Colorado resident Erin Gelmans dreamed of owning her own kittens, but because her family was allergic to cats, she was unable to keep them as an adult.
One day, a friend sent Erin a photo of an adorable ginger and white kitten that was being sheltered at a local rifle animal shelter.
She immediately realized there was something special about this cat.
So she went to the shelter with her boyfriend, Dan Schreck, and as soon as they saw the kittens, they were both hooked.
Liebchen-Adventure Cat
They named her Liebchen, which means “sweetheart” in German, and decided to adopt her as a family member on the spot.
When we first met him in the car on the way home, he was so calm, it was as if he was part of our household. He immediately got to know us and from the moment we welcomed him, he didn’t want to leave us.
At the time, none of us had any idea how much this little furball would change our lives.
When they put the harness on him for the first time, he became very energetic and started playing with his toys.
So they put a leash on him and took him out for his first walk.
Erin told We Love Cats & Kittens, “Once we put the leash and harness on him, he got used to it right away.
We took him hiking when he was 10 weeks old and he loved it right away.
We took him flying, driving, boating, hiking, camping, skiing, boating, swimming, you name it! We have yet to find anything he doesn’t try and doesn’t like!”
Erin said she thinks Lee Buchen’s calm and fearless nature comes from his upbringing.
His mother was a stray and he was taken in by a wonderful foster family with children, dogs, and many other pets.
We truly believe that this wonderful family and rescue environment is what makes Spirited Dog calm and strong.”
Erin told us that she believes Spirited Dog’s calm and fearless nature comes from his upbringing.
His mother was a stray and was taken in by a wonderful foster family with children, dogs, and many other pets.
We truly believe that this wonderful family and rescue environment is the reason Spirited Dog is so calm and resilient.”
Erin went on to explain that Lee Bouchen has made a huge difference in their lives.
Despite their happiness, Lee Buchen came into their lives at the right time, as the pandemic hit them like so many others.
‘Lee Bucheng was like a ray of sunshine.
He was always cheerful, happy, and outgoing.
We took him to different places and he loved meeting new people.
He helped us reconnect with people we hadn’t been able to communicate with for a long time because of Covid.”
Liebchen is a cat who likes to be active and loves to go outdoors and do things with his humans.
Says Erin: “He inspires us to stay healthy, active, and try new things. He is always playing with us, cuddling us, and bringing us so much joy, we never knew how much joy one little furball could bring us.
Because of the pandemic, Erin was out of work. This gave us a chance to train and spend a few days with him.
Erin joked, “He really is like a mix between a puppy, a human, and a cat.” He’s also kind of our dominant. He is completely ours. He completely saves us.
Heather Grant, executive director of the Rifle Animal Shelter, said that strong dogs “are not something you keep every day.”
“We find great homes for animals every day, but this was a very special adoption.
This cat did something different. It is exciting to see homeless animals have such wonderful homes and lives.”
The shelter averages about 1,400 animals in foster care each year, and more than 450 lost pets were reunited with their owners last year.
More than 2 million unwanted pets are euthanized each year in the United States.
Erin and Dan call themselves “Meow Meow” and “Paw Paw.”
Liebchen has more than 50,000 followers on Instagram and 33,000 on Tiktok.
Erin and Dan are so lucky to have Liebchen. We say that Liebchen saved our lives.”
All images courtesy of @liebchen.travels
by Jan Travell
