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Eleventh-graders from the Marble Falls High School visited Living Love Animal Rescue on Thursday, Jan. 23, to write about some of the cats in residence during Career Day with DailyTrib.com. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Six Marble Falls High School students got a cuddly writing assignment during the Rotary Club’s annual Career Day on Thursday, Jan. 23. The 11th-graders accompanied DailyTrib.com staff to Living Love Animal Rescue and Sanctuary to highlight some of the rescue cats in residence.
Each student spent Thursday working with and learning from DailyTrib.com reporters, culminating in them writing brief reports on and photographing some of the 300-plus animals cared for at Living Love.
“The reason we do (Career Day) is because one of Rotary’s areas of services is vocational service,” said Ellison Crider, who organizes the annual job-learning day for local students with wife Faye. “We want to expose junior students to various vocations that are available in the community, to expose them to the opportunities that are out there. This is a way to learn what an occupation’s tasks and duties are.”
While the day focused on a career in local news reporting, the students were also introduced to the multi-dimensional aspects of the media business, visiting with Victory Media’s sales staff, radio personnel, copy editor, social media manager, creative director, and publisher.
DailyTrib.com is part of the Victory Media family, a Marble Falls-based multimedia company with deep roots in the Highland Lakes community. Other Victory products are The Picayune Magazine, KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune, 101HighlandLakes.com, and 101 Fun Things to do in the Highland Lakes magazine.
Living Love Animal Rescue partnered with DailyTrib.com for the day, giving the students a chance to get in the field, conduct interviews, take photos, collect data, and eventually compile their work into brief reports for editing and publication.
Living Love Animal Rescue is a nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter located just outside of Marble Falls that takes in cats and dogs from across the Texas Hill Country, providing them with a forever home or finding them a new home through adoption. The facility has taken in over 3,000 animals since 2009 and is currently home to over 300 cats and dogs.
Marble Falls High School juniors Elsa Vandiford, Jack Smith, Kaden Langbein, Ashlyn Gibbons, Miguel Salazar, and Malin Nelson provided the following reports on some of the cats available for adoption.
Elsa Vandiford
Suzy Q is just one of many cats in need of adoption at a local animal rescue amid the ongoing winter conditions in the Highland Lakes.
The 3-year-old female feline was at risk of euthanasia at another animal control facility before she was taken in by Living Love Animal Rescue, a nonprofit, no-kill shelter just outside of Marble Falls.
According to the rescue’s administrative assistant, Selena Keil, Suzy Q is very friendly, loves to play in water, and works well with dogs and cats.
Suzy Q and the other cats at Living Love are not at risk of euthanasia and will have a home at the shelter as long as they need one, but they are available for adoption to the right homes.
Jack Smith
Rala is a large, 4-year-old, short-haired domestic cat with his own “dungeon” at Living Love Animal Rescue. Despite a mean streak that landed him in the cat sanctuary, he has since softened and is now known as a gentle giant.
He was surrendered to Living Love after he clawed the child of his original owners, according to Administrative Assistant Selena Keil. Reportedly, he had a habit of jumping on the young boy’s back and playfighting too hard, which culminated in a series of serious scratches.
While the nature of Rala’s surrender was extreme, the family still checks in on him to see how he is doing.
Now, many volunteers at the shelter love Rala because of his kind, easy-going attitude. He spends most of his time lazing in a crate, affectionately called “Rala’s Dungeon,” but he does make appearances for visitors willing to offer a little affection.
Kaden Langbein
Anonymous is a 3-month-old rescue kitten that was recently brought to Living Love Animal Rescue after being pulled from an animal-hoarding situation and put on a euthanasia list.
The kitten had no name until Thursday, Jan. 23, when he was dubbed “Anonymous” by this reporter while on assignment for DailyTrib.com.
Despite coming from a hoarding situation, Anonymous is playful and readily engages with other cats and people.
Anonymous is perfectly healthy, has all of his shots, and is ready to be adopted to the right home and receive a new name, according to the shelter’s administrative assistant, Selena Keil.
Ashlyn Gibbons
Willow, a 15-year-old, tortoise shell-colored cat, is one of the original residents of Living Love Animal Rescue, and she has a fondness for scratches.
According to shelter staff, Willow was a resident stray who lived on the property when the rescue was established in 2013.
Before Living Love became an actual shelter, it was the passion project of founders Cindy Gunter and Sandra Santee, who, in 2006, began taking in stray cats and dogs and finding them homes. After years of work, another member stepped in. Claire Edwards purchased 9 acres of property just outside of Marble Falls to serve as a dedicated shelter and base of operations for Living Love.
Like a good omen, Willow appeared on the property when work began on the shelter, and she soon became a favorite of volunteers and staff. Over a decade after wandering out of the woods, she is still one of the most prominent residents of the animal rescue.
Miguel Salazar
Joey is just one of the 300-plus animals who call Living Love Animal Rescue home. The 3-year-old cat was surrendered by previous owners who could no longer provide for him, but he has a permanent residence at the shelter if he needs it.
Shelter staff described Joey as “sweet” and “lovable,” noting he has an almost magnetic attraction toward hands for pets and scratches.
Living Love is a no-kill facility, and Joey will be provided for as long as necessary, but he is eligible for adoption to the right home.
Malin Nelson
Ricky is an orange tabby cat who recently arrived at Living Love Animal Rescue after wandering onto the property in early January.
The wild cat is now tamed, up to date on all vaccinations, and ready for adoption to a new home.
Volunteers and staff at Living Love have found Ricky to be an especially loving cat who reportedly gives “hugs” on occasion and seeks out snuggles at every opportunity.
dakota@thepicayune.com
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