Now - Routt County Humane Society

Upcoming Shelter Renovation • Meeting Special Needs of Shelter Dogs
Summer 2016
Newsletter
Volume XIX
Animal Advocates Since 1985
Mark Your Calendar
Tuesday, July 12
@ 6:00pm
Quarterly Public Meeting
Routt County Humane Society
760 Critter Ct
TBD in August
RCHS Open House and
Celebration
Tuesday, October 11
@ 6:00pm
Quarterly Public Meeting
Routt County Humane Society
Thank You Dog Kennel Sponsors!
A Friend of the Humane Society
Ace Hardware
Bob and Holly Larson
Carol and Russ Atha
Central Park Management
Déjà Vu Consignments
Donna Garth
Dustin’s Family & Friends
Frances Jenkins
Ginger and Michael Kirby
Janet and Tim Borden
Jeff Hoch – Omaha, NE
Jesse Laughlin
Karen and Bruce Schiller
Katherine and Rick Arendt
Kerry & Ron Contarino
Marty and Judy Hoch – Hastings, NE
Pauline O’Brien
Red Rover Resort
Sarah Katherman & Robert Ellsworth
Sharon Bigelow
SMR Guests
The Woodside Foundation
TIC
RCHS Aims to Give
Every Shelter Dog a
Chance by Gaining
Socialization
Know-how
One of Routt County Humane Society’s
biggest challenges since taking over
the management of the shelter in May
2015 has been finding a home for
Sherman. Sherman, a two-year old
Border Collie/Great Pyrenees mix, was
aggressive towards new people but not
towards his caretakers. As part of our
mission to “encourage respect for the
dignity and worth of all animals,” we
explored many possible solutions to
find a brighter future for him. Though
he posed a notable challenge for RCHS,
Sherman was not the only troubled
RCHS dog needing socialization and
training to be a suitable pet. Saving
Sherman ultimately became a learning
and growing experience for us.
Sherman made friends with shelter
staff and showed those who cared
for him a cheerful, cooperative dog
that would make a welcome addition
to someone’s life. But, shelter staff
eventually witnessed reactive behavior
towards community service workers at
the shelter. Sherman’s unpredictability
worked against him when meeting new
potential adopters.
Without understanding why he was
reacting this way to new people, we
didn’t know the best approach to
Sherman was adopted
upon completing the
program at Sunny Day
Acres.
address the behavior. And we didn’t
feel that we had the tools at RCHS
to help Sherman. Our quest to find a
local professional that would take him
on failed. Fortunately for Sherman,
just when we felt we had exhausted
all efforts, a blessing from the skies
materialized–Sherman was accepted to
Sunny Day Acres.
About Sunny Day Acres
Sunny Day Acres is owned by Jennifer
Gray, the former Director and Senior
Head Trainer of Cesar Millan’s
renowned Dog Psychology Center.
So, the tools and strategies seen on
the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan
were used to rehabilitate Sherman.
Much like her mentor, Jennifer trains
other professionals in the field of
dog psychology and rehabilitation
further enlarging the competent pool
of professionals who can behaviorally
balance and harmonize dogs.
Routt County Humane Society l PO Box 772080 Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 l 970-879-RCHS l routthumane.org
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routthumane.org/donate
Average rise in interior temperature of an enclosed
vehicle, over time.
Graphic by HeatKills.org.
Protect Pets from
Heat Stroke!
Do Not Leave Pets in Hot Cars!
1. Keep your pets at home in the
air conditioning or a cool room.
2. Call 911 to report an animal
inside an unattended vehicle.
(If the vehicle is running with
AC blowing, leave it alone.) You
will need a description of the
vehicle including color, make,
model and, if possible, license
plate number.
3. Go inside the nearest business
and ask management to assist
you. If the owner of the vehicle
and pet are located, ask them
to come help their pet who is in
danger.
4. You cannot legally break a
window to save the animal! The
police/authorities can.
You can help save these animals by
taking proper precautions.
Sherman spent a month learning
how to enter new environments and
meet new people and challenges
in a non-reactive manner. In the
beginning, volunteers would be
staged along his walking route and
he learned not to react to each new
person he encountered. Eventually,
he visited parks, shopping malls and
other venues with no reactivity to
people, noise or unique encounters.
He now enters new situations with
confidence and ignores people
who previously would have been
worriseome to him.
It can be very difficult for dogs
to start to listen, trust and come
out of their protective shells at the
shelter. In working with Jennifer
Gray, RCHS hopes to implement
new stategies and techniques to
confidently correct bad behaviour
and safely socialize our shelter dogs.
