Harney County Save A Stray Rescue

Here is one of the mama’s and her 8 puppies that got rescued this past saturday by George, a volunteer with Project Pooch in Woodburn.  Meet Honey, who is reported to be an “awesome mom”.

Princeton Pup Roxie was adopted by Mike and Nona, who are blogging about their new addition.  Below is Roxie’s pic while still in Princeton.   Thanks to Mike and Nona, we can all follow their blog for the rest of Roxie’s story:  http://mikavexo.wordpress.com/

6 weeks left until our March 15th deadline to get the dogs off the Princeton property.

• There are still about 50 dogs remaining.
• Best guess is a dozen of the 3-6 month old pups remain.  HCSAS erected 3 more catch kennels this past weekend.
• The older dogs and teen puppies are nearly impossible to catch and to place.  These dogs and older puppies will need a secure environment with an experienced owner to get them over their fears of being handled.  They all seem to thrive in a setting where they can be with other social dogs. Of course the adults will be the hardest to place so those are the ones we need to have places to go as soon as we get them caught.
• Some of the dogs are injured; mostly the teen puppies.
• Many of the bitches are pregnant, or have recently given birth.  New litters are being born DAILY.
• The youngest puppies are the easiest to place, especially when we can catch the mom with them.  Catching mom is incredibly difficult, making her puppies hard to place if they need bottle feeding.
• There is a chance now that we will be getting help from a large organization that specialize in this type of rescue to capture the dogs.
• If this happens then what will be needed the MOST will be the foster or permanent homes for the dogs.
• These dogs are mostly herding type breeds.  Aussie crosses mostly, cattle dog crosses, with some medium size “fox” looking dogs that may have some Shiba Inu in them.  If you are able to foster to socialize or adopt one of these dogs please email melanie with your information or leave a comment below.  THANK YOU!!
• Any of the dogs not rescued by March 15th will be SHOT euthanized. Thanks to Oregon Humane, who has stepped up to euthanize any of the dogs we can’t get off property by March 15th.  Thanks to each of you who has donated cash for transport costs.  This makes catching the dogs our #1 priority, followed closely by finding foster and/or rescue placement for them.  The outpouring of outrage and support is overwhelming – THANK YOU.  You really are making a difference!
• We’re not a political organization.  However, because several of you have made comments about the number of cases like this one that seem to come out of this area and the lack of legal controls to discourage hoarders or pay for intervention, here is a link so you can contact Harney County elected officials.

Help is still needed to find placement and to pay for transport expenses, food and medical supplies. Donations can be made to any branch of US Bank or by sending a check to Harney County Save A Stray, PO Box 403, Burns, OR 97720.

If you can help in any way please contact Melanie @ melanie@harneycountysaveastray.com.  If you comment to this post with how you can help, leaving your email address, our webmaster will make sure it gets to Melanie.  Melanie is collecting all offers and will contact you when a need matches your offer.

If you want to adopt one of the animals already off the property, that helps, too!  Taking a dog out of rescue or foster means there is room for us to put another in.  Here are the organizations to contact:

• Oregon Humane Society in Portland, OR
• Cooper’s Boarding Kennels in Amity, OR (503) 835-364 | 7920 Southeast Amity Road, Amity, OR, 97101
• Greenhill Humane Society in Eugene, OR
• Project Pooch in Portland, OR
• Animal Aid in Portland, OR
• Pasados Safe Haven in Sultan, WA
• Washington State Animal Response Team in Enumclaw, WA
• South Pacific County Humane Society in Long Beach, WA is taking the animals HCSAS normally picks up, which frees rescuers closer to Princeton to work on this case.
• There will be more;  comment to this post to be contacted to foster or adopt.

Rescue group makes desperate plea to save 50 dogs in Harney County
By Lynne Terry, The Oregonian
January 29, 2010, 9:44PM

Michael Lloyd/The OregonianOne of the 70 dogs rescued from Harney County rests at the Oregon Humane Society. The animals rescued from Eastern Oregon were adopted at a record pace.

The e-mail messages scream into electronic mailboxes, firing up animal lovers from Portland to Pasco, and Bakersfield to Whidbey Island:

“Gut wrenching situation … help is desperately needed … any of the dogs not rescued by March 15th will be SHOT.”

The dogs in question are mostly border collie, Australian shepherd and Shiba Inu mixes roaming on a patch of property about 20 miles south of Burns. They were among as many as 200 that were kept outside in subfreezing temperatures by a couple of longtime renters on the property.

Anita Darlene Anderson, 55, and her husband, Ronald Steven Anderson, 43, were arrested in December on allegations of animal neglect.

That month, the Oregon Humane Society rescued almost 90 dogs from the property, and Harney County Save a Stray rescued about 50.

But Melanie Epping, the founder of the small rescue service, said about 50 remain on the property. According to Harney County Sheriff Dave Glerup, they’ve roamed onto nearby ranches, harassing livestock.

In cattle country, that spells death.

