Life as Gizmo

Orange Kitty Army Recruits Got Their Start at the Spokane Humane Society

2012-03-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

Today we have a guest blog from my friends the Orange Kitty Army. They are some pretty cool cats and they asked me if they could share a little bit about their lives and mission and how they came to be the OKA. I was happy to have them guest blog as I am a huge fan of the OKA! - Gizmo

The Orange Kitty Army

First of all, let me introduce to you the OKA (Orange Kitty Army). The OKA is actually two large, super furry orange cats that look nearly identical, both of which were adopted from SHS. Copper was the first to be adopted as a kitten back on October 13, 2006, and Hercules was adopted as an adult on March 15, 2010. Long-haired orange fluffy cats are their owner's favorite kind of cat, and their long fur and beautifully dark orange hue was what caught her eye when she first saw them while they were staying at SHS. It was after she brought home Hercules and realized that he and Copper could practically be twins and that she now had more orange cats than any other cat (she also has a long-haired tuxedo cat) in her house, she thought it'd be fun to start calling them the Orange Kitty Army. After all, who knew what could happen once all that fluff got organized and put their heads together?

There hasn't been a moment of peace in the house since, especially since it's pretty much the most incompetent army that has ever been formed. I don't know of any other army that has so much infighting and "friendly fire" as they do. They also routinely attack the wrong kind of targets--stuff like grass, curtains, guitar strings, plastic bags and invisible animals on the wall instead of mice, birds, potential burglars and people their owners don't like. They're also not the most coordinated or skillful army, either. General Hercules routinely rolls off tables, trips while running across the floor, and one time while he was guarding the perimeter of his owner's desk, he slipped and fell right off the desk and straight into a 35 gallon garbage can! The other cat, Colonel Copper (she was promoted to the highest level of her incompetence) isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. If she isn't watched, she will try to eat dust bunnies made from her own fur and if she's not busy eating, sleeping or purring, has no idea what is actually going on around her. However, despite the numerous failings of the OKA, they owe a great debt to SHS, and are proof that animals adopted from shelters wind up being the best pets EVER. Not only did they come home with all their shots, they were also already spayed and neutered! They were healthy and well-fed, and you could tell that they had been taken care of very well while they were at the shelter. Due to the animal enrichment programs at SHS, they are also very sociable with no behavioral issues at all. Even though it can be more difficult to integrate an adult cat into a household with other adult cats, Hercules was able to make himself at home with minimal fuss and now struts around like he owns the place, true to his General rank. Thanks to the care and love they were given at SHS, both members of the OKA are immensely entertaining, super lovable cats and truly appreciated being able to come home to a house where they are spoiled and encouraged to defend their territory, even if they won't be taking over the world any time soon.

The OKA has their own facebook page, and if you'd like to follow them and see what sort of trouble they can get up to, they are at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Orange-Kitty-Army/122395417801434

Wowser! That's a lot of donations!

2012-02-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

This year marked the 15th year that teacher Jim Louie has lead a food drive and fundraiser for the Spokane Humane Society.

It is one of the staff's favorite days of the year as students from Mountain Side Middle School pile their donations into a truck and themselves into a bus and come down to SHS for a visit. They rolled into the parking lot yesterday excited to deliver the food, treats, cat litter and other donations and get a chance to visit with the animals that they've worked so hard for over the past month.

Every student helped to unload the truck and they were happy to pose for a photo with all the food that they had collected.

Thumbs up everybody!

They also presented the Spokane Humane Society with a generous check to help care for our animals.

Sophomore Alicia presents a check to director Dave

Over the past 15 years Mr. Louie and his students have helped raise more then $25,000 and 65,000 pounds of food to help the Spokane Humane Society. It's because of their hard work and generosity that we are able to keep programs going like our food bank.

You mean you don't know about the Spokane Humane Society food bank? the Spokane Humane Society helps the animals in need in our community by offering food services to humans in need. When a animals human can't afford to buy them food they can visit the Spokane Humane Society and receive food assistance. Each year the Spokane Humane Society gives away more then 20,000 pounds of food to help animals stay in their homes and out of shelters.

After the students unloading and patiently posed while we took photos of them they were brought inside to view our newest television commercial. They even got a chance to meet the star of our commercial Hudson the pug!

Afterwards they spent the next hour walking the dogs and playing with the kitties. I would post pictures of this but everyone was so excited and moving so quickly that they all turned out quite blurry sadly. My little paws don't snap fast enough photos I guess!

Before we could let them get back on the bus we presented them with their very own cage sponsorship . This sponsorship will hand on an animal kennel all year to help celebrate the wonderful work that Mr. Louie and all of this classes have done for the past year.

So a huge THANK YOU to Mr. Louie and all his students of the last 15 years have helped the animals of the Spokane Humane Society! We hope you had a fun visit yesterday and we can't wait to have you back next year!

Numbers can be fun!

2012-01-24T12:42:00.000-08:00

Last Monday the shelter was closed for an in staff work day. This is a day where all the staff sits down together to discuss their goals for the upcoming year as well as view their achievements from the past year and discuss what types of strategies did and did not work. It was an interested day but what I was most impressed by was numbers.

Numbers may seem like a boring old thing to you but to us here they are extremely important. In 2011 your love and support helped the animals in unbelievable ways. For instances did you know......

2,763 pets were adopted from the Spokane Humane Society. That's 2,763 cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, birds and one very lucky chinchilla (me!)

Since 2008 the Spokane Humane Society has sustained a 95% live release rate and in 2011 we had a 98% live release rate!

2,906 animals were taken in for adoption from the general public.

583 animals were transferred into the Spokane Humane Society for adoption from animal control facilities where they had run out of time.

95 animals were transferred in for adoption from other area rescues.

0 healthy animals were put to sleep. Animals with rehabilitatable illness were also given the care necessary for them to receive a second chance resulting in 0 rehabilitatable animals being put to sleep.

Animals stayed in our care for as long as they needed to help give them a second (sometimes third and sixth) chance at finding happiness.

