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OFOSA Rings in the
New Year with a New Spay/Neuter Mobile! The Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals is thrilled to announce that we have completed our spay/neuter mobile remodel and are ready to help local rescues and shelters alter their pets before placing them for adoption. "Spaying and neutering each animal before adoption is society's best bet to reducing the number of animals that must be euthanized each year in our state" said Brie Caffey, an Oregon State Certified Euthanasia Technician and volunteer board member of OFOSA. "OFOSA has stepped forward as the nonprofit organization dedicated to helping rescues and shelters implement spay/neuter programs.
Our next step will be to offer this surgery at a discounted cost to low-income families but we need financial support from the community to make this a reality. OFOSA is an all-volunteer organization so every dollar donated goes directly to helping animals, NOT paying salaries. "If you really want to help animals by donating your time or money, OFOSA is the organization you should support" said Caffey. If you would like to join OFOSA in our efforts to help the dogs and cats of Oregon, go to our Donate or Volunteers pages for ways to donate or volunteer.
Because of our loving, dedicated volunteers, foster parents, vets, financial supporters, and community partners, OFOSA is a continuing success! Be a part of our winning team!
Microchipping
OFOSA hosts scheduled, low cost microchipping clinics through the guidance of a certified veterinarian. For only $35, you can prevent your pet from becoming a tragic statistic.
During 2007, we hope to reach many rural areas. Check back for clinic dates and times.
Senior Smiles
During these past years, we have come to the following two conclusions. First, there are a large number of animals destroyed due to a lack of adoptable families. Second, there are senior citizens who could benefit from pet ownership, but do not have the means to this end. While the primary benefits to animals are obvious – to place them in loving homes and keep them from being destroyed – the benefits to elderly persons are ten-fold.
In 1980, a clinical research project at Brooklyn College, New York, studied heart-disease patients after their discharge from the hospital. Co-researcher Dr. Aaron Katcher, M.D. reported, “The presence of a pet was the strongest social predictor of survival…not just for lonely or depressed people, but everyone – independent of marital status and access to social support from human beings.”
The author of a book, How Community-Based Elderly People Perceive Pet Ownership (New J., Wilson C., Netting F., 1986.) concluded, “Pets are an integral component of the social support network for many individuals and therefore probably contribute to public health and well-being.”
Our goal is to rectify these two conditions through our Senior Smiles program. This program promotes improved quality of living through pet ownership and assistance. In 2005, OFOSA received a $1000 grant from our friends at Wells Fargo to help launch our program.
The placement process and continuing assistance will include not only the pet, but animal selection counseling, food, supplies, vet care, grooming, and training. Lastly, the commitment will be regular visits to assure the happiness and health of both the senior and animal. Please call 503-747-7818 or e-mail us at info@ofosa.org, if you know someone that can benefit from this program.
Animal overpopulation is an epidemic nationwide, especially in predominately rural states like Oregon. OFOSA has been working to make a difference in pet overpopulation by providing sterilizations for shelter animals we rescue.
Community Need
Low-cost spay and neuter services are imperative in the state of Oregon. Coupon and voucher programs for reduced cost spay and neuter services only address a portion of the need, and are insufficient for people living outside the urban geographic areas - especially those in low-income and rural areas, which make up the bulk of the state. There are currently only five (5) veterinarian clinics accepting the low cost spay and neuter vouchers within the greater Portland metro area. Additional help is needed to prevent shelter animals and others yet to be born from being needlessly destroyed.
Shelter managers throughout Oregon and OFOSA believe widespread, comprehensive spay/neuter is the best way to make the biggest difference for our companion animals. The majority of animal shelters would prefer to spay/neuter their adoptable pets prior to leaving the shelter, but cannot do so due to budget, time, staff, or facility restrictions. Many of the animals that are placed in homes without receiving spay or neuter services end up producing one, two, or more litters, perpetuating the surplus of animals that clog our shelters and end up euthanized due to overcrowding.
Our Goal
Our goal is to increase our capacity to spay/neuter dogs and cats in Oregon by owning and operating a mobile spay and neuter operation. In 2004, we were able to spay and neuter approximately 80 dogs and cats per month. By obtaining mobile transportation, fitted as a surgical unit, we can easily reach our goal of 120-150 animals per week, equivalent to a 750% increase in the amount of animals altered.
