G’day, Mates! For a dog or cat lover, there’s no place like an animal shelter or rescue agency to find such a wide assortment of animal personalities, sizes, shapes, and needs to admire – and they all appreciate you.  Plus, you meet a cadre of people totally in love and commited to helping animals, and your circle of friends expands.

When people hear that I volunteer as a shelter dog walker at the Jackson County Animal Shelter, it’s pretty standard for the response to be, “Oh, that’s so great that you do that, but I could never. ” Asking them why, the response is usually one or both of the following:

“It’s just so sad, I think I’d be depressed...” or

“I’d want to take them all home with me…”

Well, mates, I’ve never known a depressed animal shelter volunteer. The feelings are just too good when you’re doing good! It is true though that, eventually, most volunteers do end up owning some special doggy or kitty (or several), and that’s a happy event, too (Chase of Doggy Dundee fame is a shelter alumnus) .

Creating Happiness

Yet, what’s sooo great about volunteering is that your life is enlightened every day you’re at the shelter, because you are instrumental in bringing joy and a sense of trust to every animal you play with and cuddle – and you receive love and joy back from each. I know lots of animal shelter volunteers who even come into the shelter on “unscheduled days,” because they’re starting to feel down and know they’ll feel better after spending an hour or so with the dogs or cats. So, there’s nothing sad about this gig as long as the dogs and cats remain healthy – It’s even better if you happen to be on-hand at the time a ‘favorite’ shelter dog or kitty of yours is walked out by their new owners and driven off to their new “fur-ever’ homes. Puppy Alf, shown with me in the photo above, is now being quite spoiled by his new owners!

If it wasn’t for volunteers continually helping to exercise and socialize the dogs, many of the shelter dogs would not be considered “adoptable” or be harder to place. It’s very rewarding to see a stray or surrendered dog that is new to the shelter and extremely shy/timid or frightened as a result, ”come around” and begin to greet people and play with trust and  exuberance. As a volunteer, you make a difference in these animal’s lives. Kolpe, the greyhound shown in the photo at left, is one of those.

An 8-10 year old greyhound, Kolpe was surrendered to the Jackson County Animal Shelter in August 2010 by his owners. Well, Kolpe didn’t know what was up! A sensitive fellow with some tooth decay, all of a sudden he wasn’t in his house and didn’t have his usual people and bed around, plus it was noisy – lots of other dogs barking, the cage doors made metallic bangs, there were lots of strange attendants opening his kennel cage door, and public people walking through, etc. Kolpe immediately starting chewing his tail till it was raw and bleeding, his rear legs shook uncontrollably, and he was a hesitant walker. Several of us spent extra time with Kolpe (more than one volunteer enjoys curling up in the kennel with this beautiful pooch who loves to lounge), and patiently strolling him at his own pace to help him feel comfortable. Two days later, though, Kolpe had stopped chewing his tail, had a big smile on his face, was nudging volunteer’s pockets for treats, and prancing on walks in the agility yard! What a gem of a dog!

Pay it forward, mates! Become a regular volunteer at an animal shelter or animal rescue agency, and see how much goodness you have to offer.

G’day Mates!

In a previous post, Doggy Dundee moped about the three stray dogs that had eluded capture, and apparently each continued wandering into the lost dog zone; But last week was more successful, and Doggy Dundee actually found three (different) stray dogs! Seems the score was even’d up a bit.

A common theme emerged- again: Owner inattention!

The Pug and Yellow Lab-X were a friendly pair without ID. After locating the owner who’d been out searching for them for 2-1/2 hours, I learned that they get out alot “…if I forget to close the garage door soon enough because that’s the only route they can go where the shock collars can’t affect them.” So, first, fellow DO close the door, and second, get ID on these doggies! Stray dogs can become lost dogs real quick, especially when there’s no ID tags.