The Spokane Humane Society clinic provided low cost spay/neuter services to 1,711 public animals and our vets also spay/neutered 1,434 shelter pets. Meaning we fixed 3,145 animals in 2011.

The Spokane Humane Society gave out 925 vouchers to the public to help with the cost of spay/neuter for their pets.

Our food bank provided more then 20,000 pounds of pet food to pets whose family was in need of assistance.

1001 animals went though our foster care system in 2011.

511 volunteers and foster parents donated 27,825:41 hours providing love and care for the animals of the Spokane Humane Society. If we paid them minimum wage for their valuable time we'd owe them $241,628.61.

You're support has allowed the SHS to start it's 115th year as your Humane Society!

Those are some big numbers! We are so thankful to our volunteers, supporters and community who help make such big numbers possible! Here's to even more lives saved in 2012!

11 Best Adoptions of 2011

2011-12-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

It's the end of the year and that means that every station on TV has some sort of countdown happening. So I've decided that we have a count down of our own and after a lot of thinking, a little arguing and even some tears of remembrance we've come up with our top 11 adoptions of 2011. While every single animal we adopt out (which at this moment, right now, is 2,749 pets) is a celebration these 11 adoptions hold a special place in our hearts.

Number 11: Angus

I know you can't tell by the photo above but when Angus came to the Spokane Humane Society in November of 2010 he was terrified. A grooming incident had injured his eye and he was overwhelmed by the shelter. We quickly removed his injured eye and began working with Angus to help him overcome his fears. Staff and volunteers worked with Angus to help him become more social. Angus's favorite volunteer was Janie (seen in the photo above with Angus) who came in almost every day to take Angus out for walks and help him become acclimated to the environment. After many months and a lot of work Angus was matched with a loving home in February. We hear he's living the posh life on the upper south hill now.

Number 10: Lulu

We loved Lulu, but Lulu was a handful. She was the very definition of a dog who was not trained as a puppy and the staff and volunteers worked extra hard to help curb her energetic behavior and learn the manners that would help to get her adopted someday. Originally surrendered in July of 2010, Lulu tried out numerous families but finally found her fit in June of this year. We're happy to report that volunteers have run into Lulu and her family enjoying walks and playing in the water at the river (water is one of Lulu's very favorite things).

Number 9: Steve the Pirate

Steve the Pirate was such a memorable character. He came in with a raging eye infection in his right eye. After attempting to treat the infection and save the eye we decided it would be best to remove it (which only made his name that much more perfect for him!). Steve enjoyed hanging out in our outside patio area, enjoying the weather and he even caught a bird once (don't worry the bird was startled but uninjured and we were able to release it back into the wild). Steve originally came to us in July and found his forever home in November. His people have reported that he is the perfect fit for them, and even brought him back for follow up shots in our walk in clinic and visit.

Number 8: Mushu

Mushu was a wonderful dog but his general dislike of other dogs made finding him a home a little bit tricky. He came into our care in November of 2010 and volunteers and staff members quickly started working with him on basic manners as well as dog to dog friendliness. Mushu slowly became more well mannered and less worked up about other dogs and was finally adopted to a lovely young couple. This couple had come to the shelter just to look around and fallen in love with Mushu. However, they were currently living in an apartment (but working on buying a home) They came back multiple times to play with and walk Mushu and finally they were able to purchase a house. The weekend in June that they moved into their new home they came and adopted Mushu. They've brought him back in for training classes, to visit the staff and they have even posted some great photos of Mushu and his family hiking on our facebook page.

Number 7: Scooter

Scooter was originally surrendered to the Spokane Humane Society in September of 2010 due to the health of her owner. We quickly discovered that while Scooter could be a very loving cat she only loved people on her own terms. Kennel living did not suit Scooter and other cats we her least favorite thing. So, assistant shelter manager Randi opened up her office to Scooter. Soon Scooter was running Randi's office and even allowing Randi to pet and hold her. After over a year of being in the shelter a gentleman came in to meet Scooter and took her home to see if they were a compatible fit. After a couple of weeks he made his adoption official. He sent us an update recently saying that Scooter loved to run about his house and they played together with feather toys often.

Number 6: Rosi-Belle

Rosi-Belle is another case of an untrained puppy. Rosi came into our care in January of 2009. Staff took a vested interest in her because while she was pretty spastic she was very smart. A staff member enrolled her in a training course at one of the local dog training schools and began working to help curb her enthusiasm and get her adopted. Like Lulu, Rosi tried out many families but finally find her right fit in June. Now she has plenty of space to run and burn off her extra energy with the loving family she deserves.

Number 5: Fog

Fog was such a funny and peculiar cat. She loved to play with mouse toys and would throw them all over the place. She also was fond of licking plastic or staff member Pamela's arm. Brought to the shelter in May, Fog tried a couple of different homes out but had a hard time finding one to her liking. Because Fog had been declawed in the front she was somewhat mouthy and this made it hard to showcase her in our high traffic adoption rooms. Thankfully someone who really understood Fog adopted her in December, just in time for the holidays.

Number 4: Poe

Why is Poe so memorable to us? Perhaps it's because he's completely adorable? Perhaps it's because that he used get so into eating his food that his little back end would stick way up in the air pulling his back paws off the ground? Or perhaps it's because when Poe was brought to us in May he was on deaths door. Poe was brought in weighing less then a pound and was unable to eat on his own. Staff member Anna quickly took him into her care and began to bottle feed Poe. Getting up sometimes every two hours to ensure that he was fed and cared for. Poe grew and grew, eventually eating on his own and Anna personally sought out a home that would be the right fit for Poe. He was adopted in October to a loving family with two young girls who's world revolves around him.

Number 3: Hercules

Hercules was an amazing cat who overcame a great challenge before finally getting adopted. He had a terrible eye infection in both of his eyes and we were forced to remove both of his eyes to save his life. Staff member Amanda took Hercules to her home for him to recover and get used to his loss of vision. She also searched for a home that would understand Hercules and the challenges that might come with adopting a blind cat. In August Amanda found Hercules a home with a fantastic couple who run a rescue organization for deaf and blind Aussies. He is now living comfortably as their office cat.

