THE WAIT FOR A HOME: PETS FOR EVERY FAMILY ARE READY FOR ADOPTION AT RP ANIMAL SHELTER

Tucked into a quiet West Side alley between The Press Democrat printing plant and the Costco parking lot, the Rohnert Park Animal Shelter is a surprisingly popular destination.

"There's always a constant flow of 'lookie lous,'" said shelter supervisor Mickey Zeldes, referring to the adult and juvenile humans who come simply to enjoy the animals.

"We don't mind," said Zeldes, who declined to give her age. "It's important for them to know that it's not a scary place. It's clean and bright. The animals are healthy and happy."

Serving the cities of Cotati and Rohnert Park, the public facility last year took in 1,350 animals, mostly dogs and cats, a regular procession of "pocket pets" (rabbits, rats, mice, hamsters) and the occasional reptile or bird.

More than 200 volunteers help the half-dozen staffers groom, feed and socialize the animals. Everyone helps members of the public find lost pets and ease the pain when they must surrender old friends for whom they can no longer care.

And they all look forward to sparking the magic of an adoption.

Behind the scenes are the nonprofit Friends of the Animals in the Redwood Empire and the Animal Shelter League, which helps pay for specialized veterinarian care and testing.

There's also a cadre of citizens who drop off food, toys and bedding to make shelter life even more comfortable. So it was no surprise on the morning of April 6 when shelter workers arrived to find a number of small-pet cages at the front door.

"Donors often leave supplies for the shelter after hours," said vet tech Vanessa Farnham, 25. This time, however, the cages were not empty -- they contained seven tiny hamsters a few months old.

Now 6 to 7 months old, the "teddy bear" hamsters are ready for adoption. Theirs is one of the five Shelter Stories shared today by the staff.

Fluffington has extra long, extra stroke-able peach fur and a mild disposition.

Hamsters can live two to three years and cost $5 to adopt, $8 for two. They're good first pets that can be maintained by a 10-year-old with supervision. They need their bedding changed twice a week, and their upkeep costs about $10 a month. Most important is to keep them socialized and exercised in the cage with a wheel for running or hamster ball for climbing.

Caya (pronounced ki-a) is a blue merle catahoula mix. She's 1 to 2 years old and weighs 50-60 pounds. A working livestock dog, she is "always thinking about things," according to Farnham. "She is very high energy, very intelligent." Her new owner must be committed to her training. She's agile and great at fetching and would be easy to teach tricks.

She was found abandoned in a dog park, possibly because of her high activity requirements. She has one brown eye, the other half-blue, half brown and is friendly as all get-out. Like all cats and dogs at the shelter, she costs $95 to adopt.

Betsy, 6, is good with kids and other dogs. She is a brown-and-white pit bull with a blaze of white down her nose, four white paws and a tip of white on her brown tail. Her family, who raised her from a puppy, had to move without her.

She's short-legged, weighs 60 to 70 pounds,and has mild arthritis and hip dysplasia that need treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs. "A couch potato," according to Farnham, she loves to hang out and snuggle, but also needs low-key exercise.

At 13, Sassy is the shelter's oldest cat and needs a home soon. Her claim to fame is extra-large paws with as many as three extra toes each. She is sweet and loving, with long tortoise-shell fur and golden eyes. She has no known health issues.

Her owner died at the end of May, leaving Sassy and two other cats without a home. The younger pair is also available for dual adoption.

Flora is a "torby," a tabby with tortoise-shell markings. She is 5 to 7 years old, petite with unusually translucent ears. She was abandoned at the shelter's back door on April 3 in a cardboard box with her litter of seven 3-day-old kittens that have since been weaned. Another box held two young adults, probably from a previous litter.

While a little shy at first, she is ready for some personal attention in a home of her own. Like all dogs and cats available at the shelter, Flora is micro-chipped, spayed/neutered and inoculated.

The Rohnert Park Animal Shelter is open 1-6:30 p.m. Wednesday; 1-5:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday; and 1-4:30 p.m. Sunday. It's located at 301 J. Rogers Lane, 584-1582, rpanimalshelter.org.

Those seeking to adopt animals are interviewed and must fill out an extensive questionnaire. Those who do not own their homes must get written permission from their landowners to adopt.