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.