Number 2: Coleon

Coleon first came to SHS in November of 2010. A strong young dog Coleon's lack of manners was not helping him get adopted. High level volunteers began to work with Coleon, taking him to Shelter School to not only help with his manners but also work on his dog to dog behavior. After months of training Coleon was one of the shelters most well trained dogs and was even able to participate in play groups with some other dogs. In September of this year all of Coleon's hard work paid off and he was adopted by a family who reports that he is working out great for them.

Number 1: Raspberry

Raspberry was a victim of bad press. Her breed made it hard to find a home as well as the fact that she loved to chase kitties. Regardless of what you might think when you hear the word Pit Bull, Raspberry is the most loveabull dog. This amazing girl was originally transferred to us in July of 2010. While with us she earned her blue ribbon though our Sit Happens program, appeared on the morning news, took multiple trips to the county fair, learned how to 'pound it' and most of all stole our hearts. Through trial and error Raspberry found her forever home in November. Her new owners are completely in love with her and even brought her in to wish us a Merry Christmas.

I can really see how much it means to the staff every time they place a pet into a loving home. They work extremely hard to find the right fit for each and every critter that comes though the doors (including me!) Thank you to all the staff, volunteers, foster parents, donors and supporters of the Spokane Humane Society. Without all of you none of these adoptions would be possible!

Spotlight on Spike!

2011-12-27T17:07:00.000-08:00

This week's spotlight is shinning on Spike!

Spike is a four year old Pitt Bull Terrier mix. Spike first came to the Spokane Humane Society in June of 2010. We quickly discovered that Spike, at only four years old, had what our vet described as 'football knees' and that his knees we're giving out.

We started Spike on therapy for his knees and even did reconstructive surgery on one, which helped some.

After this Spike was adopted but he was recently returned in October due to neighbors complaining (Spike lived in an apartment complex).

Spike is a very loving dog and all he wants is a home of his own with a person he can snuggle up to . Due to his knees he can't be a running partner or play a lot of fetch but he sure enjoys spending time with people and would love to light up your life.

Why haven't I been adopted?

With good care (and maybe a diet, Spike got a little chunky) Spike could be your pal for many years to come. All you have to do is come in and get to know him. He's so loving that a fantastic couple even sponsored his adoption after spending time with him.

Come meet Spike, even if you can't take him home he'd still love to meet you and perhaps give you some kisses!

Whats not to love?

Spotlight on Susie!

2011-12-08T13:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday everyone! Time to get to know my friend Susie a little better!

Susie is a 7 year old Pomeranian mix who's been with the Spokane Humane Society since August of this year. She's a spunky gal and know one knows her better then staff member Kylee. Kylee really loves Susie but doesn't have space in her home to adopt her herself so she'd like to find her a home that understands her and her needs. Since know one knows Susie better I've asked Kylee to write a little something up about her.

Kyle Says:

"Susie was born with too small of a trachia. So without her cough syrup she starts to have a dry cough, which then turns into bronchitis. Her condition is not a major illness or something that will shorten her life. However in order to suppress her cough and stop bronchitis from happening she must have her Albuterol cough syrup everyday! Whithout it she's miserable with her cough and it effects her breathing after a while. Other then her being born with too small of a throat she is not fully house trained, she was an outdoor only dog from her previous home. So someone who is patient and took the time to house train her either by taking her out or puppy pads she would make an excellent addition to any family! She has a very fun loving spirit and she is even partially obedience trained. Like any small dog she likes to have her own way once in a while and feet touching is not her favorite thing. She would make an excellent dog for an elderly couple with another smaller dog or in a home where she was the only furry family member. She would do fine in a family environment as long as she was supervised for a period of time. She is the high light of my day every morning when I get to see her, dress her up (see photo below) and hangout with her while I'm working"

Susie all dress up for work!

Susie is available for a foster to adopt situation that way you can make sure she is the right fit for you and your family. She's a wonderful little dog but she does take some time to warm up to new people. If you're interested in meeting Susie stop by the shelter and say hello. She's ready for you to take her home for the Pawlidays!

"I'm ready for the ho-ho-holidays!"

The Animals Need your Love & Support!

2011-12-06T16:20:00.000-08:00

That's right, they need you!

However that doesn't mean you have to rush right out and adopt a pet. Matter of fact sometimes that just isn't possible for many people. Regardless of how much you love animals some peoples life styles aren't always conducive to becoming a pet owner. Or their other pets just refuse to share your attention with any other furry four legged friends.

So to help our furry friends who are waiting for their forever homes you can become an annual cage sponsor!

It's only $100 (that's 28 cents a day!) for a full year! You can provide vital support for the homeless animals temporarily housed at our shelter by sponsoring a cage or kennel. Show you care every day by participating in this important program. This is also a wonderful opportunity for corporations and individuals to make a gift that will be recognized on an ongoing basis!

When you become a sponsor, a personalized plaque will be placed on either a dog or cat kennel for one year. Plaques can be personalized in your name, your company's name (including a logo), or of a beloved family member, special friend or cherished pet.

Currently most of the cage sponsorship we have are expired or are about to expire so all of our cages are available for sponsorship!

So help a homeless pet in need this holiday season and sponsor a kennel at the Spokane Humane Society!

Thanks for Giving!

2011-11-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

With turkey day tomorrow I just wanted to climb up to the computer and thank everyone who helps make the Spokane Humane Society possible.

There is a lot of hard work that is put in by the staff and volunteers to ensure every animal here is loved and cared for and there are a lot of donors who have given to ensure that we have the supplies necessary to help animals in need.

Frankly without the support of all you two legged folks, us four legged creatures wouldn't stand a chance!

