Keep Cowboy at Shabby Avenue!

Please give Jamie Rush, owner of Shabby Avenue and foster fur mother of Cowboy for the past year and a half, the courtesy of having the first option to adopt Cowboy and keep him at the shop he happily calls his home! A person who only based their decision to adopt him off of his picture online has been given the option to do so without any discussion, notification, or options being discussed in regards to or between the director of the shelter and current foster mom. It has been expressed on numerous occasions that I, Jamie Rush, would be happy to adopt him if need be. The reason he has remained a "foster" up until now is that sharing that he is a foster cat helps us promote the shelter/RCHS and their fostering program when Cowboy is the topic of conversation at the shop with customers and visitors. Being able to discuss him being a foster cat brings awareness to the cause. We have made it clear that we would be more than happy to adopt him if a situation like this comes up or if asked to do so in order to keep him. Many people come into the shop specifically to visit with Cowboy! He has became a very special friend to many people in the community who enjoy being able to come visit with him and bring him special treats. He has became a part of our family and we love and care about him very much. He is very happy and comfortable with his current situation and routine. We have cared for him financially, emotionally, and physically during his stay with us with no help from the RCHS itself other than one vet visit and one donated bag of cat litter. Any other assistance from the shelter was a few donations from one of the shelter volunteers who comes to check on Cowboy on a regular basis (on her own accord) who paid for said donations out of her own pocket. Although we have made numerous contacts and 2 separate visits on Cowboys behalf to express our desire to adopt him so that he does not have to leave us or go to yet another home, we have not been given much hope that the odds are in our favor and the preverbal deck seems be stacked against us in having the first option to adopt him. This seems very unfair and not very considerate to the main persons whom this decision will effect the most. Although the RCHS shelter is currently overwhelmed with cats in need of adoption, the person who saw him online insists on uprooting Cowboy specifically because of a picture that they saw online and was not encouraged or given the option of meeting any of the many other cats on location at RCHS who are in desperate need of homes when the people went there to inquire about Cowboy. The people in question were told upon coming into our place of business and prior to going to the RCHS that we were very attached to him and that we were planning to adopt him. They shrugged it off and told my very upset daughter and her father that it was too bad because they were going to do so first and that it was our loss! They were given a adoption form to fill out upon arriving at RCHS despite several calls that were made on his and our behalf even though this is not the best option for him or any other animals in need that they could have been introduced to. Upon us getting to the shelter and conversing with Kelly Scheidegger we were basically given the impression that it's out of our hands and that she thinks the said people are great candidates because they wanted him without even meeting him and also despite the fact they were told he was a special needs cat. The director stated that she thought they were in her opinion "very special people" for those reasons and that she (shelter director) would have to "make a tough decision". Evidently the fact that we were willing to foster a special needs cat, which we also agreed to do prior to meeting him, as well as caring for him for a year and a half all while promoting the RCHS the entire time doesn't make us nearly as special or worthy of being treated fairly or having the option to adopt him ourselves first. Please sign the petition and share. I have no idea if money plays a part in this but if you would also like to pledge a donation to the RCHS in honor of Cowboy being able to stay were he is happy and content at Shabby Avenue please feel free to do so. Any and all support is appreciated and welcome!