Providing spay and neuter services from a specially equipped mobile unit, OFOSA volunteers, veterinarians, and vet technicians can drive up to the shelters and offer affordable services at a cost of $20 each. Several county shelters in the northwest section of Oregon have committed to partnering with OFOSA to see that this important procedure is completed as the animals are adopted.
OFOSA is happy to report that by the end of 2005, we were able to purchase a mobile spay/neuter unit. Currently, we are purchasing the medical equipment needed and headed into the implementation phase of this project.
Thank you Wells Fargo employees for your gift of $5000 towards this operation. Going forward, we’re hoping to expand this service to include low-cost services to the public and their companion animals.
How You Can Help
Donations are still needed to help with the cost of surgical equipment, supplies, and fuel. A donation from you of $20 will purchase sutures for 12 surgeries, a $75 donation will purchase a stretcher, $300 will purchase a suction unit and a $2,000 donation will purchase a surgical table. Please help OFOSA help YOUR community animal shelter. Donate today!
Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort
OFOSA in Action
On September 8, 2005, Brie Caffey and Cathy Nechak (OFOSA Board Members) set out for Slidell, Louisiana to assist Noah's Wish in the Katrina relief efforts. Upon arrival, they were put right to work when a call at midnight announced the impending arrival of 67 animals incoming from New Orleans. A triage center was set up in the parking lot as the volunteers awaited the arrival.
The emergency shelter could only be described as a MASH unit with no frills and very little facilities for the volunteers. Surgeries were performed under an outdoor tent in the hot Louisiana climate. Improvisations became general practice due to the lack of supplies and volume of animals coming in. Duct tape and zip ties became their friends! Over 500 dogs and 400 cats were housed in one building.
Over the next 19 days, Caffey and Nechak worked 12-16 hour days to intake and care for hundreds of displaced animals. Along with some tragic moments, there were also happy tales to make all the sleepless nights worthwhile.
For example, a 15 year old chihuahua was reunited with his tearful owners after a week in Noah's Wish emergency shelter. Wonderful stories like these happened every day.
The day Caffey and Nechak were to return to Portland, Hurricane Rita came into the area. The volunteers had to prepare the shelter for the storm. Because of Rita, they were unable to return to Oregon until four days later. In addition to Noah's Wish, OFOSA had been assisting another Louisiana rescue whose shelter was mostly destroyed in the hurricane.
After an exhausting 18 days, Caffey and Nechak, returned to Oregon with 23 animals in tow.
Kiki Bennett, a veterinarian at Hart Road Animal Clinic, also brought back 13 animals on her return trip which were placed in OFOSA's care.
OFOSA intends to continue bringing animals up to Oregon from the hurricane ravaged region as long as our funds allow. We intend to fly small groups of six to eight crates at a time, ensuring that the animals receive medical attention and proper foster placement before the next group is brought up. OFOSA has already received support from past adopters, businesses, and rescues we work with and would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of support.
We will keep you updated as the animals arrive.
To date, OFOSA brought back 52 dogs and 32 cats from Louisiana to Oregon.
Due to the high incidence of Heartworm in Louisiana, the cost of caring for each animal has been around $200. The dogs brought back are in need of at least four weeks of fostering while they are being treated for the heartworm. Please contact OFOSA at (503) 747-7818 or email at info@ofosa.org if you are interested in opening your home to a Katrina victim.
Monetary donations are gratefully accepted and very much needed as well. If you would like to donate, click here.
Originally published: " Ernie & Burt: Project Pooch News November 05 Vol. 8 No. 3"
These 6-month-old black lab pups were among the many thousands of pets separated from their owners by Hurricane Katrina and stranded amid the flooding. According to NPR, a quarter-million dogs and cats were abandoned in New Orleans when people evacuated during the hurricane. And now, a little over a month later, only a fraction of those left behind have been rescued.
Bert and Ernie survived their ordeal unscathed. The pups have been enthusiastically welcomed by all of the Project POOCH youth and staff. Everybody loves a puppy, and the youths are happy to have an opportunity to help ease the resettlement of these evacuees.
