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    Hilltop School recently held a bottle drive to collect money for the Halfway Home Pet Rescue in Caribou. From left, front row, second-graders Emily Berube, Carter Ouellette, Reece Cavagnaro and Colin Dumont; back row, Araya Caverhill (holding Sammy), Kallee Parent, Isaac Saucier, Ashlyn Bouchard and Liam Dee present Norma Milton and Miss Kitty of HHPR with a check for $120.

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    Chester had a rough road until he was rescued by Halfway Home Pet Rescue. HHPR took him immediately to the vet where X-rays determined that a badly damaged, infected leg had to be amputated. “Chester is only about one year old and he is faster with three legs than some cats with four legs,” said HHPR President Norma Milton. He is currently being fostered and has the freedom of his foster family's home, where his gentle personality blends nicely with all the other members of the family. Volunteers with the HHPR have expressed their hopes of finding Chester a home with a local long-term care facility  like the Maine Veterans’ Home or the Caribou Nursing Home. “He is very loving, mellow and clean about his environment,” Milton said, explaining that Chester’s adoption fee of $40 would be waived in the case of his placement in a medical institution. HHPR volunteers will be participating in the 19th annual City-Wide Yard Sale on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19, with their own sale at 489 Main Street. “If you have items to donate to us, please drop the items off between 8 and 10 a.m. when volunteers are available to place the items inside the building,” Milton requested. The rescue will also have tickets for sale in support of their major fundraiser of the year; each $1 ticket has four chances to win. The drawing will take place on Monday, July 1. Call Mary at 999-1075 if you want tickets. HHPR is always in need of more returnable bottles and cans, used nice shoes and used ink cartridges for their recycle project.

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    Billie Bob is known as “a really cool dude” at Halfway Home Pet Rescue.  He is about two years old and has all necessary medical procedures completed. Volunteers’ say that he’s is a huge boy with a head comparable to that of a medium-sized dog.  “His heart has the depth and memory of an elephant. He is loving, happy, healthy, mellow and so anxious for a home of his own,” said HHPR President Norma Milton. Volunteers agree that Billie Bob will fit in nicely with any sized family unit.  The Black is Back Sale, featuring the black and black-and-white cats for $10, will take place once more on Saturday, May 11 from noon to 3 p.m. All featured cats have received all necessary medical procedures, including a spay/neuter. To complement fund-raisers at the shelter, volunteers are asking that the community bring any nicely used shoes, returnable bottles or used computer ink cartridges to the shelter for recycling. “These recycled products help us pay for the cats medical bills,” Milton explained. “We are so grateful for any of these items that you can spare.”  FMI: 999-1075.

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    Volunteers with the Halfway Home Pet Rescue say that their Black is Back Sale is best represented by these two loving, happy, healthy cats Denzel and Henry who just want a home to call their own. “While shelters across the nation agree that the black and black-and-white cats are the last cats to be adopted and are the mostly likely to be euthanized, HHPR agrees with the general public that it is superstition and prejudice against these loving, happy companions,” said HHPR President Norma Milton. “New owners of the cats will often tell you that they never before had such a clean, loving and healthy companion.”  The Black is Back Sale takes place on Saturday, May 4 only from noon to 3 p.m. at the HHPR Adoption Center at 489 Main St. in Caribou. All black or black-and-white cats will be available for $10. All cats have been fixed, received their distemper and rabies shots, and have been cleared of any parasites. FMI call 999-1075

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    Danny Boy, left, who may be close to 2 years old, is a terrific cat at Halfway Home Pet Rescue whose personality reminds staff and volunteers of the song “I’m just a good old boy, not meaning no harm.” This is a personality plus, highly confident cat that needs to be out on a farm as an inside/outside cat because he like to check things out. Danny has had all of his medical completed and is ready for adoption into a good family. HHPR was able to deposit $654 into the checking account this week due to the PI Forum Trash and Treasure Sale. All of this money will go directly on the current vet bill. Their next fundraiser will be on Saturday, May 4th in Van Buren with a Craft and Bake Sale Booth. Funds are raised to meet the medical needs of HHPR cats, where they pay for the spay/neutering, snap-combo tests, shots, everything — about $175 of medical care for an adult cat and to keep the adoption fee at only $25. Dr. Andrea Pesut of the Presque Isle Animal Hospital, pictured above with Lily, will be the guest speaker at the Sunday, April 28 Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Program from 1-2:30 p.m. at the Caribou Lions Community Building, next the fire station on High Street. The program is free of charge and sponsored by the Halfway Home Pet Rescue. The program will explain about upper respiratory infection, Coccidia, internal and physical birth defects, and the issue of infant death in kittens. A question-and-answer period will be held and coffee and light refreshments will be available. HHPR is a 501c3 non-profit and a state licensed pet rescue. We are located at 489 Main St., Caribou, call Mary at 999 1075, check us out on www.halfwayhomepetrescue.org or on Facebook.