FALL 2021
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Erica Durtschi
A MAGAZINE FOR BEND’S BEST FRIENDS
My Dog is My
Child Syndrome Six ways to know if you’ve been infected By K.M. Collins
Note: I write this article in jest. I don’t currently have a pet because my landlord won’t allow it… but I surprised myself on a recent river multi-day when I couldn’t help adopting two river dogs and actually was joyful when they were wet and dirty parading around my raft in circles for most of the trip. Animals make us happy. That’s the bottom line.
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empur-Pedic, hypoallergenic pet beds—multiples of them, littered throughout every room of your house. Designer Gucci puppy-sized river floaties with silver-plated water dishes and gluten-free, grain-free, organic milk bones. Groomer/doggy salon bills that top that of your own annual personal hygiene budget. If you are struggling with any of the following, you may be infected with the MY DOG IS A HUMAN CHILD SYNDROME, and you may want to seek medical treatment immediately. Currently there is no cure, but there are trial drugs available. Evidence is quickly mounting that this syndrome also exists within the feline community. Other symptoms include:
Sh*t doesn’t stink Do you carefully follow your pet around waiting for them to defecate, then delicately place your canine’s solid-waste products in plastic bags and tie them shut, only to leave them trail side as decorations? Reports are flooding emergency lines that plastic ornamental poop bags are being sighted all over Bend.
Kissing on the mouth Be honest: Do you make out with your dog? Do you allow wet kisses? Do you swap saliva? Is there an exchange of bodily fluids? If so, remember that in addition to the six-figure grooming bill, dogs groom themselves… with their mouths. Itchy anal glands, reproductive parts, open wounds, four paws which come in direct contact with the pavement of public walkways and sometimes flooring in vendor shops. These are all being inspected and cleaned by your pet on a rotating basis, daily. Note: Scientists think this may be a transmission path for the syndrome however studies aren’t yet conclusive.
Temperature control We know to the infected, tricking out your vehicle as a $40,000 fancy dog house with temperature control on a four-wheel-drive frame isn’t weird. Leaving your dog in a running car with heat or AC on full blast as an alternative to them experiencing the loneliness of being left at home may not seem excessive. After all, they have separation anxiety, depression and many other serious mental health issues… and you’re trying all possible solutions before big pharma.
Pet names and shared custody Are you so attached to your pet that you call them dog-ter (dog + daughter)? Do your parents call your pup grand dog-ter (grand + dog +
daughter)? When you and your partner split up, did you arrange for a legal custodial agreement to be drawn up, outlining which days of the week each would care for the child animal and who was responsible for the HSA (Health care Savings Account) management? When you meet a new special someone at the dog park and they and their dog begin to integrate with you and your dog, do you call it a blended family?
Reddit Trolling This is the Hail Mary Pass indicator. If you have said “yes” to all the qualifiers above but this final qualifier doesn’t apply, you may be in the clear. Do you troll on versus off leash dog threads on Reddit and engage in rants stating absolutes about your pets’ behaviors and entitlements, on and off lead? If your Reddit comments have the tone of the following, you might want to quarantine or head to the closest hospital for testing: 88Anchless88: “My dogs are the most wellcared for, loved beings on this planet. We care for them more than most people care for their little crotch goblins… If you don’t like it… call the police.” …and that, friends, is just a quick rundown of some of the more extreme symptoms of this growing, late-stage-capitalism disorder. Fall 2021 | 1
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DOCTORS BYRON MAAS, LAUREN STAYER, ERIN MILLER, TABITHA JOHNSTON, LAUREN HOFFMAN AND LAURA ACEVEDO
An Uptick in
Returned Pets? Not so much, says local shelter representative
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the number of pets being brought to shelters and ultimately adopted was down significantly from 2019 to 2020, according to the national database Shelter Animals Count. In 2019, 3.5 million pets were taken in at shelters. In 2020, that number was 2.7 million. “People are home, so then in general it feels like the number of strays is down because kids were home,” Ouchida said. “They weren’t having kids’ friends over, so gates weren’t being left open; front doors weren’t being left open.” What the kids in the family are doing definitely has an impact on the number of animals brought to shelters, she said. “The number of strays increases dramatically during [school] break periods—so children have a definite impact on the stray numbers for a year.” Among the reasons for returning pets, lifestyle changes are the most common: Changing houses, moving to a place that doesn’t allow pets and having a baby are some of the top reasons for returns, Ouchida said. To mitigate some of that, HSCO and other shelters have Ma
