PWAC Victoria: Joyce LaVerne White, Writing Sample

The Reading Room

Living Free

by Joyce LaVerne White ©

A look at an animal sanctuary located in California. An 1,800-word nonfiction article published in I Love Cats, Feb. 1995.

Living Free is a 160-acre sanctuary for abandoned, lost, mistreated, aging, and forgotten cats and dogs. It is located between Palm Springs and San Bernardino in Mountain Center, California. Originally a Cahuilla Indian campground, a stagecoach stop, and then a YMCA camp, it is now a dream-come-true home for unwanted animals. This nonprofit organization's motto is, We Save What We Love.

Since its founding in 1980 by Emily Jo Beard, Living Free has experienced steady growth, currently housing 150 cats and 100 dogs from the original 5 cats and 10 dogs; and the staff includes experts in many fields of animal care. Volunteers, with responsibilities as varied as their interests, support the staff by giving care and companionship to the animals, assisting in guided tours of the facilities and by taking animals to cheer disabled and confined human friends.

Living Free does not accept animals from the general public but will give anyone requesting help information on how to locate an adopting family or how to find the family of a lost pet. Nor does it accept pets who still have an owner, even when the owner no longer wants it (except in cases of abuse) because that pet still has a chance. They are there for those who have no hope. This is a place of last resort, with each animal being rescued from a shelter the day it was scheduled to be euthanized.

The 1,000-square-foot cattery is a wooden structure, without cages, that is divided into three large rooms. Each is decorated in cheerful colors and filled with perches, cat trees, baskets, scratching posts, balls, toys, rugs, rocking chairs--everything cats love. The residents are grouped according to personality and coexist beautifully because they are introduced gradually and allowed to socialize at their own pace.

"Occasionally, we get an aggressive cat," Executive Assistant Bobbi Lazare says, "but they soon find they have no one to fight with and settle in."

The west wall of each room is filled with windows that slide open, giving the cats access to the enclosed outdoor run and open-air patios that contain wooden boxes for hiding in or basking on. Other walls are covered with delightful murals of--what else?--cats.

Within each room, the animals are free to run and play, or stretch out and nap in the sunshine. Every cat has a strategically placed "Kitty Cup" for food and water to satisfy the territorial instincts. Much to the amazement of visitors from multiple cat households, the Living Free cats respect each other's space.

"We try to provide everything the cat needs for physical health and comfort but its well-being is dependent on more than that," Bobbi Lazare said. "Our staff is wonderful--some even live on-site in the caretaker residence next to the cattery--but animals need their own homes and people."

All the cats at Living Free are available for adoption. The process is rigorous. There is no such thing as walking in, picking a pet, and walking out. The adoption form is carefully crafted to make the applicant aware of the responsibility and commitment, and to give the staff insight into the prospective families.

"People often comment that adopting a child might be easier," Lazare says. "We instruct the family throughout the process and determine if the adoption is in the best interests of both the people and the cat. If, for some reason the family changes its mind after acceptance, the cat can be returned to us.

"We've had some less-than-perfect reasons for wanting a cat: 'I'd like a white cat . . . they're easier to find.' 'I want a cat that is affectionate but not pushy, doesn't make a noise, does not shed, and stays off the furniture.' 'I'm getting Mother a pet--she'll be so surprised.' 'I gotta have a healthy cat because I can't afford vet bills.' Unfortunately, the only thing we can guarantee is unconditional love."

Once the application has been filled out, there is a $40 adoption fee to offset the cat's medical expenses. All members of the household are interviewed and instructed in proper care. If there are other pets living in the home, a request for their medical records is made. After a second interview, the family goes to the cattery to spend time with their chosen cat.

"We encourage families to spend as much hands-on time with the animal as possible. This way, we can be sure the chosen cat is the right one for the family and that their personalities mesh."

Once the family is approved for adoption, arrangement is made to deliver the cat to its new home within a week or two. If unforeseen problems develop, Living Free reserves the right to take back the animal. The staff makes follow-up phone calls during the first, third, and seventh weeks after adoption.

"For any reason we feel it is necessary, a staff member will visit the home to insure the cat's health and happiness. We do not believe that animals are lesser creatures than humans. We happen to be the responsible beings in the environment but the pets give just as much as we do.

