Oreo's New Neighbor..

Our neighbors adopted this handsome boy, and since they have previous Pitbull expertise our hopes are high. The number of pits at the shelter right now is approaching 70% according to this new owner. As I checked Pet harbor looking at the impound side , two lactating Mama dogs caught my eye. Someone just pulled the pups off these two girls, kept the babes and ditched Mom. That is why I support mandatory spay for any impound that is released. I know that sounds a bit harsh, but Oreo's feeling a bit harsh right now. Those two girls (131419 & 132210 ), teats sagging in the pound, no longer of use, they didn't stray off and leave a litter, the owners ditched these poor creatures. Did they try to take the Mama dogs to NHS or the SPCA or did they become a part of the new culture of turning your own dog in as a stray ? Is this happening as a result of the retention policy in no kill shelters ? Again for posterity people, lactating bitches don't wander off from the litter... Why are these dogs on the stray side, and why are owner requested euthanasia numbers up on the county side. Why are dogs that can't walk coming in as strays ? Lots of questions, anybody got an answer ? Update, did contact the impound desk to check on these girls, one had an owner who declined to pick her up, the other was picked up as a stray also, but no owner. One more time for the road, lactating bitches do not willingly leave a litter ; so in both dogs case, the owner dumped them rather than turn them in....
Nice move slimeball !!

Does Oreo Need A Leash ?

In a recent email sharing a funny, to me, mock letter from an ACO, the topic of leashes came up. As folks become even more enamored of their "rights" to do as they damn well please, more clashes are in the offing. On todays walk I had the usual three dogs running up to mine. I am never thrilled, I don't pretend to be. I suppose all those years of not being able to walk my dog agressive dog, leashed in my own neighborhood are boiling out.He had a Companion Dog Title, so even tho he hated other dogs, he was safe to take to events and even do some shows at schools. I never let him off leash in the back country, he was under complete voice command, but if he was out of range it could get ugly. I am only assuming that; as owners who loved him we kept him safe from misdirected instincts. Hence my chronic chagrin at people who let their dog come charging up to mine. We had a Queensland down grade that always flew out of the garage and up Oreo's leg . One time stitches and an emergency vet bill totaling $560.00 got the owners attention for about three weeks. Nobody thinks your loose dog charging their leashed dog is cute....nobody ! But as the animal rightest push for more and more anarchy those of us who follow the law are sure to suffer.
The owner of the labs came racing out of his garage today, amazed that one more time, his dogs left the yard..Why is this moron so shocked; they have been running out for three years. His neighbors in the cul de sac are tired of putting their dogs in the car in the garage to avoid the "greeter" how does one resolve these issues short of small claims court when the leashed dog trips the owner. Anyone on the blog have a sucess story to share ? I volunteer for AC so I know one way to handle it, but since we are on " education mode" here..... I have made a time to talk to the owners over the week end, say a little prayer. If they don't keep the dogs up, AC time. What a bummer. If you want to let your dogs run, go to the dog park, not where people are connected to the other end of the dog leash. Sure am tempted to post that letter, it was great !!
Oreo sitting coyly, hoping a ride is coming. Listening for the sound of car keys.....

Some Animals Come With Extra Baggage...

The last post got pretty long, pretty quick. we can just wander over here and chat as we feel like it...that's pretty much what we do anyway. Oreo may pick a topic, but I 've noticed the group takes it's own course. That is good, we are all thinking individuals and not to fond of following the herd. We've had a bit of splash back about breeders, as always on this blog we want to stay focused. We don't look for easy hooks to blame anyone, we want to be very clear our agenda is the welfare of the animal in custody of a shelter. We don't like jerk owners either, but at some point you have to pick a direction or you become meaninless. Oreo's direction is shelter care for all animals.

According to several studies we have researched, approximately 20% of all shelter animals are purebred, that gentle reader means 80% are not ! If one removes pitbulls from the equation ( follow me closely here ) 85% of the 20% of purebreds are adopted directly into a home, bypassing a rescue or foster. Put the pitbulls back in and the percentage changes dramatically. So purebreds are not a significant drain on the shelter system, so lets go back to the problem. The problem is primarily the " whoops, didn't think they could get preggers this young" group. and the " Everybody wants a puppy from "Bitsy" folks. I love the idea of mandatory S/ N for any animals not under a commercial breeders permit. It is clear ro us here at Oreo's that asking people to use their heads or be responsible, is not working......... Puppymills are terrible places, but that deserves it's own place at the table.

