Doggy Dundee

Giving and Receiving A Sheltering Love

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.

Craigslist.org Unites Stray Dog and Owner

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!

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.

Chase’s Doggy Birthday – Gift to FOTAS?

G’day Mates! What can you do for a birthday dog who gets everything (and does lots of good, too)? How about donating to the organization that helps the doggies (and kitties) at the Jackson County Animal Shelter where Doggy Dundee spends lots of time?

The Doggy Dundee birthday DATE is January 28th (Both Chase and I share a birth date – How’s that for a great “coincidence” – Not often doggies and owners share a birthday!). That ORGANIZATION would be the Friends of the Animal Shelter , which is celebrating its 20th “birthday” year in 2010. FOTAS is a 501(c)3 non-profit that has been helping pay for animal medical care, defray some lower-cost adoption fees, building walking and agility areas, and has a lot of volunteers who are out daily – in all kinds of weather – walking, playing with, and loving on the animals at the Jackson County Animal Shelter. All that work is very necessary, because the animal shelter doesn’t receive any money from the state’s General Fund; ergo, the work FOTAS does is essential to maintaining quality care for the shelter dogs, cats, and other animals.

So, anyone wanting to say “Happy Birthday, Chase,” can send a donation check made out to “FOTAS” to this address: FOTAS, P.O. Box 92, Ashland, Oregon 97520. (Donations are tax deductable).

Isn’t Ginny A Sweet Pit Bull?

G’day Mates! Click on this Ginny Video for a moment of cuteness (thanks to another FOTAS volunteer , Gaila, who took the video awhile prior to Ginny’s adoption). I sure appreciated Gaila passing along this video, since I miss hugging my doggy pal Ginny so much).

New readers of Doggy Dundee may not be familiar with the story of Ginny (see Shelter Dog page), a female pit bull mama dog who had a long (more than one year) stay at the Jackson County Animal Shelter – where everyone loved Ginny, but, alas, it took “forever” to find someone to adopt her.

Ginny’s a beautiful “counter argument” to those folks seeking to outlaw pit bulls (i.e. pass Breed Specific Legislation – BSL). Chase played with Ginny a couple times, and is glad that Ginny’s got a new owner who’s loving on her.

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)

Adopt Gentle, Beautiful, Trained Ginny 

G’day Mates! Many of you know how much I’d loved Ginny, the 4 year old homeless dog who had spent just-shy of 12 months at the Jackson County Animal Shelter before being adopted. We were thrilled when she’d left, yet now she is back at the animal shelter - Has she returned to make you a happy dog owner, perhaps? 

Why Returned? Too Calm and Friendly

Ginny, a female pitbull who the shelter had put through dog training classes long ago, wasn’t the protective watch dog the fellow, who lives in a mobile

Claire & Ginny

 home park, had hoped she’d be, so the man returned Ginny after three months. When someone knocked at the door, instead of barking as the fellow had hoped, Ginny would run over to the door, sit and wait for the visitor to be let inside, then lick the person’s hands, and wiggle to be pet. The man said Ginny was too laid back, and though a gentle companion – enjoying going for car rides and laying around the backyard or house – she just wasn’t the protector/dissuader he’d hoped she would be. She was nice to everyone on their walks.

It’s A “Pit-ty” You Can’t Please All the People

Sigh…Here’s a well-trained, friendly, quiet, beautiful dog that loves to love and be loving, and who defies the stereotype people hold of pitbulls, yet the man wasn’t happy. So, I know Ginny must have returned coz there’s someone else needing to adopt her, much as Chase was returned to the animal shelter just minutes before I walked in 5-1/2 years ago inquiring about puppies.

Read Ginny’s full background story on this site’s “Shelter Dog” page (you may have to scroll down on that page), from the days Ginny was found running down the highway all skin & bones and very pregnant as a stray, homeless dog. If you’re interested, check her out at the Jackson County Animal Shelter in Phoenix, Oregon. Natch, I’ve gone to the shelter everyday to play with Ginny. All the staff and volunteers want the very best for this special girl (except cats!)

Homeless Dog Owner & Stray Dog

G’Day Mates! There’s lots of kindness to go around from shelter staff and residents for a homeless dogs owner and his stray dog. Here’s an example:

It was dark at 9:45 on Monday night 8-24-09 when Chase and I met Reena, a female Doberman-X, roaming near Tark’s Market in Talent. Doggy Dundee was (drat!) without her spare leash as Reena and Chase started playing and chasing each other around in circles in the middle of the street. Sigh… Obviously, a stray dog night. “Alright, buddy, ready to follow us?” I asked the brown and black and very exuberant Dobie-X.

Reena did follow us - all the way unleashed. As with most lost dogs, she was a gem of a gentle stray. At home, while I tried calling her tag’s 503 area code phone number (“No calls are being taken at this phone number. Please try again later.”), Chase and Reena raced around the livingroom, and chowed down on kibble. Early a.m. appointments would leave me no time to take care of the stray dog in the morning, though, so I called the Talent Police Department, explaining I’d found a lost dog. They (more…)

Doggy Dundee Honors Slim Jim

 On a recent visit to the Jackson County Animal Shelter, Doggy Dundee stopped to spend some time at Slim Jim memorial lane.

Chase honors Slim Jim

Slim Jim was a brutally starved and abused dog, a young Pit-X, with a lopsided head and rear legs so badly mangled (probably due to the abuse) he couldn’t even stand. Typically, he’d have been putdown immediately and compassionately, but the staff saw something in Slim Jim’s eyes, and raised a medical fund for him. 

He rallied, then began running, and everyone at the animal shelter was daily touched by his bountiful Spirit. Four months later, though, a sudden, massive seizure resulted in Slim Jim’s being euthanized.

His Legacy of Freedom

To honor Slim Jim and the other abused and neglected dogs who’ve passed through the Shelter, private fundraising cleared and constructed a new tree-lined walking path for use by the shelter’s dogs. Dedicated on Feb. 14, 2009, Slim Jim’s memorial stone – and stones bearing the names of other “lost” dogs - give pause.  Now and forever, Slim Jim’s legacy provides an open  space for romping and enjoyment by other lost dogs brought to the shelter.