toys to support his kitten, local animal shelters Story by Sabrina Kerns | Photos courtesy Nicol family

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hen Heather Nicol came his own Facebook page, which is across a box of kittens just what eventually sparked the creon the other side of her family’s ation of Fun 4 Felines. After that, fence, her son, Jonathan, reacted in one of his family members who much the same way any 9-year-old runs a cat rescue in Nebraska boy would — he absolutely ended up sharing his Facebook begged her to keep one. page, and a popular page called With already two dogs and a Cat Crazy also shared his new sugar glider to take care of, online business.

Heather and her husband were not “He started getting tons of looking to bring a new animal into orders,” Heather said. the house. They ended up sitting Jonathan started mailing out down and writing out a list of pros toys for orders from other states and cons, the cons column filling and even other countries like the up fast with litter boxes, vet bills, U.K. and Australia. grooming, toys and more.

Now, Jonathan has had over Determined to keep the little kit100 orders total, and he wants to ten, Jonathan ended up striking a continue to grow the business deal with his parents. He could and get his toys out to cats who keep the cat if he took care of the are going to love them. Even entire cons list — including vet after paying for Gracie’s vet visbills. He immediately started its, he wants to use his profits thinking of ways that he could earn from Fun 4 Felines to donate money so that he could keep his more to the Humane Society of white and grey kitten, who he later Forsyth County. named Gracie.

“I thought I’m just going to Jonathan finally figured it out sell some cat toys,” Jonathan later on when he and his family said. “I didn’t know it was going went out to buy cat toys for Gracie to be a Facebook page, or official one day. business, or selling to people in “Looking at stores and seeing different countries. Crazy. But I how expensive they are, he’s like, ‘I love it, it’s what makes me happy can do way better for less money,’” right now.”

Heather said.

In the next few weeks, Jonathan Nicol began making cat toys to help pay for his new kitten. Jonathan is planning to open a He started to look up different ideas online for how to start making pop-up shop in a new business in cat toys, and the small idea quickly Halcyon called The Gibson Co., turned into Fun 4 Felines, an online store that Jonathan and for him to sell some of his cat toys and get the word out about his Heather started just a month ago to begin selling his cat toy crenew online shop. ations.

Jonathan and Heather are planning on more orders coming in as Heather said that Jonathan has always held a special place in his they build up Fun 4 Felines, and as school is starting, Jonathan heart for animals. Even when he was only 5, he started asking fam- said that his grandparents are also going to start helping with the ily and friends for donations to the Humane Society of Forsyth orders on one condition — they have to use his toy designs.

County instead of birthday gifts.

Even with school coming up, however, Jonathan said he is not “I have enough toys and stuff,” he said. worried about having time to take in orders and make toys.

For his birthday every year, he and his family go to drop off all “Sometimes it’s really stressing, but when I’m stressed in the of the donations and take some time to play with the animals. He morning, I wake up to Gracie — cute little fluff ball,” Jonathan even got his Scouts troop involved, and they did a donation drive said. recently where they stood outside of Kroger and asked customers As Fun 4 Felines continues to grow, Jonathan is simply happy to donate what they could to the shelter. that he gets to make toys, support his little Gracie and give back With his mix of passion and love for animals and his natural to the shelter and animals in need. entrepreneurial spirit, Heather said that Jonathan’s idea to make cat “I love animals, and I would do anything for them,” Jonathan toys quickly sprouted into action. He started coming up with his said. own designs and ideas for toys, and he even learned how to sew.

“I literally read off the [sewing machine] manual and just learned Find out more about all the techniques — and boom!” Jonathan said.

Jonathan’s cat toys on He started to make cat toys for Gracie and sell them to friends Facebook at and family members in the area. He makes little novelty pillows, Fun 4 Felines cork toys, mini catnip toys, tassels dipped in catnip tea, and more.

All of his cork toys are also boiled in catnip tea.

“The corks open up, suck in the catnip, and then close back up when they dry,” Jonathan said. “And then they’re infused. Kitties love ’em.”

His family loved the toys and started to encourage him to start

August 2020 | 400 LIFE | 17

parks for the paws What you need to know before going to Forsyth County’s dog parks Story by Kelly Whitmire

Forsyth County parks offer an array of activities, ranging from sports to boating, classes and a skate park, but local parks also have a wide range of options for the area’s furry friends.

Here is a look at some of the county’s dog parks, and some information on one that is being built out.

Where can we go?

The county has three dog parks – Fowler Park (4110 Carolene Way), Caney Creek Preserve (2755 Caney Road) and Windermere Park (3555 Windermere Park Way) – each with two areas: one for smaller dogs and one for large dogs.

When are they open?

The parks are open 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., March through October, and 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., November through February.

Any special rules to know?

Before going to the parks, all dogs need to be licensed and vaccinated and will need to stay on a leash until safely inside and before leaving. Owners must be 18 and older, can have two dogs per owner and must clean up after their pets. Any kids who come must be at least 12 and be supervised by the pet owner.

What dogs are not allowed?

Aggressive dogs, females in heat, puppies less than 4 months old and sick or injured dogs are not allowed inside the dog parks.

I still have questions For more information, call (770) 781-2215.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Forsyth County officials also recently broke ground on a new dog park in North Forsyth, located at 4065 County Way, just across from the Forsyth County Animal Shelter.

In January, Forsyth County Commissioners awarded a construction bid worth $850,760 to Zaveri Enterprises for the project.