Please support our efforts by donating today!
Be a volunteer dog walker!
Go, Go Gidget
Gidget, a black miniature poodle/
shih tzu mix, came to Routt
County Humane Society as a stray
known to wander around Hayden.
She was taken in by a woman
who thought she would keep her.
But, she realized that something
wasn’t right with Gidget. She
was urinating in the house a
lot, drinking a lot of water, and
couldn’t seem to gain weight.
The woman relinquished Gidget to
RCHS, because she was unable to
provide Gidget with the immediate
medical care that she needed.
Upon receiving Gidget and hearing
the woman’s concerns, our shelter
staff had a suspicion that Gidget
could have diabetes. She showed
all the classic signs; drinking
excessively, frequent urination,
early stages of cataracts, and she
was very thin.
Gidget, a special needs
black miniature poodle/
shih tzu mix with diabetes
is currently in foster care.
How long does it take for a car
to get hot?
Outside °F
2
Inside °F
10 min.
30 min.
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Routt County Humane Society l PO Box 772080 Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 l 970-879-RCHS l routthumane.org
routthumane.org/donate
She slept a lot and seemed
detached. We discovered her
blood glucose was excessively
high, and insulin was prescribed.
Gidget was also suffering from
pneumonia in addition to
diabetes. Over the next few weeks
her glucose levels were monitored
and stabilized as the correct
insulin dosages were determined.
Find that special photo
of your favorite pet to be
included in the 2017 Yampa
Valley Pet Calendar. Your
placement/donation is tax
deductible and supports
shelter animals in our
community!
With proper care and medication,
Gidget got better and better. After
a thorough grooming and a lot of
love from staff and volunteers at
the shelter, her personality came
out. Gidget showed that she was
sweet, loving, playful, and spunky.
Gidget started to let staff know
when she needed to go outside,
and she gained weight. She also
obeyed some basic commands.
She greeted shelter guests in the
lobby and enjoyed socializing with
the cats. She even shared her space
with a diabetic cat, and they got
their shots together every morning
and night. Gidget went home with
one of our shelter technicians each
night, where she lounged around
with two labradors and a golden
retriever.
Gidget was very lucky to come to
RCHS where the staff immediately
cared for her well being. A bottle
of insulin for a cat costs $175, but
for a dog it is only $25 and each
bottle lasts several months. Special
diets, needles, glucometer, and
sometimes veterinary visits to
recheck glucose levels and insulin
dosages can make caring for a
diabetic pet expensive. At RCHS,
we do everything we can to give
each pet the love and medical
attention they deserve.
Put your pet in the 2017 Yampa Valley Pet Calendar!
routthumane.org/calendar
Thank You, Grant Funding
Agencies!
Colorado Pet Overpopulation Fund
$3,000 for pre-adoption spay/neuter surgeries, veterinary care and
micro-chipping.
El Pomar (Hambrick Fund)
$5,000 for general operating and program support.
Petco Foundation
$5,000 for pre-adoption care of shelter animals and RCHS van interior.
Petfinder Foundation
$2,500 for spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, medical care and shelter
dog training.
Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation
$10,000 from the Snowball Community Grant.
Yampa Valley Electric Association, Operation Round Up
$2,500 to to support shelter medical care.
Routt County Humane Society l PO Box 772080 Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 l 970-879-RCHS l routthumane.org
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routthumane.org/donate
Changes Are Afoot, Shelter
Renovations Are Starting
Motorcycles line the streets of Oak Creek during
the Hogs for Dogs Charity Bike Rally.
Hogs for Dogs Charity
Bike Rally
Dude & Dan’s Bar and Grill in
downtown Steamboat held
their first annual Hogs for Dogs
Charity Bike Rally on Saturday,
June 11. With over 40 riders,
the event raised nearly $1,000
for the Routt County Humane
Society. Event organizer and
Dude & Dan’s Owner, Brandon
Pfaff, hopes to continue to
grow the bike rally and host it
annually.
It has been a little over a year since
RCHS took on management of
the animal shelter in Steamboat
Springs. As we have settled in, we’ve
realized that we could make some
advantageous changes to our facility.
Kitchen Remodel
The shelter was originally built in
1997, so the kitchen, which is now
also used as an exam room for
the in-house shelter veterinarians,
desparately needs an update.
Thanks to our grant writer and
Board of Directors member, Sarah
Katherman, the Yampa Valley
Community Foundation awarded
us a grant of $14,700 to add new
flooring, countertop, appliances, and
cabinets.
