Star is a lively pup that is wishing and hoping for a fun family

Young Star is the absolute picture of exuberance and is filled with the joy of life. The thing that would make her life perfect is adoption into a loving home- especially a home with energetic school-aged kids or active adults.

Star is a Plott Hound mix. Plott Hounds are the state dog of North Carolina, and a Plott Hound information site lists the breed as a dog with an “all –in-the-family background” that makes it a “fine, loyal, and intelligent companion”. I myself adopted a Plott Hound mix several years ago, and have found her to be very gentle, loving, and even- tempered dog. My “Lindy” is good with all my other household critters, and has never met a person, child or adult, with whom she has not fallen instantly in love… She is a joy to be around.

Star

This little Plott Hound mix would be delighted to find a loving home. When people stop by her kennel, she almost literally turns herself inside out, wiggling and wagging. She is housetrained, bright, and very much wants to please, so should take well to future training. She needs an understanding owner who will give her the exercise and love she needs now during her “puppy phase”- an owner who is willing to help her as she grows up into the great adult dog she is destined to be. Come and meet this little shining Star today!!!

The “orange boys” still have their lives on hold

Several weeks ago, we introduced three cats in this column that have been lingering for far too long at the shelter. All three of the cats are very nice and attractive cats- they just had the misfortune to arrive at the shelter about the same time as this year’s kittens- and cute kittens are hard for adult cats to compete with in the adoption arena!

Archie

Happily, Sara, the tuxedo female in the trio, found a loving home last weekend. Sadly, the handsome “orange boys”, Archie and Andy, have not found homes. Both these boys are very friendly and loving, and would make great additions to a household- they just need a chance! Hopefully, soon, someone will step up to the plate and help these guys “make their home runs”. Will it be you? They so much deserve to be happy…

Andy

I know, I know.  We said we’d announce the bonus prizes at the raffle drawing, but this little hand-knit sweater that just came in from Tapestry Rose in Ocean Park is soooo cute I just can’t stand it.  I simply HAVE to share it with you!

Those tails on the back!  Now THAT is cute.

Volunteers Rod Vetter and Mike Litawa headed up the charge to sell tickets and collect email addresses for SPCHS while manning the information booth at the Washington State International Kite Festival on Saturday.  Rod worked with his friend and neighbor, Ken Schmaltz, to build an awesome collection box for the email addresses and cash donations.  His wife, Verna, along with Mike’s son Trevor and volunteers Bonnie Teschner, Linda Yingling, Bobbie Huss and Jane & Roger Holeman, worked the project.  At the end of the day, they had sold 104 raffle tickets, gathered $150 in cash donations and collected 75 email addresses.

One volunteer told me, “Rod was the man on Saturday.  He not only worked to put the box together and coordinate that part of it, but he and his wife coordinated getting the puppies down [from the Shelter ] which was a huge hit with the crowd.  He also worked the entire day and closed it down.  Hats off to Rod for a job well done and well coordinated”.

Mike donated a getaway at the Breakers, to be won in a drawing of everyone who gave us their email address Saturday.  The prize was won by Blair Qunece.  Congratulations, Blair!

Meanwhile, more volunteers, headed up by Harriet Cavalli, were working a raffle ticket sales table at Jack’s Country Store. Betty Johnson, Arleen Rackham, and Pat Christie sold 97 tickets and added $20 cash to our cause!  Betty also did all the sensational pictures and captions of Luigi for his birthday party, and she also cleans at the Shelter.  Arleen Rackham is our Friday volunteer, and Pat Christie walks dogs for us.

Way to go, team!

Annie: lonely mature girl dog looking for loving mature lady for fireside chats and walks

Annie is depressed since coming to the shelter. This cute terrier/shepherd mix dog is about five years old, and very much at a place in her life where she wants a quiet home and her own special someone. Some people, especially some men and teenagers, seem to frighten her- we can only assume she has had a bad experience.

But, she often takes right away to ladies who stop by her run to say “hi”- it is obvious she is telling us that her special someone will probably be a quiet and caring woman- someone who has the time to spend with her she so wants.
Annie is mature enough to be past the puppy stage- she is well-behaved and walks well on a leash- and she does love to go for walks! She would be so thrilled to have her own mellow home, and a nice lady companion! If you think you are the special someone for Annie, please come and meet her today!