We are about handling animals that are in the system currently. How can we do that with compassion, and when necessary accept that not every animal will find a home. No Kill with the capitals is a flawed concept, if you doubt that read long and hard of what is available. A recent email from NHS to Mark's blog gives the full extent of the hoops you must jump through to surrender your pet. It would be easier to get on Schindlers List.. I am sure Beata believes in what she proposes, Oreo doesn't. Don't take our word for anything, read the rgj.com mostlydogs blog. They want you to "foster" your own surrender while they " help " you find a home. Well guess what, if they have 700 of their own cats hanging out, your guy is pretty far down the list. Same with dog's . It's disheartening to see the owner slink out, cause you know it is not going to be good for the animal, turned away. Mandatory S/N for all shelter release animals is really the only thing that is a long term solution. The only thing, not BSL, not foisting a dog off on some poor schmuck that dropped into Petsmart to buy bird seed and came out with a pitbul. Slow the reproduction process and you reduce the unwanted animals. Fosters are not the answer, they used to be for the" few" ill or troubled pets, now they are factored in, like the music you get when you call the phone company. They need to be returned to their intended purpose. And what the hell are rescues doing these days. No big stories on the paper blog about distant rescues from the Churchill County gang. Snake oil salesmen and robber barons..be gone, you weary us.

Pictured is Miss Priss with her park pouch, tennis ball and small water bottle; and a very trendy dog is ready for the dog park. We are making sure you know that rehomed dogs can do very well.

The Wait Is Over

It has been a long time since we started the records request, you guys have been pretty patient. That is appreciated, although I did notice some nattering from a couple of folks....The short form is Oreo sent an email rescinding the order. Do I hear the back row moaning ? Thought so. No excuses, no change of heart, purely due to the economy. My advisors (some legal) felt the county was in the wrong to have allowed NHS to continue to badger and harrass WCRAS, and one of it's volunteers. So the county made the mess, the county should clean it up.
I felt then, and do now, that is a valid opinion. But, for those of you who may have tried to get blood out of a rock........
We have employees who have worked for the County a quarter of a century, losing their jobs. In my little City we just laid off 34 more long time employees. Here at Oreo's we rolled it over in every direction, and we couldn't see how adding more to the financial strain would help anything. There is no illusion that Mr. Winograd can give a fair or realistic report on conditions , but we are hoping that it may get the attention of the public in some way. If not we will wait for the Lieds effect.
The shelter director did tell a reporter and it was published that animals are being put down for aggression. Put me in a cage for a year or so and I might go nuts too..... I believe there are a large number of unsocialized dogs coming in; totally get that. Do they get that throwing them in a kennel for months is not working. And that perhaps adoptable animals are dying 40 feet down the hall, while they fiddle madly.... Oreo has discussed community saturation in the past, several times; and it bears repeating. The rescues are full, the fosters are full, the damn shelter is over full by design standards. What will it take for them to get the picture? Clearly we just have to wait for the disaster to strike, and if they quit the happy no kill bs and get honest with people about the reality of the situation, maybe it will slow the flood. On the AC side right now is an 11 year old Mastiff, the dog can't get up. Don't think he ran away from home, so how did he get in the impound side ? I inquired about the dog, hoping to find a place with a person who does large breed rescue on a very small scale. Brought in as a stray.....you fill in the blanks. Mastiff, can't walk..a stray?? Honesty Helps has posted about owners in Rancho Cuccamona turning in their own dogs as a stray when they were discouraged by staff at the No Kill... is that happening here ?
We are not blaming anybody for anything because we don't know, but the situation is odd, at best....
Pictured are the team members at Oreo's, hanging out in the office....

We Welcome A Brand New Year.....

It is wonderful to have Oreo back in the public arena again, and I must say, arena is the appropriate word. It feels like a battle because it has become a battle. For those of you who got here after we closed the gate, just peruse various posts til you get caught up. King County and Austin are both looking forward to participating again.
These issues affect every city and county in the nation, education is the answer and one that will provide sustainable humane treatment of all animals in our sheltering systems. Opening Oreo up again was actually triggered by a series of dangerous "advice posts" on our local dog blogger. A person with a wealth of caring, but not a lot of knowledge on animal behavior.
So, we are back on our mission of educating the public on what does and doesn't work in animal shelters and more on the wise adopter vs. the spontaneous adopter who is a frequent returner. The lady in Spanish Springs Nevada who went to Delano California to bring home 27 dogs is a prime example of the thinking we are trying to change. Her daughter volunteers at the local NHS and perhaps the thinking permeated through air to the Mom who rushed off to save the " dogs on deaths door" This well meaning but under informed lady brought in 27 dogs minus rabies vaccinations, carrying several contagious conditions. She then spread this further through the community to unsuspecting pet owners who's neighbors brought home an uninoculated sick dog. Oreo said, yep, time to get on the public bandwidth again......NHS has visited here in the past and we hope they take the visit as a chance to learn and become compassionate in the care of the charges they have. Seeking quality of life for those entrusted to them.
In these very tough times, the arrogance of one shelter in the paper putting down another in order to gain funding is inexcusable. We support the HSUS and the ASPCA as strong leaders in the overall welfare of animals. There is a lot more to helping animals that needs to be addressed and storing with crowding and poor quality of life is not helping anyone. Except the little troll under the bridge collecting fees, the rest of us are appalled at the current conditions in many no kill shelters.
Pictured is Oreo's favorite view of the world, clean and covered in snow, just waiting to be mussed up.