The Plight of the Big Black Dog - Panhandle Animal Shelter

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❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ Elk Mountain by Barbie Flanders Elk Mountain Academy is a therapeutic boarding school for boys. We started a program with the school where the boys foster a dog at the school. The boys get to come to the shelter and pick out a dog that has been at the shelter for six months or longer. They take that dog to their school and socialize him/ her. Currently George, a Labrador/Boxer mix, is at the school. George was brought to the shelter in June because his owner died. Once George arrived at Elk Mountain Academy, the students started working with him. The boys walk around with George on a leash trying to get him used to the other boys and at the same time working with him to learn how to heel. Every Saturday the boys bring George to the shelter and they work to get George adopted. When George finds a good home, the boys will get to pick a new dog to foster. I foster kittens for the shelter and specialize in bottle-fed kittens. Bottle-fed kittens are kittens that have been taken away from their mother too early or something has happened to their mother. Bottle-fed kittens must be fed every four to six hours. I bring the kittens with me to the academy and the boys take turns feeding and playing with the kittens. It really helps the kittens as they are very well socialized by the time that they are returned to the shelter for adoption. This is a great program because it is beneficial for the animals and the boys at Elk Mountain Academy. It’s amazing to watch how gentle and kind the boys are with the animals. It always seems that when new students arrive at Elk Mountain Academy, they are greeted by the shelter dog. It helps the students feel more at home when they have just arrived at the campus. A special bond is established between the boys and the dog. It is therapeutic for the students and great for the dogs and it literally can save kittens lives. A special bond is established between the boys and the animals I bring from PAS. The boys recognize these animals need them and the animals love and appreciate them unconditionally. n 4 FOSTER LO Our foster care program is essential to assisting the many kittens an spring. Please consider opening your home to help PAS give these Freya The week before Christmas, we received a special gift. A gorgeous strawberry blond Golden Retriever was abandoned at the shelter in the staff entrance mud room. It isn’t uncommon for animals to be deserted at PAS. We find them tied to our front door and left in boxes at our entrance. They all share a common theme…no information. This poor golden was found shaking, terrified, and unable to respond to any humans. Three days till Christmas, and it was decided by one of our board members that a home environment might just win her over. Freya was carried to their car and transported to a lakeside home in Hope, Idaho. There she was introduced to their male English Setter who assured her that the food was plentiful, on time and rather succulent. He also mentioned that they had permission to troll the property. Oh, to be able to crawl into the minds of the wounded and see what truly happened. Rehabilitation was not quickly achieved. Freya’s trust issues were hard to overcome. Only the patient noninvasive love and experimental diet planning would bring her to the point of eating and creeping into the living room where she (at long last) placed her head on a knee. Her health rallied and soon she was able to cut down on the meds. She had decided to live! After about a month, Freya had reached a plateau where the next step would be a forever home. The call went out, fliers were printed, and each applicant unmercifully scrutinized. Yes, the perfect home did arrive and Freya is gradually becoming a real dog again. Freya’s story, though extreme, is one of the never ending sagas that percolate in the shelter. We marvel at the response when an animal enters in need. “Out of the woodwork” the army of volunteers, foster parents and donors enter the crisis, and the right things get done. n
VE d puppies arriving at PAS during the wonderful animals a healthy start. Miracle BY TONI BRITTON ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ A beautiful tabby cat was brought to the shelter in February 2011. She had been in labor for at least 24 hours. Against all odds, one kitten and the mother survived the traumatic birth. I named the tiny tortie kitten, Miracle. In a couple days I brought Momma and Miracle to my home to foster them. Thus began a wonderful adventure of watching a newborn kitten turn into a cat. Momma cat was so loving and devoted and taught Miracle all sorts of “cat” things. Momma cat had a unique way of talking, a kind of chirping, whenever she was ready to teach baby something, passing this endearing trait on to Miracle. She would come tearing out of the kitten room, baby in tow, talking all the while. You can’t imagine the joy they gave us! Suddenly Miracle was six weeks old, climbing into my husband’s lap, sitting on his shoulder, sleeping beside him. We decided Miracle would stay a part of our family. Momma cat was adopted by the wonderful vet that saved her life and the life of Miracle. Momma was named Twitch and at last report is a great mouser with a special personality. Miracle turns one-year-old on February 25. There is nothing like having a kitten and watching it grow. It should be on everyone’s bucket list. Please consider fostering a kitten this spring when the shelter is inundated with kittens. They all deserve loving foster homes. n UPDATE: BARNEY: BEFORE You may remember Barney from our last issue. He came to the shelter weighing 84.8 pounds! That’s 60 pounds overweight. We are thrilled to report Barney has lost 50 pounds and sports a sleek, trim physique which allows him to own the ranch. His foster parents tell us his job, as he sees it, is to take guests on frequent nature walks through the property. Unfortunately, when Barney lost weight his confidence grew and he has decided to be the ranch guests “protector”. Not too long ago, Barney took on a bear. Barney didn’t get hurt, but learned not to do that again. He is still a scavenger and always hungry. In fact, over the holidays a guest visited the ranch with a tray of cupcakes and a cake. Barney is a sly one and “tricked” the woman into leaving him alone with the “goods”. Needless to say, he ate the WHOLE thing. Lucky for Barney, he is in a wonderful home and continues to progress. His foster parents still need to put signs up that say, “Please don’t feed the beagle.” We are proud to share Barney is in his forever home where he is loved. n AFTER 5
Page 1 and 2: Paw Prints PANHANDLE ANIMAL SHELTER
Page 3: A Fresh New Look Behind the scenes
Page 7 and 8: Dog Days at Dover Bay Can you hear

The Plight of the Big Black Dog - Panhandle Animal Shelter

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