The park will include a synthetic turf surface, sunshades and several amenities for dogs to play with.

In addition to a space for dogs, county officials said they hope the park increases adoptions from the shelter.

Graphic courtesy Forsyth County Government

18 | 400 LIFE | August 2020

August 2020 | 400 LIFE | 19

Purr-fect ending Rescue mission turns into new family member for Cumming officer Story by Brian Paglia | Photos courtesy Cumming Police Department

H

oward Corrigan heard the animal call from dispatch, which he would have usually ignored; the fire department takes care of those. But the city of Cumming police officer was in the area, so he decided to check it out.

Corrigan arrived at the scene to find a driver parked on the side of the road. The vehicle’s hood was open. Inside, hiding against the firewall of the engine bay, was an animal — a kitten, and an elusive one, too.

“We finally got him out of the engine bay,” Corrigan said, “and he hit the ground running.”

The Forsyth County Fire Department and Animal Control eventually arrived and, after a brief “kitten pursuit,” secured the little frightened one.

The kitten would have a rough couple of weeks ahead of it, but Corrigan was already thinking ahead.

“As soon as I met him, I wanted him,” he said. “I don’t know, it was just something about him.”

Three weeks later, the little one has a name — Smokey — and a new family — the Corrigans.

The Corrigans have been getting to know their newest member since July 9, when Smokey was finally healthy enough to leave Animal Control. Turns out he was in bad shape — he had an upper respiratory infection and ear mites, Corrigan said.

After two weeks of medicine, Smokey gained two pounds, and the Corrigans brought him home.

Corrigan said Smokey has fit right in. He already knows to use the litter box and loves to bat around 10-year-old son Collin’s nerf gun darts.

“I think he plays with my son’s toys more than my son does,” Corrigan said.

The Corrigans haven’t been the biggest pet family. They love dogs, but Howard is “deathly allergic,” he said. They’ve taken in strays from time to time, but nothing permanent. Collin has a fish, but their family’s last pet, a cat named Callie, went missing and never came back about a year after the family moved to the area from New York in 2014.

When Corrigan encountered Smokey that day, he tried to call his wife. He felt this all-gray cat, that one of the firefighters said “looked like a Smokey,” needed to come home with them. She didn’t answer.

Corrigan showed his family pictures of the cat later.

“When Collin saw Smokey, he was like, ‘Yeah, let’s get him, let’s get him,’” Corrigan said. “‘Let’s give him a good home.’”

No one is sure how Smokey ended up in that vehicle. While Corrigan lived in New York, he worked for the New York City Fire Department, and it was common for animals to hide in the engine bay of a vehicle to escape the cold during winter. It was in the 90s the day they found Smokey.

“I think something spooked him,” Corrigan said, “and that was just where he ran into. I think he got in there and just couldn’t find a way out.”

But the Corrigan family is grateful Smokey found a way into their family, and he gives much of the credit to the firefighters and Animal Control that helped that day.

“We truly all came together and rescued him,” Corrigan said. “It just so happens that I was the one that wanted to keep him.”

20 | 400 LIFE | August 2020

Howard Corrigan, a city of Cumming police officer, rescued a kitten from an engine bay, and decided to keep it as his own.

400 reads

It is that time of year again, time for students to return to school! Whether your student is 2 or 12, there are books that will catch their interest. The best place to start is with their favorite topics in mind. As an educator in an elementary school, I can tell you that children love to read about animals, so the book recommendations this month will focus on the joy of pets. Encourage and cultivate your child’s interest in reading because becoming a life-long reader will support both their personal growth and critical thinking.

If you have a preschooler in your life, they will enjoy The Summer Nick Taught His Cats to Read, written by Curtis Manley and illustrated by Kate Berube.

This colorful hardcover picture book introduces us to Nick, a creative young reader with two cats. Nick loves playing with his cats, but when it is time for him to read, the cats always distract him.

This leads Nick to decide that if he teaches his cats to read, then there would be fewer disturbances, and they could all read together.

This charming book takes us along as Nick sets out to achieve an impressive feat with his feline pets.

When your child is ready to start reading chapter books, it is a good idea to begin with a series. This will provide your child with many books to choose from once they find a series they enjoy.

An example of an ideal starter series is The Critter Club, written by Callie Barkley and illustrated by Marsha Riti. Each book follows the adventures of a group of girls as they care for pets ranging from cats and dogs to turtles and horses.

In the 10th book in the series, Ellie and the Good-Luck Pig, Ellie notices that a lot of positive things are happening in her life, and she thinks Plum the pig might be the reason. Ellie will need to rely on her friends to see that she is making her own luck.

with

Becky Cahill

Once your child becomes a more accomplished reader, or with the help of an adult, it might be time to tackle more advanced chapter books. Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin is a solid choice as it combines stimulating vocabulary, an engaging plot, and a first-person narrator who is neurodivergent Rose is a fifth-grader on the Autism spectrum who loves to collect homonyms, words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.

When Rose finds an abandoned dog, she decides to name the dog Rain, which is fitting because that could also be spelled reign or rein.

Rose thrives on routine and order, but unfortunately, her life with her single father is neither of those things. Raising Rain provides Rose with one of the first genuinely stable relationships in her life, but all of that is in danger when Rain is lost during a storm.

Rose is forced to overcome obstacles and make tough choices on her way to understanding more about herself and others.

Becky Cahill is a career educator and an avid reader. She reads extensively in her free time and you can follow along on Instagram at beckycahill25.

22 | 400 LIFE | August 2020

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