Paw Prints November 2013

Paw Prints News from the Panhandle Animal Shelter

HOME atLAST Here is a list of some friends who were adopted this year after long time stays of more than six months.

Alexis Azula Baxter Blackie Bud Caterina Chief Davey Diego Donner Georgia Gray boy Karl Kole Luki Miah Muffin Man Onyx Pee Wee Smooch Snowman Tilly Zechariah Zena Zoe NOV 2013

TrueTail No 21: BILL An elderly man slowly walked into the Panhandle Animal Shelter intake area.

In his eyes there was a great sadness, a common sight for our staff and volunteers. Our staff immediately knew there was a very touching story coming.

They just didn’t know how touching.

The man - we’ll call him Bill - was a veteran who had fallen on hard times.

He had lost almost everything: his home, his friends, his family and his health. The only thing he had was his best friend, Rascal, who he loved greatly.

Bill had been struggling to provide shelter and was living in his car. Then, Bill got really sick and knew he had to go into the hospital. As his health deteriorated, he started researching options for Rascal. With no family or friends to care for Rascal, Bill understood he had to do what was best for Rascal -- give him up.

However, Bill feared that because Rascal was an American Bull Dog, a breed commonly mistaken for a pit bull, it was highly probable that he would be euthanized immediately upon surrender to an animal shelter.

A kind, knowledgeable person made a lifesaving recommendation -- drive to Sandpoint and take Rascal to the Panhandle Animal Shelter. Bill sold his belongings, bit by bit, so he could buy gas to drive Rascal to PAS. That’s how Bill and Rascal ended up at the PAS intake area that sad morning.

Our staff and volunteers were in awe of the extreme measures Bill took to save the life of his beloved dog and

SHELTER: 208-265-7297

WWW.PASIDAHO.ORG

insure he got a kind, loving home. The staff quickly discovered that Rascal was a gentle, well trained, and fabulous companion. In less than a week, a wonderful family adopted him. The adopters admitted that if it hadn’t been for the staff introducing Rascal to them, they would never have glanced at him twice. Once they were in a room with this mellow, loving dog, the “fireworks” of affection went off and Rascal was off to a new chapter in his life.

R ascal’s

new ado ptive fa m

ily

We called Bill at the veteran’s hospital to let him know Rascal was in a wonderful home. Our community support provides us with the ability to offer a safe and trusted location for people who need to surrender their beloved friend. And in this case it was an added bonus to help a man who helped us all by serving our Country.

THRIFT SHOP: 208-263-0706

M Mandy’s Memo

Notes From the Top Dog The direction of my life changed the summer of 2001.

I brought home a healthy pug puppy and, three weeks later, she was a paraplegic. This sweet little dog showed me a triumphant nature that I truly believe embodies animals.

Because of what Molly taught me in the eight years she blessed my life, I now work with a wonderful group of people to improve the lives of animals at our shelter and in our community. I believe that humans and animals have gifts to give and it is the job of this shelter to match those gifts for the mutual benefit of both.

I encourage you to read the newsletter and enjoy the heartwarming stories of adoptions, profiles of adorable dogs and cats looking for that special someone, and impressive information regarding the successful changes the shelter has experienced in the past year.

Your support has made it all possible. Thank you for donating your funds, gently used items, shopping in our thrift store, adopting and spending time with the dogs and cats at our shelter. Your continued support will help us continue to make meaningful change for dogs and cats.

Happy Holidays, Mandy

Playing for Life Mr. Fred Rogers said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.

Play is really the work of childhood.”

This year, we learned the same principle applies to animals.

In the fall of 2012, we applied for a grant from the Animal Farm Foundation for funds for a training program that would teach us how to play. Yes, that’s right. You read that correctly. We requested funds to bring Aimee Sadler, the creator of the Playing for Life program, to the Panhandle Animal Shelter so she could teach us how to provide our dogs with an enriched experience while at the shelter. We received the requested funds and were one of 50 shelters in

the nation to get this hands-on, beneficial training.

To be a well-operated no-kill facility, you must have two essential components: • Adoption marketing protocols that encourage adopters to look at the animals at the shelter • A shelter experience for the dogs and cats that is both healthy and happy.

Historically, animal shelters have existed for the fundamental purposes of saving stray, abandoned, or neglected animals from living in starvation or harsh weather (or both).

