Again this year, Bob & Mary Peterson of Ocean Park Signs held their nightly Christmas Light Shows during December, with 100% of donations going directly to our Shelter.  We just received a check of $655.98, along with a request that it be spent to purchase a new cage unit we’ve been needing.  Thanks, Bob & Mary!

The Loyalty Days Junior Miss Court Program has been supporting local charities for over 35 years. Junior Misses Hope Bellinger, Allison Bonney, Emily McMillan, Mikayla Cheney and Ahnna Neace selected the South Pacific Humane Society (SPCHS) as the charity that would benefit from their efforts in 2009.

The girls helped the non-profit with their booth during Garlic Festival in June and sponsored a dunk tank at the Washington State International Kite Festival in August. Most recently, they orchestrated a four week drive to collect money, toys and food for the homeless pets of our community. The girls have donated over $1,000 in cash and goods to the community no-kill shelter throughout the year.

SPCHS President Keleigh Schwartz noted, “It’s amazing to see what five young women have accomplished under the advisement of the Loyalty Days organization. It goes to show how much can be done with just a few dedicated people donating a few hours of time throughout the year. These young ladies are an outstanding example of our community’s youth and they should be very proud.”

SPCHS Second Vice President Mike Litawa continued, “I have been impressed, watching these girls step up and volunteer. The shelter has been very fortunate to have them on our side.”

Initiated in 1950 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Loyalty Day is an historically rich celebration of patriotism. Long Beach boasts the longest consecutively running Loyalty Day celebration in the nation. The next event, May 1 and 2, will be the 60th annual celebration.

Thank you to the Chinook Observer for running this story and for all of the amazing support they give our organization!

PLEASE enter your pets in the BISSELL Most Valuable Pet (MVP) Contest at http://www.bissell.com/MVP10.aspx Our friends at BISSELL are accepting pet photos from the public through March 25, 2010.   In addition to having your pet featured on BISSELL pet product packaging, the lucky winning pet parents will receive a $500 shopping spree AND a $10,000 donation to the pet cause of their choice. That could be YOU!

Four runners up will also be featured on BISSELL packaging and have donations of $5,000 or $1,000 made to your favorite pet cause.  Here is your chance to BE that favorite pet cause.

Once you’ve submitted your photo, encourage everyone you know to vote for him or her, including us so we can help spread the word.

Not only can your pet be named MVP, s/he could be responsible for helping many more pets by selecting SPCHS as your favorite pet cause. Winners will also receive a BISSELL pet-cleaning product.

We wish a very, very, happy holiday season to all of our supporters, from donors to volunteers and staff.

And, most especially, to the people who have given forever homes to more than 240 dogs and 340 cats through SPCHS during the first 11 months of 2009.

Whether you celebrate Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas or Santa at this time of year, you celebrate animals and we THANK YOU for all you do for the homeless animals that come through our doors.

The passing of our beloved shelter cat, Luigi.

This week, we lost our much-loved shelter cat Luigi to kidney failure. He has gradually lost ground the past few months, but still had the will to go out in the wetlands and bring us back “presents”- usually live mice or shrews.

More than a decade ago, when the shelter was being built, we noticed a bold white and black young cat with a charming moustache hanging around. He loved all the activity and the people, and “helped” all the workers and volunteers with their lunches.

By the time the shelter was opened for business, the cat was still hanging around, and we figured he was determined to be a part of our shelter family. We named him “Luigi” to fit his moustache, and when we took him down to have him neutered, we figured he might get insulted and leave.

But, he wasn’t so upset that he was willing to give up his new home, and all the shelter people who had grown to love him.

Through the years, he has been a wonderful companion for the shelter staff, and our frequent visitors even got to know him and ask about him if they visited and he was off hunting and not at his official “greeter” post on the front counter.

Luigi was always there to help us with the laundry; help us with the cleaning, or help us eat our lunches. Or to help us through the sad times that sometimes strike a shelter, with his friendly and comical ways. Good night, sweet prince. We loved you and we will miss you.

But have you heard about the new pet policy at Motel 6 and Studio 6?

