By Cory McKeown with photos by Melanie Epping

If you’re looking for a sweet, well-mannered canine companion, you’ll love Lucy!

It is always a particularly sad situation when our pets outlive us- just as the bond between a pet and their person is getting the strongest, the dog or cat will be left alone to face their older years. Such is the case with Lucy, who came to our shelter after losing her lifetime companion.

Lucy definitely has not given up finding another special person- she has too much to offer. She is an intelligent lab/shepherd/whatever mix, and that has wonderful manners and is a pure delight to take for walks. She got a little,uh, “chubby” in her past life and it would be wonderful for her to have a new person who would watch her diet and take her for the walks she so enjoys.

Surely there is someone out there who wants a loyal, mellowed canine companion to bring some love and companionship into their lives. Come and meet Lucy- this sweet girl is definitely worth the time!!

Good gosh, Josh! A year in a cage??

From time to time, we take pets into our shelter from other shelters when it appears the animals’ time may be running out. When we heard that Josh, a charming young silver point tabby had been in another cage for a year, we knew he had to come to us for another chance.

Just exactly why this sweet and handsome cat had been left so long without a home is a mystery to us. He loves people, is playful, gets along with other cats, and is a very nice- looking boy with a short, easy-care coat. Josh has good house manners, and would be a joy to have in any home.

Josh has thoroughly enjoyed being in our free-range “kitty playroom” where he can run, stretch, sit in the sunny windows, and meet and greet the people who come in the room. But, as much as the playroom is so much better than a cage, it is past the time that this great should be getting a new home and person of his own.

Good gosh, Josh, a year in a cage means that you have probably spent almost a half of your young life behind bars! The rest of your life could be so wonderful in a new home…. Could you be the one to give Joshua the chance at life he so deserves?

Sign up for our “we want a kitten” list today

The spring kittens seem to be arriving quite a bit later this year that the norm- perhaps because of the harsh conditions last winter. But, we will have kittens soon, and if you are interested in adopting a “tiny tiger” come by the shelter or call and ask to have your name put on our “kitten wanted” list. When we get kittens in, we call the people on the list so that they can come and meet the newest arrivals.

Shelter Wish List

Our hungry hounds wanted us to ask for donations of Pedigree or AttaBoy dry dog food- they say” thank you for thinking of us!!!’

Dear Friends at the Long Beach Shelter,

We just wanted to say hello and send a couple of photos of Sabrina. We adopted Sabrina from your shelter back in January, and have been enjoying her company ever since.

We had a call from someone on Saturday inquiring about how she was getting along, and my husband Robert wrote down an e-mail address, but must have heard it incorrectly, since it didn’t seem to work. (He is very hard of hearing, so probably didn’t get it quite right.) Anyway, it was a completely different e-mail from the one I’m using today, which I got from the Observer. Anyway, we are assuming it was one of your employees doing a follow-up call on Sabrina. If not, perhaps you should let us know…

But to get back to Sabrina, she is just a doll. We love her dearly. She is gentle and patient, except when it’s time for her daily walk in the woods, at which time she barks up a storm. She is eating well and has a very sweet temperament. She has made our home complete again. (We have always had a dog, except for short periods between dogs.) On Tuesday she will go for her second bath/grooming appointment, since she is again shedding all over the place.

So, thank you again. You run a wonderful shelter, and we are so impressed with the number of animals you are able to place in a given year’s time. What a wonderful comment on your caring approach, and the community’s support.

So, here are a couple of pictures for you of Sabrina:

Affectionately,

Sandy and Robert Godsey - and Sabrina

Staff and Volunteers,

Here are some current pictures of Perdido. We just love him so much. I was going to email some movies of him, but the file sizes are huge! So I’ll have to burn them to a CD and drop them in the mail. He and Sadie are the best of friends. They play together, groom each other, and even sleep together (on occasion). Perdido usually sleeps on his our bed, or in his crate.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. Some are just around the house, and some are of a day trip to a park.