The problem was that shelters were built to keep animals for only a short time and, after five days, to euthanize them.

In addition, social isolation always

has been considered the safest way to control infectious disease and maintain animal safety. The question now is whether it is a truly beneficial and humane practice to keep animals in cages or kennels for longer than five days.

PAS wanted to provide a better life for our animals, a life at the shelter that would allow them to become better animals than when they came in. Aimee Sandler’s training provided our staff and volunteers with the tools they needed to make

H Unsung Hero

Volunteer Ken Haag

Ken can be found in the backyard three or more days a week working to improve the lives of all the dogs at the shelter. He only asks for the opportunity to play with the dogs and help them live a better life. Ken, you are a true hero indeed.

the dogs as aggressive and were scheduled for euthanasia. By taking them in and incorporating them into playgroups, they have both excelled and now are no longer aggressive. this transition.

Our dogs are now in playgroups ranging from 2 to 10 dogs. The staff managing the groups minimally interacts with the dogs so that this playtime is all about the dogs playing with each other. Fearful dogs are placed in our gentle and dainty group (primarily composed of pit bulls!) where they learn that not all dogs will try to hurt them.

Our anti-social dogs (the ones who hide in the corner) are placed together so they can slowly build trust and curiosity and bloom into social dogs.

Thirty minutes in a playgroup provides the same physical stimulation as a two- hour walk but has the added benefit of mental stimulation. Because dogs are social animals, the playgroups allow them to enjoy the process of thinking and evaluating their situation. After playgroups, our dogs are exhausted, happy, and fulfilled. They display kinder demeanors with potential adopters. In turn, our dogs find homes faster. By observing the dogs in playgroups, our staff is better able to evaluate behavior characteristics and match an adopter with the right dog. This has resulted in our adoption return rate dropping from 14% to 7.5%. (The national average is 10%.)

We have rescued two dogs from a kill shelter that had marked

A dog named Spud was brought to us by a shelter in Montana.

He was a fearful dog and the Montana shelter believed he would be a shelter dog forever. At our shelter, Spud participated in daily playgroups and went through basic leash training. A few weeks later, the Montana shelter staff and volunteers came for a tour and were stunned at Spud’s transformation.

He was active in playgroup, sat at the door of his kennel waiting for his walk, and walked calmly and successfully on a leash. Spud’s success was greeted with smiles and a few tears. He literally was a different dog because he had been given the opportunity to shine.

Aimee returned to PAS this past September to conduct phase two of her training program. In addition, we have the funding to have her back in 2014 for phase three. The Playing for Life program has four phases of training. It is our goal to complete all four phases by the end of the summer of 2014. If we can accomplish this, PAS will become the fourth Playing for Life shelter in the United States.

S L

Success

Looking For Love

Pee Wee

Classifieds

Let Panhandle Animal Shelter help you ignite the love in your life. We have hundreds of singles just waiting for you.

During these cold winter months they are ready to be by your side to keep you warm.

Like many of our cats, Pee Wee arrived at the animal shelter as a stray. She was found in Bonner’s Ferry and because she was a stray, very little was known about her. We assumed she had been well fed (code for overweight) and had a home.

Based on this, we were hopeful her family would call or come to the shelter to reclaim her. Days, weeks, and months went by and no one came. On the bright side, however, as time went by with lots of attention and patience, Pee Wee became less skittish, more loving, and slimmed down to a healthy weight.

A little over a year after Pee Wee entered the shelter, a gentleman whose cat had just passed away came in searching for a new friend. He entered the cat room in which Pee Wee lived and sat down in a chair hoping “his” cat would approach him. Sure enough, Pee Wee walked up to him, nuzzled his leg, and jumped into his lap. As he was completing the forms, Pee Wee started purring and grooming her new friend.

This was a magical moment and a touching example of how an animal and a human can come together so perfectly to help each other. Pee Wee, like all the cats and dogs at PAS, is lucky to have your support that provides them with the time to find their special home.

Hitch

Juno

Unattached, light chocolate Lab mix, male, seeking energetic human type for long walks or runs, close companionship leading to lifelong bonding. Have been told my eyes melt hearts and my smile is one of a kind. Ask for Hitch.

