Santa needs a little help this year . . . .

Sunday, December 15, 2013

HAPPY "HOWLIDAYS" from the Shelter!!!  Actually, all the dogs and cats are quite happy that it has warmed up a bit today.  The dogs, especially, are hoping that it will be warm and dry enough tomorrow so they can get outside for a few hours!  Poor babies have been cooped up inside the shelter for more than a week now because of the ice and snow.

   If you're trying to find the perfect gift for the animal lover on your list, Good Shepherd has several suggestions at prices to fit almost any budget.
  
  1.   Have family or friends looking to adopt a new pet, but can't quite decide?  How about getting them a "Gift-a-Pet" certificate for Christmas?  Purchase a gift certificate for a pet between now and Christmas Eve, and you get 25% off the purchase price.  The certificates are good for one year, and your pet-loving family or friends will be able to browse and choose the perfect new addition to their own family! 

  2.   Interested in making a gift donation in honor of a friend or family member who's a bona fide pet lover?  We have lovely certificates that will acknowledge your generous gift that you can place in a card under the tree or in a stocking.  It's a winning idea for you, for the recipient animal fan, and for the dogs and cats of the Good Shepherd Humane Society.

  3.  Purchase a gift certificate for the Doggie Thrift stores.  Again, you get the certificate for your friend or family member, they get the fun of shopping and finding great bargains, and your gift benefits the dogs and cats at the shelter .  What better way to say "Merry Christmas?" 

  4.  Visit either of our Doggie Thrift Stores.  Tracellen, our wonderful store manager, has new items coming in every day.  You can find lots of neat gift items, vintage and kitsch and everything in between.  Your purchases at either store help support the animals at the shelter--and you'll be known as the savvy, environmentally aware gifter!!!

  Don't forget--you can also give a gift of a spay/neuter to a friend who has a pet that needs altering.  We can assist you with prices, so if you'd like more information, give the shelter a call. 

  Even with the crazy bad weather, we have had a couple of adoptions this month, but things are usually slow around the holidays.  If you know of someone who plans to "buy" a puppy or kitten for someone for Christmas, please--respectfully--ask them to consider visiting their local shelter and saving a homeless dog or cat rather than supporting a puppy mill.  We have lots of loving pets here at the shelter who are hoping that  Santa brings them a forever family this Christmas.  Maybe you can help? 

   Happy December everyone!!  We here at the shelter are finding it hard to believe that another year is almost over.  Our "Back in Black" event ended this weekend, and what a weekend we had!  We had lots of visitors to the shelter, which was so good to see, and more importantly, several of our dogs and cats have found new forever homes. 
  I am overcome with joy because one of the lucky dogs this weekend was our special Patches!  For those of you who don't know, Patches came to Good Shepherd May 25, 2012 (yes, more than a year ago).  He was about 6 months old when he came here, and he's fully grown now.  A year ago, at Christmastime, we noticed that he started "bunny-hopping" when he ran.  Our vet checked him out, and we took Patches to get some x-rays.  Turned out he has congenital hip dysplasia--bilaterally--although one hip was significantly worse.  After some holiday fundraising last year, we were able to get surgery for Patches so he could get around easier.  After a few weeks recuperating, you'd never know he'd had anything done.  Patches has always just been a lovable, goofy big baby, but like a lot of big dogs, he waited and waited.
  That waiting ended today.  A family in Eureka visiting for the holidays had seen the poster downtown and had spoken to Bobbie Bates--who has manned her downtown station for many, many years.  They were specifically drawn to look at dogs who had been at the shelter for a long time or who needed extra care.  They checked out a couple other of our special-needs dogs, but when Patches came out of his kennel, it was love at first sight for all of them. The woman (Carey)  sat down and Patches laid down in her lap!  It was as if meant to be.  I asked the family for permission to post a photo, and here it is:

Mike Ripoll and Dave Ashcraft, the dog techs on duty today, are also in the picture with the Hoover family.  And of course, Patches, front and center, and delighted to be there. 
  As an aside, to help you understand just how happy Patches is, this is a dog who, except for his surgery, has not been outside of the shelter grounds since May of 2012.  We are all so delighted and happy for Patches.  He got his Christmas wish early this year! 
  Along with Patches going home this weekend, we had a pair of girls who also found a wonderful new home.  Shadow and Shelby, six-year-old litter mates, got adopted to the same family.  The girls were both terribly shy and bashful with most people, but even the shy Shelby found comfort with her new family.  As big dogs, a little older, and with special needs (Shadow has seizures and Shelby hates to be separated from Shadow) we were challenged trying to find an adoptive home for them--until today.  The dogs were so eager and ready to go to a loving home, and the adopters had the understanding and knowledge to work with these wonderful dogs.  We wish all our adopters and our dogs and cats the best of everything.  My holiday wish is that the rest of the month of December is like this weekend--where good people come to adopt our dogs and cats into loving, caring forever homes.  Enjoy the holidays!!!!

