Dishing the News on Pets and Animal Welfare Issues             Jan. 2008

Rat Race at OHS:
Root for Your Favorite Candidate

In celebration of the "Super Tuesday" Feb. 5th presidential primaries, OHS is hosting the the first ever Presidential Primary Rat Race on Feb. 4th. We have a bevy of beautiful rodents with striking similarities to real candidates!

This rat is ready to race. Click here to see all the candidates.

The rat race begins on Monday, Feb. 4, at 10 am in the lobby of the OHS Animal Medical and Learning Center.You are invited to attend, and to support your favorite rat by making a "campaign" donation.

With four "RepubliRats" and three "DemoRat" contenders, you can easily find a favorite candidate to root for. Our rat candidates include Rudy Gulliratty, John Ratwards, Hillary Rodent Squinten, Muskrat-Mike Huckleberry and more. Click here to see their pictures and bumper stickers.

Voice support for the candidate of your choice by donating to a rat candidate's "campaign fund" and cheering them on (no matter who you donate to, all contributions go to help animals at OHS).Want to learn more about rats and what they have in common with presidential candidates? Our special Rat Facts Webpage is loaded with interesting facts.

No disrespect to actual presidential candidates is intended -- but rats at OHS need your support. Visit the OHS Adoption Webpage to see rats, rodents and rabbits who will make great pets.

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OHS Now Offers Training Classes to the Public

Inside the new AMLC.

OHS staffers have years of experience helping problem pooches learn better behaviors. The public can now take advantage of their experience through a wide range of new classes that everyone can sign up for.

The classes focus on understanding why animals behave the way they do and on using positive reinforcement to encourage good behavior. "With the completion of the new Animal Medical and Learning Center (AMLC), we now have a great facility to host classes for not only shelter animals, but for anyone who has a pet they need help with," said Tanya Roberts, OHS behavior specialist.

The AMLC features two large arenas with padded floors, lots of natural light, and ample fresh-air ventilation to make dogs (and their human friends) feel at home. Smaller classrooms and a "real world" room for observing animals in a household setting offer more training opportunities for pets and people.

What kind of classes can you take? Current offerings include a "Reactive Rover" class for excitable dogs, "T-touch" dog massage, puppy social hours, one-on-one consultations, group sessions for owners of "finicky felines," and much more.

Visit the OHS Website to see the current list of courses. Many courses have already filled up, but more will be added.

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Spunky & Pepper Find a Home;
OHS Sets New Records for Cat Adoptions

Spunky (in rear) and Pepper.

Two senior citizens at OHS, a pair of bonded dogs named Spunky and Pepper, went home together earlier this month to the cheers of staff and volunteers. The relationship between the two dogs and OHS goes back years, as their recent adoption marks the second time they have come to OHS under less than perfect circumstances.

The adoption of the two dogs came as OHS ended one of the most successful adoption years in its history, finding homes for a record number of cats and reaching an all-time high in the percentage of cats who found new homes.

In 2007, OHS the save rate for cats reached 93 percent, one of the highest in the nation and four times the national average. The save rate includes adoptions (91 percent of all OHS cats were adopted last year), plus animals that have been returned to their owners, and animals placed with rescue groups dedicated to finding them homes. All in all, a total of 9,572 animals were saved by OHS last year, including 3,601 dogs, 5,084 cats and 887 small animals.

Spunky and Pepper first came to the shelter back in 2003 after their owner died. They were featured in our annual Home for the Holidays campaign, and were lucky enough to find a home. But their second owner passed away in 2007, and his surviving relatives brought the friendly pair back to OHS in August. The 11-year-old blue heeler mix and the 10-year-old St. Bernard mix waited patiently for four months at OHS, all the while making friends with volunteers and staff.

In a replay of the past, the dogs' new owners spotted them on a morning news show about the OHS Home for the Holidays campaign. A pet meet was soon arranged and the two elderly gentlemen are again proving they are wonderful pets.

"Spunky and Pepper are adjusting well to their new home," wrote owners Hazel & Milt Scholl." They love walking around the neighborhood and Spunky in particular loves our backyard (and the squirrels that live there). Pepper has discovered that we have a dog-friendly couch and sleeps there at times, or just hangs out on the couch while we watch TV. They are very sweet pair of dogs! Thank you so much!"

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OHS Cares for Neglected Dogs from Linn County

OHS Investigator Austin Wallace with a Linn County dog.

The Oregon Humane Society (OHS) in concert with the Linn County Sheriff's Office rescued 25 dogs earlier this month from from a residence on East Lacomb Road, approximately 10 miles northeast of Lebanon.

The dogs were found in deplorable circumstances, with many living outside in standing water, some chained to trees and other objects, said the Linn County Sheriff's Office. The owners, Jerry and Linda Goodwin, voluntarily relinquished ownership of the dogs to OHS at the urging of Linn County authorities. This enabled OHS to medically treat the animals and find homes for them.

OHS Humane Investigators, along with staff and volunteers, assisted in examining the 25 dogs at the Goodwin home, documenting their condition, and transporting them to the OHS shelter in Portland. A search warrant on the property was served by Linn County Sheriff deputies.

“In my opinion, this is one of the worst cases I have seen of animal neglect,” said Austin Wallace, Humane Investigator for OHS. “The dogs are riddled with parasites and are in urgent need of medical help,” Wallace added. OHS was asked by the Linn County Sheriff's Office to assist with the animal rescue and help in re-homing the animals.

The medical team at the new OHS Animal Medical and Learning Center went to work as soon as the dogs arrived in Portland. Each dog was examined, vaccinated, de-wormed and given flea-control medication.“These animals lives get better from this day forward,” said Dr. Kris Otteman, OHS Director of Shelter Medicine.

OHS Humane Investigators are commissioned by the Governor of Oregon and enforce animal cruelty laws throughout the state, frequently assisting local law enforcement agencies. Crook County has not filed charges against the Goodwins at this time, but is continuing with its investigation.

The animals are now being cared for at OHS and many have already been adopted.

OHS relies entirely on private donations to combat animal cruelty.
You can help by donating to the OHS Animal Investigations Department .

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