Other Small Fundraisers
Trish Carpenter (book sales)
Annie and Kristin Hager
birthday money
Ellie Brown (in lieu of birthday
presents)
Charlotte Teuscher
Thank you for raising
money for the Routt
County Humane Society.
Your contribution helps
us save lives!
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This grant was made from the
following funds:
• $1,200 McEvoy Share Plan
• $1,000 Travis Family Memorial
Endowment
• $10,000 Ski Corp. Charitable
Fund
• $942 Environment Field of
Interest Endowment
• $1,558 YVCF Community Grant
It is the biggest community grant
that Yampa Valley Community
Foundation ever awarded!
New Isolation Room
Though technically “grandfathered
in” regarding state pet facility code,
which requires isolation facilities in
animal shelters, our shelter lacked a
separate isolation room. We are now
creating an isolation room. We are
expanding one of the cat quarantine
rooms so that it can accommodate
two 4’ x 4’ dog kennels (which can
be converted to a 4’ x 8’ dog kennel)
and six cat kennels.
This isolation room project is being
partly financed by the Rainbow
Bridge Fund, made possible through
cremation services offered at the
shelter.
New Office Flooring
Our last change is removing the
almost 20-year-old carpet from the
office and replacing it with vinyl
flooring. After 20 years of foot traffic
from people, cats, and dogs, the old
carpet must go!
Our whole remodel will cost about
$25,000, and currently, we are
looking for an additional $5000 to
cover the last bit of cost. When the
remodel is finished we will host an
open house to celebrate our one year
shelter anniversary!
Routt County Humane Society l PO Box 772080 Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 l 970-879-RCHS l routthumane.org
routthumane.org/donate
Sydney and RCHS foster
sister, Brownie, pause for a
winter photo op!
Become a Foster Parent to
Nurture and Enrich a
Shelter Dog in Need
Okay, I’m a sucker for dogs.
Especially the ones who have not
been given the opportunity to live up
to their full potential, to demonstrate
who they were meant to be. Some
are unable to thrive or show their
true (often amazing, sometimes
goofy) personalities in a shelter
environment. Some sweet, loving
dogs can come across as aggressive
or anti-social, when in reality,
they are fearful of their unfamiliar
surroundings. New sounds, other
dogs barking, different scents and
visual stimuli can be overwhelming.
Removing a dog from this situation
and putting him in a more calm,
typical environment can greatly
improve his chances for a successful
adoption. This is why we like to have
individuals and families sign up to
be foster parents for our wonderful,
deserving animals.
My husband, daughter and I have
fostered many dogs over the years.
I cannot begin to describe how
rewarding it is to witness them
thrive in a home environment in
a way that would not have been
possible at the shelter.
Fostering is a family endeavor. This
allows the dog to be exposed to
different dynamics and behaviors
in safe surroundings. I use my
dog Sydney as a mentor to teach
our foster trust, confidence, and
manners (well, except for the
barking…). It is amazing to watch
her assume that role as soon as a
new dog enters the house. She takes
her job seriously! And, I love the
fact that when each one leaves for
their new life, they take a little bit
of Sydney with them. I make it a
priority to socialize and exercise
our foster, to expose him to varied
people, noises, movements, and
other dogs. People on the trails
are always willing to help us out,
depending on the needs of our
specific dog.
fosters around town Some of
these dogs would have likely been
euthanized if they had not been
given the opportunity to leave the
shelter. I feel like they were waiting
for their just right forever family.
The owners of the first dog we ever
fostered (approximately 8 years
ago) still keep in touch with me and
send pictures every year. Their dog
still does not like strangers, or to
be touched on her hind quarters. I
recently got to see her after many
years. She let me hug her and pet
her in a way she typically does not
allow. Her family feels confident that
she remembered me. What an honor
that was for me!
My husband is an angel. He
generally doesn’t even blink an eye
when I bring another dog home. He
just flows into the routine of helping
to make this dog whole, of allowing
him to flourish. We know there
will be more dog hair in the house,
things chewed that can be replaced
(hopefully!), inconveniences with
walking. These are minor troubles
when compared with the gift of
witnessing a “problem” dog blossom.
We have seen many growly, fearful
dogs transform into trusting, cuddly
dogs who like to rest their heads
on our laps and have their bellies
scratched This development of trust,
which has been sorely absent in
the past, is heartwarming. It is the
foundation of a much-deserved life.
Yes, it is difficult to give up those
dogs we get attached to and fall in
love with. But, we need to make
room for the next one.