Thank you so much for taking such good care of the “little guy” so we could adopt him.

You’re the best!

Stuart Schrader & Kendra

The Wildlife Center of the North Coast rehabilitates injured, sick, orphaned and displaced native wildlife with the goal of releasing healthy, viable wildlife back into the appropriate habitat. It is the only wildlife care hospital in the area and provides professional medical care for all native wild birds and animals, assisting over 2,000 wildlife patients each year. This all-volunteer organization is having an open house and you are invited!

wcncopenhouse [pdf]

This story came to us through email.  I checked it out and it is true.  I hope you’re as touched as I was by this amazing story. ~KS

Freedom and I have been together 10 years this summer. She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken wings. Her left wing doesn’t open all the way even after surgery, it was broken in 4 places. She’s my baby.

When Freedom came in she could not stand. Both wings were broken, her left wing in 4 places. She was emaciated and covered in lice. We made the decision to give her a chance at life, so I took her to the vet’s office. From then on, I was always around her. We had her in a huge dog carrier with the top off, and it was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to lay in. I used to sit and talk to her, urging her to live, to fight; and she would lay there looking at me with those big brown eyes. We also had to tube feed her for weeks.

This went on for 4-6 weeks, and by then she still couldn’t stand. It got to the point where the decision was made to euthanize her if she couldn’t stand in a week. You know you don’t want to cross that line between torture and rehab, and it looked like death was winning. She was going to be put down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in on that Thursday afternoon. I didn’t want to go to the center that Thursday, because I couldn’t bear the thought of her being euthanized; but I went anyway, and when I walked in everyone was grinning from ear to ear. I went immediately back to her dowl cage; and there she was, standing on her own, a big beautiful eagle. She was ready to live. I was just about in tears by then. That was a very good day.

We knew she could never fly, so the director asked me to glove train her. I got her used to the glove, and then to jesses, and we started doing education programs for schools in western Washington. We wound up in the newspapers, radio (believe it or not) and some TV. Miracle Pets even did a show about us.

In the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma. I had stage 3, which is not good (one major organ plus everywhere), so I wound up doing 8 months of chemo. Lost the hair – the whole bit. I missed a lot of work. When I felt good enough, I would go to Sarvey and take Freedom out for walks. Freedom would also come to me in my dreams and help me fight the cancer. This happened time and time again.

Fast forward to November 2000, the day after Thanksgiving, I went in for my last checkup. I was told that if the cancer was not all gone after 8 rounds of chemo, then my last option was a stem cell transplant. Anyway, they did the tests; and I had to come back Monday for the results. I went in Monday, and I was told that all the cancer was gone. Yahoo!

So the first thing I did was get up to Sarvey and take the big girl out for a walk. It was misty and cold. I went to her flight and jessed her up, and we went out front to the top of the hill. I hadn’t said a word to Freedom, but somehow she knew. She looked at me and wrapped both her wings around me to where I could feel them pressing in on my back (I was engulfed in eagle wings), and she touched my nose with her beak and stared into my eyes, and we just stood there like that for I don’t know how long. That was a magic
moment. We have been soul mates ever since she came in. This is a very special bird.

On a side note: I have had people who were sick come up to us when we are out, and Freedom has some kind of hold on them. I once had a guy who was terminal come up to us and I let him hold her. His knees just about buckled and he swore he could feel her power coarse through his body. I have so many stories like that.

I never forget the honor I have of being so close to such a magnificent spirit as Freedom’s.

Hope you enjoy this.

Jeff Guidry

More:
http://www.sarveywildlife.org/Story.aspx?id=7 and http://www.sarveywildlife.org/Story.aspx?id=512

Hello Everyone!

I wanted to let you know that Paige has really adapted well to her new life and home. She is such a good girl! We have so much fun and it’s finally nice to come home to someone who is so happy to see me!