The Style Show and other ruminations

Well, it has been an extremely hectic couple of weeks here at Good Shepherd!  For regular readers and members, of course, this past Tuesday, November 19, was our annual Doggie Style Show!  What a riot!  I have heard nothing but cheers from staff and volunteers that everyone who attended has a blast.  The Christmas boutique, the clothing boutique and the silent auction were jam-packed all night, and we ran out of food!  This event is the biggest single fundraiser that Good Shepherd has all year, and it was so nice to see so many of our supporters and friends out enjoying themselves.
We took a few pictures along the way.

 

 

The picture above is one of our most enthusiastic and hard-working shelter volunteers, Nan Johnson.  Nan manned the "Love Shack", offering pooch smooches to all!  Who says you can't buy love?  Pictured with Nan is a beautiful little girl named Rose, who is being adopted out-of-state.

 

Next, meet Trouble--as in "anything but".  We love this girl!!  She's about ten years old, but you'd never know it from her spunk and sassy personality.  This girl was made for the stage.  She's been strutting her stuff this fall at parades and on the catwalk.  Maybe we should arrange for a Hollywood agent--this girl is a STAR!!!

 

 

 

And this last photo--oh my!!  On the far left is Adrienne Gremillion (apologies for misspellings) who did a fabulous job as a last-minute replacement for the fashion show chairwoman.  Front and center is Rachel Brix, owner of Percy's Dog Spa in Eureka Springs and a shelter volunteer.  Rachel offers dog training classes to the public, and has also been teaching classes for the shelter staff.  Standing in the middle is Mike Ripoll, one of the shelter's dog tech staff, and he's holding the leash of Kilo, another shelter dog.  Finally, on the far right, is another outstanding Good Shepherd volunteer, Mel Jensen.  Mel was the security chair for the Style Show, and he did a fantastic job along with his crew,  Thanks so much to all of you.  We could not be successful without lots of good people helping us.

 

 

 

   While I love talking about happy stories at the shelter, sometimes we deal with sad events too.  The next pictures are of a dog we're calling "Zippy". 

 

Here's why we are calling him Zippy.  He was found last night zip-tied to a fence, only able to move his head a couple of inches, not even able to sit down, out in the country in the middle of nowhere.  Fortunately, some compassionate people heard his whimpers and went looking for the noise and found him.  The people who brought him to us were tourists from Kansas City, but they took in this strange dog at their place overnight, went to all the neighbors to see if anyone recognized him, and called us when all else failed.

 

  Make no mistake, folks.  This dog would have died of exposure last night if some kind people hadn't found him.  Some HUMAN took the trouble to put a plastic zip tie around this dog and leave him tied, defenseless, without food, water, or shelter.  The dog didn't do this to himself.  Please, tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your kids--there are better ways to deal with a pet you don't want to keep any longer.  Call someone, call us--we can help.  

 



  These are the stories that make me sad and make me angry.  But the bright spot is that Zippy is safe and waiting to be found.  Maybe his owners are looking for him and will see our posting.  If not, we'll find him a great home after his waiting period.

 

  Don't forget--through December 1 Back in Black continues, with adoption specials.  Thanksgiving weekend we're going to have some "door-buster" specials, so if you get tired of the bustle of the stores, come out to the shelter and visit us. Have a cup  of cocoa or some cookies, pick up some "gift-a-pet" certificates for the animal lovers you know, and spend some time soaking up all the love our adoptable pets have to give.  It truly is Thanksgiving.

 

Janice

Back in Black continues!

  Happy Sunday!  We are starting our second week of the "Back in Black" promotion for adopting black or mostly black dogs and cats.  We have had a couple adopted already as a result of the campaign, and we have more advertising soon for the pets.  The ads will  help showcase our wonderful black dogs and cats and let people know what great pets are available for adoption here at the shelter.
  Saturday was a pretty awesome day here at the shelter.  We adopted three cats and three dogs, plus another puppy that is going home today.  Jacqui Froelich from KUAF radio was here to do a report on the shelter and the "Back in Black" campaign, and it was really great to give her a tour and show off some of our dogs and cats.  I'll let everyone know when the piece will air on the radio.

  Speaking of Back in Black, let me introduce you to Zoe. 