The very next day a small, long curly haired black Terrier-X named Neville came sniffing about (looked kinda like a cross between a Scotty and an Ewok). Thankfully there was ID, though the owner didn’t answer for a couple hours coz he was dining in Ashland and left his cell phone in the car (sigh). When the owner did pick up the message, he hustled to Talent to pick up his stray doggy, and he told me “Neville’s usually good about staying in the yard, but we don’t have a fence and if we get distracted with the kids and leave him out too long, he takes off.”  How long has this been going on? More than a year. Duh! That’s taking a big chance with your dogs life – plus that’s lots of other people taking care of your lost dog, fellow. So, first, pay attention to  your dog; Second, fence your yard or at least enclose a section of it for Neville to do his business; Third…thanks for having an ID tag (next time, add an address, too, so finders can bring Neville home quicker.

G’day, Mates! It was a sad day for Doggy Dundee. Three stray dogs in sight and, yet, only one found its way home to an owner as far as we know!

Driving southbound into Ashland on Hwy. 99 there was a yellow lab pup lookin’ to  be about 5-7 months old lopping northbound on the sidewalk.  Doggy Dundee pulled over at the first available driveway (never as close as you want ‘em), grabbed a leash, and ran up the street, but…no lab pup to be seen. That pup could have wandered into any of the driveways along that section and been sniffing in backyards, so Chase and I headed back to the car. We can only hope that stray dog didn’t become a full-fledged lost dog!

Heading home northbound a couple hours later, an Aussie (a mate!) literally stepped in front of our car and sat down in front of us as we drove  Talent Avenue.  I breaked the car as did the gent in an SUV driving southbound; I got outa the car, but the dog wouldn’t have me anywhere near ‘em and off he dashed. Since cars were piling up behind us, I jumped back in and circled ’round about to park. After a short wander of the neighborhood homes, turns out this Aussie was living in a home facing Talent Avenue and was just looking for his owner who’d been doing some repairs. The owner’s response? “He left the porch? Jeez, he’s never done that before.” (Right! ‘Far as you know, mate! And why don’t you have a gate on your porch is what we’re wonderin’?)

Then 11:15 p.m on our late walk, there’s an adult stray dog (Lab-Collie-X (best guess), sniffing some fencing on Wagner Creek Road near Tark’s Market.  Tried to befriend this one, but she sped  ”off-like-a-light” across the street, the market’s parking lot, and down a dark alley northbound. Hoped she was racing home in a panic, but 10 minutes later spotted her fast-paced sihouette disappearing up Wagner Creek Road far west of us; must have circled the blocks. We heard the barks of outdoor,neighborhood dogs starting to set up protests for a long time after that, so this pooch wasn’t known in the area.

Question for me is (always) never where’s the dog, but where the heck is the owner that the stray dog is out wandering!

Tracy Gault of Ashland, Oregon, a buddy of Doggy Dundee, was hailed by a white stray dog wandering near the Ashland Dog Park in the early evening of Friday, April 2. No ID tag (Grrrrrrr…). She added that doggy to her family brood of two all ready in the car, and drove out to the Jackson County Animal Shelter to drop the pooch off, but the animal shelter was closed-gates locked- by the time she arrived. Sigh…Well, what’s a good doggy owner to do, but take the pooch home for the night, right? BUT, Tracy also posted a ”Found” ad on the “Community” listing of Craigs List, describing the dog.

All end’s happily you see, because, though the frantic (crazed!!!!!) owner had not thought about going to Craigs List , the dog owner did know enough to call the animal shelter. The staff took down the dog’s info, but also told the fellow to “check Craigs List” as well as place newspaper lost dog ads, and post fliers. Craig’s List did the trick for this doggy owner, though. The fellow contacted Tracy early today, Saturday morning (4/3), before Tracy could even place a call to the Jackson County Animal Shelter, and the owner and doggy were ecstatic when reunited this morning! “Gosh, it felt so good to see them hugging each other,” said Tracy.

So, whether you find a stray animal or have lost an animal, make certain you post a notice on www.craigslist.org for the state and town/region within which the animal was lost. Place your ad under the “Community” section in that region. They have a category of “Pets” or “Lost + Found,” which are both appropriate in this case, though you may want to change your descriptive heading and terminology in each of those sections least the “powers that be” at Craig’s edit you out of one or the other due to placing a “multiple listing” (though Doggy Dundee thinks such a decision would be ridiculous!).

