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Message from the Director

By Amy Cooper – Director

Recently the weather here in Sonoma County has changed from cool and rainy to warm and sunny. Finally! I know it hasn’t been that long since we last had warm weather, but to me it has felt like an eternity, and I have recently thought many times about what I would do once the weather warmed up.

It’s not terribly dissimilar for our many animals. Despite our famously wonderful dog walkers and cat cuddlers, the animals’ time here at the shelter can at times drag on, and if they themselves don’t think about and anticipate their new homes and adopters, we as staff and volunteers certainly do.

We make a point of ensuring that every animal here has as pleasant a stay as possible. Sometimes that means providing a cushy bed to an older dog, some extra time spent holding a timid rabbit or sitting with a frightened dog. And sometimes it means going that extra, creative step to shorten the animal’s stay here and move it toward its new home with the right adopter. It’s not easy. But it is what we do. And we are really enjoying sharing many of those stories with you monthly through Paw Prints.

Speaking of anticipation, please check out the much anticipated new Animal Control Officer section of our web site. Go to www.theanimalshetler.org, click Field Services on the left-hand column, and then click Our Animal Control Officers. You’ll find photos and biographies of our dedicated officers who respond to animal control issues seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Thank you for your care, your volunteerism, your letters and emails of support and your questions about how we do what we do. Together, we are making a difference.

Daisy’s Incredible Journey

By Melanie McCall-Parker – Account Clerk

Countless stories exist about animals traveling great distances to be reunited with their owners.  Recently, a local Chihuahua named “Daisy” made a mini trek of her own. 

I first heard of Daisy when my husband told me he had heard a woman on the radio asking for help finding her lost black Chihuahua who was last seen in the area of Piner Road in Santa Rosa. I checked our kennel records, but didn’t find any matching dogs. Every day, I see several lost and found Chihuahuas, but have never heard of one being announced on the radio, so when a little black Chihuahua was brought in as a stray a few days later, I wondered, “Could this be the same dog?”

As it turns out, it was Daisy, who had been lost in the area of Costco on Santa Rosa Ave six days earlier. By the time my husband heard the desperate owner’s plea for help on the radio, Daisy had been missing for several days already. She had been steadily heading north, toward her home in Windsor. In order to get to the place where she was found, she had to cross several busy streets, including Santa Rosa Ave and Hwy 101! I guess that after six days, her tiny paws grew tired and she had to stop. Lucky for her, she had good instincts and stopped on the porch of a very kind family who brought her directly to the shelter.

Daisy’s owners arrived at the shelter within 15 minutes of our call. She was so happy to see them, she almost wiggled right out of their arms! If only Daisy could talk, I am sure she would have quite a story to tell.

"Lee"

By John Strathman, DVM – Shelter Veterinarian

On January 28th, an injured black and white male shorthaired kitten was brought to the shelter by an Animal Control Officer. The kitten was in shock, paralyzed in the rear, had pelvic fractures, an abdominal hernia, and some abrasions. The little guy was wearing a blue nylon collar with rhinestones set in paw print patterns.

We treated the shock, controlled the pain, and kept the little tomcat warm and comfortable. By the next day, he was feeling much better and his sweet, outgoing personality began to emerge. Over the next few days, he began to eat, groom himself, and obviously loved getting attention. He was still paralyzed, though. There was a little movement in one rear leg sometimes. Then he began to sit up and sleep in normal positions. He started using his litter box and could scoot around his cage. We named our little paraplegic "Lee".

Dr. Lea Bové repaired Lee's hernia and neutered him. Through the month of February, Lee continued to improve. He began to walk on three legs, with good use of the right rear leg, but still dragging the left rear. Cats can function extremely well on three legs. We considered amputating the left rear.

Stellar shelter volunteers Leo and La Rae Lefor took Lee to their home to continue his recovery. At the Lefor home, Lee's legs improved and he began to climb the "cat pole". After a month in foster care, Lee was put up for adoption and soon found a new home. He isn't perfect - physically, that is. He still “knuckles” some on his left rear, but he walks on both rear legs and is learning to walk on his foot pads like he's supposed to. He can run and climb and gets around very well, and will be fine in his new home. He is an adorable cat with a charming, outgoing personality.

Thanks to compassionate people like Leo and La Rae LeFor who open their homes and hearts to care for animals that need some time to heal, wonderful pets like Lee get a second chance at life.

Two and A Half Legs

By John Strathman, DVM – Shelter Veterinarian

On Saturday May 15, 2010, an Animal Control Officer picked up an injured stray black male dachshund mix. The poor little guy had been hit by a car and had sustained some horrific injuries to his rear legs. On one side, the skin and most of the soft tissue on top of his foot was gone and the metatarsal bones were pulverized. On the other side, his left tibia and pelvis were fractured. Over his lower back, he had serious abrasions. In typical fashion for a small dog after a terrible accident, he was terrified, in extreme pain, and trying to bite those attempting to help him.