Kitten fashion statement: this year, white is right!!!

This kitten season, we are continuing to be amazed at the number of beautiful white kittens we have received at the shelter. The mom cats are white, also, and most of the moms and kittens have gorgeous blue eyes- probably an Oriental Shorthair in the mix somewhere!

Besides the little white beauties, we also still have a very nice assortment of kittens of other colors and patterns: wonderfully spotted “miniature leopards”, a charming duo of Russian Blue mix gray babies, outgoing orange ones (even an orange female, quite unusual!!) bi-colored kittens, tuxedos, and kittens sporting black velvet jackets…. All very sweet people-pleasers and ready to begin their new lives in loving homes.

Shelter Wish List

We have had some wonderful dog adoptions the past few months, which also means that we are running very low on sturdy dog collars- all our adopted dogs go to their new homes with good collars and current shelter ID. We would be very grateful to receive donations of dog collars- large and large/medium sizes are most often needed.

Cash donations are also very much appreciated. The shelter spends a sizeable amount of money to provide veterinary care and to keep the needy pets healthy, comfortable, and well-fed while they await loving homes. Our overhead and operational expenses are kept as lean as possible, and donors can be assured that a very large percentage of their donation goes directly to help the animals. Thank-you for caring and thank-you for your support.

We have a few hard-working volunteers selling raffle tickets on Saturdays at the Shelter and at Jack’s Country Store in Ocean Park.  Marie Maulden, Alesa Andrew and Barbara Dunn sold out on Saturday the 16th.  We won’t let that happen again!

Member-Volunteers have been phoning and writing folks in their personal networks and Raffle Coordinator Bonnie Teschner sent 5 tickets to each of the members of the SPCHS.  We’re about half way to our goal of 2500 tickets sold.  This is GREAT news!  And, it means we still have a long way to go before the November 1st drawing.

New prizes have been coming in for the bonus drawings, too.  Mary Peterson tells me an adorable sweater with kittens on it has been donated by Ocean Park’s Tapestry Rose.   Lorna Follis of Andersen’s RV Park has donated a few surprise drawing items, too.  Oh, how that Lorna can shop! 

Have you bought YOUR tickets yet?

A big shout of THANKS goes out to all of you members who have been writing contribution checks in addition to purchasing your tickets.  We are sooo grateful for your much-needed support!

Our volunteers have done it again.  Today was our second (and final) open house and celebration of Luigi’s birthday.

Who made that adorable poster?

We’re not buying it, Luigi.  YOU didn’t make the poster.

Oh, goody.  Lunchtime for Luigi!

Yes, that’s a kitty litter cake.  And no, Luigi most certainly did NOT make it!

That was a very delicious kitty litter cake made by our Shelter Advisory Committee Chair, Dolores Carr.  There were tootsie roll candies in there and cake ‘litter’.  Served in a brand new kitty pan with a shiny new kitty scoop.  Clever, Dolores!

Thanks to everyone who put in a ton of hard work to make our celebration Saturdays a success! And thanks to each of you who stopped by to say hello and take a tour of our Shelter.  If you bought a raffle ticket:  Rub the picture of the kitty litter cake for GOOD LUCK!

A little bird tells me Cal and Kathy Middleton deserve special mention for all they did to make these parties a success, from decorating to baking to selling raffle tickets both weekends.  Rod & Verna Vetter pushed up their sleeves again, too, as did many others.  We are so grateful to our dedicated volunteers!

This “time-out” trio is ready for their home runs!!

Andy, Sara, and Archie have all had their young kitty lives put on hold while they linger in our playroom. Of course, their basic needs are met at the shelter, but it is very obvious they all very much want homes of their own. Drive by the shelter after hours, and you probably will see all three of them looking longingly out the window…

This sweet trio is outgoing and very affectionate- they love to “meet and greet” visitors to the playroom, only to be disappointed time after time when someone walks away. Archie and Andy are handsome orange guys, and petite Sara is a lovely tuxedo. More than likely they have been at the shelter for so long because they had the misfortune to arrive just as the kittens did- cute kittens can be hard to compete with! But, these nice young adults just a little past the kitten stage, still love to play, and have better manners than the kittens!