I took her to the vet on Tuesday and she had her stitches out. She has healed just fine. She also got a rabies shot and booster shot as well. I got her 7 months of Advantage so she is good to go for awhile. She did so
good for the vet.

She loves to ride with me and would rather sit in the car and wait for me than to stay at home alone. She doesn’t tear anything up while I’m at work and doesn’t potty on the floor at all anymore!

She has given me so much joy and I’m sure she is happy too. No more being neglected or living in a tiny little kennel. She’s got the run of the house….including the bed!!

Maybe this summer when we decide to take a little drive we’ll stop by so you can see how she is. I’m sure she’d like that as well.

Thanks again!

Teresa

By Cory McKeown with photos by Melanie Epping

There are new kids in town!!

Over this past week, we have received a great selection of new dogs for adoption. We have dogs of all sizes and varieties.

“Abby” is a very nice 4 year old lab/shepherd mix. Other larger dogs available are “Duke”, also a handsome lab/shepherd mix, and “Roxy”, a bright Aussie mix. “Rusty” is an athletic lab mix that loves to swim.

Our smaller newcomers include “Bernie”, a 2 year old doxie, “Alvin” a cute little Chihuahua, and “Roscoe” a 1 year old terrier mix. “Alvin” came to us from another shelter and he arrived with a cast on his front leg! Apparently, he came into the other shelter as a stray, and the reason for the cast was a mystery. By the time this column is published, however, the mystery will be unraveled because we will have taken him to the veterinarian for a check-up. Other than the cast, he seems very healthy and active, and very much wants a home of his own

Bring the family and come and see the wonderful new kids on the block!!!

Is it true that Manx are cat/rabbit crosses??

Manx cats, in addition to being tailless, have compact bodies and their back legs are longer than their front legs. They sometimes have a slightly “hopping” gait, and this overall “bunny like” appearance has sometimes led to the theory that they are a cat-rabbit cross. While amusing to think about, this is of course a biological impossibility.

What Manx cats are is one of the most interesting and unusual of all the breeds. “Kiki” is true to the Manx breed for she is lively, playful, and very affectionate. She has a beautiful petite body and a short plush, easy-care coat. She lost her home when her human passed away, and at a young 2 years old, this delightful little cat is just ready to enrich the home and heart of her new person.

The evidence is in: If a community is humane, then yes, it’s safe. And if it harbors cruelty to animals, it’s not safe for people, either.

In a recent prison survey in Chicago, 7 out of 10 people convicted of violent crime said they’d begun with animals. And dog-fighting is right up at the top.

Read more.

South Pacific County Humane Society
March 30, 2008
GiftWorks Database Progress Report for March 2008

March GiftWorks Activity
March 2008 activity reflects initial entry of 2008 donor information—many more records are to be entered in May.

18 new individuals added to database

31 new donations entered

21 existing entries updated

2 entries deleted from database

Submitted by Sabrina Kent

Hi Diana!  Hi Ladies!

I’m sorry I haven’t written before now but I’ve been spoiling my little girl!  We made it home great.  She rode like a champ.  She layed on the front seat with her head on my leg the whole way!

She has been a joy and so much fun.  I took her to the vet yesterday and she said she was a little bit thin but in really good health for an animal neglected.  She will have her stitches out next Tuesday along with a rabies and booster shot.

She sleeps in the queen bed with me……boy does she snore!!  She also sits beside me on the couch in the evening while we watch the news.

I have a little trouble with her on a leash because she pulls so hard to run and I am trying to teach her “easy” so she will walk beside me or just a couple of feet in front of me.  She is learning but it will take some time as she has never had training with a leash.  She has a bad habit of going potty on the floor.  I tell her “no” when she does…..then when she goes potty outside I really praise her so she knows which is right.  I know she’ll get the hang of it soon.  She doesn’t like linoleum floors.  It’s funny to see her walk in the kitchen.

