On Sept. 10 the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard, as a member of Friends of the Animals, conducted another successful spay/neuter clinic. Nine dogs were taken to Falmouth in the driving rain. We would like to thank the Friends of Falmouth Animal Shelter for allowing us to use their facility.

And a successful return of a cat to her owner took place in Woods Hole that same day. Unbeknownst to us, the shelter’s own Gordon Healy is a detective in his spare time. In June vacationers were forced to leave without their cat, Velvet, because she could not be found. Upon their return home they contacted the shelter to report her missing and give a detailed description.

Come September, Velvet turns up in West Tisbury and the person who found her contacted the shelter. Based on the description given by her owner, Gordon determined that this was the missing cat and contacted the owners at their home in Maryland. The return was coordinated with the off-Island spay/neuter trip; the owner flew into Providence and rented a car to retrieve her pet. A big thank you goes to Dr. Jennifer Everett of Animal Health Care for squeezing Velvet in, enabling her to get her health certificate before flying home. Thank you Gordon for all your hard work.

Our senior citizens Daenerys, the sweet dilute calico, and Milo, the handsome, totally orange gentleman, are taking life easy. The adoption fee will be waived for anyone who has it in their heart to give either of them a home.

The score in the cat room competition is unchanged. It stands at Team Orange one, Team Black zero. Six-year-old brothers Forrest and Bubba of Team Black are hoping for a walk-off win by getting adopted together, but will be happy to be separated in order to find their new homes Four -year-old orange boy Nike wants to remind everyone that he’s more than ready to bring some snuggles and happiness into someone’s life.

And our favorite husky, Storm, is out with an adoption pending.

We’re all hoping for a perfect match. Shelter hours are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The shelter is closed Sunday and Monday. The telephone number is 508-627-8662.

Contributions are always gratefully accepted; the shelter is funded solely by donations. Please make checks out to The Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard; the mailing address is P.O. Box 1829, Edgartown, MA 02539 or visit animalshelterofmv.org.