"At no time do we demean an animal, and euthanasia is never an option unless medically necessary. We want people to see Living Free as an alternative, and to practice reverence for life. All our animals are guaranteed a home. If we have to take one back, it's welcomed with open arms."

An antique dinner bell hangs in front of the visitor's center. Each time an adoption is completed, the bell tolls in celebration of the event. Staff members arrive to say their farewells, sad to see their little friend leave but happy a place will be made for another life to be saved.

"That's the hard part," Lazare says. "As space becomes available we go to the shelters but, unfortunately, not all can be spared. Selecting a cat to replace the one who has been adopted is the toughest part of our job. There might be two hundred animals slated to die that day and deciding which one we're going to save is heart wrenching.

"We choose those that are the most adoptable because the sooner they find homes, the sooner a place opens up for another cat. Occasionally, an animal is chosen because it is the victim of abuse and we want to give it a chance for the happy life it deserves.

"We work one-on-one with abuse cases. There is nothing more rewarding than watching an animal respond when it finds out the world is full of soft, loving hands instead of the cruelty it has grown to expect."

Educating the public in the value of animals, their care and protection, is the purpose of all Living Free activities. They promote spaying and neutering as the answer to overpopulation and believe that if people value animals and understand their needs, more will be saved.

"People ask about the one-gallon jar of M&M-type candies that sits on the table in the visitor's area. They represent the number of offspring produced by one unspayed cat and her unspayed offspring over a seven-year period. That's about 4,372 animals, and 97 percent of them won't live past six months of age. We can't stress enough the importance of neutering pets."

Outreach programs send staff members into schools and organizations to speak about Living Free. Often they take along pets to help explain, to the children, the proper handling techniques and to bring comfort to shut-ins.

"Seeing people in senior-citizen and convalescent homes responding to the animals is touching," Bobbi Lazare says. "So often they remember a beloved pet that they've lost, or had to give up, while stroking one of our cats."

Another special program of Living Free is foster care, ideally suited to disabled people and seniors, but beneficial to anyone unable to keep an animal. A small monthly donation is used exclusively for the care of that animal, and gives the foster parent a photograph of the pet and "staff-translated" letters. The foster parent may visit any time he or she chooses to cuddle, play with, and generally enjoy time with the cat.

One third of the Living Free animals are now being fostered. If the cat is adopted by a family, the foster parent has the option of taking on another animal.

"One of our most unique programs, and one we are extremely proud to have started, is Continuing Care," Lazare says. "It guarantees lifelong care at the sanctuary for an animal whose owner has died or who can no longer provide for it because of health reasons."

Twenty-four-year-old Tiki-Tiki is living proof that this program works. "He may be a teeny, tiny bit more grumpy than he was last year," says Cattery Manager Sharon Caughron, "but he still plays, eats and naps with as much gusto as ever."

The program is supported by grants from the cat's human family and was started when so many frantic phone calls came in, over the years, about animals who were suddenly orphaned. Donations are based on the cost of caring and feeding an animal for ten years. The plan is available to every income bracket because of the options offered to cover the donation amount.

"Response to this program has been so positive that construction of new facilities to house only Continuing Care animals is becoming necessary. We're working toward increasing space in all areas," Lazare says.

This year has seen the start of a new tradition at Living Free. On the major holidays--Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter--each employee is assigned a cattery for a month to spend time grooming and playing with the cats. This not only gives the animals extra fun and affection, it also gives some very busy staff a chance to remember why they are there.

To maintain the wide range of activities, Living Free offers memberships available in six categories: Living Circle, Lifetime, Give-life, Family, Individual, Student/Senior. Each gives the member a Living Free Card, quarterly newsletter and invitations to special events held at the sanctuary. Funds are also raised through donations and endowments.

The goal is to open sister sanctuaries in and around every major city in the world. "Guests interested in learning about our operations are invited to stay as long as they like," Bobbi Lazare says. "We will teach them how to set up their finances so that they are self-supporting from the start. We're proof that it works."

If you would like to be part of Living Free, or would like further information on starting a program, please contact: Living Free Animal Sanctuary, P.O. Box 5, 54250 Keen Camp Road, Mountain Center, CA USA 92361 (909) 659-4684.

For further information, visit Living Free at their web site. [The Editor]

Joyce LaVerne White
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Last updated: September 1, 1998 http://www.islandnet.com/pwacvic/whitej10.html