• The one pet per room policy has been lifted
• There is no longer a weight limit on pets
• And Motel 6 does not assess a Pet Fee
  (*Studio 6 has a pet fee of $10.00/day up to $50.00/stay)

Motel 6 and Studio 6 hotels have been pet friendly since 1962 and offer the lowest price of any national chain without sacrificing comfort at more than 1,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Standard amenities include free local phone calls, no long distance access charges, free morning coffee, data ports, Wi-Fi Internet access and a channel line-up including HBO, ESPN/ESPN2, and CNN. All Motel 6 and Studio 6 properties welcome pets, and most locations offer swimming pools and guest laundry facilities.

Thanks to Dee Waluk-Johnson for offering to foster a couple of the pups and to North California Aussie Rescue for taking this guy:

Save A Stray now has the start of a website with info on who to contact if you can help:  www.harneycountysaveastray.com

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A suspected case of dog hoarding has turned into one of the largest cases of animal neglect in state history, the Oregon Humane Society said Tuesday.

The case involves about 100 dogs on a sprawling, desolate piece of property about 20 miles south of Burns, Oregon. It was brought to Sheriff Glerup’s attention by county social workers who were investigating an unrelated complaint against the owners of the dogs brought by an 11-year-old child living on the property. Officials have since removed all children from the property.

The dogs are living without shelter in icy conditions, surrounded by cattle bones gnawed clean. The dog owners, who live in trailers on the property, fed them carcasses from a local meat processing plant. “The whole property was scattered with the carcasses,” Lytle said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”  Also visible were the unburied remains of at least one deceased dog and several metal ‘burn barrels’ filled with dogs who did not survive.

WARNING:  GRAPHIC CONTENT

A couple and another woman living on the property, Anita Anderson, 55, Ronald Anderson, 43 and Kathleen Goyogana, 34, were each arrested on five counts of animal neglect and released on their own recognizance.

Harney County Sheriff Dave Glerup said all three agreed to release custody of the dogs, except for a few house dogs, and would cooperate with authorities to round the dogs up for transport to a shelter.  On Wednesday, Dec. 9, members of the Oregon Humane Society in Portland arrived in Harney County to help gather the dogs and take them to the shelter in Portland to be adopted out. On Friday, Dec. 11, Glerup reported they had gathered 79 dogs, but about 60 dogs still remained on the property.

“Most of these dogs, despite their living conditions, are friendly to people and want to be around us. I hope we can get them into loving homes in time for the holidays,” said OHS Executive Director Sharon Harmon.

The individuals charged with neglect surrendered ownership of the dogs to the county paving the way for rescue organizations them new homes. The past owners of the dogs will be permitted to keep a few dogs in their home as part of the agreement to surrender the remaining animals.  “One problem we have now though is all the shelters around the state are full,” Glerup said. He added that they are working with other organizations around the state to help care for the animals.

To help out with the situation, local Safeway manager Merle Reid had six pallets of dog food brought in and donated to the Harney County Save A Stray Program, which will use the food to help feed the remaining dogs. “Merle and Safeway really stepped up to help,” Glerup said.

SPCHS Board Member Melanie Epping, a founder of Save A Stray, is in Burns and working hard on the rescue effort.

“Here are some pics [see below] of just some of the dogs left behind after Oregon Humane came last week and rescued 79.  There are at least 60-70 more, lots of them are puppies and a lot of them are wild.  There are at least 15 adults that still need to be rescued, and some puppies that may need socialization. Some, as you can see, living in filthy pens walking on carcasses and living in their own waste. Some are living on chains with a 50 gallon drum for shelter. Last week it was 15 below zero here in Burns. Oregon Humane got all they had room for when they were here and have told me they can maybe take 5 more, so now I am appealing to everyone else that can take any, even if it’s just a few. The owner has told me any we can rescue will be adoptable. Lots of the males are already neutered…she has been doing that herself over the years! Most are aussie’s and aussie mixes, cattle dog mixes, border collie mixes a few hound mixes and one big pit bull that she calls a plott hound, and he is one of them that is chained.  Whatever is left we have been told will be killed, probably shot, even the puppies that can’t be caught.

I thought I had seen it all with the two previous cases over here but this one is by far the worst. So many living in small pens it is heartbreaking, there is not near enough shelter (if you can call it that) for all of them.  We took some straw out yesterday so that they could have something to lay on besides the cold, wet ground.

Save A Stray will be looking for people who would like to adopt a dog, and those interested may call Melanie Epping at 589-1104 or Angie Tiller at 573-1789.

