Another letter from Rango

It's been a while since I have written a post here. I have lots of excuses, but they are just excuses and not worth bringing up. I have written a hundred posts in my head but have not sat down and done one until now. This will be short, but sweet and a nice follow up to my last post.

Rango Learning to Drive!

In my last post I talked about a letter I received from a dog named Rango. Well it seems my four legged buddy has been writing some more, and has learned a few other things. His Dad Keith delivered the letter this morning along with a gift from Rango. The following is Rango's letter to me, accompanied by some pics from his latest adventure. Enjoy!

Rango Getting Some Beer for Chris

"Dear Chris
       I wanted to thank you again for helping me find mu forever home. I like to sit on my new deck and watch the bunnies! I wish the bunnies would play with me but they just run away :( .

But I have been learning to drive! I drove to the liquor store and bought you some Bud Light ( whatever that is ) because Keith and Tanya (Dad and Mom) said you like that. I hope you enjoy it!
Love
Rango"


Thanks Rango. Once again you have made my day. I promise I will enjoy the Bud Light (after work of course). So glad you found your forever home buddy. I do think you should leave the driving to Mom and Dad.

A Letter From Rango

Last Friday, I worked with a very nice couple on a dog adoption. It wasn't that different from a lot of the adoptions we do. The husband had picked out a dog he was interested in, and put him on hold the day before. On Friday afternoon, he came back with his wife, and their dog they adopted from us a few years ago. No big deal, right?

Well it turns out, the dog they were interested in, had a couple of behavior issues that I was
concerned about. We had a long talk about it, and after they spent a little time alone, they decided that that dog was not the best fit for their family. While they were here, and in the mood to adopt a new member of their pack, I asked if they would be interested in looking at another dog. Enter Rango.

Rango is  a 7 month old Mastiff X. He was a returned adoption. His family had to move and could not take him along. Sadly this happens to lots of dogs and cats who come to shelters. The good news is that Rango is a very well behaved and social dog. His family had done a great job training him and giving him love. I am sure they were heartbroken to have to give him up.
After spending a few minutes with Rango, they decided to try him out with their Lab Bodi. Bodi is around 6 years old, and a great dog himself. I am happy to say, that it was love at first sight. They played together for around 15 minutes and the deal was sealed. Rango had found his new family. The point of this whole story is that this morning, I got an email from Rango. I have copied it below for your enjoyment, as well as attached pictures of him in his new life.


Dear Chris, 

Thank you for placing me in my new home. I really like it here. Bodi is a good big brother and he's fun to climb on. There are lots of toys here and I play a lot.  I've already figured out the dog door and go outside to potty in the fenced yard then come back in to play.  My recall is pretty good and I've been walking off-leash on our 35 acres when it's safe.  I get to sleep on the bed with the pack leaders and that's really cool.  I've started getting cooked chicken, vegetables and applesauce in my puppy food and that's cool too!  Thank you!

-Rango

I have gotten a lot of emails, letters and cards over the years, but they are usually from the family, not the dog or cat. This really made my day. In a time when we are gearing up for Bark &Wine, and the sewer is backed up, it made me smile and appreciate how much I love the work I do, and the community I live in. Thank you Rango

Fireworks and Fido

 Tomorrow is Independence day, and we will be celebrating our country's 238th birthday. The day when our ancestors decided they no longer wanted to live  under the tyrannical rule of England. It is a great day in our history, and although our country isn't perfect, it is still the best place on Earth to be from. Tomorrow, most of us will be eating BBQ and hanging out with our family and friends. Many of you will go camping, or rafting, and most will wind up watching a fireworks display somewhere. That is great and I am grateful that we have the ability to do all of these great things. I would like to remind all of you, that your dog probably isn't that stoked about the whole ordeal.

Most dogs, don't like loud noises, of any kind. In fact many are down right terrified by them. I have a coonhound  named Shunka, who is so scared of Thunder, that she will hide in a closet or bathroom for hours. She shakes, and cowers, and buries her head in her paws until it passes. I have never exposed her to fireworks, and can't imagine how terrible of a reaction she would have. We live a little ways out of town, and she can hear them and it scares her.

 Even dogs, that are not scared of thunder, don't handle fireworks that well. The main reason for this, is that fireworks are not an ordinary day to day occurrence. Dogs, being creatures of routine, get freaked out when suddenly the skies start erupting with loud bangs, and huge flashes of light. Each year at the shelter, the day after the 4th of July is one of our busiest. We usually get a bunch of dogs in whose owners left them home while they attended the fireworks display. Top that off with dozens of people calling in lost reports because their dog took off while they were away. Many dogs, who never escape their yard, will be so scared that they will break out of their confinement, and even injure themselves in an effort to escape.

All this can be prevented. If you are attending the fireworks, then leave your dog home, confined in a room, or a crate. One person I heard about, takes her dogs to friends house, way out in the county. This way her dogs are not exposed to the fireworks at all. At my house, we often take our dogs on a hike far from town. This gets them tired out, so that when we return they are less likely to be concerned with all the noise.

I am not asking you to forgo the festivities. Far from it. I want you all to enjoy your independence, in what ever manner you see fit. That is what freedom is about. All I am asking, is that you think of your dog before you celebrate, and make sure she is safe from harm.

Happy Birthday America

A little help

Have you been down to the shelter or the thrift store lately? If you have, you know that we are packed, not with the usual flood of Summer kittens, but with donations at our thrift store. Don't get me wrong, we do have a lot of great pets up for adoption, but it has not been the crazy kitten season we usually have.

Instead, the thrift store is overflowing with so many generous donations from our community, and we really appreciate it. We have so much stuff, that we have decided to have a 3 day red,white, and blue sale. Today through Thursday everything in the store is 50% off. Hopefully we can sell thee whole store, and make room for all the stuff being donated. Remember, that when you shop at the thrift store, all the proceeds go to helping support the work we do at the shelter.

As for the shelter, we could use a little help ourselves. You see this time of year we are taking in more cats and dogs than any other time of the year. Heck, last week we even had a mouse up for adoption. All of these incoming animals really tax our staff, and our resources. Sadly, this is the time of year when are direct public support is at it's lowest.

This is really true for all shelters, and I get it. People are going on vacation, gas prices are higher, and family is coming to town for a visit. We are all a little overburdened with expenses, and it is hard to find the extra money to help our favorite charities.

If you do have a few extra bucks, please consider making a donation to help the homeless and unwanted animals of the four corners. If you don't want to donate directly, then consider checking out our Amazon wishlist. There you will find many of the things we need to help us operate on a daily basis. If you have an old dog crate, we could use that as well. Every little bit helps, and I appreciate your continued efforts to help us be the best animal shelter in the country.

Crates

Hey folks, we need your help. Summer is in full swing, and we are full of animals. We have so many dogs and cats coming and going, it is hard to keep track of them all, and to top it off we even have 3 rats. What we don't have enough of is pet carriers and crates. We use crates for transfers, temporary overflow, spay/neuter clinics, transporting foster animals, and when the situation arises, disaster evacuations.

 All crates are good, but we really appreciate the plastic airline style ones in all sizes, but we really need large and extra large crates at this time. If you have one you are not using anymore, or can buy one for us, the animals would really appreciate it and so will I. Thanks for your continued support of the homeless and unwanted and unwanted animals of the Four Corners.

Annual meeting

Tomorrow, May 10th, is the annual meeting of the membership of LPCHS. It will be held here at the shelter from 10:30 until noon. This is a chance for those of you who are members to participate in electing new board members, here the annual report on the shelter, and meet folks who share your passion for supporting LPCHS.
This may not be what you had in mind for a Saturday, but it is important. If you are a member, than you already care enough to support the shelter and what we do. Why not participate in helping to shape the future of our organization. You can do this by joining us and helping to elect three new members of our Board of Directors.
Many years, we have struggled to find enough folks to run for these important positions, but not this year. We have 6 great candidates running for 3 spots. Each Board member serves a three year term, and is part of the leadership of our organization. These folks will be making decisions that shape the future of LPCHS, and as a member I am sure you want to be a part of the process.
I hope to see you all on tomorrow.

What's My Name

Just finished up with another play yard session and it was great. Every dog in the kennel got to go out for some social time and to burn off some stress. The new program is running great, but we still need some more volunteers. While in the yard, Rachel and I were having a conversation about one of our dogs named Toast.

Toast is a little mixed breed pup around 8 months old. He came to us with 2 of his siblings from the Valencia County shelter in Los Lunas, New Mexico. They were all shy at first, but started to warm up in a couple of days. They were all neutered, and within one week the siblings were adopted. Toast however is still here nearly 6 weeks later. The question is why?

He is a great little dog, with lots of redeeming qualities. He plays well with all the dogs in the yard. He has been roommates with 4 or 5 other dogs, and is easily paired. Being 8 months old, he is very energetic, and would make the perfect trail dog for any Durango resident. It is hard to understand why he is still here.

I think the answer lies in his name.It's just not a great name. Can you picture yourself in the back yard calling out "TOAST, come here TOAST". The neighbors would think you had gone bonkers. If I heard someone hollering for toast, I would yell back "go make your own breakfast". Not to mention the word toast has other meanings in our society. Saying something is toast, implies that thing is done. For example, If Peyton Manning gets injured, we might say" the Broncos are toast without Peyton".

So we are giving him a new name. Rachel has been saying he is as cute as a rubber ducky. I am not sure what that means, but it actually fits him. He is small, cute, and sort of yellow, just like a rubber ducky. He also bobs around the play group like he is caught up in the tide, like a rubber ducky. So it is official, the dog formerly know as Toast, is now Rubber Ducky. RD for short.

If my theory is correct, he should get adopted in a day or two. So if you hear  your neighbor in the back yard calling for their rubber ducky, you don't need to call the authorities. It probably means that they fell in love with this cute little dog and took him home.

Fingers crossed for little RD, and more on naming animals at the shelter in my next post.