Senior Pups Looking for Loving Home after Owner Passes

August 16, 2021

AHS Performs Lifesaving Surgery for Senior Pups

For families with older pets, there’s always that lingering dread of, “that day” coming.  The older they get, the more you do all that you can to keep them healthy and happy for as long as possible.  When a tough diagnosis comes, you take them to a specialist, sometimes for chemo or for surgery….just to hold onto them for a little longer.  So many of us have done it, which makes seeing these two sweet, senior dogs in their current situation that much more difficult.

It’s obvious that Marcy and Pepper were loved and cared for throughout their lives, based on their affectionate, trusting, personalities.  As soon as you meet them, they rush over to try to climb up in your lap to be held and to feel safe.  Marcy (blond) is 11 years old and her best friend Pepper (black) is 14.  They spent their lives with someone that loved them but when that person passed away, their whole world changed.  Now the girls find themselves in an unfamiliar place with new sights and sounds all around them, but at least they still have each other.  They get such comfort and confidence from each other so obviously, we will never separate them. 

Marcy and Pepper were examined by our veterinarian when they arrived and there were some concerns.  Neither were spayed, both suffered with severe dental disease, and both had various masses that needed evaluation.  They both underwent surgery and had several diseased teeth extracted as well as their masses removed and biopsied.  Marcy had particularly large masses that required extensive surgery that lasted nearly three hours.  Although both recovered well, it saddens us to say that Marcy’s mass was malignant and she does have mammary cancer. 

The good news is that they’re feeling great, they’re happy, eating, taking walks, and making new friends every day.  They love everyone they meet and are even good with other well-mannered dogs and cats.  The girls are looking for a wonderful home to spend the rest of their lives in.  We realize that their advanced age and Marcy’s diagnosis may be a concern, but we know that there are so many good people out there that are willing to open their hearts and home to senior pets, for whatever amount of time that might be.  We hope that one of you will want to do just that for Marcy and Pepper.  They sure deserve the best in their golden years.
If you’re interested in adopting Marcy and Pepper, please contact AHS/Popcorn Park at 609-693-1900 or office@ahsppz.org.  If you can’t adopt, please consider making a donation to our ResQ Fund, which enables us to do all that we can for the animals that need us, like Marcy and Pepper.  Thanks so much for your support.

LACEY – Dogs are barking. Kids are chatting. Up in the trees, birds are chirping.

None of it fazes the newest star at Popcorn Park Animal Refuge — Artemis the falcon. At least, not while a custom-made hood sits over her eyes. This is a retirement community for Artemis, age 9, after years of working at Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, Bergen County. There, she performed for thousands of revelers at the renowned dinner theater, demonstrating the ancient art of falconry on command.

But the pandemic hit her hard. Medieval Times closed for well over a year. When it reopened, well, things were different.

“When it came time to resume putting on the show, she had put on some weight, just like the rest of us during COVID, and she became a little less athletic,” explained Danny Mendez, Popcorn Park Animal Refuge’s assistant director. “In the show falcons circle an indoor arena and come back when they’re called. Artemis decided she didn’t want to come back anymore. She would land on some people’s tables, eat their food and she even took somebody’s scarf.”

Animals do have a way of expressing their feelings.

“They thought it was time for her to retire,” Mendez said.

So Artemis retired to Ocean County in early March. But she didn’t get condo and play pickleball. She moved into Mendez’s home in the Bayville section of Berkeley, so they could bond.

And bond they have. Despite all the hubbub around her Tuesday afternoon, Artemis perched on Mendez’s bent arm — an extended arm signals that it’s time to fly, while a bent one puts her at ease — and chilled.

“This is the ideal retirement for a falcon like her,” Mendez said. “She will maintain her diva status, but she doesn’t have to work for it. All she has to do is sit here and look pretty while I dazzle people with facts about her. As long as she doesn’t eat any children, it will be a successful day.”

Mendez has a good sense of humor. Artemis won’t attack children. When the hood comes off, however, it’s game on for this remarkable bird of prey.

‘An incredible force of nature’

Artemis — named after the Greek goddess of wild animals and hunting — is a hybrid falcon specially bred by Medieval Times. She’s two feet tall and majestically patterned. Her kind can fly as fast as 240 mph in a straight-line pursuit of prey.

“One of the world’s fastest animals,” Mendez said. “An incredible force of nature.”

A Hudson County-raised zoologist, Mendez has worked at the Bronx Zoo and Liberty Science Center. He arrived at Popcorn Park last year to assist longtime director John Bergmann and is focused on offering public education sessions with “ambassador animals” such as Artemis and Dizzy the Opossum, who survived being hit by a car and was nursed back to health by Mendez and fellow staff.

“It’s important that people have these interactions,” Mendez said. “With bears and monkeys (two of Popcorn Park’s most popular inhabitants), there is still physical separation. When you don’t have that, there’s a chance that interaction is going to lead to a lifetime of love and interest for somebody.”

Part of the educational session will be advice on what humans can do to help falcons, such as avoiding using poisons to kill mice and rats (which often winds up sickening falcons who eat them) and putting decals on large windows to prevent these majestic speed-flyers from crashing into them during pursuits.

In mid-April, during spring break, Mendez debuted Artemis on his wrist in a public “test run” for what will be a regular feature this summer. It was a huge success — for Artemis and enthralled kids.

“How often do you get to stand three feet from a falcon like this?” he said.

The hood comes off

Although Mendez praised Medieval Times’ staff for their treatment of animals, he had to start from scratch with Artemis when she moved into his duplex in March.

“For the first three or four days, she would fly away the second I walked into the room,” he said. “Then she was like, ‘You can feed me.’ Then when she saw me, she would associate me with positivity.”

Mendez became Artemis’ de facto dietician, helping her lose weight so she could be comfortable again (her dietary staple is frozen mice). She won’t, however, be flying for the public.

“We’re not going to free-fly her,” he said. “This is not the right environment. She’s used to an indoor arena. Here we have a ton of wild animals — too much stimulation. It would be a really short show if we introduced her and she attached herself to a peacock.”

To prove the point, Mendez removed Artemis’ hood. Her head immediately darted in five directions, as if on a swivel. Her feathers fanned out. The birds in the treetops were of particular interest. Lunch, perhaps? Twice, she tried to take off after them, but a tether kept her on Mendez’s glove (known as a gauntlet).

After a few minutes Mendez slipped the hood back on and all was calm. Time for some treats as a reward.

“The hood is great — I wish we had them for kids,” he joked. “We would sell them in the gift shop.”

Artemis could be a Popcorn Park resident for many years to come. Falcons can live into their 30s and respond well to people. It’s not a bad retirement gig, hanging on Mendez’s arm, impressing visitors and maybe even inspiring a few.

“She is a spectacular ambassador for us,” he said.

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