By Linda Liman
I experience great happiness and
fulfillment when I see our successful
Routt County Humane Society l PO Box 772080 Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 l 970-879-RCHS l routthumane.org
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routthumane.org/donate
Thank you for your recent
donations, memorials,
honors and commitment
to animals!
Gary with Pilots N Paws
brings Stella and her
puppies to Steamboat.
Thank you, Mountain Pet
Rescue, for coordinating the
transport from a high-kill
shelter in Oklahoma on May
20. All have been adopted
from RCHS!
In Memory Of
Rico, by Linda and Rich
Danter, Natalie Hurtig,
and Stephen Dearholt
Kitty, by Mary Kurtz
Darrell Stonebrink, by Viola Look
Blue Ditrani, by Scott and Colleen
Whiteman
Lilly King, by Charity Jeckel
Nancy and Matzoball, by
Jonathan Levin
Shep Landy, by Susan Dreska
Zoe Inglefield, by Ute and Michael
Lichtenstein and Susan Dreska
Jean Stratton, by Rosanne
Andrew
Giz, by Fred and Candi Garrison
Faithful Companion of John and
Tara Yohannan, by Fred
and Candi Garrison
Bella Wiedemer, by Diane and
Mike Lane
Missy May, by Frances Jenkins
Fannie-Rose Oxman, by Linda and
Les Liman
Doak and King George, by Diane
and Mike Lane
Sweet Pea Haubert, by Jacqueline
Teuscher
Cheli Elliott, by Ute and Michael
Lichtenstein
In Honor Of
Lauren Ehrlich’s Bat Mitzvah, by
Caitlin Emanuel
Carla Ooyen and Eric Jensen, by
Rosemary Ooyen
Scott Giller, by RSM US LLP
Xena Fund
Carol and Russ Atha
Mike & Mary Circle
Paul Ralston & Mariana Ishida
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Thank you to our Animal Rescue
Partners!
Mountain Pet Rescue
MPR is a Colorado nonprofit organization dedicated
to finding forever homes for pets in need. MPR focuses
on active mountain dogs that face euthanization or are
considered unadoptable in other areas of the country, but
are in high demand in Colorado’s mountain communities.
mountainpetrescue.org
Animal Assistance League of Northwest Colorado
AAL offers humane education and support to citizens,
animal shelters, and rescues in Routt, Moffat, Rio
Blanco, Grand and Jackson Counties.
Colorado Animal Rescue Express
CARE is dedicated to providing safe transportation of
homeless pets to approved rescues and adoptive homes.
CARE is committed to reducing the number of homeless
pets by funding spay and neuter programs. CARE assists
homeless pets with veterinary care through Jake’s Fund.
CARE helps individuals keep their pets during times of
hardship, and assists pets and shelters affected by natural disasters. CARE
provides donated food, supplies, and capital improvements to disadvantaged
shelters and rescuers. caretransport.org
Our Animal Rescue Partners make it possible for RCHS to save more animals from
overpopulated shelters and find them suitable forever homes in Routt County and the
Steamboat Springs area. Please consider supporting the work that they do by making a
donation to them!
Routt County Humane Society l PO Box 772080 Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 l 970-879-RCHS l routthumane.org
Thank you to all who have donated to the Routt County
Humane Society!
We sincerely apologize if we inadvertently omitted anyone due to our new software.