Professional dog trainer, Anne Ingersoll, is working with the POOCH trainers who are house training the puppies and teaching them to walk on a leash. Just like their muppet namesakes, Ernie 'n Bert, they have contrasting personalities. Ernie is full of fun and ready for anything, while Bert's more cautious and a little timid. Anne says they are both very smart and she expects they will learn quickly.
Click here to learn more about Project Pooch
Ana: The Horrors of a Hurricane Reflected in Big Brown Eyes
Over the constant roar of 600 barking dogs and 400 mewing cats in the makeshift shelter, her silence was deafening. The four month old shepherd mix did not make a sound - she did not bark, did not whine, did not whimper, and did not howl. She simply sat there, ears back and big brown eyes wide with...something. Fear? Pain? Panic? I wasn’t sure. But I was sure something was terribly wrong with the little pup. We later named Ana (in honor of her home state of Louisiana).
Cathy Nechak and I, board members of the volunteer nonprofit agency Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals, had taken time off from our jobs to fly to Slidell, Louisiana to help Noah’s Wish respond to Hurricane Katrina. We were assigned to the veterinary area. Cathy, with her nursing degree, worked hands on with the vet and I took over nursing care for those animals deemed too unstable to be housed with the rest of the dog and cat population.
Ana was one of my "patients." She was originally found cowering in the flood rubble alone and with open wounds to the inside of both her thighs. In order to prevent infection in the very un-sterile environment of the makeshift emergency kennel, her wounds had to be cleaned every day; that along with daily antibiotics and her strange silence earned her a crate in the medical section of the shelter.
I tried to ensure that each patient got at least four walks a day but Ana refused to walk so I would carry her outside. After doing her business, Ana would look for the nearest shelter and cower near it. I tried encouraging her with affection and treats but she was terrified of me and of all other humans. An offer to play by other dogs sent her deeper into her hole. In her crate, where the dogs spent most of their day, Ana would watch the world around her but never tried to interact with it.
She found the crate of kittens sat next to her interesting but unlike a healthy puppy, did not attempt to investigate them. Ana did not chew on the rawhide I offered to her and seemed to fear squeaky toys rather than lunging at them with interest, as most puppies do.
I worried and fretted over Ana. With her light blond fur, black muzzle, drawn back ears and big brown eyes, she looked like a frightened fawn caught in headlights. She had survived so much by surviving the hurricane and I wanted the world to be a happy place for her.
When the vet had a rare free moment, I took Ana over to him and said, "I think something is wrong with this puppy, something other than her soft-tissue injuries." The exhausted and over-heated vet brushed off her silence and fear of humans as shell-shock. That originally made sense to me; dogs arriving to the shelter were generally unsettled for the first day or so but after that, all of the other 600 dogs we were caring for were acting like normal dogs. They barked for attention and food. They ran with joy when allowed outside. They ripped up toys and lifted their leg in all the wrong places. So why, I worried, was Ana’s shell-shockness lasting so long?
After three days, the vet I spoke with returned home and a new volunteer vet arrived. As soon as he was available, I took Ana over to him and said, "I think something is wrong with this puppy, something other than her soft-tissue injuries. Please find out what it is." Bill examined her and said he thought she had a broken tibia (the lower bone of her back left leg). The shelter had no x-ray machine (not that we could have operated one if we had, we barely had enough generator juice to power the fans we used to fight the sweltering heat). The University of Louisiana vet school in Baton Rouge, 1.5 hours away from Slidell, agreed to treat some of Noah Wish’s worse medical cases. Cathy convinced the transport staff that they could make room for one more evacuee and Ana was sent off to the hospital where she could be x-rayed and treated.
Even with the hectic atmosphere of 12 hour work days in the relentless heat and with the other wonderful dogs and cats that we cared for, my mind never strayed far from Ana. Cathy finally convinced me to call the University to find out her status. Unfortunately, they could not locate her paperwork and no one seemed to know what dog I was talking about. This was probably because she was a last minute "add on" to their list of patients. After two days of calling (which was no small feat in itself - just getting a dial tone took over a dozen tries), I finally got a hold of a vet who confirmed that the x-ray did show a fracture. She said Ana was resting comfortably but was not making noise nor interacting with anyone, just as she had done in Slidell. Through the grapevine I heard that one of the vet techs at the hospital had also fallen under the spell of Ana’s big brown eyes and offered to foster her during her recovery. Since the vet tech did not represent any particular animal rescue group, I wondered what would happen after her recovery. If Ana’s original family never came for her, who would ensure she got a good home?