More Info:

• OregonLive.com
• Burns Times-Herald

Click any image for a closer look:

Seemingly unaware of the beast towering over it, the tiny rodent grabbed at scraps of meat thrown into the African Leopard’s enclosure. But instead of pouncing on the tiny intruder, the 12-year-old leopard Sheena kept her distance.  After a few minutes she tried to nudge the mouse away with her nose, but the determined little guy kept hewing away until he was full.

The extraordinary scene was captured by photography student Casey Gutteridge at the Santago Rare Leopard Project in Hertfordshire, England.  The 19-year-old, photographing the leopard for a course project, was astounded by the mouse’s behavior. He said he had no idea where the mouse came from.  He just appeared after the keeper had dropped in the meat for the leopard. Taking no notice of the leopard, the mouse went straight over to the meat and started eating.

Even when the leopard bent down and sniffed him, the mouse just carried on eating like nothing had happened. Even the keeper said he’d never seen
anything like it before.

Project owner Jackie James added: “It was so funny to see – Sheena batted the mouse a couple of times to try to get it away from her food. But the determined little thing took no notice and just carried on.” The mouse continued to eat the leopard’s lunch and showed the leopard who was boss.

We can only assume that Casey received a grade of A on his project!

Forest says: “I was your loyal companion for years. Are you looking for me?”

A local game warden found this older dog in the woods and brought him to us. It was very bitterly cold in the forest, and the ranger saw no one around. He felt the dog was lost, so he brought the old guy to us for safekeeping.
We had no idea what his name was, so we named him “Forest”, fed him well, and gave him a warm bed. The old guy settled down, grateful for the food and warmth, but it is easy to tell that he is very bewildered and wondering where his people are.
We really don’t want to think that someone just “dumped” this sweet dog in the woods because they no longer wanted him. We are very much hoping that he ended up alone and cold by some unfortunate turn of events, and that his people cherish him and want him back.
Please- if you are missing your old companion, come and get him- he wants nothing more than to be back in your home and heart.

Sweet Tupperware Mama and her kittens

No doubt, whoever brought this pretty mama kitty and her cute kittens to the shelter thought they were doing the right thing. They didn’t want them or just couldn’t keep them, and rather than just dump them anywhere, they did the more responsible thing and brought them to the Humane Society.
Unfortunately, they brought them to the shelter on a Monday when we are closed. Sealed inside a large plastic storage box, with no air holes… By the time one of our volunteers found them on the front porch, the sun had been beating on the box too long, and the kitties had almost run out of air. Sadly, they were all suffering from the heat, and one of the kittens had already suffocated…
The volunteer called our Manager Diana, and she rushed to the shelter on her day off to save Mama and her remaining kittens. Luckily, with some good old TLC, the remaining kittens and their tuxedo mama pulled through.
They are now safe and healthy- very cute and affectionate, and with endless energy for play. Obviously there is a lesson from this story: it was good that whomever brought us these kittens didn’t just discard them, but it was very bad (and sad for the kitten that died) that they didn’t use more common sense and make sure the kitties were safe before they left them.
Life was perilous for a time for this little feline family, but now they are ready to be adopted into loving homes. They are just some of the wonderful young adult cats and kittens we have available to bring joy and fun into their new homes!

Shelter Wish List

Our community-supported and funded no-kill shelter relies on fundraising and donations from loyal supporters to keep the doors open to help the homeless animals. We literally could not do it without you.

We know the economy is tough right now, but we are hoping that our supporters will be able to dig a little deeper in their pockets, and make cash donations to the humane society this holiday season.

The South Pacific County Humane Society is largely volunteer-driven. We have very few paid employees, and count on our wonderful volunteers to help provide the care the pets need. We also are very adept at good old-fashioned “penny pinching,” so you can be assured that a very large percentage of your donations goes directly for the care of the animals.

Words cannot truly express how grateful we are for your donations and kind support. Because of your kindness, we are able to not only meet the basic needs of the animals while they are housed at the shelter, but to sometimes get a few extras, like soft beds and toys, that can make life so much better. Thank you from all our hearts and happy holidays to you and yours.

We’d love to make your holiday shopping super-easy. In fact, we’d like to wrap all your presents for you!  Simply choose from one of our many programs (below) to make a gift to our Shelter in the name of your loved one and we’ll bend over backwards to help you present your gift in a fitting manner, whether you prefer a discreet card or a fancy package.  We’ll even mail them for you!

