Some Dogs Are Worth A Little Extra Effort

This is Sasha. Sasha is just about 4 months old. She came in with some littermates, went into foster care, and when she was old enough, went up for adoption at the shelter. A very nice lady adopted her and had great hopes that Sasha would be a companion for many years to come. But, unfortunately, it didn't work out. What could go wrong with such a young pup, you ask? Plenty.

Sasha is not just any pup. She is a handful!! With loads of personality and 'joie de vivre' for days, it would be hard for anyone to keep up with Sasha. And on top of all that energy, Sasha seems to think it's o.k. to grab everything, including human clothes and body parts, with her sharp little puppy teeth. Ouch! You could barely touch this pup without getting caught in her canines. So what were we to do with Sasha?

The adopter had tried hard to make it work. She enrolled in training classes and hired experienced canine behavior consultant, Pam Wasson, for advice. But after giving it a good try, it became apparent that Sasha and she were not meant for each other.

When I learned that Sasha's adoption wasn't going to last, I was worried. I had spoken with Pam and knew that Sasha was a challenging puppy whose behavior might get worse if she moved back to the shelter. We take good care of our animals, but we can't provide them with the type of training and behavior modification that would be required to make Sasha into a good candidate for a successful adoption. Sasha needed an intervention if she was going to turn around, and she needed it NOW.

Lucky for us, and really lucky for Sasha, Pam is a volunteer in our foster program. For purposes of this story, we could call Pam, "Sasha's BFF." Pam agreed to move Sasha home with her. I was relieved! If anyone could convince Sasha that life is better when you behave yourself (and keep your teeth to yourself), it would be Pam.

Pam quickly learned a few more things about Sasha. Sasha sure was a bit of a "bossy pants." And Sasha barked for everything. And, there was that mouthiness and those teeth! But right away it became apparent that Sasha was much easier to train and manage when she had had a big long walk with Pam's dog Bruno. It's always nice to learn that a dog like Sasha is actually capable of settling down and functioning at a more relaxed level . . . it gives you a glimmer of hope. Pam also quickly realized that Sasha is a quick learner who enjoys human interaction and training. She was already house trained (many thanks to her first adopter) and retrieved like a pro! Obviously, Sasha had some really good traits and Pam became highly motivated to address her negatives so that she could go back up for adoption.

Pam and Sasha had their ups and downs. I'd talk to Pam in the morning and she'd tell me what a "good girl" Sasha is. Then we'd talk again in the evening, and she'd say, "Let me tell you what that bad puppy did today!" But progress was being made, and after Sasha had lived with Pam for about a week, Pam started bringing her to the shelter, hoping that she would meet a new family for Sasha. On Wednesday of this week, Sasha started residing at the shelter full time. We set up camp for her behind the front desk. Pam provided explicit instructions for the staff on how to handle Sasha to discourage her mouthiness and encourage good behavior. Everytime I walked by the front desk, someone was working Sasha on her "sits" and "downs," or she was napping! By this afternoon, we were all impressed with Sasha's progress.

By the end of the week we had really great news: Tomorrow Sasha is going to her new home!! She is being adopted by a couple that came to visit her several times at the shelter and discussed Sasha's needs at length with Pam. Pam will have one last meeting with Sasha and her new adopters after they take Sasha home. We couldn't be happier for Sasha and from what I've heard, Sasha's new "parents" are pretty happy too.

Sasha was more difficult than your average pup. She required extra compassion, extra time, extra effort, and extra patience on the part of many staff members and, most of all, her BFF, Pam. Like most of us, Pam works long days and get exhausted. But Pam is an inspiration and I'm grateful to have her as a friend and colleague. I'm grateful to Pam for her energy, her intelligence and insight, and her endless generosity when it comes to helping animals, the people that love them, and our organization. I know what Pam will say when she reads this last paragraph. She'll say, "Yeah, it was exhausting . . . but it was totally worth it."

How can anyone resist this face?

Being a “Humane Society” Is About More Than Being Humane to Animals

Since our print newsletter arrived in mailboxes late last week, I've received some nice comments on the "From the Executive Director" essay. So I thought I would share it here as well:

Being a “Humane Society” Is About More Than Being Humane to Animals

In common parlance, the term “humane society” is understood to refer to an agency that cares for animals. The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word humane as, “having the good qualities of human beings, as kindness, mercy, or compassion.” Humane societies traditionally focus their kindness, mercy, and compassion on animals, rather than humans. Our supporters tend to be people who feel an affinity for animals, and people who don’t feel that affinity support other types of charities.

While our organization’s focus certainly is on animals, it disturbs me a little that the impact we have on the lives of humans is often overlooked or diminished. My first 14 months on the job have shown me that helping animals and helping people are inextricably linked.

Many non-pet owners may not understand how it is that we are helping people. They’ve never spoken on the phone with a widow who is distraught because her failure to manage her dog’s behavior prevents her friends and family from visiting. Nor have they taken the call from the senior citizen whose cat is in dire need of veterinary care that he cannot afford. They’ve never shed tears with a father relinquishing the family pet because he lost his job and can’t afford the expense. It wasn’t until the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that a broad spectrum of the population saw what happens when pet owners are given the choice of evacuating without their animals or staying in harm’s way with them. At the Shelter, we witness the human-animal bond being threatened and broken routinely. It’s not on the same scale as a natural disaster, but it is no less tragic.

We’re here to help animals. But when you’re consoling a pet owner on the phone, or standing across the intake counter offering a Kleenex, there’s no doubt that you’re in the business of helping people.

Providing spay and neuter services to low-income pet owners is another way that we help people just as much as we help animals. I must admit that our primary motivation for offering these services has been to reduce overpopulation of companion animals. But after working at the two high-volume spay/neuter clinics we held this year, I’m no longer sure that the goal of reducing pet overpopulation should trump the goal of helping low-income pet owners obtain basic veterinary care. Perhaps helping people should not be secondary to our concern for animals; perhaps the two have equal value.

We recently received a thank-you card from a woman who brought her cat to CCHS on Cat Nip/Tuck Day. She expressed her gratitude for the services provided to her cat--the vaccines and the micro chip equally important to her as the surgery. But she didn’t stop there. She went on to explain that experiencing the generosity of Cat Nip/Tuck Day had renewed her belief that there are good people in the world and, since that day, she had started being a kinder person herself. Did we help this woman’s cat? Yes. Did we further our cause of decreasing the cat population? Yes. But arguably the most profound effect was on the cat owner, not the cat.

Perhaps the most important way in which we serve the people of Champaign County is through our interactions with children. Last year, our Humane Educator, Clay Foley, was a guest in several first grade classrooms in the Champaign Unit Four School District. He was invited to those classrooms to assist the teachers in presenting lesson plans that he helped create and that had been accepted into the First Grade Curriculum. We also provide educational experiences for children through the Cunningham Children’s Home, the Juvenile Detention Center, the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum, and the Urbana Free Library. These humane education programs don’t simply teach children facts about animals. They use topics about animals to teach lessons about respect and kindness towards all living things, responsibility, fairness, and caring. The lessons young people learn through these programs will make them good people, not just good future pet owners.

Although our concern for the animals of Champaign County takes top priority and we are driven by a desire to do right by them, we should not be shy about the fact that we also serve the human residents of Champaign County. Humans, too, are deserving of kindness, mercy, and compassion and we live our mission when we extend our humanity to all living beings.