Los Gatos Weekly-Times Photograph by George Sakkestad Buster (left), a bull terrier mix, and Amber, a German shepherd, let Pet Network volunteer Cheryl Kleder know how much they appreciate her. Pet Network is in the rescue business By Shari Kaplan Combine the knowledge of Dr. Doolittle, the patience of Mother Teresa and the generosity of Andrew Carnegie--that describes the volunteers, "foster parents" and donors responsible for the Pet Network. A nonprofit dog and cat rescue and placement organization based in Saratoga and staffed by volunteers, the Pet Network began some 12 years ago after Saratogan Cheryl Kleder and Cherice Gwen of Cupertino found a niche that needed filling. The two had previously volunteered for another animal group called the Rescuers. Based in Los Gatos, the group was run by mostly older women who took in strays or shelter animals and provided foster homes until new homes could be found. The first animal Kleder fostered was a transient Australian shepherd mix who'd been living along Highway 17. "Are we just going to let this go? There's such a need in the community for animal rescue!" was what Kleder says she exclaimed to her fellow animal lovers when they learned the Rescuers was disbanding. All sentiments matched Kleder's, and thus the Pet Network was born. The organization has grown to include a cadre of foster homes in the greater San Jose area, including Saratoga and Los Gatos. Other supporters help the cause by donating dog or cat food and other supplies or by volunteering at the group's pet fairs--one of the main ways Pet Network connects with prospective adopters and foster parents. The network also has a Web site filled with color photographs and biographies of all the furry friends waiting for adoption. "I like this organization because we keep the animals for as long as it takes to get them adopted," says Loretta Kernan, a Santa Clara resident. "We believe the right home is out there for every one of these animals." Another aspect of the network Kernan likes to point out is the reason why such detailed biographies of the dogs and cats are available to prospective adopters. "We can tell them about [the animals'] personalities because we actually live with our animals," she says of herself and other foster parents. Kernan's current charges are Hunter, Walker, Selene and Sierra. The kittens lived in a barn in the Sierra. After a coyote killed their mother, the dog belonging to the barn owners watched out for the little ones. When the dog and owners came down for the winter, the Pet Network got the kittens, whom Kernan calls "the most sociable, sweetest cats I've ever fostered--and very people-oriented!" Lucy, the first dog Los Gatan Laurie Friedman fostered, was not so people-oriented at first, but that soon changed. The young Rottweiler mix was discovered early this summer with a litter of puppies in a trailer park. She was so defensive that it took days for patient volunteers to capture her. Friedman helped raise Lucy's seven puppies, and the Pet Network found good homes for them all. Lucy and Friedman became so close that "Mama Dog," as many folks called her, became a member of the Friedman family. "They all seem to be wonderful, unusual animals, and you've given them back their life," Friedman says of the dogs and cats in the network. "Animals give great joy, and they give you tenfold the love that you give them!" For information about Pet Network, visit its Web site at www.petnetwk.org or call 450-2452. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, January 6, 1999. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.