Visalia
shelter finds animals homes
By
Bethany Clough
The Fresno Bee
(Updated
Sunday, February 15, 2004, 7:15 AM)
 VISALIA
-- Juneau, a stray Siberian husky biding time last week at the Valley
Oak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, was probably
headed for euthanasia.
Despite his eyes -- one
blue and one brown -- and a coat smooth enough for the Westminster
Kennel Club Dog Show, finding a home for Juneau is tough. The large,
active dog has more energy than many owners can handle.
But volunteers with a
program called Rescue Railroad soon will drive Juneau to Siberians
Needing Owners, a rescue center for purebred huskies where he'll
have an almost 100% chance of finding a happy home.
Visalia has one of the
highest animal kill rates in the nation. Last year, 6,993 animals were
euthanized by lethal injection at the shelter -- 61% of all of the
animals that came through its doors.
Among those that survived
were 624 animals -- purebreds, mutts and a handful of cats -- that
Valley Oak volunteers drove to other rescue shelters with enough space
to house them and the ability to find them suitable homes.
On Tuesday, volunteers
hauled 21 dogs -- including Agnes Lupe, a 6-pound Chihuahua, and Milo,
an 80-pound black Labrador retriever -- to the Helen Woodward Animal
Center in Rancho Santa Fe, near San Diego.
The dogs traveled in the
back of an "animobile" -- a van equipped with built-in cages,
but sometimes volunteers take several smaller loads in their own cars.
"If we weren't able
to place them, we'd have to euthanize," said B.J. Motko, volunteer
rescue coordinator.
Valley Oak workers say
their kill rate is so high because the community does not always hear
their message about the importance of spaying and neutering pets.
Sometimes it's the
language barrier.
"A neuter-your-dog
sign does no good if you can't read it," Motko said.
And sometimes it's a
cultural difference.
"If you moved here
from Mexico, there isn't a spay/neuter program there to speak of,"
she said.
And there are no rescue
shelters that accept pit bulls, the breed that seems to fill shelters in
high numbers.
Communities with high kill
rates also tend to have high poverty rates, according to at least two
studies.
Contrast that with the
Southern California communities surrounding the Helen Woodward Animal
Center, which has been educating locals about spaying and neutering
since 1972.
There just aren't very
many strays wandering the streets of Rancho Santa Fe, one of the
wealthiest communities in the United States, said the center's
spokesman, John Van Zante.
But volunteers with the
Rescue Railroad program say they're putting a dent in the number of
euthanized animals. Between 2002 and 2003, the number of animals sent to
rescue centers increased 4.5%, and the number euthanized decreased 4%.
On Wednesday, the day
after 21 dogs left the shelter for Rancho Santa Fe, a group of
volunteers and workers stood outside the kennels and celebrated. They
euthanized only three dogs that day -- all of them because of major
health or aggression problems.
It was a marked change
from the days when 20 to 30 animals were euthanized.
"Not one dog had to
be put down because of space," said kennel supervisor Lena Cooper.
As Motko strolled along a
row of kennels, she pointed out Reno, a golden retriever that could go
to Nor-Cal Golden Retriever Rescue in Porterville, and Lucy, a basset
hound with a birth defect -- a bent paw -- that would easily be accepted
at a basset rescue center called Daphnyland in Southern California.
Some volunteers are
"foster parents" for certain breeds. One man picks up basset
hounds brought to the shelter and keeps them at his home until he makes
arrangements to drop them off at the basset rescue center.
Animals have a much better
chance of finding a good home via those specialized shelters.
"They will interview
probably numbers and numbers of families," Motko said.
They also will inspect the
potential owner's home before approving the adoption.
As for Juneau, the stray
husky, she said: "I would guess he'd be the lead dog on a sled
team. If he could choose, he'd choose to work somewhere."
The reporter can be
reached at bclough@fresnobee.com
or 622-2421
How
Many people does it take to get one Siberian Husky to Hawaii?
-by Jacques Porter
Near
the beginning of the war in Iraq I received a call from a service man
and his wife about surrendering their beloved Riley, a beautiful young
Female AKC Siberian. He was being shipped out, they had “lost their
base housing” and his wife was going to Texas to live with her parents
(there was no room for the dog). Between her crying and his held back
tears it was apparent that this was something they were not ok with. I
offered them a low cost boarding till he returned or they could get her
back with them. They talked and weighed the finances, we negotiated and
a fee was set. It has been a hard time for them but they have never
missed a payment or failed to call about their baby regularly. His
orders have changed several times but as of now they are stationed in
Hawaii for the next three years with him shipping out in mid-April
for one year.
Riley
has been poked, prodded, vaccinated, and tested, she is on a first name
basis with her vet and is now ready to roll. Everything is all squared
away for a no quarantine entry into Hawaii the only thing left is to get
her health certificate and that is a last minute thing. The problem is
that after all these months and all the time and effort it took to get
Riley ready for “no quarantine” entry his wife got laid off at her
job and money is a real concern for service people. He had leave
arranged and was flying here to get his girl and fly her home…now not
enough money. So now the hunt for an economy flight to Hawaii was on,
along with a workable plan to get this wonderful dog from Sonora, California
to the Airport in San Jose.
This
is where the title of this story comes to light. “How many people does
it take to get one Siberian Husky to Hawaii? Well, let me tell you it
takes a bunch <smile>…
First of all dog rescues
are full of great folks. There is Janet who lives in Atascadero who
spent hours on line researching cheap tickets leaving from several
airports, then there is Camilla from San Jose who drove from San Jose to
Sonora, three hours away to pick up Riley the day before her flight and
drive her back to San Jose. We can’t forget Nic who is keeping Riley
over night and providing sleep over room for Jay (Janet's husband) from
Atascadero who will accompany Riley on her trip and hand her over to her
family in Hawaii… Ahhhhh, but not all have been mentioned yet… our
researcher from earlier in this tale drove our chaperone (her husband)
to San Jose about a three hour drive, turned around and then drove home
to care for her pack of Huskies. Which brings us to the job of getting
to the airport with the dog for the early morning flight, Enter Nic
again who volunteered to drive Jay and dog to the plane and help get
Riley checked in at 4:00 a.m. Talk about a production… it went just
like clockwork and as I write this Riley and her people have been
reunited and are enjoying being back together.
Don'tcha just love a
good ending..
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