Animals for Awareness

© Stan Popovich – All Rights Reserved

Everybody deals with stress and anxiety, however some people sometimes take it out on their pets. Instead of taking your problems and frustrations out on your pets or other animals, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their stress, anxieties, and fears.

When facing a current or upcoming task that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, the first thing you can do is to break the task into a series of smaller steps. For example, changing careers can be a stressful situation. In order to help manage this task, try to divide this goal into a series of smaller steps and do each of these tasks one at a time. For instance, the first thing a person can do is to develop a resume and then find those companies where you would like to work. Once you mail your resume, you can then focus on the interviewing process. Completing these smaller tasks one at a time will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.

Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. Instead of taking it out on your pets, a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get your mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things. This mental timeout can help you refocus on your current situation.

In dealing with your anxieties, a person should learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of focusing on exaggerated assumptions that may or may not happen, focus on the present and take it one day at a time.

Sometimes, it helps to be able to talk to someone about our stressful situations. Talking to a trusted friend, counselor, or clergyman can not only make us feel better, but they might be able to give you additional advice and insights on how to deal with your current problem. This is a lot more effective than yelling at your dog or cat. It is not easy to deal with our stressful problems, however taking our frustrations out on your pets or other people will not make the problem go away. When things are not going right, try to remember to treat your pet as the way you would want to be treated.

BIOGRAPHY:

Stanley Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods” – an easy to read book on how to manage your persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/

Or email the author at spopovich @ managingfear.com.

AFA in the Lincoln-Way Sun.  - .PDF format.

Wild Animals Lurking in the Beecher Library?

February 10, 2005
By Terry Gatlin, for The Beecher Herald

Kimberly Schilling’s parents used to allow her to nurture the wounded bunnies and birds she constantly brought home as a child, as long as she kept the animals outdoors.

“When you are older and have your own place, you can have as many animals as you want, ” they told her.

Now in her early 30s, Schilling hesitates to say exactly how many animals live with her and her husband, David, at their Palos Park home. The ones she introduced by name gave some indication.

In an after-work tour of her property, Schilling received warm welcomes from a wallaby (“Sydney”), a talking parrot (“Sam”), a raccoon (“Mikey”), and six or more foxes (including “Kate,”"Dakota,” “Shamus” and “Smooch”).

The welcome from her alligator (“Boots”), who popped his head out of his watery bed in a metal trough as she passed, wasn’t exactly warm, but the one from the 25-pound Canadian lynx (“Sasha”) certainly was. The wildcat pounced at Schilling’s petite frame from several feet away, sending her stumbling back in laughter as it draped its sizable paws around her for a furry, forceful hug.

Schilling works at the Ferrara Pan Candy factory during the day. Her home, licensed and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, doubles as an exotic animal rescue and no-kill sanctuary called Animals For Awareness.

Schilling recently wrote a book called “Ferrets for Dummies,” which will be out in the fall. The 400-page, comprehensive guide originally was titled “The Wonderful World of Ferrets,” until it was picked up for the popular “Dummies” series.

Schilling said ferrets can be great pets, but they can be more complicated to care for than owners expect. She was chosen to write the book, she said, because ferrets are just a small example of a greater problem that is straining the capacity of no-kill facilities such as hers.

“We’re not against owning exotic animals, we are against people getting them with not fully knowing and fully preparing,” she said.

“Like with big cats,” she said. “One of the mistakes people make is (they) think, ‘If the animal outgrows me, a zoo will take it,’ but the zoos don’t want anything to do with an animal that’s been a pet.”

Schilling and other Animals for Awareness volunteers employ the rescued animals at birthday parties, nursing home gatherings and school outings to teach people about caring for exotic pets.

They are not animal rights activists; David Schilling hunts recreationally. Misinformation and lack of information are what drive their cause.

The shelter recently has obtained an abundance of foxes from apartments, for example.

“They sell them at animal swaps. The people who sell them say these are great apartment pets, you can litter-box train them,” said Schilling, standing beside a fox cage that smelled strongly of skunk.

“Can you smell this?” she asked. “They are so musky.”

She had hosed the cages down at 8 o’clock the previous night.

“Can you imagine this in an apartment?” she said.

The animal lover says being hopelessly devoted to cages full of skunk-scented animals and other cages full of actual skunks can be a blessing and a curse.

“I happen to be adopted,” Schilling said, “and I always related to animals that needed homes or needed extra attention. I’ve always gotten along better with animals than I did with people.”

Sometimes, though, she wishes she had no pets, not even a dog.

“If we go out of town, we have to get a vet to watch the house. And it’s ‘head’s up’ to the feeding team,” she said.

So she plans few getaways. She spent eight hours on a recent weekend hosing down cages, and she’s always shopping for chicken, vegetables and fruit to feed her house guests.

“(Food) probably costs $600 to $700 a month. You should see how many bananas we go through,” she said.

And who is the easiest to care for?

She pointed to her husband. “He does all the housecleaning, while I take care of the animals,” she said.

In addition to the animals mentioned above, Schilling houses snakes, turtles, rabbits, ferrets, sugargliders (which are flying, squirrel-like marsupials), skunks, ring-tailed cats and genets (those are wildcats from Africa).

In the past, her shelter served as temporary home for a bear and a cougar.

Her license plate reads “ZU KEPR,” and her entire home and yard are modified for pets. Fences and gates, cat doors, cages, food bowls, litter boxes and reptile lamps are all part of the decor.

“People say, ‘Are all your animals loose in your house?’ I say, ‘No, that would be playing with the food chain,’ ” she said.

To donate to Animals for Awareness, to schedule a humane education program, or if you are contemplating exotic pet ownership, contact Schilling at (708) 361-9330, or visit the organization’s Web site at http://www.animalsforawareness.org.