White, male Husky mix looking for second chance. Mis-diagnosed as “dog aggressive,” rescued by PAS, now active playgroup member and loves fellow canines nearly as much as humans. Affectionate, active and great “hugger.” Ask for Juno.

Yogi

Kitty Kat

Single, mature, female black cat; independent but with a sensitive side that cares for her loved one.

Her sweet raspy meow soothes the soul. She’s seeking a warm lap and someone with serious petting skills and a nice home. Ask for Yogi, she’s expecting you.

Middle aged female feline desires any aged human with loving heart. Sweet disposition, black & white coat and dines only on moist food due to dental issues (three teeth), a frequent and liberal purrer. Ask for Kitty Kat, seriously.

P

Pet Peeves

Tips On How To Correct Bad Behavior Barking … it’s loud, head splitting, and a pain. But what does barking mean and why are they doing it? Here are a few different types of barking with corresponding solutions: 1. Alert Barking. Generally occurs in response to a new or sudden

Now You See Them… Now You Don’t!

Dogs and cats come into the shelter from all over the county and beyond. At times, we have been completely full and had to turn animals away. Plus,

stimulus such as knocks on the door or a new person. To stop this, block their visual or physical access and add white noise to the environment.

2. Demand Barking. Usually reinforced by attention … any attention. Keep your dog happily occupied with lots of toys, food and love.

3. Anxious Barking. This is the hardest to fix because it has no triggers and is most likely emotionally motivated. There is no easy way to work with this type of barking. However one tip is to reduce distant and immediate irritants. This may require avoiding

stimulating conditions entirely.

There is one thing we are sure of, though. It takes a high level of commitment to manage this process for a successful solution.

4. Aggressive or Fearful Barking. If a dog doesn’t like another dog or person or they perceive a threat, they will bark as a warning. To manage this barking, try to avoid triggers, block sightlines, add white noise, and be strategic about where and when you walk your dog.

For more information on behavior or concerns, please call our behavior team, Rebecca or Tanner at 208-2657297.

there have been times when our animals had to stay for a long time before finding good homes. Your continued support has provided the resources for us to be creative and enthusiastic about helping dogs and cats.

• During the past year, the animals at PAS have been spending less time waiting for their new homes. They are finding homes twice as fast as they used to! This means, we will get to help more animals than ever.

• For over three years, we housed approximately 21 dogs that were considered long-term dogs (at the shelter for over a year). In the last year, we have reduced that number to one dog and he actually is not up for adoption right now … he is in a training program.

We have accomplished these successes by being proactive with adoptions and using our playgroups to help correct behavior.

You may be asking, if the dogs and cats are being adopted twice as fast as before, are they staying in those adoptive homes. The answer is a resounding, “YES!” This time last year, 14% of all our adopted animals were being returned to the shelter. That rate now is 7.5%! Why? We know our animals better. Now, we are using advanced personality assessments to assist adopters in selecting the best match for their home and family.

T TNR

Helping Cats

Have you heard the term TNR before? TNR stands for Trap, Neuter and Return. It’s a method of humane population control for feral cats. It is practiced in many cities around the nation.

We are working with the City of Sandpoint and Ponderay to help solve our increasing cat population crisis by offering programs to help spay or neuter feral cats that have been livetrapped. Some shelters have noted a 25-50% decrease in the number of cats surrendered to their shelter when a successful TNR program is operating in their community. We believe we will see the same results in addition to reducing the feral cat population on the streets.

In just three years, one caring Sandpoint resident saw her colony of feral cats grow from just a few adults to nearly 20 cats, including kittens approaching breeding age. She decided to start a TNR program. She took action to first catch the breeding females in order to make a significant impact. She set traps and each caught cat would go to the vet that day to be altered. During the procedure the cat’s ear would be tipped to indicate it had been altered. After surgery the woman kept the cat overnight in a warm place in her home releasing it the next day in the place she caught it. It’s taken some time, but this resident has seen the stabilization of her colony and it is naturally diminishing. For controlling feral cats, TNR is the ticket.

Kids Helping Animals

The Panhandle Animal Shelter is utilizing a large social media audience to get dogs adopted faster than ever. After attending a presentation by the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, Mandy Evans, Executive Director of PAS, put together and was awarded a technology grant from the PEDIGREE Foundation that included the Chamber’s Communications Manager, Mack Deibel, a Youth Service Coordinator, Sera Johnson, and a special designed class with the Forrest Bird Charter School.