Thanks to Tracy, and to her tolerant doggy family(Carmen and Bayley) for taking such good care of the stray dog!

Regular readers of Doggy Dundee know about stray dog “Shadow,” a shephard-mix with the wandering spirit who has been a regular “find” of Doggy Dundee on the streets of Talent, Oregon, day and night, over the last several years; also, often “found” by other residents, too. Seems like the only ones not able to get a hold on this dog is the owner(s), who have earned the dishonorable title of “Doltish Doggy Owners.” They’re nice, mature people, and they seem to really love their dog, but “don’t have a clue,” apparently, when it comes to controlling Shadow.

So, Shadow was wandering along the dark Wagner Creek Road in downtown Talent about 11 p.m. the other night again, and this time, rather than just come over to me (as normal) he was intent on teasing us, coming within inches but then running in circles or up and down and across the street, etc. Cars had to stop. Chase (who I had tied to a fence post) and Shadow had a grand time with this bounding game, and I finally sat down on some grass and reconciled myself to letting Shadow “play it out” and he finally came over (20 long minutes later) and nudged my arm.  I leashed him (remember that all good doggy dundees carry an extra leash for saving stray dogs), and we walked him to our home.

After receiving my call, the wife owner of Shadow drove over to pick up her lost dog. “How’d this happen again,” I wondered? Seems she’d taken Shadow out after dinner, he looked up at her, she instantly sensed his “spirit” was up, but before she could do anything, Shadow had raced off. Now, three things are off-kilter about this excuse: First, Shadow obviously wasn’t leashed and when you have a dog with a wandering spirit, leash him before you open the door! Second, “after dinner” time was, what?, three, four, maybe five hours earlier? And were they out looking for Shadow? Obviously not – again. Third, this stray dog act has been going on for years – Get a clue.

Well, Shadow, you can count on us! Doggy Dundee is always grateful to be in the right place at the right time for finding stray dogs – especially our doggy pals who are momentarily lost dogs.

The two gorgeous Husky-mix lost dogs pictured on this post were renamed “Silver” and “Juno” by the Jackson County Animal Shelter. They were found together and brought in together, both dogs were obviously “house-mates” and best friends with each other. However, no lost dog report was filed with the shelter, there was no ID on either dog, and no response to the usual “found” listing the animal shelter placed in the Mail Tribune newspaper for several days. Finally, the staff placed both very well-trained dogs in adoption.

Two Reasons This Dog Story Is So Sad

First, Juno was adopted, but, unfortunately, the people did not also adopt Silver. We know Silver (the lighter-colored of the two, who seems to be a Husky-x, and Doggy Dundee is guessing some American Eskimo, too) misses Juno, and also is not very happy about being in the animal shelter versus a home. Silver is a beautiful, joyful, and obedient dog who’d obviously been well-loved and cared for.

Second, several days after Juno’s adoption, someone spotted a Craigs List “lost dog” ad  with those two dogs pictured. “Why didn’t they call us?” the staff wondered, and the staff immediately pulled Silver out of the adoption area, and tried contacting the “lost dog seekers” using the contact information provided via the Craigs List ad. They tried several times. No owner response. For days. Finally, Silver was returned to the adoption area this week, where she is, as of this date, still awaiting a home.

This tragedy of separation could have been avoided and resulted in a happy ending for both dogs if the owners had:

• Reported their lost dogs to the county animal shelter
• Licensed, or ID tagged, and/or a Microchipped on each dog
• Placed “lost dog” ads in the local newspapers (shelter staff will often check those).
• Not assumed that everyone would check a specific (or any) internet site to locate owners of a dog they’d found.

It’s the responsibility of owners to “get the word out” – not the responsibility of stray dog finders to scour the earth for the owner of stray dogs! Your dog will love you for it! Meanwhile, if you’re interested in possibly adopting Silver, contact the Jackson County Animal Shelter on Hwy. 99 in Phoenix, Oregon (Case #K0487). Phone number is 541-774-6654.