ou may have heard recent news stories go something like this: The people who adopted all those “pandemic puppies” during the quiet days of work-fromhome are now having a change of heart and bringing them back in droves. Not so much, says the local Humane Society. Pets adopted at shelters both locally and nationally do get returned for various reasons— but at the Humane Society of Central Oregon, the numbers show that returns are actually down from the year before, said Lynne Ouchida, community outreach manager for HSCO. HSCO adopted out 1,984 pets in 2109, with a return rate of 8.4%. In 2020, it adopted out 1,237 pets, with a rate of return of 9.2%. For the months that have passed thus far in 2021, HSCO has adopted out 692 pets, with a return rate of 7.6%. Locally, then, the rate of return is down. Ouchida said the narrative around widespread returns of pandemic pets came from a story shared nationwide from just two shelters, picked up by a single news outlet and then picked up again by other news outlets. “It boiled down to two shelters that were picked up by one news [outlet],” Ouchida said. Overall,
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By Nicole Vulcan
Bend Spay and Neuter Clinic Closes, for Now
Staffing shortages are affecting the operating hours and emergency services for vet clinics across Central Oregon—and now, they’re also causing the Humane Society of Central Oregon’s Bend Spay and Neuter Clinic to close its doors. The clinic, which offered low-cost sterilization services for countless pets in the region, had its last day of service Sept. 10. The closure comes after the resignation of the clinic’s medical director. Finding qualified vets is one issue—along with finding the vet techs who support them. “While this is an extremely difficult decision, we have to be realistic of our ability to hire talented veterinary staff in such a competitive market,” said HSCO’s Executive Director, Sabrina Slusser. “We know that there is a shortage of veterinarians and certified veterinary technicians, both locally and nationally, and it will take time to attract and hire the right people for these positions.” To help manage the costs, HSCO will increase the number of Spay Neuter Assistance Program vouchers for those in need. People can get a SNAP voucher by going to the HSCO shelter on 27th Street in Bend and showing proof of receiving government assistance.
prospective adoptive families fill out a questionnaire that gets people thinking about the practical aspects of having a pet, such as thinking about who will feed, walk and care for the pet. And then there’s the concept of matching the right pet with the right people. “I think because we’re so internet-based and looking online for an animal—that’s a great way to see what’s available,” Ouchida said. “But I always tell people that we’re not Amazon. We really want people to take the time to come to the shelter. Spend time with the animal.” And while the story of pandemic puppies now being returned as people go back to the office may not be true everywhere, one thing about pandemic puppies has been more common. “We’re receiving dogs a year-and-a-half and under that are not socialized,” Ouchida said. “So maybe they adopted during the pandemic, but then they didn’t take them out of town, to the Old Mill, or out to events. So a lot of these—what we’re calling the pandemic puppies—they have behaviors where they’re under-socialized.” Pandemic puppies might be more fearful of strangers, scared of new noises and places, or even fearful of walking through doors. “It’s pretty easy to recognize them based on their age and then their behavior. Volunteers and our staff here have really invested a lot of time in training and socializing these dogs. Some of them have taken over a month to get to be in a confident adoptable state,” she said. “When they do leave, we’ve learned a lot about them and we pass on that information,” Ouchida said. “So far, fingers crossed all of the adoptions that we thought, ‘Oh gosh, they had a really rough start,’ they were socialized. Our team did a great job and they’re not coming back.” Fall 2021 | 3
The Sheriff’s
Ranch
J ack H a r ve
Lost and neglected animals get a second chance
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By Jack Harvel
D