The class focused on learning the fundamentals of social media relative to marketing and business.

Using shelter animals as their subjects, 18 junior and senior high school participants spent their spring semester regularly visiting the shelter, where they were involved in a variety of experiential learning opportunities.

Using iPads to capture pictures and videos of the dogs, students created posts and updated the shelter’s Facebook site to help advertise and promote dog adoptions. Students

regularly recorded video diaries, documenting what they were learning. By the end of the semester, 26 dogs found their forever homes as a direct result of the students’ activities. Nearly all of the dogs were adopted within a few days of their profile being posted on Facebook.

The benefits of this program are really two-fold; the kids grasp social media and know how to use it better than we do, and the shelter really benefits from their talents and energy. In addition, by teaching these kids humane education, business, and marketing, we are providing them with important life skills. They see that their hard work actually makes a difference when the animals are adopted.

PEDIGREE Foundation’s help in making this unique social media program and partnership possible is a brilliant example of how creative thinking turns into powerful programs. The grant promotes the collaboration and sharing of new ideas and valuable resources. The benefit: finding forever homes for as many dogs as possible.

Connecting the Community with Cats

Eichardt’s Wins Top Dog

The majority of our feline friends spend their days in one of our six cat community rooms. The cats not only get to spend their days lounging on large, cozy beds snuggling with other cats, but also have obstacles to climb, toys to chase, and people … lots of people.

A big thanks to all the sponsors of our 2013 Yappy Hours. Eichardt’s won the trophy by generating the most donations, $1,200, at their event.

B Best of

Bonner County

Thank you for voting for the Thrift Store! Open 7 days a week, the Thrift Shop depends on donations from the public for its sales. By shopping at the store or donating much-needed items, you are helping care and feed the animals at the shelter.

The cat rooms are the most visited area of the shelter. People come in to play with the kitties, brush them, hold them, and just lounge around with them. It is a therapy zone for many. The positive environment helps the cats stay healthy and happy while they wait for their forever homes.

Come visit, hold a cat, and be happy!

Charitable Gift Annuity There are many ways you can support lost, abandoned and neglected dogs and cats, including cash donations, gifts of securities, bequests, gifts of bank accounts and certificates of deposit, gifts of retirement plan assets, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, gifts of real estate, retained life estates in gifted real estate, bargain sales, and gifts of life insurance.

Many of these options can provide you with income tax and other monetary benefits.

For example, a Charitable Gift Annuity can be arranged whereby the Panhandle Animal Shelter would purchase an annuity contract on your behalf using the assets you gift to us.

The insurance company would pay the monthly or quarterly annuity payments directly to you for the rest of your life.

Upon death, PAS would receive the remainder benefits under the annuity contract.

To learn more, please refer to our enclosed donation envelope or visit our website at www. pasidaho.org/legacy-gifts.

This Planned Giving Program is administered through the assistance and support of Panhandle State Bank/ Intermountain Community Bank/Magic Valley Bank, Trust & Wealth Management.

Memberships

Individual . . . $25 Family . . . $50 Business . . . $250 Sustaining . . . $1,000

Misson Statement To diminish the number of lost, abandoned, neglected and abused dogs and cats through adoption, litter prevention and identification of missing pets.

Interested in our training classes?

Call Rebecca or Tanner 208-265-7297

Contact and Connect Kennel Sponsorships $150

Check out our new website at www.pasidaho.org Connect with us on Facebook: facebook.com/pasidaho

Forever Tiles $200 - $300

Shopping for the Holidays?

Stop in the Thrift Shop this holiday season for lots of treasure and cross some items off of your shopping list!

The Panhandle Animal Shelter is a 501 (c)3 that funds itself solely through community contributions, grants and Thrift Shop revenues. We do not receive any city or country tax dollars. Please help us help the animals and donate with the enclosed envelope. No donation is too small and you can give in many ways. If you have any questions about choosing a contribution, please contact Mandy Evans, Executive Director, at 208-265-7297.

Return Service Requested

Panhandle Animal Shelter 870 Kootenai Cut-Off Rd Ponderay, ID 83852

SANDPOINT, IDAHO PERMIT NO. 275

PAID

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE