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.

Taking Our Dogs to Utah

On April 25th and 26th, we will be in St. George Utah at a super adoptathon sponsored by Best Friends Animal Society. Last year at this event, over 150 animals were adopted in 2 days. We are hoping to empty out our kennels, and take around 20 dogs with us. This is a great chance to get them seen by people who normally wouldn't see them, and find them their forever homes.

The trip however, won't be inexpensive, it is a 7 hour drive to St George, and we will need a place to stay for a couple of nights. Best Friends has given us $200 to start a fundraising campaign to help cover the travel costs. This is where you guys come in. I am asking for your help in funding this opportunity to find some local dogs a chance at a new life. We need some fuel cards, or cash donations to help cover the cost of getting there and back again. Remember, every little bit can help, so donate $5, $10 or $20 dollars and we will soon have enough to cover expenses. Follow the link below to donate, or stop by the shelter and make a donation.

One more thing, while we are on our way to Utah, we will pay it forward to dogs in need at other shelters. We will transfer in at least as many dogs as we take if not more, from one of the shelters to our south. Remember, these other shelters are fighting a daily battle against overpopulation, and many of the animals there are in need of transfer. So please help us get to Utah, and help other animals in need at the same time.

DONATE HERE

Come Be A Part Of Our Successful Play Yard

I just got in from spending time with some of our dogs out in the play yard. It is a wonderful experience to say the least. Watching 20 dogs playing and socializing together, and burning off the stress from the kennel, is a lot of fun. The play yard is fast becoming one of the most valuable enrichment tools for the dogs in our care, and for the shelter staff. In the morning, we are able to get all the dogs out of the kennel, which greatly reduces the time needed for cleaning, and provides the dogs with a chance to burn off some built up energy from the night before. We need the help of volunteers to make this work to its fullest potential.

  Starting on Tuesday April 8th we will be emptying out the kennels every morning and afternoon. This is where the volunteers play a vital role. It takes us around 30 minutes to get the dogs out to the yard, and we need volunteers to act as runners to help get them to the yard. We are looking for at least 2 people every morning at 8 am and 2 more at 1 pm to help get the job done. After we get all the dogs out, stick around and join us in the play yard, or take one of the dogs who isn't ready for the yard for a walk. If you would like to help, and are already a volunteer, then follow the link below to sign up.

 https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/?FROM=45889

If you are not a volunteer, and would like to become one, check out our website or give us a call at 970-259-2847.
Please join us in the play yard, and help all our wonderful dogs enjoy their stay at the shelter. It is just like summer camp for dogs.