She is a beautiful tuxedo cat.  She came to Good Shepherd in April of 2012 as a stray found at Lake Leatherwood.  Zoe is an "old-timer" here at the shelter.  She loves people and gets along great with her friends in the Lighthouse, but she would really love to have a forever "home for the holiday"!  Do you have space for a mature, sensitive, and independent spirit in your home this year?  Zoe might be the perfect match for you!!

  Now I'd like to introduce you to Sasha.  Do you need a loving kitty who's also a great mouser?  Then you should meet Sasha. 

Like Zoe, Sasha is a mature cat who knows how to be independent, but still loves a good rubbing or snuggling.  She's got that attention to detail that makes for a good mouser--or a good entertainer (have YOU ever watched a cat try to catch a fly!  It's hysterical.)  Why don't you stop by and visit Sasha in the Lighthouse.  You'll be glad you did.

  Lastly, I'd like you to meet Kitana.  What a beautiful kitty! 

Kitana is a black tortie, so she has black and orange and kind of a creamy yellow color.  She is an incredibly affectionate cat, too.  She came to the shelter in May of 2012 when her owner moved and abandoned her.  Poor thing!  Kitana is no bother to anyone.  She gets along great with other cats, and she loves people--kids and adults, just like Zoe and Sasha.  All three are in our Lighthouse (the cat colony room).  She's a smaller sized kitty, too, but she has loads of personality.  She's waiting to say hello!

  Don't forget, tomorrow is Veteran's Day.  Good Shepherd staff and volunteers will be walking dogs in the Veteran's Day parade tomorrow.  The parade is downtown and starts at 10 am.  In fact, the father of one of the families who adopted a puppy from us yesterday is part of the Honor Guard carrying the American flag tomorrow for the American Legion.  He's a hero to our country as well as a hero to our dogs!  Give a cheer tomorrow, and say thanks for all our veterans do for us.  

I hope that everyone  had a fun and safe Halloween!!   Today, November 1, launches our month-long promotion--Back in Black--and of course, our annual Doggie Style Show set for November 19.

  Most of you may not know that black dogs and cats spend a much longer time in shelters across the country and have much lower adoption rates.  Why?  We just know that black animals are the most overlooked in shelters.   Did you know that, everyday, more than 9000 dogs and cats are KILLED in shelters in this country?  Part of the work of the Best Friends No More Homeless Pets Network is to raise awareness of the needs of homeless animals, and to prevent needless suffering and death by working toward a "no-kill" America.  Good Shepherd is proud to be a part of this network, and we work everyday to educate the public and provide care for the animals in our shelter and our communities.
 As part of our "Back in Black" promotion, our black and mostly black dogs and cats can be adopted for half-price through the month.  We'll also be having special events at different times throughout the month, so check back often. 

  We  now have our own YouTube channel.  The address is

http://www.YouTube.com/user/GOODSHEPHERDHUMANE

It may take us a little while to get videos uploaded, but this will be another wonderful way to showcase some of the sweet dogs and cats available at Good Shepherd for adoption.  Hope you all will visit.  I'm working on new video and photos today.

  Don't forget to get your tickets to the 33rd Annual Doggie Style Show! 

    Greetings!!  It's Sunday evening, and it's been an interesting weekend here at the shelter. 
    This weekend in Eureka Springs was the 66th Annual Ozarks Folk Festival, so there were lots of people in town.  Saturday was also "National Pit Bull Awareness" day.  Tanya Seabaugh, one of our board members, organized a booth downtown at Basin Spring Park, and with the help of some wonderful Good Shepherd members (Trella, Marie, Nan & Dave, and others), organized a group to walk shelter dogs in the Folk Festival Parade.  According to my sources, a fabulous time was had by all--including our dogs Bali, Paco, Trouble, Amber, Peaches, and Sandy.  For some of our dogs, this was a first for them.  Little Bali has been here at the shelter since she was 3 months old and had never been away from here in the year she's been with us.  Trella  and Marie both said she did terrific in the parade--her only problem was a wee bit of carsickness coming back to the shelter.  I am so thankful to all the folks who made the event on Saturday a success!  Tanya gave away lots of literature and information, and we collected donations for a raffle basket of dog goodies, so we even made a little money for the dogs.  If you're reading this and feeling really sad for missing all the fun, don't despair!  The Eureka Springs and Berryville Christmas parades are fast approaching, and we'll be looking for people who want to join us for all the fun!!!
  Another don't miss event is fast upon us--the 33rd Annual Doggie Style Show!  It's returning to the Inn of the Ozarks Convention Center this year, and it's going to be bigger and better than ever!  Lots of fun things to see and do, lots of good shopping.  Get a head start (and save some dough) on your Christmas list and benefit the dogs and cats of Good Shepherd Humane Society.  Tickets are $12.00 in advance--$15.00 the day of the event, and tickets are available at either thrift store, the shelter, or on-line.  Don't miss out on the fun this year!! We're counting on you!!!!!