I have a gate up in the laundry room, until she is potty trained completely, so she stays in there while I’m at work.  She has bones, water, food, blankets and toys to keep her happy.  When I open the door at night she is SO VERY happy to see me as I am her.  She is so fun and so much company.  She really does have a beautiful personality and you can’t help but love her.  I am so glad I found her.

I’ll take some pictures soon and send you some.  Don’t worry…..she is being taken good care of and we get along just great!  She makes my life a lot happier place to be!  Thank you for the wonderful gift!!

Have a great day and I’ll keep in touch.  You can always reach me here at work too.

Thanks again,

Teresa

I decided to show everyone what I have been very passionate for a long time concerning dogs being chained up 24/7 and why I want to include fencing materials in our budget for next year unless we can get the funds we need by donations and we will try that first. And since Cory included our project idea called “Fences for Fido” in the column this week I felt I would let these pictures speak for themselves. When Nancy and I drove up to this place this is how we found the dogs living, as you can see it was bad. There were 6 dogs and 2 puppies at this place

A BIG thanks on this fence goes to the ones that pitched some funds which were Cory, Phyllis & Don and Carol, I had decided Curt and I would fund this if needed as we were desperate to free these dogs. We also got all the dogs in the household spayed and neutered too, and the mom and pups brought to the shelter have all found wonderful homes!! A big thanks to Diana for letting us bring mom and pups to the shelter as mom was a pit mix too. And of course the fencing crew did a job in 7 hours that we needed a whole day to do but it got done and that was the main thing. It’s not a real “pretty ” fence and we ended up scrounging for posts but we made it work. We trenched the whole thing and buried the wire so the dogs can’t dig out. I can’t describe how it felt to see the 3 chained dogs running free and playing, even the female yellow lab that was crated a lot in the house is enjoying some much needed freedom too.

The owners worked really hard helping build the fence too and are very thankful of the help we have given them!

We also had 2 more complaint calls regarding dogs chained in the South Bend / Raymond area and I am happy to report the one family has taken their dog indoors and the other family built a fence this past weekend and got their two dogs off their chains. ALL it took was a visit expressing there being concern about the way the dogs were living and an offer to help and in those instances the owners did the work themselves. We did donate 2 doghouses from our “Shelters from Santa” program to the 2 chained dogs in Raymond and they were very much appreciated…Now not only do they have shelter but they are off their chains too!

Here are the dogs in Raymond that we helped out with 2 doghouses, they had to crawl under the shed in the mud for shelter…..I got a call from the former president of HAVA and he said he spoke with the owner today 4/7 and this past weekend they built a fence for them so they are off their chains now!! YEAH!!

March adoptions–24 dogs, 22 cats, 4 mice. Spring break–8 dogs, 2 cats.

May 3rd is the Childrens Loyalty Day. Sue Ryder and her grandkids have been practicing “Who let the dogs out” for this. We need someone to take pictures, participate. Maybe Cory could ask our adopters to join the parade in her article.

Sounds like we might be having the yard sale this year. I’m ok with stuff being brought to the shelter during business hours. Just make sure we have enough volunteers to transfer to the sites, set up, price, cashier, clean up, etc

Best Friends is having a conference in Las Vegas at the end of October. It’s a real hardship on me, but I will “volunteer” to go. There’s a couple others thinking of going too.

Every week we get people in wanting to adopt, sponsor the pet of the week in the paper or donate whatever is asked for. Mel takes great pictures and adds heartwarming stories on Petfinder, and I take care of the email, phone calls on our pets. Because of team work, we get people driving from LA, people from Florida, etc wanting to adopt our pets. This shelter has amazing teamwork!

Anyway, this is kind of short because most of you know I’ve been having some personall things going on. If you have questions for me, please email them over and I’ll address them before the meeting.

Re-keying or not? Keep meaning to ask Keleigh.

Diana G.

Animal lovers, it is time for us to turn our passion into action.