Doggy Dundee

Separation Anxiety: Report Lost Dogs To County Animal Shelters!

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.

SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PETS

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.

Shelter Dog Care Provided by

Jackson County Jail Trustees

G’day Mates!

Sharing this news item (with video link) about the Jackson County Animal Shelter (in Phoenix, Oregon), and the great work done by the trustees.

http://kdrv.com/page/149483 Check it out!

Doggy Dundee volunteers at this animal shelter daily, walking Ginny (she’s the white and brown pit-X in the video) and other dogs, so I can vouch for how vital the trustees work is to the care of the shelter dogs, cats, and other animals there.  It’s a win-win-win situation for the offenders being rehabilitated, the animals, and the agencies.

Animal Shelter Work Gets Done

These fellows get in early in the a.m. (along with their supervisor crew chief) and have to immediately clean out all the (usually messed) kennels and take the dogs out (they also “cycle” all the dogs for time outside throughout the day), feed the dogs twice a day, help shelter visitors seeking a dog find a dog that matches the person’s needs. The trustees also sit with/pet/comfort the dogs. They do throughout-the-day and end-of-day clean up, and they are also the ones who come in on holidays when the shelter staff is “off,” to ensure the dogs, cats, and any other animals at the shelter are cared for throughout the day. Plus, it’s a hugh amount of laundry (towels, blankets, work clothes, etc.) they do daily to keep things cleaned up and comfortable for the shelter animals, as you might imagine.

This is an exemplary program, and it should be a model for other animal shelters andjustice programs in other areas of the country! The guys are great to work with, by the way, and do what they can for the animals.

FYI, the shelter has attempted to sometimes have women crews, but…there are insufficient numbers of women incarcerated who fit the requirements to keep that going consistently – and a shelter dog (and other shelter animals) – need consistent crews)

Emergency Pet Evacuation Drill Brings Dogs and Cats Together

You can’t call Doggy Dundee prompt when it comes to film developing!

In late April 2009, Chase and I were one of many volunteers who participated in the major Jackson County Earthquake Drill – the part testing the animal shelter registration procedure for dogs who would be evacuated with their owners who were staying at an attached fictitious Red Cross shelter.

One brave pet evacuation volunteer brought her cat who she said loved dogs and would have dogs eating out of her paw. Chase and I finally got our personal photos developed of the animal shelter pet evacuation event, and

Chase meets Siamese

 as you can see Chase was quite curious and awed by this Siamese. This is the first time Chase has ever gotten this close to a kitty. It didn’t matter which dog came forward, either, all the dogs got along with the cat, who would sometimes roll over and start playing with these strange dogs, several of whom were strays from the shelter. It was quite an event for all the dogs and cats – and volunteers!

Read the newspaper article here about the emergency animal evacuation drill.

Shelter Dog Adopted After 10+ Months

Oh, this is a happy story. Ginny, a stray dog who was brought into the Jackson County Animal Shelter emaciated and very pregnant on June 18th, 2008, was finally adopted today, May 6, 2009.  You can still read her full story on the Shelter Dog page of the doggydundee.com website for a couple more days, before I replace it.

Pretty Ginny Recovered

Thumbs up to the Jackson County Animal Shelter (JCAS), in Oregon, for caring for Ginny this long, and also a big thumbs up to the foster program of Friends of the Animal Shelter (F.O.T.A.S.) for enabling dogs to start out so well and keep up their spirits. Also, to Ginny’s foster mom, Mary Pfeister, who taught Ginny so much and doted on her so happily.

This is not the type of story people are used to hearing about, given the stereotype of animal shelters, so take note that these good things can be made to happen elsewhere, too. The staff who work at the JCAS, the volunteers from FOTAS who spend time with the shelter animals , and the organizations who help support the good programs there have helped transform many aspects of shelter life at this one facility.  Love ya Ginny!

Another Open Gate Stray Dog Tale

So far, most of the stray dogs Doggy Dundee has found simply went exploring because some human “forgot” about securing a gate – and also “didn’t think” to license or ID tag their dog.

"I'm back. Where's the treats?"

We’ll call this dog Chumpski, a cute, raggedy-looking tan, gray and brown combo of Llapso Apso/Schnauzer/Beagle (at least to my eyes). He was tracing a quirky/curious nose-to-every-scent-on-the-ground path along Talent’s Front Street approaching the tracks where Chase and I stood watching him at 6:45 a.m

When he finally got close, looked up and spotted us, it was panic-time! Back and forth, run away and hustle back, scared-to-death-but-maybe-trust, and all the time the fur flying and the legs skittering at a frenetic pace.  Chase nudged me to go ahead while she hung back. I stepped forward to entice the raggy little sweetie. Thankfully, he was more than happy to hear a friendly voice, munch my offered treat, jump into my arms and lick my face.  Obviously, this little guy hadn’t been gone from home too long. No collar and no ID though. 

Since I already had another dog staying at my house who probably wasn’t (more…)

Doggy Dundee Looses A Friend

This site, as some know, has been dedicated to “Never Another Lost Dog” and was inspired by the numerous stray dogs Chase & I found on our walks; the dogs who wandered lost, were hurt or killed by cars, abused by people; also, the thousands of stray dogs we’ve personally seen in shelters who are never claimed.

Sadly, just days after posting the article about Alibi on the Shelter Dog page of this site, Alibi was euthanized.

"I AM smiling"

He’d been in the adoption area for approximate 7 weeks. During that time I and many other volunteers and staff fell in love with this big, rambunctious, wiggly Pit with that awesome “stare” that could freak some people out.  But after about 1-1/2 months, all in the space of about a week, Alibi would growl at some people, including at an off-site adoption presentation.  Labelled as “showing signs of aggression” (aka “Unadoptable”), he was removed from the adoption kennels and put down.

Owner & Public Responsibility

Before you start blaming the animal shelter though, consider this: Alibi was over a year old, was trained and had been found running loose in Central Point, Oregon and the owners never came looking for him. Owners are responsibility for keeping the dogs safe and confined. When owners screw up, dogs suffer. Alibi was a cast away!

The kennels can be hard psychologically for lost dogs after awhile. They’re tired of being stared at, they’re tired of being taken for walks but left behind when potential owners decide “no, not that one.” They don’t understand why they’re not cared about, they get scared and protective and put off by some people.  Once “in the system,” they may get a chance or two to make up for some behavioral concerns, but “the system” has legal/county regulations to abide by, and a county animal shelter isn’t a kennel.

I’m keeping Alibi’s story on the Shelter Dog page (find toward bottom of page) as a memorial to a beautiful spirit who was looking for someone to play with, someone he could trust. Read it there – and I offer this tip to those visiting animal shelters looking for a pet:  Don’t judge a dog by it’s face.

I love you, Alibi. Thanks for romping with me.

Doltish Doggy Owner Story – #1 of Several

Accidents happen and dogs get out/lost. Also, some dogs are escape artists. Lots of times, though, the owners of lost dogs are simply dolts – Take it from Doggy Dundee. Here’s one, short and sweet:

Before Doggy Dundee had taken on the mantle of “Dundee,” we were just two shaggy beings out walking (albeit, one human and one canine). In that guise, we first met Chucky (name changed to protect the innocent dog – and ‘guilty’ owner) on a “dark and stormy night” in Autumn 2007. Chase and I walked along a grassy park bordered on one side by a wooded patch and stream, and on the other by a new housing development. The racing-like-a-maniac brindle pug-kinda-pooch leaped out of the forested darkness at us, shocking the s-_-_-_ outa me. Fortunately, it was just a small pooch having a fine time teasing Chase and spinning me in circles. “What a great, fun dog,” I thought.

Fortunately, I carried a spare leash, and the pooch’s tag allowed me to tease it homeward several blocks beyong the woods.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the address; finally, ferreted out the structure beyond a locked fence, hidden beneath overpowering trees. Dripping wet, cold and a bit agitated, we brought Chucky back to our house for a few hours,then walked back later to return Chucky. “Oh, thank you. We just got him a few weeks ago,” the woman explained. Okay!

A Thanksgiving weekend car accident whacked me off-kilter a couple weeks later, and I lacked even the strength to handle Chase comfortably for long stretches. Unfortunately, Chucky tore out from the trees and at us one weekend afternoon. Fortunately, the Chief of Police was driving by as I snagged the pug. My prostrate pose brought the Chief’s car to a screeching stop. I gasped the dog’s address and the Chief drove Chucky to his owner’s while I limped homeward with Chase. The Chief passed me on the way back and stopped. “They were relieved,” he said. “The dog’s never gotten out before, and they’d just gotten home and found him missing. Good job, mame.”  Hmmmm…

Repetitious Lost Dog Pattern (more…)