Chase never met a counter she didn’t like; That’s because she makes friends with every human, and they give her dog treats galore! You’ve already seen photos of Chase poking her body through the WhistleStop Coffee Shop window during our Doggy Dundee walks to receive her morning doggy treats.

Now enjoy these photos of Chase making “withdrawals” from the Umpqua Bank  in Talent, Oregon. Of course, these aren’t the only counters onto which she leaps for dog treats. Basically, if there’s a counter (or a desk), Chase will ingratiate herself with the staff very quickly. One day I’ll get photos to post of Chase leaping with joy onto the counters of the Talent City Hall, the Talent Best Friend’s Animal Hospital, the Jackson County Animal Shelter, the Grange Co-op, etc. She’s given Doggy Dundee quite a reputation!

Uh-Oh, What’s This So Sad Chase Photo (Below) About?

One teller decided to tease Chase, and not deliver a treat “on command.” Chase looks sadder in this photo than I’ve ever seen her! No fair teasing good doggies!

No Treats?

G’day, Mates! Doggy Dundee is mighty happy and the two of us are having quite a laugh. Chase is really a “stand out,” so it’s no surprise that when the crew of the TV show, America’s Got Talent came to Talent, Oregon to audition acts, that, somehow, Chase would catch their eye.

Turns out Robert McCloud, Sr. Producer of America’s Got Talent, was on a walking tour of Talent with city representative, Amanda Springer. They were enjoying coffee inside the WhistleStop Coffee Shop, when Chase did her usual morning leap onto the outside bench, pawed at the window, and stuck her head inside the shop for treats once the window opened.  McCloud got up, whipped out a digital, and photographed Chase, who hammed it up for a full minute, while pal, Amanda, explained, “This is Chase. Every morning on her walk Chase jumps through the coffee house window to get her treats, and then she has a regular ’round’ of stopping at my desk, onto the bank for treats, maybe the Vet, too, and, if she times it right, she gets Tri Tip slices from Picasso’s Pantry restaurant!”

Cross your fingers! Every doggy mom hopes their pooch becomes a star, and I’m hoping the TV show includes a few seconds of Chase whenever this regional “Best Talent” airs. Talented doggy, Chase, is a star in my book (and my heart) no matter what! Don’t you agree?

G’day Mates! Well, it’s not real good news when there’s an outbreak of Giardia in communities. Tough part is, Giardia can be transmitted between pets and people. Doggy Dundee hopes to educate you to help you protect you and your pet.

What’s Giardia and Why Should I Care?

Here’s the science stuff from Vin.com. “Giardia is of the genus of a protozoan parasite that is infectious to both humans and pets all over the world.” Well, that stopped me cold! Yes, humans and dogs and cats! It’s not often a widespread issue, but this parasite may begin to be seen in larger number of cases in particular communities, and then it’s a real issue! Of course, even if it’s just your pet that happens to get it, Giardia becomes a real issue for you. (The image of Giardia shown is courtesy of Germs and Worms Blog)

Giardia can be passed from pets to humans, and from humans back to pets. The pesky parasite lives in a host’s intestines, but those pesky cysts that break away in stool  can survive in the outer environment; while, usually,  this is for only a short period, “…if it is cold and wet the cyst can live for many months…ready to infect a new host.”

Two more problematic aspects of doggy Giardia are that: (1) the incubation period can be 5 to 12 days (in cats, 5 to 16 days), so it’s really tough for you to peg the time or place of the infection (Frantic folks may “assume” to know, but you really don’t); and (2), Giardia shed organisms intermittently, making it difficult to detect. 

How Is  Giardia Transmitted?