Cathy and I had originally assumed that the Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals would re-home some of the Hurricane Katrina animals that went unclaimed. As the end of our stay approached, we worked with Noah’s Wish to figure out which animals we could take back with us. We took into consideration their required holding time, their adoptability, and their likeliness of receiving the medical care they needed down in the hurricane zone. Meanwhile, the University had contacted Noah’s Wish saying they wanted to return Ana to the shelter, stating there was nothing more they could do for her. Somehow, Ana never made it on the transport vehicle back to us. I feared for little Ana, who seemed to be getting lost in the shuffle of the hurricane’s aftermath. She needed someone to champion her cause and it seemed fate had chosen us.
Each day the hospital transport was supposed to bring Ana back to the shelter and each day she wasn’t among those returned. Frustrated, Cathy suggested that we pick up Ana from the hospital on our way to the airport, which is also in Baton Rouge. I almost cried when we arrived at the hospital and found that no one could figure out what dog I was talking about. There we were, our rental van stuffed to the top with crates of animals and our flight departure time closing in fast. After what felt like hours, the vet I originally spoke to answered her page and told reception where to find Ana but, she said, she wanted to talk to us before we took her. Precious minutes ticked by when finally the vet, vet tech, and Ana came in. To my surprise, Ana’s was not in a cast. The break had realigned itself so she had been in a soft cast for only a few days. To my delight, Ana took four steps across the room!
The vet tried to convince me that I should leave Ana behind because she would be facing many weeks of crate rest and possibly therapy, which she knew the vet tech could offer her. What they didn’t know was that OFOSA specialized in "special needs" animals. We often rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome shelter animals recovering from injuries or owner neglect. When I asked them who would find her a home, they stumbled, committing only to fostering her. That sealed the deal for me; Ana was coming to Oregon.
Luckily Ana was small enough to fit into a carry-on bag. My other carry on contained a demanding Chihuahua, Cookie. Ana sat in her bag quietly for the whole trip, verses Cookie who cried and insisted on attention. Even when I opened her bag, Ana simply peeked around but did not try to get out of it. Everyone who saw her in fell in love with her sweet face and awed at the fact that she could have survived the hurricane on her own. But that was just the beginning of Ana's story.
Since we lived hours from the Portland airport, my husband wisely got a hotel room for us upon my return. It was 2 am before we finally got to the hotel room where Ana could meet my dog, a 100 lb Briard mix named Butler. Butler, a veteran at helping us foster dogs, went to Ana as if to play then stopped, smelled her wounds, and walked away. Ana instantly relaxed, knowing that no one was going to force themselves on her – dog or human. It was on her third day in Oregon when Ana finally found her voice. Butler had a toy that Ana wanted and she barked her demand at him. I was thrilled! She barked! She was a regular puppy after all! She was going to be OK! But the celebrating didn’t last long.
We took Ana to OFOSA's vet who, after looking at her trauma wounds, decided he should x-ray her entire lower body. What he found was startling. Ana had been shot and she still carried one of the pellets in her thigh. No wonder she feared humans! Both of her legs had undergone sever trauma. Since the time of the shooting, she must have suffered terrible pain even with the medication we offered her. How she endured the pain through the daily wound cleaning without ever crying out still astounds me. We took Ana to a surgery specialist to figure out how to help her. The specialist is still working with his colleagues to determine the best course of surgery/surgeries for Ana.
Ana has a good femur on top of the tibia that was fractured. The fracture –which completely severed her bone, is healing well but the top of her tibia has flattened itself out, making her patella (knee cap) sit higher than it should. Luckily however, it doesn't seem to give her pain. Her right leg is also one inch longer than her left. It has a beautiful tibia under a completely screwed up femur.