ogs are man’s best friend, and its oldest friend. At the close of the last ice age dogs were the only animals following us out of the caves (figuratively speaking), and into civilizations. Since those civilizations formed, first in Mesopotamia then spreading across the world, man has added more and more “friends” through the domestication of wild animals. But what happens when these domesticated animals are treated less than friendly in Deschutes County? Well, they go to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s livestock ranch, just south of Knott Landfill. The animals you find at the ranch are there for a number of reasons. January the horse joined the ranch in February 2018 after a neglect case. Jesse, a black goat, was confiscated along with a handful of sheep. Gertrude the pig was lost in La Pine a couple months ago and never reclaimed. “She just wandered onto someone’s property,” said Mariya Leufven, field technician at the
ranch. “So, what we’re going to do is, we’re going to give it maybe a couple more weeks, and then we’ll do a profile on her and see if we can find her a good home.” Other animals come to the farm at the request of their owners, like when a rooster is hatched rather than a chick or when someone can’t take care of their duck. “We had one that was not unwanted, but he was harassing everyone else in the flock. So, we agreed to take him. And then there was this other case where the gentleman just had one duck and he didn’t know what to do and they need to be in a flock,” Leufven said. Most animals do come from neglect cases, and that remains the ranch’s primary function. “We had a big case, we had about 83 horses that were seized in a neglect case. Within three days, we went from having 11 horses here to over 90,” Leufven said. “Obviously a lot of resources were used for the care and the feed and of course the time for employees to be here. So, we do prefer to
keep as much space and paddocks available when we do have those cases come in.” Animals are put up for adoption once they have been brought to good health if they’ve been neglected, or after a waiting period if the animal was lost. Some animals have a more difficult time getting adopted due to their desirability or special needs. Jesse the goat has been on the farm since January 2019 but hasn’t been picked up yet. “Jesse, unfortunately because he’s an intact male goat, it’s hard to find a home for a buck. Not everyone wants a buck; they want wethers which are like the castrated version of a buck,” Leufven said. Similarly, January the horse has special dietary needs, preventing her from eating green grass and necessitating a dirt paddock during a lot of the spring and summer. “January, unfortunately, just has some quirks to work through, so for the time being she’s just relaxing here,” Leufven said. “It’s kind of hard to find a home where she cannot be on pasture whatsoever. Otherwise, she will get more sick and so a dry lot is the best option for her.” The adoption process for these animals is totally free, but applicants must prove they have the ability and resources to take care of the animals. “When an animal is ready for adoption, we will put up a profile. We’ll do a Facebook post. And then we also have a page on our website that lists the photos and description of the animal,” Leufven said. “A person who’s interested in adopting can download a PDF application, fill it out and submit it to us.” The person must pass a criminal background check, a property check, references, vet checks and more before they can take the animal home. “We look case by case or applicant by applicant to see if it works for that specific animal,” Leufven said.
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Central Oregonians and the Chickens
Who Love Them Backyard chickens get some funny names. Some locals shared what they named theirs. By Nicole Vulcan
Submitted
W
hether it’s a riff off of an old-fashioned name or a themed flock named after high-end fashion brands, people tend to get funky and creative when naming their flocks of hens. In honor of the latest Central Oregon Pets issue, members of the Central Oregon Chicken Keeping group (via Facebook) share their zany tales of why they named their ladies what they did.
“We raised layers and meat chickens to sell for friends and family. #GreenFarmerHomestead,” said Kirsten Green Farmer.
“This is Tiny. She’s 11 years old! She was the smallest of 4, but the biggest personality,” said Hxther Lee.
“The reds are Betty White and Bea Arthur, because my husband thought it was funny to name them after the Golden Girls,” said chicken keeper Crystal Bennight. “The black and whites are Oreo and Checkers. The browns are Lechuga ‘(‘cause she loves lettuce, as again, husband thought it was funny), and Flora because she’s so pretty, and I really like the idea of a chicken being named Flora.”
“These are my “stalkers,” hanging out behind me while I BBQ,” shared Jessie Leigh Clark-Schermer. “Hawkeye is the Ameraucana and Sylvia is the Silver-laced Wyandotte. (And Aspen is the Catahoula dog hiding under the chair because the chickens scare her).”