So Thanks for Giving to the Spokane Humane Society, weather you are choosing to adopt a pet from us, donating your time or items you no longer need around the house. Or just giving the pets the couple of dollars you have saved up we truly appreciate your support.

Speaking of turkey, follow this link for some do's and don'ts for pets on Thanksgiving:

http://bit.ly/rTBbLF

I hope everyone has a safe, fun and delicious holiday. Jenna put a new toy in my cage so I'm pretty stoked about that. I tried to talk her into bringing me some turkey but she says she's pretty sure I shouldn't have that. Darn humans always trying to do whats best for you!

Spotlight on Gary!

2011-11-18T09:57:00.000-08:00

When I started the spotlight blog I thought "This will be a great place to showcase some of our long timers" but today I'm going to vear away from that thinking and talk about Gary.

Why hasn't Gary been adopted?

That is the question on my mind. This little fellow is out going, fun, playful, loving and well just darn cute to look at yet he's still here?!

Originally surrendered because his owner had to many other pets Gary has been living the good life in Meowlabu Beach. Chasing around the big cats, climbing up staff members legs and looking adorable for the whole world to see.

Perhaps people don't know about all the perks you get when you adopt Gary. You see Gary has already been neutered, he's had his first set of vaccinations, been dewormed, been microchipped and been socialized by loving volunteers and staff members. When you adopt Gary you get a free starter bag of Science Diet (yum!), 30 days of free health insurance (in case he gets crazy and breaks a leg) and a free wellness check at the vet of your choosing.

Let's face it - Gary is a good deal and not only is all of that included in Gary (and all of our pets) adoption but you'll also receive the life long love of a kitty who will always be there to make even the roughest days better.

So what do you say? Come in and adopt Gary, and if you can't spread the word. His purrfect person is out there somewhere waiting to read this blog and say "oh my goodness I need that cat!"

Oh and if all that didn't convince you...watch this video of him playing and you'll be sold!

Spotlight on Sunny!

2011-11-09T12:53:00.000-08:00

Let me just start by saying that Jenna took me to the vet this morning and I've been given a clean bill of health!

You know who else has a clean bill of health now? Our spotlight pet of the week Sunny!

Sunny was brought to the Spokane Humane Society in August because his owner was moving. He was also suffering pretty bad from demodetric mange (something that SHS has become very familiar with both seeing and creating treatment plans for)

Here is Sunny the day he was surrendered to SHS

Sunny quickly began getting regular medicated baths and receiving medication to help him heal. He was placed into a foster home who helped to treat, medicate and even train Sunny while he was healing (he was, at the time, a three month old puppy!)

Now that Sunny has been cleared of the mange mites he is looking for a great home! His foster parent brought him back to put him up for adoption since school has started and she didn't think she could give Sunny the kind of attention and training he deserves and keep up with her homework!

Adopt me please!

Now Sunny is feeling great and looking for his forever home! If you're interested in a upbeat 6 month old Shepard/Husky mix the this Sun Shinny dog is interested in you! Come meet Sunny today!

Spotlight on Fog!

2011-11-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Oh my, the week got by me last week and I failed to do a Spotlight Pet of the Week blog! Well I will not let it slip by me again so here we go!
This week our spotlight is shinning on Fog!

Fog is a 5 year old domestic short hair that has been in and out of the Spokane Humane Society since May of 2011.

Originally Fog was surrendered to SHS due to the health of her owner and while Fog has been adopted multiple times it just hasn't worked out for her.

She's an extremely fun and playful kitty once she comes out of her shell but since new places are scary it will take her a while to warm up to her new home and SHS is still searching for a family who is cat savvy enough to understand Fog.

She is declawed in the front and will nibble on you if she's had enough attention. While she will tolerate other cats she'll be happiest in a home where either she's your only furry friend or your other felines will respect her space.

come pet me!

She likes to sit on the back of your chair and play with your hair and mouse toys are her favorite thing. She also enjoys lounging and just watching the world go by.

I had Jenna put together this video to showcase Fog:

Meowloween Fun and Safety!

2011-10-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

What a great Meowloween weekend we've been having at the shelter. Over the last two days 43 furry friends have found loving homes! We're still celebrating though today and all feline fees are waived until 6pm so if you're still looking for a furry friend hurry on in there are plenty still waiting for loving homes!

On another note I want to encourage everyone to be safe tonight while you're out celebrating. Watch out for tirck or treaters while driving though the neighborhood and look out for scared or lost pets who might have gotten loose during all the fun but are now lost and afraid.

Also take care to make sure your pets are as safe as possible. For more pet safety tips check out: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/halloween-safety-tips.aspx

Jenna thought about trying to find me a costume but I threaten to chew her finger if she even tried it so she bought me a nifty new toy instead. I've got her trained so well.

Have fun everybody but BE SAFE!

Measure No. 1 - Gizmo style!

2011-10-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of talk about this Measure No. 1 thing at SHS. I wanted to get my fans some facts so I invited Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service Director Nancy Hill to chat with me.

Question and answer time!

Gizmo: Thank you so much for coming Nancy it's great to have you here.

Nancy: Thank you for having me, I've never actually met a chinchilla before!

Gizmo: Really, we'll we are very cool little creatures *nibbles on Nancy's shoe*

Gizmo: OK, lets get down to business, what would Measure No. 1 Do?

Nancy: Measure No. 1 would create a new regional animal shelter for lost and homeless pets.

Gizmo: Why does SCRAPS need a new building?
Nancy: SCRAPS has outgrown it’s current building, which is over 40 years old. It can not expand at it’s current location due to lack of land, sewer, and fire hydrant requirements.

Gizmo: How many animals a year does SCRAPS care for?
Nancy: SCRAPS cares for a little over 6,000 animals a year.

Gizmo: Wow, that's a lot of pets, what is your live release rate?
Nancy: SCRAPS live release rate is 70%
Gizmo: Wow, that's pretty impressive for a shelter that faces space and time limits.

Gizmo: How many animal cruelty/neglect investigations does SCRAPS perform every year?
Nancy: We do over 800 investigations annually, many of those are for animal cruelty and neglect.