Her femur's growth plate has closed on one side of the joint but continues to grow on the other side, thus her femur is very curved outward because the bone can't grow up on both sides. As it curves on itself, the end of her femur is rotated as it sits on the tibia, causing the patella to pop out of place. The surgeon thinks that is what is giving her the most pain at this point because it pops in and out as she walks. The procedure would be to cut the femur and rotate the bottom half back to where it should sit then secure both pieces with a rod. If we do the surgery too early, her leg will continue to curve outward and cause the rod to fail. If we do it too late, her femur might be so curved that it will be impossible to correct.
As if that wasn't enough, this same femur may be dying at the top due to lack of blood flow (a condition called Legg Perthesis in humans). Expensive, on-going x-rays are the only way to confirm the diagnosis. If she has the condition, then the head of her femur will have to come off. How cutting the head of the femur off will affect the rod’s ability to keep the femur in place is one of the questions of her case. There is also a bone spur at the top of this femur putting pressure on the thigh muscles but that seems the least of her problems.
Making her a “tri-pod” dog isn't a good option because of the compromised tibia on the left side. It is doubtful that she could support all of her weight on a compromised hind leg. Doing nothing and giving her pain medication for the rest of her life will destroy her kidneys, shortening her life. Most of the complications are a result of her body trying to fix itself and not doing a very good job of it. If she had been properly diagnosed as soon as she was found, a vet could have done surgery to prevent a lot of this. Ana truly is a victim of the hurricane – not only because she lost her home, family, and litter mates, not only because in the madness that followed someone shot her, but also because the breakdown of our society in the aftermath of the hurricane caused her to receive less than standard care. She was a victim of the power-outage, a victim of the flooded vet offices, and of the over-burdened, un-rested, overheated, under-equipped volunteer vets.
So now OFOSA faces the challenge of paying for the surgery that will hopefully free Ana of the constant pain she has known for most of her life. It is not un-typical for “routine” bone surgeries to require follow up surgeries to tighten screws or add additional pins and Ana’s surgery will be well beyond routine. OFOSA faces veterinary bills in the thousands to treat this little survivor. While we are committed to the animals we rescue – be they from Louisiana or Oregon, OFOSA is frugal with our donations. As soon as we understood what Ana might be facing, we had her evaluated by a professional animal behaviorist. If the behaviorist felt there was little hope for Ana every being a mentally healthy dog, then we were prepared to spare her the pain of surgery and instead let her continue her journey through euthanasia. We were thrilled when the behaviorist confirmed our belief that once pain free and with proper socialization, Ana had every chance to grow to be a normal dog.
Ana has bloomed in these last few months! Butler became her protector and she found confidence by his side. With his help and weekly puppy classes, Ana has learned to accept treats from strangers, has learned sit, down, and shake, and willingly comes to us for pets or playtime. She still panics in new environments but that will pass once she no longer feels the need to protect her painful leg. For the most part, she is finally the puppy I had hoped she would be –able to play, bark, steal toys, and chew shoes. (She has chewed several of mine….) Once her surgery is complete and she is completely pain free, Ana should be able to face the world with even greater confidence and joy, and finally leave the horrors of Hurricane Katrina behind. - Brie Caffey
She came out of the
swamp chased by a monster…Hurricane Katrina…a nice name for a
After the storm, she wandered for days until found by some people from L.A. DAWG. They took her to their shelter and she was put in a crate to stay. She was still afraid because it was so strange, noisy, and hot. There were hundreds of other dogs there. All sizes and breeds and she didn’t know who to trust.
After a long fruitless search to find her owners, she was put on a plane to Oregon in December and was picked up by OFOSA. In spite of everything she had been through, she was sweet and loving and knew that everything would be okay. She was named Lizzy.
On January 16, 2006, Lizzy gave birth to seven babies - four girls and three boys. Even after her ordeal, they were all big, healthy puppies. It was a very easy birth and Lizzy was an excellent mother. She fed and cleaned her babies for eight weeks until they all were spayed and neutered, adopted, and sent to new homes. Lizzy also found her forever home with a family that loves her. -Shirley Demmin
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THEY'RE LUCKY BECAUSE they got out of Louisiana
alive, and are now safe and sound (and maybe a little spoiled) at
MacLaren with the youths of Project POOCH.