Humane Gift Ideas

• Give the gift of membership. Membership means your gift recipient will be the first to know about events, parties, fundraisers and the like. It also means they’ll have voting rights in our annual Board election. Most importantly, membership helps pay for neutering/spaying, shots, health care and basic supplies not donated to the shelter for the animals.  Dues are annual and start at just $20.  Business Membership has its privileges and starts at $100.  Family and benefactor memberships are also available.
• Adopt! Of course, we never recommend anyone adopt a live animal and give it as a gift.  But you can…
• Pay the adoption fee to sponsor any of our pets for adoption and we’ll help you create a certificate or gift box to give to that special someone on Christmas morning…or for a birthday, anniversary or any reason at all.  Costs vary; up to $40 for cats and $65 for dogs.
• Make a Gift Donation…a gift that remembers the special times, the special people and the special pets in your life. A donation in honor of a pet, friend or family member can be one of the most meaningful gifts you will ever give.  These can be made in any denomination.  Donations of $100 or more include the option of a plaque, proudly hung in our lobby.  The gift recipient, and yourself, can be notified to hang the plaque when it is ready.
• Sponsor one of our pets through their listing on petfinder.com.  Just look for, and click on, the red “sponsor me” bow and follow the directions.  Below are photos of some of our ADORABLE kittens and puppies available (click the photo for more info) or you can sponsor any of our pets listed online!

• Give the gift of time to someone you love.  We have some truly amazing people volunteering their time to work in our shelter. They come, day in and day out, rain or shine, to bathe the critters, exercise them, play, cuddle, entertain and love them. They muck cages, change litter, tackle a mountain of laundry, answer phones, tally statistics, write grants, take photographs, write up animal stories, build kitty trees, fix the roof, schlep “stuff”, paint the building, plan and produce fundraisers, walk in parades, work at events to promote the Shelter, make signs, decorate and clean our facility, take animals to and from the veterinarian, take complaints about animal abuse, make visits to talk with people about humane animal care, and pretty much anything else we need to keep this operation running.  How about giving the gift of your time to share your love of animals and belief in volunteerism with a young person?  Children under 16 cannot volunteer alone in the Shelter but we welcome their participation alongside YOU!
• Shop for items on our wish list and donate them in someone’s name.  Just ask and we’ll be more than happy to help you turn your donation into a beautiful card or package to hand the recipient of your generosity.
• Sponsor a Spay or Neuter. Two unaltered cats and all their descendants can theoretically number 420,000 in just seven (7) years! Two unaltered dogs and all their descendants can theoretically number 67,000 in just six (6) years!  You can sponsor the spay of a feral cat for only $5, or you can pre-pay the voucher cost for our low-income altering program; the cost is $25 for cats and $35 for dogs.  Please ask if you’d like your donation turned into a card or package for giving.
• Sponsor a Kennel. When you become a sponsor, a personalized, engraved plaque is placed on your choice of either a dog or a cat kennel for one year. Plaques can be personalized in your name, your company’s name, or in memory of a beloved family member, special friend or cherished pet. Available at $100, $250, $500 and $1000.  The gift recipient, and yourself, can be notified to choose the kennel when the plaque is ready.
• Ensure our future.  Our Treasurer and/or Director of Financial Planning would be happy to assist in setting up an endowment or trust, whether for our operational fund, earmarked for a specific program, or to build the capital in our long-term investments.  Give the gift of your love of animals to your entire family by planning for the continuation of your heart-filled cause after you are gone.

All of these programs are available year-round and don’t typically come with gift wrap.  But we are ready and willing to make any gift into a certificate and send it in a greeting card, or wrap into pretty packages for you to give! Simply let us know of your preferences and let us take care of the shopping and wrapping for you!

Merry Christmas!

Hey, you can also shop our zazzle store!

Here is an update on Murphy Beagle, Whom I adopted from the South Pacific County Humane Society 4 1/2 years ago. Murphy lives in Seattle where he spends his days sleeping on the couch, walking and sniffing the perimeter of his and the adjoining neighborhoods, and snacking between meals. He frequents the Genesee Dog Park in Seattle, where he is a regular fixture at the facility.

This picture was taken of Murphy before he participated in the Furry 5K benefitting the citys animal shelter.