Gizmo: How many paid employees does SCRAPS currently have and how many do you predict you would need to hire if Measure No. 1 passes?
Nancy: Currently we have 22 paid employees, we’d add approximately 20 more positions if Measure No. 1 passes.

Gizmo: There was talk of purchasing the building next to the original proposed building, any new news of that?
Nancy: It saves a third of the cost to retro fit a warehouse. We are looking at both the city owned building and the privately owned property with warehouse to the west (of the city owned building) and we are considering what the most cost effective choice for a regional shelter would be while keeping other companies in those buildings in mind.

Gizmo: Did you bring me an apple stick?
Nancy: A what? *Jenna hands Nancy an apple stick to give Gizmo*
Gizmo: Perfect, thank you I needed a snack.

Gizmo: How much would it cost the average home owner a year if they vote yes on Measure No. 1?
Nancy: it would be a $1 a month for a 200,000 so around $12 a year

Gizmo: What is the weirdest type of animal you’ve ever had at the SCRAPS shelter?
Nancy: We had these two huge tortoise. It freighted someone who was washing his car they snuck up on him. They were reclaimed by their owner about an hour after their romp in our play yard.

Gizmo: Tell me one thing that you think more people should know about SCRAPS.
Nancy: That we are committed to fighting the war against animal cruelty and making sure that animals are safe and lovingly cared for in our community.

Gizmo: Tell me one thing that you think more people should know about Measure No. 1.
Nancy: Measure No. 1 has the potential to save tax payers money by retro fitting a warehouse and will save in annual operational costs.

Gizmo: Thanks again for coming in Nancy! It was great to meet you and chat about Measure No. 1
Nancy: Thanks again for having me!

Jenna spent some time afterwards teaching Nancy more about chinchilla's and their needs (which was awesome because it meant I got to run around the office more!)

After my chat with Nancy, Jenna and I chatted a bit more about Measure No. 1. SHS supports this measure and recently stated in a press release:

“This measure is about an animal welfare agency needing a new facility in order to provide better shelter for the animals in their care” said Dave Richardson, Executive Director of the Spokane Humane Society. “We understand their need as our facility is also 40 years old and in great need of repair or remodeling. SCRAPS’ facility improvements will greatly enhance animal comfort and health and will dramatically increase SCRAPS’ capacity to accept and shelter homeless and abandoned animals, saving more from euthanasia due to lack of space” Richardson continued.

Since they don't let chinchilla's vote I am urging you to vote YES on MEASURE No. 1! If you'd like more information about Measure No. 1 you can stop by the front desk at SHS to pick up a facts sheet or you can check out their website: http://www.sayyesforpets.com/ or you can like their facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/measure1

Goosed!

2011-10-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

Yup, we had a goose left on the SHS door step last night. Thank goodness that Assistant Shelter Manager Randi was still in the building and was able to bring it inside so it didn't have to be out in the cold all night.

This guy was left in a crate outside with a note stating that his name was Hamlet and he needed a new home.

Hi, I'm Hamlet

Randi set him up in one of our smaller dog kennels for the evening....he honked all night it was pretty distracting.

This morning staff spent more time with him while discussing what was best for him. The note that was left with him stated that his wings had been clipped so he needed to find a farm that would take good care of him.

We we're baffled. For starters the Spokane Humane Society cares for animals that are considered companion animals. We don't know anything about geese and the best way to care for them. Being baffled we called our friends at SCRAPS who sometimes run into situations with wildlife while preforming animal control duties. The suggested we contact Dr. Ponti at Ponti Veterinary Clinic.

After a quick call to the staff at Ponti Veterinary Clinic we decided that taking him to them would be the best thing for Hamlet.

So the SHS staff loaded him into Jenna's car and she drove him out to Dr. Ponti's office. He seem to do ok on the car ride, he sang along to Mumford and Sons and honked at passing cars.

Once he arrived and was checked in the caring staff at Ponti's set him up in his very own cage.

He even has a pool there!

Of which he promptly got in!

The caring people at Ponti's will care for him until they can transfer him into the care of a wildlife rehabilitator who will then care for him until they can find him a loving farm.

Sadly Hamlet will never be able to be released into the wild as he has been domesticated. The team at Ponti believed that someone must have found him as a baby and hand raised him, completely removing any chance for him to ever live in the wild.

This makes me want to bring up some very important things that you humans should know about wildlife!

Before doing anything with wildlife, you must understand that the interactions between humans and wildlife are regulated by state and federal agencies. You should be aware of the laws in our state. For information on those laws contact our state's Department of Fish and Wildlife. Many states only allow licensed wildlife rehabilitator to house and care for injured wildlife. Many states also forbid keeping wildlife as pets. It is illegal in the state of Washington to possess a wild animal without a permit unless you are transporting that animal to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Don't assume that animals who are alone always need your help. Many wild animal mothers will leave their young alone for long periods of time. Spring is the best time to remember that wild animals belong in the wild. Too often, well-meaning people pick up animals, particularly white-tailed deer fawns and young birds, mistakenly believing that these animals have been orphaned or abandoned. This is almost never the case. The parent animals are usually nearby, waiting for the human threat to leave, so that they may resume caring for their offspring. The best advice is: "If you care, leave them there!"

Having Hamlet made for an interesting day and a great story but we encourage you to help keep the wild animals in the wild.

Spotlight Pet of the Week!

2011-10-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hey Fans! I've decided that each week I will spotlight one pet that is available for adoption at the Spokane Humane Society.

This week's Spotlight is shinning on Raspberry!

Raspberry is a three year old Pit Bull Terrier mix. I know, she's a "scary" Pit Bull, not! She's one of the sweetest dogs ever! She comes to visit Jenna in her office and she doesn't even try to eat me!