How wonderful it would be for them to get loving homes while the weather is still such that they could sit in the sun…. Please come and meet them today- their lives have been on “time-out” long enough.

Dancer- sometimes “shy” can be a good thing

Being a little shy as a dog at a shelter can be a drawback- potential adopters tend to gravitate toward the more outgoing dogs. This is undoubtedly  the reason that lovely little Dancer has not found her forever home. But, is a person takes just a little extra time with a shy dog, the rewards can be wonderful! These dogs really want to trust and have a lot of love to give, and because they can be reserved with strangers, they tend to focus all their love on their owners- a win-win situation for someone who can appreciate the devotion only a dog can provide.

Dancer is a young lab mix with a short, glossy coat. She loves to go for walks, and will often spend time entertaining herself playing with her toys. But, the thing she would most love is a person of her own- someone who can look past her being a little shy and realize what wonderful potential she has….

Round two of fun coming up at the shelter

Saturday’s birthday party for our shelter cat Luigi and the unveiling of our new kitty jungle room was a huge success! We want to thank all of our supporters who stopped by the celebration, enjoyed the refreshments and festivities, and adopted pets! Luigi wants to thank his fans who brought him presents, and grudgingly admits he cannot play with all the toys by himself and will be forced to share…

We are having the second part of this celebration this Saturday, August 16 at the shelter- 11am to 4pm- More fun to come!

Shelter wish list

We are very grateful to have received wonderful gifts of cat and dog food and much-needed supplies and cash donations the past several weeks. Thank you everyone for caring about the needy animals. You help us make their lives better.

This is Flint Wright, our Long Beach Chief of Police.

HI,

I adopted Mandy, the Belgian Shepherd a couple of months ago. I sent you guys a packet with pictures and the leash I accidentally made off with. Did you ever get it? I think I addressed it wrong- let me know if you didn’t, I will pay for the leash and resend the photos.

Here’s a new one of Anouk, (Mandy) at our new and wonderful dog park- she LOVES to go there! She is doing very well. More settled every day-thanks again!
Rita

Celebrate good times, come on!! You’re invited!!

Please join us this coming week in celebrating the shelter’s 10th anniversary, and very importantly, Luigi’s birthday! Festivities begin this Saturday, August 9th with an open house at the shelter, 330 Second St NE, Long Beach, from 11:am to 4:pm. A second round of fun is planned for the following Saturday, August 16th- same time, same place.
There will be refreshments, and prizes, and of course, great pets available for adoption. This will also be the unveiling of our great new “jungle room” for our little lions and tigers!!

Most visitors to the shelter know Luigi, our beloved shelter mascot. He came to the shelter over 10 years ago as a young tom cat, and just kept hanging around… Luigi supervised the building, and “helped” the workers with their lunches. It wasn’t long after the shelter opened, that we noticed that we seemed to be receiving an unusual number of little “Luigi look-a-likes” as strays from the area surrounding the shelter. It seemed our young tom cat with the great mustache was a big hit with the local kitty ladies. We weren’t sure if Luigi belonged to anyone, but we figured if we had him “tutored” he might get mad and go home…

Well, Luigi didn’t leave- he loved the shelter and has remained with us throughout the years. He still “helps” with staff lunches, and meets and greets our visitors. He is also an avid hunter, and often brings us “presents” from the wetlands.

These open houses are also to show our appreciation for our loyal supporters. Without you, our doors would not still be open, and we would not be able to provide good care for needy animals. Please join us so that we can say “thank-you” in person. And, oh, Luigi says you can bring him presents if you want…

Raffle now underway

One of our most important fundraisers, our annual sale of raffle tickets, is now up and running. There are three groups of wonderful prizes to be won, and tickets are only $2 each. Tickets can be purchased at the shelter, and from Humane Society board members. Fundraisers are vitally important to the society, as we receive no tax monies or other governmental support. This is the reason we can provide no-kill care to the critters- please help by purchasing tickets. Someone will win these great prizes, and it might as well be you!!!!