Friday, July 31, 2009

Wednesday is rescue day


Cabe is new to our adoption program this week

We get rescue all of our dogs and cats from Stillwater Animal Welfare. We only transfer animals into our program one day a week, and that day is usually Wednesday. Animal Welfare gives us a list of animals they need us to take, and our vet comes out to help make the selections and do the medical work on our new rescues. Everyone is vaccinated, examined and has the necessary testing done.. and then they get to come over to us! Once they are in our adoption program, they won't have a time limit, or worry about losing their spot to overcrowding. They will be safe with us until they find a forever home. And until then, they will be taken great care of by our volunteers and caretakers.


Koala is a sick kitten we rescued this week who is now getting the care she needs until she is well enough to be adopted.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

We need foster homes!!

We have two heartworm positive dogs who began treatment this week. They will need to be placed in foster care for the next month while they recover.
For more information about heartworm and the recovery process, please visit http://www.heartwormsociety.org/

The two we are treating right now are both little ones.. a little one eyed Chihuahua mix boy and a little Jack Russel mix girl


Please contact us soon if you think you can help out either one of these great dogs!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

What a difference a little love makes for a scared puppy


Here is Mia Sara's 'mug shot'. When she came to us from Stillwater Animal Welfare, she was so terrified that she urinated on herself when we tried to touch her. She would snap at other dogs, warning them to stay away. At only 4 months old, we wonder what had happened to this poor Lab puppy that made her so terrified. We decided that Mia Sara deserved a chance and started working diligently to socialize her. We kept her in the office with us when we were open, hoping that she would become accustomed to the sights and sounds of people. We gave her lots of yummy treats to let her know that people are good. We introduced her slowly to appropriate canine playmates. 2 weeks later, Mia Sara walks on a leash, loves chewing on her Kong, and will come right up to you if it looks like you have something yummy for her! Plus, look at her playing with her new buddy Lexi!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkGu8CwyN30

Mia Sara has come so far is such a short time. Imagine how well she will do once she is in a real home!

All of our dogs are nice!


Some people, especially families with children, are reluctant to adopt an adult dog, . They ask "How do I know the dog is nice?" At the Humane Society of Stillwater, dogs are temperament tested before entering our adoption program. They have to have the stamp of approval from the Animal Welfare officers, our veterinarian and our shelter director.

We are 100 percent honest about a dog's temperament and will let you know if we have any concerns with placing a certain dog in your family situation. We want everyone to be safe and happy with their forever family members!

Staff and volunteers of all ages handle our dogs every day. We pride ourselves on having a great selection of stable, friendly dogs ready to join your family.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Bring your friends


The only thing more fun than volunteering at the Humane Society of Stillwater is volunteering at the Humane Society of Stillwater with your friends. And a group of people can accomplish a lot, even if you only stay for a little while.
Last year, some of my friends decided to come in and have a dog wash! We had a great time, and washed 27 of our dogs who needed baths. (Oh, and a cat too!). Much cheaper than going to the movies, and much more rewarding too!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Sponsor a kitten!


"Sponsor me!" "No, pick me!"

Running the Humane Society of Stillwater is expensive. We know we could charge more for adoption fees, and that would help solve our budget woes, but we would hate to see high adoption fees become an obstacle for anyone to owning a great, adopted pet. So instead we have to fundraise to make up the difference between what we spend on getting an animal healthy for adoption, and what we receive as an adoption fee.


Right now, lack of funding is preventing us from rescuing kittens from Stillwater Animal Welfare. We have the space and the capacity to care for them. We just need the funds to spay or neuter them available before we rescue them. We need to have $30 dollars ready to spend on every kitten we rescue. It sounds like such a small amount, but for these precious little guys it is the difference between having a safe spot in our program and being turned away. Animal Welfare is full of kittens and it is just breaking our hearts not being able to take them all!
If you are interested in sponsoring a kitten, please let us know! Make a donation and specifically state that it is to be used to spay/neuter a kitten. We cannot let you select a specific kitten to sponsor, but we can send you a picture and description of the kitten your donation saved!

Some of the approximately 30 kittens at Animal Welfare, waiting to be sponsored.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Sunday Featured Pet: Cameo


Our longest term dog in the shelter right now is Cameo, a sweet 30 pound mixed breed dog who has been at the Humane Society since April. She is affectionate, eager to please and friendly with other dogs. She fetches and sits on command.

She was only 5 months old when she came to us, so Cameo has spent a huge part of her short life in a kennel. Even if you can't adopt a dog right now, consider visiting Cameo or taking her on a field trip. She loves going to Boomer Lake and fetching sticks out of the water!

Cameo playing with a friend.

So pay Miss Cameo a visit. She gets lonely and bored and would love someone to play with!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Adoption Events!