Raspberry first arrived at SHS July of 2010 as a transfer from our friends at SCRAPS. A month later she was adopted by a family but had to be returned. She thinks that cats are super fun squeaky toys so that home wasn't the right fit for her. She was recently adopted again but her new families other dog wasn't digging sharing the attention and even though Raspberry loved to play with him, he wasn't to fond of her so she made her way back to SHS.

Raspberry is a staff favorite and often spends time behind the front desk as a greeter dog. She's appeared on the Pet Savers segment on KHQ and still has not been able to find her forever home. She loves to go on walks and playing ball.

She often heads outside of the walls of SHS to search for her new people. She enjoyed going to the fair and loved meeting all the kids (especially the ones with yummy treats in their hands!)

Are you my family?

This super smart, loving and loyal dog is just waiting for the right family to find her. Until that family read this and rushes into adopt her she'll be hanging out with me and the shelter staff. Getting lots of walks and learning lots of neat things:

Have a Ball!

2011-10-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

Whew - it's been a while since Jenna has been able to let me get my little paws on the keyboard. She's been busy working the Spokane County Fair (where over 30 SHS animals were adopted!) and running off getting married (she went to Vegas and left me here with Pam, rude right?)

That's ok though, because I'm getting ready for Furr Ball! Whats Furr Ball? Why it's only the most fun fundraiser of the year!

Not only is it at the super fancy Davenport hotel, it features a yummy meal and some awesome live and silent auction items like:

Tickets to the Interplayers
Spokane Chiefs Gift Certificate
Cat Tales Gift Certificate
Big Green Egg BBQ
Dan's Barber Shop Gift Certificate
and much more items!

So get your tickets for this years number one event! Visit: https://www.spokanehumanesociety.org/store.php for your tickets!

All dressed and ready! Is it November 19th yet?

One Priceless Weekend

2011-09-06T16:42:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, the shelter ran a huge promotion this Labor day weekend. All of Saturday and Sunday every adoptable pet at SHS was priceless.

With the tough times everyone seems to be having we knew there were fantastic pet parents out there who were just waiting for the right time to adopt a new family member. We were hoping this promotion might get some of our fantastic pets into loving homes but even we were surprised by the amazing turnout!

The line waiting for the shelter to open Saturday morning

Saturday proved to be a busy day. We did a record setting 51 adoptions on Saturday and another 21 adoptions on Sunday! That's 72 animals who found loving homes in two days!

As if it couldn't get any better some of our long time and frequent flier pets finally found their furrever home. Pets like....

Buddy

Buddy had been with SHS since March of this year. He'd lived as a mainly outdoor dog for the first eight years of his life so adjusting to being inside a busy shelter was difficult for him. However in the last few months Buddy had really started coming out of his shell and on Saturday he found a family that was just the right fit for him. They were active, they loved the outdoors and they had worked with dogs like Buddy who hadn't had a whole lot of socialization. Woohoo for Buddy.

Arwen & Chloe

Arwen & Chole are sisters who came to SHS in May to find new homes because their owner was moving. Since they are very best friends they had been waiting at SHS for a home that would be willing to take them both, they found this willing new home this weekend.

Nikki enjoying the car ride to her new home

Nikki was what the shelter staff like to call a repeat offender. She'd tried a lot of different homes out but just hadn't found her perfect fit. On Saturday she was adopted and her new owners have reported on facebook that she is fitting fantastically to their family.

Tasha and her boy

Tasha was Jenna's favorite adoption of the day though. Tasha came to SHS in July but due to being a senior dog (eight years old) she was having a hard time finding the right family. Sadly senior dogs are some of the hardest dogs to find homes for. However as luck would have it, this little boy turned 8 on Saturday and all he wanted was a four legged friend. He bonded with Tasha and due to the priceless promotion his parents were able to adopt Tasha for him for his 8th birthday. Debi the young man's mother posted this picture on facebook and said:

"Here is a pic of my son with Tasha. We are so grateful for our "Priceless" Pet which allowed us to give our son the birthday present he has always wanted. Tasha loves being part of our family and is very comfortable in her new home. We love her bunches!!! Thank you Spokane Humane Society!!!!"

To which I say, no no, thank YOU! Tasha was beloved by many volunteers (I know this because volunteers would stop by Jenna's office frequently for a visit with her because they knew that Jenna too loved her) and it was wonderful to see and hear of her finding a home that is just right for her.

Thank you to all new pet parents who came out this weekend to adopt a priceless pet. We hope that the love and compassion they give you will last you a lifetime.

Phew, after all those adoptions I am pooped!

I think I'll take a nap now

With a little paint and a lot of love...

2011-08-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

About a month ago a previous volunteer, Rachel, contacted Jenna about doing a project for SHS. Rachel works for the Lowe's, store number 206 (or for us none Lowe's employees it is the one located on Division).

Each year Lowe's employees nominate then vote on a non-profit to donate their time to, usually they look for projects where they can use the skills they have learned at work as well as donated items they can get from their store.

This was unlike any request Jenna had received before so she invited Rachel out for a walk though to discuss the possibilities and after looking around the shelter for ways the Lowe's team could help they decided that improving the small dog holding area would help the most.

Over the last week the Lowe's team has been in the building and working very hard to help one of the darkest parts of the shelters become a brighter and nicer place for the animals.

Before After

There are a ton more fantastic pictures of this project. Please take a moment and check them out on the SHS Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150273829036865.327406.203326896864&l=21247931af)

Rumour is that Lowe's came in under their allotted budget for supplies as well, so they will also be donating some much needed items off of our wish list.

The difference it makes to this area of the shelter is night and day and I know that the staff is so excited to see the changes made to small dog holding. We want to thank Lowe's for choosing our shelter for their service project. We'd also like to thank them for being such a fun and cheery bunch. It truly was amazing to have you in the shelter and we promise you all the kitty cuddles and puppy kisses you can stand!

Road Trip!

2011-08-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

Oh what a cool morning! Not only was long time resident Coleon featured on KHQ this morning but we got a visit from Rad Delaroderie and Paw-Paw!

Rad is part of the 4-Paws USA Tour being put on by Paws Humane in Columbus, GA!

