The animal shelter is the place to hear both the saddest and the happiest stories. The saddest are usually connected to the surrender of a pet because of the housing crisis on the Island. It’s latest victim is a 12-year-old Italian greyhound who was rescued from a shelter six years ago by her devoted owner. He has been wait-listed for a spot in elderly housing, but was surprised to hear that they do not allow dogs. Hannah, as she is called, has a sweet, shy personality. It is heart-rending to think about separating these two boon companions. It would greatly relieve him if we could find a perfect new owner for his beloved dog.

Another dog is available for adoption. Her owner is leaving the country for a year and cannot take Fia with her. At three and a half years old she is a youngster who is described by her owner as “beautiful, sweet, spirited, loyal, and rambunctious.” In addition, she is in “move-in” condition, having been spayed and current on all her vaccinations. Her housemate is a cat so we know she gets along fine with felines. She is of northern heritage and has a thick brown coat and topaz eyes. As an added bonus she is not a barker. Fia is a trim 60 pounds of gorgeousness.

A new cat has joined the kitty brigade. Talk about gorgeous! She is a Maine coon cat named Mitzi. Her owner unfortunately died. She is spayed, current on all her immunizations and ready to be adopted. As for Laverne and Shirley, the black kittens, they become more friendly with all the attention they get from the volunteers and visitors. Poor Swifty, the cat thrown from a car, she is getting rounder by the day. We think her kittens will be born mid-August. We hope some of them will be multidactyl like their mother, who has seven toes on each front paw. If you are interested in adopting a kitten you may sign up on the kitten list we keep at the front desk.

Even though he is mentioned in this column weekly, Skipper’s owner has not showed up yet. That is unusual as he is FREE to a good home.

We have happy news about a cat that was adopted from the shelter about a year ago. She was so impossible we named her Diva. She didn’t get along with anyone, biped or quadruped. Finally the owner of a large, lushly planted arboretum came along. His property is fenced and then some against the ravages of deer, but he despaired of the damage wrought by rodents. He renamed the cat Hattie and retrofitted a former chicken coop as her new home.

She has proven to be an ace huntress of rabbits, voles, chipmunks, and any other undesirables in the garden. Not only that, she follows her new owner around like a dog. She is still skittish about other humans, but has obviously found her real calling in rodent removal.

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.