Update on the new "teenage" feline house

    Good morning!  As some of you know, the shelter is always overflowing with cats and dogs.  This past year has been especially difficult for cats.  Since we didn't have any extra space in our main building itself, and at this time remodeling is not possible, we came up with an alternative.  We did have space on the grounds for a portable building, and we received some terrific donations to pay for renovating the structure for a cat colony house.
    After a somewhat slow start, I have finally gotten electricians and a handyman here to help us with the final product.  In the last two weeks, the building has been electrified, the insulation, drywall, and painting are done, and the new doors and flooring ordered.  Paul Kelly, (husband of GSHS's own Tracellen Kelly, our thrift store manager extraordinaire!) has done a beautiful job finishing out the inside of the building. He also designed and built in ramps and shelving so that cats can climb, runaround and play.  I know my own cats would love to have a shelf running around my house!  We all agree the cats are going to love it.
    There's still some work to be done, but I am optimistic that we will have our "teens" settled in the new house before the Doggie Style Show on November 19th.  Having this new facility will not increase the number of cats we can house, but it will provide a better living environment for cats than the kennels, and it will also allow us to finally keep our intake isolation and sick quarantine rooms separate.  Our goal is to be able to improve the health and care of our cats.
  Once the unit is ready for occupancy, I plan to host an Open House and let folks come see this shiny new space.  I think everyone will be quite pleased.  This project would not be possible without the support of many, many people, including our wonderful Board of Directors, our financial supporters, and Good Shepherd members.  Thanks to everyone!
 
    Speaking of cats, I'd like to introduce you to two of our resident cats. 

First, meet Holly.  Holly is a beautiful girl, but she is quite an independent lady!  She is definitely the queen of cats, and she would prefer to be in a home where she could adored (translated--she doesn't  play well with other kitties.)  Holly loves people, especially kids, She was a hit with the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders from Clear Springs School when the kids came to the shelter to volunteer.  Holly would love to find her forever family.  She's been with us here since January 1, 2011.

This next girl is Samantha.  Sam came to the shelter on July 12, an owner surrender.  She is a senior at 14 years old, and she had a bad case of fleas and flea related issues.  However, with a little treatment and TLC, she has done fabulous!  Other than the fleas, she was in excellent health.  As you can see, she loves to be petted, or scratched under the chin.  She's a little timid when you first approach her, but that's because she is shy!  Samantha would be an excellent companion for someone who wants company.  She is not hyperactive--she likes sleeping in her little padded bed, enjoying some sunshine, and getting a rub once in a while.  Samantha would be a great "senior for a senior" if you know anyone looking for an awesome companion.  

  We have lots more wonderful dogs and cats here at Good Shepherd. If you're looking to add a new member to your family, please call or come visit us.  We're open every day from noon until 5 pm except for Wednesdays!  We'd love to show you around.

Hello and welcome to our week at the Good Shepherd Humane Society!

  It's Friday evening and almost time to close for the day.  This is a new venture for me, as I am launching the first set of stories from our animal shelter here in beautiful Eureka Springs, Arkansas. I hope to post a story every week to tell people about all the fun, adventurous, and challenging events taking place in our extraordinarily ordinary animal shelter. 
  It's almost a full moon, and almost Halloween, and the dogs and cats all seem to know it!  We have some adorable live wires in our care.  This afternoon, two of our girls decided to go on a "holiday" for about an hour.  Corina and Caroline are pointer/basset hound mixes.  Both are white with black spots, and they both weigh about 70 pounds.  They have great personalities, and they are usually quite well-behaved, but today, they decided to remove the door from their kennel cage--literally.  They somehow managed to pull the door off the hinges.  They then went roaming about for about an hour, but then they finally decided they were hungry and came trotting back out of the woods!  After drooling all over the staff, the girls went straight to their kennels and munched on dinner.
  While escapes are not a normal event for our shelter,they can happen.  It is always scary, because the dogs--or cats--can get hurt or lost.  Most times a dog escapes by pushing through an outdoor kennel fence or crawling over.  One of our active goals here at the shelter is to raise funds for new outside kennels and to upgrade the kennels in the back of the shelter.  I also have a dream of building a longer dog run, so that the big dogs can get more exercise.
  Check back with us on a regular basis and keep up with all the happenings at Good Shepherd Humane Society.