Rad has been riding all over visiting, learning, and sharing knowledge about different Humane Societies in an effort to help raise awareness about Humane facilities all over the county.

He took a tour of our shelter and even hung out with a baby kitten!

Rad learned about our life saving foster program

You can learn more about Rad's journey by visiting the 4-Paws tour website: http://4pawstour.com/

Thanks Rad for coming by! We hope you have a safe ride and, as promised, if you ever get back this way Dave will take your out for biscuits and gravy!

Rad's cool sign on his bike!

Rad and Dave with Paw-Paw!

Exercise your freedom - VOTE!

2011-08-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year; Jenna says there are signs all over town. Vote for this guy, no no, vote for this other person! Well you know what I think you should vote for the Spokane Humane Society!

Now until September 18th you can cast your vote for Krem 2 Best of Spokane! The ballots are full of fun categories and many different business for you to give your vote to. SHS is nominated in the best non-profit category and if you don't mind I'm going to do a little campaign for them!

Why vote for SHS? There are a million different reasons. I could go on about how many animals they help every year, how many adoptions they do, how fun and goofy the staff is, but you should vote for SHS because they care.

The staff, volunteers and foster parents of the Spokane Humane Society care deeply about the animals that are brought to them and they work hard to ensure that each animal is given every opportunity at a second (third, fifth, seventh - remember they always take their animals back if an adoption doesn't work out and have no space or time limits) chance at love. I'd like to tell you about Luna.

Luna is a one and half year old, Pitt bull terrier mix. Originally Luna was brought to SHS to be put to sleep because her previous owners couldn't afford her care. Luna was suffering from something known as demodetric mange, a scary looking but very treatable illness.

Luna, the day she was surrendered to SHS

SHS offered Luna a second chance, advising her previous owners that if they surrendered her instead she could be treated and once well would be adopted. Her previous owners, only wanting what was best for her, agreed.

Luna was quickly seen by our veterinary team and began treatment for her mange. This meant daily medication and weekly medicated baths (given by staff member Aimee).

Jenna began searching for a foster home that was a good fit and after a little bit of trial and error she was able to match Luna up with foster parent Don.

Don fostered Luna in his home for months, giving her prescribed medication provided by SHS and her weekly baths until she was well (he also threw in a little training because Luna is a great big puppy!)

Luna looking good!

Finally cleared of her mange Luna was ready for adoption but as fate would have it Don, who cared for her for many months while she got better, had fallen in love with her and chose to adopt her himself.

Luna's story is one of many. Stories that can only be written by SHS because of the tireless efforts its staff, volunteers, foster parents and donors.

So when you filling out your ballot, vote for the paws who can not vote themselves, vote Spokane Humane Society for the best Spokane Non-Profit.

I'll even make it easy on ya' here is a link to vote for SHS: http://ctvr.us/shs

While your there voting for us perhaps you might consider voting for our friends at The Yuppy Puppy? They always donate free grooming whenever we have a dog in need and are fantastic!

Max, the Yuppy Puppy mascot and beloved pet of the owners, wants to make sure you vote!

Stop.....enrichment time!

2011-08-04T14:04:00.000-07:00

I think one of the best parts about living at SHS is getting to watch all the cool enrichment stuff the staff and volunteers do for the pets waiting to be adopted.

From creating and passing out kitty 'kongs' (which is nothing more then half a dollar store plastic easter egg with wet cat food inside)

To filling dog Kongs with wet kibble for the dogs. Enrichment makes all the pets happy!

Wha? You looking at me?

While SHS does well with the enrichment supplies they currently have they are looking to expand their enrichment abilities. However this will require supplies, which is where you readers come in!

You can now visit our wish list on Amazon and help to purchase enrichment toys for both the dogs and cats of SHS. These items will be used to help enrich the pets daily activities and will encourage positive behaviors!

To pick out and donate an enrichment toy for a shelter pet click this link:

http://amzn.com/w/2CEV2603GAWG0

Can't donate a toy? How about recycling one of your everyday items for enrichment use! SHS is also looking for small plastic buckets or conations they can use to make frozen treats. You can see JJ in the video below enjoying some kibble frozen in a block of ice. Staff used a plastic potato salad container to make him this treat.

So if you can - help the Staff and volunteers of SHS provide the pets with a fun time!

Also a special shout out to the Myers family and Tito for the visit yesterday!

Tito

I'm ready for my close up Miss Janna Juday!

2011-07-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

Talk about a cool morning, I felt like such a movie star! This morning I did a photo shoot for my page in the 2012 SHS calender!

SHS staff member Janna (who is also a very talented photographer see more of her work at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Janna-Juday-Photography/195612217152523) came and took pictures of me during my morning play time in Jenna's office! Here's a sneak peek at some of my favorites!

Well, hey good looking! *wink*

I love my girl

This is the last week to purchase a page in the SHS 2012 calender! It was so much fun doing this photo shoot and I promise that you're pets will love it too (and so will you!) If you're interested, contact Kerry at kwiltzius@spokanehumanesociety.org

Christmas in July!

2011-07-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was full of so much awesomeness that I'm not really sure where to begin. Ok, ok I know where I want to begin - with all my fantastic new toys!

Jenna's order from http://twilightchinchillas.bravehost.com/ came in! I have never had so much fantastic stuff in my life!

omg can't wait!

See, I couldn't even wait for her to put them in the cage, I climbed up one of her office chairs and started chewing. However I think my favorite new thing has to be my box...

As you can see, I've made sure everyone
knows this is my box by adding my teeth marks

However cool stuff did not just happen for me it also happened for the shelter! Next IT Corporation has been having an awesome food drive and yesterday they brought in their donations. Lots of fantastic stuff for the pets of SHS (and I hear one of their staff members just adopted a puppy from us as well, woohoo) so make sure you go to their Facebook and thank them for us: http://www.facebook.com/#!/NextITCorp

Jenna's trying to make sure Peka doesn't eat
all the great donations herself!