Contaminated water is the most typical source of infection (i.e. keep dogs away from bowls used by other dogs). But transmission can then be like the proverbial snowball. As examples, dogs (or cats) may walk in another dog’s stool residue or roll on grass/dirt where there are minute fragments of stool dumped cysts left on the ground, and they’ll pick the cyst up in their paw (which they then lick, introducing the parasite into their intestines, or pass onto an offered human hand), or, while an animal rolls on the ground, the cyst can land on the animal’s fur (where either a human pets them or another dog ”paws” them).  Humans who end up with the micro-small cysts on their hands from petting a dog, for example, may end up ingesting it themselves by not washing their hands before touching their mouths; or, that human may pet another dog/cat, or offer their hand to another dog/cat to lick, thus passing the cyst(s) to this new animal.

Result of Giardia Infection?

Mega intestinal illness = Diarrhea, oft times bloody diarrhea. This is not pleasant. Your pet (or you) will be miserable. This isn’t just a loose stool or diarrhea that lasts one or two bowel movements, and may have been caused by eating an odd food. This problem continues. Giardia also causes “…problems  with normal intestinal absorption of vitamins and other nutrients.”

So, when your pet shows signs of continuing diarrhea, get ye to a vet with a fecal sample. Lab tests (rather than Snap or Flotation) test are most effective (and cost effective), as Giardia is very difficult to detect; Plus, the lab test for other parasites at the same time, as some other may be the problem. Vin.com also suggests “Because cysts can stick to the fur of the infected patient and be a source of re-infection, the “positive” animal should receive a bath at least once in the course of treatment. Retesting several times may be required, and especially if there is more than one dog/cat in the household. It can be very difficult to get rid of. One vet tech told me that it may lie seemingly “dormant” in the intestines and not erupt into symptomology until the animal or human is under stress.

It’s highly infectious nature also means that even if a dog (without symptoms while undergoing testing for other reasons) tests positive for Giardia without symptoms, they should be treated. Humans should see their doctor after chatting about the situation with their vet.

Doggy and Pet Environment Treatment

Per Vin.com, a broad spectrum dewormer (fenbendazole), or high doses of Metronidazole, with some potential for side effects. Ask your vet.

Outdoor environments (concrete, etc) can be treated with bleach diluted in water (1:32 parts), but lawns and planting areas will be killed by this treatment (and make sure your pet doesn’t end up nibbling the recently bleached grass/plants).

And here’s a tip pet owners who take their animals to kennels while they’re vacationing might want to consider: Make certain the kennel you select has made it a standard practice to daily sanitize the kennel/the dog runs with bleach solution at least once a day. You may also want to inquire if they leave “shared water bowls” in group play areas, as shared water can be easily contaminated when giardia is “having its day” in a region.

G’day, Mates!  It’s not “cute and cuddly” for Doggy Dundee to see a box of puppies (or kitties)  being given away (or sold) outside of a market or on a street corner. I gave a good lecturin’ to two guys giving away a box full of furry kitties outside Tark’s Market in Talent, Oregon the other day.  Why?

 First, it means the pet owner wasn’t responsible and ended up with an “unwanted” litter. Second, it means that at least half of  “unwanted” pups/kits will be carried home by people who also won’t “spay/neuter” and so that young puppy/kitty will be, unfortunately and painfully, having its own many  ”unwanted” litters, which, in term, over several future years adds up to hundreds of thousands of unwanted animals born every year. That means more strays, and more shelter dogs and cats, ferrel kittens, sick animals (infecting other animals), and just plain hungry, or mean, animals bred down the line.

Here’s some stats per an SPCA website. They state that, “These statistics as to how just one litter can result in hundreds to thousands of unwanted pets:

So, people, make life easier for pets and everyone, and “Just Say Yes” to spay/neutering your pet. Even if you adopt a pet from a boxed give-away, be responsible and have the pet checked by a vet, so a diseased pet can receive proper care and not infect other animals. (Parvo, mites, giardia, and other illnesses require immediate care). Then, when it’s old enough, spay (female) or neuter (male) your doggy or kitty. 

Doggy Dundee volunteers at an animal shelter, and know the result of this human neglect and human stupidity. (Yup, no pulling the punches on this one, and I don’t care if you have a Ph.D. , if you don’t spay/neuter, you’re a dolt! More info about SPAY/NEUTER MYTHS HERE.