For three days, the veterinary staff gave "Milo" antibiotics, fluids, pain killers, cleaned his wounds, changed his bandages, and kept him clean and as comfortable as possible. He received lots of attention, gentle pets and tons of sympathy. Little dogs are experts at pulling on your heartstrings. It's in their DNA. They know just how to look at you with their big sad eyes so that you forget what you were about to do. Then you open the cage door, cuddle the little guy and get him more food, morphine, or a clean blanky.

On the fourth day, we decided that the smashed foot could not be saved, so we amputated the leg. I know, I know. You are thinking that the only orthopedic procedures performed at county animal shelters are amputations, right? We see lots of injuries that would require amputation in any case, and our resources are limited. But there's a bit more to this story.

A dog really needs three limbs to function well in most households. One hind leg was already gone. On May 25, we repaired the fractured tibia on the other leg with an external fixator. This contraption consists of small, threaded steel pins that are screwed into the bone and attached to a steel connecting bar with clamps. The pelvic fracture should heal with a few weeks of rest.

So, if all goes well, the fractures and the "road rash" on his back should heal, and Milo will be able to run and play again like any other wiener dog. We are looking for a temporary foster home for him. He needs a quiet place to hang out for a couple of months to recuperate. He is a sweet boy. We love him. We think others will too.

Thanks to donations from our friends, we were able to purchase the orthopedic instruments and implants used to treat Milo. As a veterinary clinician and a little dog aficionado, it is great to have options besides amputation and euthanasia.

Please call us at (707) 565-7100 if you are interested in giving Milo a temporary foster home.

Newman’s Story

By Shirley Zindler – Animal Control Officer

I had finished my calls and was patrolling in Santa Rosa when I was dispatched a call about a cat that had been crying for a week in a drain in Fountain Grove. In most cases cats are able to get out of these situations on their own, but this sounded like a definite concern. I arrived on the scene and listened carefully. Sure enough, after a few minutes I was able to hear a faint meowing. The animal was in a drainpipe under a heavy concrete manhole cover and it took me a few minutes of maneuvering with my tools to muscle it out of the way.

Looking down into the hole - about six feet to the bottom - no cat was visible. I tried calling but got no response. The unfortunate feline was probably far down the pipes and likely to be feral. I baited a humane trap with some canned cat food and lowered it into the hole. I sat hopefully in the truck for a while and caught up on some paperwork, but still no kitty. After half an hour, I got another urgent call clear across town, so I lowered the heavy cover back down and left.

When I returned an hour later to check my trap, I did not want to have to lift the heavy cover if I had not caught anything, so I got a little mirror out of the truck and angled it with my flashlight under the opening at the curb. Yes! The cat was safely confined. I once again removed the cover and pulled up the trap. To my surprise he was a big, friendly cat with an ID tag that said “Newman” with a phone number. Tags are one of an Animal Control Officers’ favorite things, especially if they have current owner information.

When I called the number, a woman answered and was thrilled to learn that her pet was safe. She had been searching for Newman all week and had already filed a lost report at our shelter. I delivered Newman to her doorstep a few blocks away and witnessed a delightful reunion.

Newman’s I.D. tag meant that he was returned home as quickly as possible - he never even made it to the shelter. Pet owners should make sure that their dogs and cats are wearing safe buckle collars and tags with current phone numbers at all times. A microchip is an excellent backup, but tags are your first line of defense for a missing pet.

Patrick Cunningham and His Mom, Gayle

By Greg Mortensen – Volunteer Coordinator

This month we are spotlighting one of our hard working youth volunteers, Patrick Cunningham, and his mom, Gayle. Patrick has been one of our most dedicated and helpful volunteers for the past two years…. mom too.

Patrick started volunteering when he finished 8th grade. He is one of our many dog walkers. (His interests are working with reptiles and birds, but we don’t get many of them.) Patrick is in the Santa Rosa High School Animal Tech Program and will be working this summer with the shelter animal care staff. He plans to be a veterinarian in the future, and I have no doubt that he will be a good one.

Patrick and Gayle are also animal foster volunteers, and help with special events. This year they walked dogs in the Santa Rosa Rose Parade, providing the community with a good look at some of our wonderful adoptable pets.

We would like to thank Patrick and Gayle for all that they do to help the animals and staff.

If you are interested in volunteering at the shelter, please contact Greg Mortensen at (707) 565-7116 or visit us on-line at www.theanimalshelter.org for more information.