On top of that awesome SHS also hosted the Make A Difference camp from the Spokane Parks and Recreation. They came and learned about SHS as well as animal advocacy. Made cat and dog toys, played with the animals, did a scavenger hunt around the shelter and at the end they all came and said help to me! They were a really great group of kids!

All in all yesterday was a pretty exciting and crazy day! Thank you to the groups who support SHS! I could hear the dogs enjoying those peanut butter Kong's and the cats loved the cat nip toys!

Chincillas......in......spaaaaceeee!

2011-07-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Jenna brought in some tin foil to cover her window up and help keep the sunshine out of the office. Not that I don't like the sunshine but Chinchillas need a cool enviorment to live in. It reminds me of being in a space ship or something though. She has really been great I'm so happy to have her!

In other news, I got to see a 2 week old kitten today....

So TINY!

Kittens like this one (and it's three siblings) come into the shelter all the time. These guys don't have a mom so they will need to be hand raised. Jenna started searching for a foster parent for these guys and staff member Anna A. took them home to ensure they were fed for the night.

The foster parent program at SHS allows the shelter to place little guys like these have a place to go. Kittens like these need to be fed every 2 - 4 hours and the shelter is just to busy a place for these little guys to get raised. Foster parents only have to provide love, care and a space for cute kittens like these until they are big enough for adoption. The SHS foster program is wonderful but can only help as many kittens as they have foster homes for so if you'd like to learn more about helping you should check out their website (http://www.spokanehumanesociety.org/fostercare.php)

It was pretty cool to see a kitten - I'd honestly never seen one before, they are pretty weird looking. Also, this is how JJ sleeps....

JJ is available for adoption an a lot of fun!

Knowledge is Power

2011-07-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

Well - my jig is up. This week long time SHS support Haley came by and told Jenna all my secrets. How to pick me up, what some of my different sounds mean. I mean c'mon how am I suppose to keep her guessing if she knows all this stuff?

I guess the good news is that Haley also gave Jenna some awesome advice on where to find good toys and stuff for me. I think Jenna is going to put in an order with http://twilightchinchillas.bravehost.com/. She's a local talent who hand makes toys and much more for chins! I can not wait to have all my new stuff!

In other news the shelter was busy today celebrating Petfinders 15th birthday. They had face painting, popcorn, cake, adoptions discounts and Jenna even learned how to make balloon dogs for the kids who came in! They did 22 adoptions today (as the shelter staff would say, can I get a WooHoo!). It's pretty exciting stuff. We even did a really important adoption today, Rocky who's been in foster care with the shelter helping to manage his diabeties since November was adopt today!

WooHoo for Rocky!

Thank goodness for staff member Randi who's been fostering Rocky and making sure he stayed as healthy as possible until his perfect home could be found!

Well I guess I better go take a bath!

It's a party!

2011-07-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

So this morning was interesting for sure. Jenna came to work and I let her know that I was hungry. I barked at her a some, and she seemed pretty confused but she caught on and put food in my dish. We are still figuring each other out but we'll get there.

Of course after I'd been all sorts of demanding she did something awesome. She let me run free in her office! I explored all over the place. It was so much fun!

Peeking out, not so sure what I'm suppose to do

Hey there camera!

I explored all around the office and under my house

Also while I was running about I heard about an awesome party they are having here at the shelter to celebrate Petfinders birthday.

If you don't know, Petfinder is a website that helps people who are looking to browse adoptable pets. You can look for pets in your area, or you can even look for certain types of pets if your picky!

Sounded to me that SHS will be celebrating Petfinders birthday at the shelter the 15th - 17th. They will have discounts on all adoptions, face painting, cake, games, fun and more! Man I can not wait for this party. It sounds like such a blast! Better get some chilla sleep so I'm ready to party!

So....tired....

2011-07-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

I. Am. Tired!

This place is busy on Saturdays! There are all sorts of people all over! Volunteers walking and cuddling the adoptable pets. People here finding their furry soul mates! New volunteers being trained!

It's one crazy place!

I guess I'd be less tired if I hadn't spend the night playing with all my new toys and moving and exploring my new home but I couldn't help it. It's just so much fun!

In my hammock bed, trying to catch some z's

My new parent Jenna came in this morning and chatted with me. I was feeling brave so I crawled into her lap and gave her a good smell. She smells like a good person, I think I'm going to do really well here. Once I get use to the background noise and get some sleep that is.

Moving day!

2011-07-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

I had to move today. Unfortunately my people had to give me up because of landlord issues so I was surrendered to the Spokane Humane Society however as luck would have it one of their staff members really loves me!

It was a bit scary but they let me hang out in my exercise ball for a while. I had no clue why they seemed to be building something. While I hung out I listened to their conversation. The staff member said how she'd always wanted a Chinchilla and was thrilled to let me live in her office for a while (although I'm pretty sure if I use all my Chilla charms she may let me live with her forever, which would be pretty awesome!).

Anyway, after hanging out in my exercise ball for a while they opened it up and showed me what they had been up to, they were building me a brand new cage!

I'm not going to lie, I didn't want to go in at first. I mean I wasn't trying to be ungrateful but it was all new and it didn't smell at all like my home so it took me a little while to come out of my comfy exercise ball and get into the cage. However once I was in it I was blown away! IT IS HUGE! It has three levels for me to climb on, and they made sure to hang my hammock bed in it. They put all sorts of fun toys for me to play with and even my bath house is in there for me to roll in.

Once I was in my new home lots of other people came to visit me. From what I gather they were other staff members and volunteers, I think I'm in the volunteer coordinators office but I couldn't catch that part. Everyone was taking so fast and seemed to be so excited about me, frankly I was just busy chewing on my new toys and exploring my new home.

Everything has quieted down now, I think they have decided to leave me alone for the night so I can get comfortable with my new surroundings, which is nice of them.

I'm not sure whats going to happen next but for right now I'm pretty well taken care of, and the people here seem pretty nice. I really hope they decide to keep me around.