If you belong to our facebook group or are on our volunteer email list, then you have received numerous pleas for help at adoption events. What exactly is an offsite adoption event? Offsite adoption events are a chance for our dogs to be seen outside of a shelter environment. Many animals show poorly in their cages at the shelter and offsite adoption events are their best chance at being noticed. For example, few people notice a black puppy in a cage, but a black puppy wearing a bandana in a pet store is another story.


Offsite adoption events are also a great oppurtunity to socialize our dogs and give them a break from kennel life. What dog doesn't love a ride in the car and a chance to hang out with people all day? Also, many people aren't aware that the Humane Society of Stillwater has such great dogs and puppies who are in need of homes. Even if they don't adopt a dog that day, many will remember us when the time comes for them to adopt a dog.


For offsite adoption events, we have to have one volunteer for every dog or puppy we take. If you volunteer to help, you will meet us at the shelter, pick up a dog to bring, and then spend a few hours telling people about your dog and how great he or she is! Who knows, he or she may even find a forever home because of you!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Love puppies? Sign up to foster!

Puppies are adorable, everyone knows it. Their images grace everything from calendars to coffee mugs. Even though the adult dogs are great, no one can resist picking the babies up for a quick cuddle. Are you a hopeless puppy lover who just can't get enough puppy breath? Consider fostering a litter. Moms that come into the shelter with a litter of newborns find themselves in a tragic situation: the babies are too little to be adopted, but the shelter is no place to raise a family! What is a mom dog to do?

This momma dog was abandoned in a ditch on a hot day, sick and very pregnant. She had her babies on the 4th of July, and a wonderful foster family stepped up and agreed to foster her and the babies until the babies are old enough to be adopted (8 to 10 weeks). Thanks to one family's dedication, this little canine family has a great life ahead of them. Does fostering a momma and her babies sound like something you would be interested in? Come into the shelter and fill out a foster application, so that the next time a momma comes in with babies we can tell her "Don't worry, momma dog, we have just the place for you and those babies!"

A tiny puppy, safe in trusted hands at his foster home.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Take a dog on a field trip!


Minnie in my car

Want to help socialize a shelter dog, but don't want to hang out at the shelter? Rent a dog for the day! Many of our dogs enjoy leaving the shelter grounds for field trips. So come in, talk to us, and check a dog out for a few hours! This is possible anytime we are open. What are you waiting for? The weather is beautiful, and the dogs are ready!


Daisy at Boomer Lake

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Donate to help us save lives

Taking care of all of the healthy animals gets expensive enough, but when we have sick or injured animals we need even more help with funds! Please consider donating to the Humane Society of Stillwater. You can make a general donation or direct your donation to a specific cause. For example, Faith's life was saved by a donation directed to our 'Heartworm treatment' fund. If the money had not been there to buy her medication, she would not have been saved. She is now healthy, happy and in a new home.

Can't donate money yourself? Get creative! The Humane Society of Stillwater loves it when groups do fundraisers. It can be your sorority at school, your church or just a group of people who want to help. Bake sales, car washes, dog washes, you name it!
Another good way to help is by switching your search engine to http://www.goodsearch.com and selecting Humane Society of Stillwater as your charity of choice. Every time you search, you will be donating to us! And it is completely free to you.

Annie was run over repeatedly by a car and used for target practice. It cost lots of money to bring her back to health, but everyone who meets her agrees she was worth every penny! Especially her new owners. If we have money in our medical fund, we can continue to save dogs like Annie who have had a rough life.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Be an advocate


Morgana is a scared kitten who needs lots of attention to learn to trust people.

Volunteering at the shelter makes a difference to every animal. Some of our animals need a volunteer that is willing to commit to making a big difference just for them. Sometimes we have animals with bad pasts who need to learn how to trust people. Sometimes we have great dogs who keep getting overlooked because they don't know any basic manners, like not jumping on people and walking nicely on a leash. Some of our more sensitive dogs become kennel stressed very quickly and need to spend as much time as possible outside of their cages. If you would like to become an advocate for one of these animals, let us know. Advocates make a commitment to regularly visit and work with their animal. As an advocate for a dog, you can take the dog on field trips to the park and to Petco to work on manners.
So if you have a spot in your heart and your schedule for one of these special animals, please let us know.

Snoopy is a puppy who needs to learn some manners so he can be adopted. He is also suffering from kennel stress.

Adopt a kitty, get the second half off!


We are in the middle of kitten season and would love some help finding homes for all of these little guys! For the month of July, cats and kittens are adopt one, get a second half off. Kittens do best in pairs anyway, so choose your favorite and then choose a buddy for him/her!

Due to the number of incredibly adorable kittens available during the summer months, our great adult cats tend to get overlooked. So don't forget to consider an adult cat- you get a great, cuddle ready companion without all of the work of raising a kitten!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Welcome to our blog!


This blog will be maintained by volunteers. We will try to keep everyone updated on exciting events coming up at the shelter and spotlight some of our special pets. Whether you are a volunteer who likes to know what is going on, or someone who just loves cute pictures, follow our blog and you won't be disappointed!