Ana Acosta
Susan and Gerard Albers
Bruce Allbright
Laura Anderson
Ellen Archer
Gordon Baker
Alpine Bank
Matthew Barber
Hannah Bisbee
Nichole Boettcher
Karen and Gene Brander
Julian Bristow
Thomas Brown
April Brunk
Sarah Buckner
The Buddhist Center of
Steamboat Springs
Robert Burks
Business for Isness
Foundation
Garrett Bye
Byrne Equipment Sales
Barbara Cannizzio
Michelle and Stephen
Caragol
Katherine Carroll,
through
RevolutionEHR
Trish and Rob Carpenter
Charles Chase
Janet Cino
Joseph Clynes
Wilton Cogswell
Carter Cole
Monique Cole
Kerry Contarino
Jerry and Kathy Craig
Annette Della Croce
Lynn and Bill Davis
Déjà Vu Consignments
Jim and Ann Dery
Susan Dreska
Doc’s Auto
Dan Dooley
ECOPHONES
Carole Eimers
Rhonda Erickson
ExxonMobil Foundation
John Fawcett
Nikki Flamio
Douglas Fleener
Sheree Freda
Barb Fulton
Izzy Gagliano
Cheryl Garrity
Dolores Gall
Berenisse Garcia
Candi Garrison
Bernice Gates Hopper
Family Fund
Beth Gavelle
Katherine George
Sara Gezon
Scott and Jennifer Giller
Lilly Gonzalez
Don Gore
Beth Gravelle
Scott Grosjean
Brady, David, and Lewis
Grooters
Gondola Pub & Grill
Stu Roberts and Lulu
Gould
Jeffry and Wendy
Gustafson
Gary and Dot Haberlan
Heather and Peter Hack
Carol Halik
John Harris
Carrie Henderson
Pat Hennessy
Amy Hillenbrand
Teresa and Bruce Hinde
Denyce and Mike
Hodder
Thomas Holliday
Nancy Hummel
Rick Hubina
Robert Ellsworth and
Sarah Katherman
D’Ann Kavanaugh
Karen Kellenberger
James and Lynn Kelley
Christine Kenton
Sue Kimes
James and Laurie Kohler
Paul Komor
Bryan Koplow
John and Leellen Koroulis
LeeEllen Korous
Rob Kossack
Diane and Mike Lane
Lee’s Keys Plus, LLC
Linda Leonard
Kristen Lile
Linda and Les Liman
Erica Lindemann
Karen Linsky
Luck Family Foundation
Verne and Nancy
Lundquist
Carol Mahoney
Carol and Willy
Markowitz
Lisa and Richard Marx
Antonio Marxwach
Nora Matteo
Nancy Mayer
Anne Mayberry
Marilyn McCaulley
Dave and Linda McIrvin
Susan Mead
Terri Meeks
James Meyers
Kristina Mitchell
William Mitchell
Katie Moore
Sandra Morrison
Micheal Mow
Cathleen Neelan
Larry Nelson
John Nydam
Pauline O’Brien
Hunter Ogden
Jessica Olsen
Abby Olson
Karen Olson
April Parsons
Cindy Patten
Linda Pringle
Holly Propst
Wendy Puckett
Pamela Richey
Skye Richards
Erika Rick
Henry Roath
Elizabeth Robbins
Curtis and Wendy
Rogers
Janie Romick
Alicia Sabin
Barbara Ann Sachs
Steven and Tammy
Schibline
Lane Schrock
Mr. and Mrs. Fred
Schvetz
Jessica Scroble
Shirt Off My Back
John and Mary Jane
Singer
Chan Spear Caryll and
Norman Sprague Jr.
Foundation
Deb and Phil Street
Steamboat Engineering
& Architectural Design
Steamboat Resorts
Mark and Lindsay Stepp
Erin Sudmalis
Ellen Sullivan
Catherine Swan
Joy and Denny Swanson
Joseph Tatar
Beth Taylor
TIC
Yvonne Truelove
Sara Vanblarcum
Verizon Foundation
Ron Gordon and Kelly
Victory
Stephane Vordermeier,
through
RevolutionEHR
Molly Waters
Blair and John Weibel
Andrew Weinraub
Tina Weintraub
Larry Klingman and
Joella West
Andrew Wilder
Lisa Williams
Lily Yamashita
Yampa Valley
Community
Foundation
Martha Young
Kathrine Zdeelick
Kathie and Pat Zelek
Tracy Zuschlag
Routt County Humane Society l PO Box 772080 Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 l 970-879-RCHS l routthumane.org
7
Nonprofit
POSTAGE PAID
SBS, CO
Permit #58
Routt County Humane Society
PO Box 772080
Steamboat Springs, CO 80477
970-879-RCHS
info@routthumane.org
RCHS Board of Directors
Maggie Smith, Co-President
Patrick Welsh, Co-Presdient
Lindsay Stepp, Vice President
Marilyn McCaulley, Secretary
Karen Schiller, Treasurer
Ellen Archer
Lisa Archer-Leach
Sarah Katherman
Larry Klingman
Linda Liman
“The Routt County Humane Society is a non-profit, dedicated to the prevention of cruelty to animals,
providing humane education, promoting spaying and neutering as a means of decreasing the number
of unwanted pets, and encouraging respect for the dignity and worth of all animals.”
Become a Member of the Routt County Humane Society
PO Box 772080 Steamboat Springs, CO 80477 l 970-879-RCHS l routthumane.org
Individual
$15
Family
$25
Your Name
Address
Business
Basic
$50
Supporting
$100
Benefactor
$150
Corporate Sponsor
Contact us for details.
Enclosed is $
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