“My girl is petting Dot. Dot was the tiniest little chick and it just suited her so well. The others are, Lacy, Blue, and Stevie Chicks,” said chicken mom Emily Mattison.
A family member of Susan Sapp holds Tiny, the red hen.
No name provided, but the photo from Jon Dude (tied for our Best Bartender category in the Best of Central Oregon) comes with the caption, “Wife with the girls I can’t chop.”
“Me and Chili Peppa! Named after a favorite menu item...Would never put her on the menu though!” said Amanda Vidinha, whose family owns Aina, voted Best Food Cart in our 2021 Best of Central Oregon poll.
“My Buff Orpingtons don’t wanna be handled, but they are Schmullus, Derek Hoffstetler and Steve,” said Janis Jrabbit Abel. “Names are from Star Trek, The Good Place, and the mind of a teenager.”
Spring 2021 | 5
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The Companion Animal
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By Damian Fagan
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Local nonprofit provides support for the unhoused and their pets
P CAM y es
Medical Project
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magine life where the ability or resources to care for your pet present a real challenge, in terms of access, financial difficulties or access to care. Would you give up your furry best friend or would you seek to find ways to remain together? Now, mix those challenges with being homeless. “CAMP is committed to improving the quality of life for individuals with pets in our community experiencing financial or housing hardships,” said Johannah Johnson-Weinberg, founder and president of Companion Animal Medical Project, or CAMP for short. “We are a group of animal welfare advocates, with professional expertise within the fields of veterinary medicine, social assistance and health care, animal welfare and organizational leadership.” Several years ago, Johnson-Weinberg wanted to bring some type of philanthropic work into her life. “I had an idea that I wanted to provide veterinary assistance to individuals who were struggling financially or were having to surrender their pet because of a medical
concern.” She saw this issue arise in her work with the Humane Society and Bend Spay and Neuter Project, so advocating for pet retention became a focus. The idea didn’t originally target the unhoused population, but after holding its first clinic as a pop-up at the Bend Methodist Church in February 2020 and seeing over 40 pets and 30 people, they saw the need to help this community. “I thought, wow, we actually need to do this,” added Johnson-Weinberg. In August, the group applied for its 501(c)3 status and became an official nonprofit in December. Together with Dr. Patti Mayfield, DMV, co-founder and medical director, the two set out to advocate for helping anyone, regardless of their social or economic status, to help maintain their human-animal bond, especially in light of challenging circumstances. “If we can take a little bit of the burden off of someone in terms of vet care, then maybe they can help themselves,” added Johnson-Weinberg. “I help out wherever I can, at the monthly clinics where we go out to the different camps and administer
vaccinations or hand out food or spreading the word to different businesses about CAMP’s mission,” said Gwen Gist, one of the newest CAMP board members. In college, Gist wanted to study veterinary medicine but changed her focus to human medicine instead; today she is the director of labs for St. Charles. What got her involved with CAMP was a visit with her son to one encampment in the area. “It really affected me and I knew this was where I wanted to put my effort, into something that would feed my soul,” said Gist Studies have documented the importance of pet ownership amongst those without formal shelter. A study of homeless youth in Los Angeles published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development documented roughly 25% of the participants cared for pets and that the animals “kept them company and made them feel loved.” Even in the difficulty of finding housing or shelter assistance because of their pets, these individuals valued the human-animal bond above all else. Operating 100% as a volunteer organization, CAMP depends upon donations to provide medical and food resources to its furry (and sometimes feathered!) clients. CAMP received one grant from Deschutes County to help with spay and neuter costs, but local businesses such as Mud Bay, Bend Pet Express, Ruffwear and others have stepped up. Spider City Brewing created a special beer, Pilsner Enigma, for CAMP and will be hosting a Pint Night, Sept. 16, where 100% of the sale of this beer goes to CAMP. The issue of houseless individuals and their pets is much greater than just what is seen on the surface. “They all have a story,” added Gist. After one clinic, an unhoused woman came up to Gist and said, “Thank you for treating us like humans.”
CAMP Pint Night at Spider City Brewing Thu., Sept. 16. 3-8pm 1177 Southeast Ninth St., Bend campclinics.org
Fall 2021 | 7
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