Two ranchers, concerned about their livestock, have shot several dogs, Glerup said.

While that might shock animal lovers, an Oregon statue makes it legal to kill dogs chasing or harming livestock.

Glerup said more dogs are likely to be killed if they’re not rounded up.

“We’re about to start our calving season, and I can guarantee you that the ranchers won’t put up with that,” he said. “They’ll also be shot if they’re caught harassing wildlife.”

Glerup said the dogs have been sighted venturing into the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which spreads out a few miles from the property where the two renters live.

Epping, who lives in Long Beach, Wash., but grew up in Harney County, initiated the e-mail flurry by posting a message on her Web site on Sunday, warning that the dogs would be killed if they’re not rescued.

“Nobody was stepping up to help,” Epping said. “We were flailing. That’s what we had to do to get people’s attention.”

Epping said the Andersons, who were arraigned last week in Harney County Circuit Court, have to get rid of the dogs or face jail time.

Animal neglect comes with a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $2,500 fine.

Glerup said the county would be flexible as long as the Andersons are cooperating and trying to round up the animals.

But that’s not been easy.

“They’re wild,” Epping said. “They’re very hard to catch.”

She said she is trying to enlist the help of the animal rights group Humane Society of the United States, which has an office in Eugene.

She’s also hopeful that members of rescue organizations and animal lovers, who’ve been calling and e-mailing her in an avalanche of concern, will pitch in and help.

“So many people are upset about these dogs getting shot that I think we’re going to have a good outcome with this,” she said.

Dogs that can’t be socialized will be euthanized, she said. The Oregon Humane Society has offered to pay to ensure the animals are killed humanely.

“We will pay whatever it takes,” said Barbara Baugnon, a spokeswoman for the Humane Society.

– Lynne Terry

Today two more mama dogs and their puppies and big Brutus the Pit Bull/Plott hound mix are being rescued from the property, 17 in total (3 dogs + 14 puppies).   Project Pooch in Woodburn will take one of the moms and her pups into their program and Coopers Boarding Kennels in Amity, OR will take the other mom and her pups.  Brutus will be going to the Animal Aid Group in Portland where he will go into a foster home until he is adopted.  Because the dogs needing rescued are mostly running loose it is take a while to get them rounded up.  This will be an ongoing process until they are all caught.

I want to thank EVERYONE that has called or e mailed with their offers to help! Be assured if you have left me a message stating the ways you are able to help in this rescue that I have written down your information and will call you when needed.  Comment to this post and your offer and email address will be forwarded to me.

The pleas for help that have been going out all over the Internet have really made a difference! And because there has been so much outrage about these dogs getting shot and the offers of help that have been coning in I believe now we are going to have a much better ending to this story.  So THANK YOU to all of you that have gotten the word out and have offered to help because you DID make a difference!

Our biggest challenge right now is capturing the dogs.  It may take a few weeks but we are determined to keep moving forward and not give up. There is a chance now that we will be getting help from a large organization that specialize in this type of rescue to capture the dogs and if this happens then what will be needed the MOST will be the foster or permanent homes for the dogs. These dogs and older puppies will need a secure environment with an experienced owner to get them over their fears of being handled.  They all seem to thrive in a setting where they can be with other social dogs. Of course the adults will be the hardest to place so those are the ones I will need to have places to go as soon as we get them caught.  These dogs are mostly herding type breeds.  Aussie crosses mostly, cattle dog crosses, with some medium size “fox” looking dogs that may have some Shiba Inu in them.  If you are able to foster to socialize or adopt one of these dogs please email me with your information.  THANK YOU!!

It is best to reach me by e mail at   melanie@harneycountysaveastray.com.

Melanie

• There are still somewhere between 50-70 dogs on the property.
• Many of the bitches are pregnant, or have recently given birth.
• New litters are being born DAILY.
• The youngest puppies are the easiest to place, especially when we can catch the mom with them.  Catching mom is incredibly difficult, making her puppies hard to place if they need bottle feeding.
• The teen puppies are nearly impossible to catch and to place.  They desperately need socialization.
• Best guess is a dozen of the 4-6 month old pups remain;  3 are caught;  HCSAS erected 3 more catch kennels this past weekend in hopes of catching some of the others.
• Some of the dogs are injured; mostly the teen puppies.
• The dogs are mostly “brainy breeds” with a good chance of training them to be awesome pets.  However, the dogs that remain are largely feral; they need a lot of patience and TLC in foster care and permanent homes.  Many don’t know how to trust or be touched.
• Any of the dogs not rescued by March 15th will be SHOT. Yes, we said shot.  Not by us!! We don’t condone this action AT ALL.  The truth at t he moment is that there aren’t funds to transport the dogs we’re able to rescue and there aren’t funds to humanely euthanize the dogs that remain on the property the day the owners of the dogs have to have them off property.  We’re told that the day we are no longer able to take dogs, after we leave they plan to shoot the dogs we can’t rescue and, in fact, have already shot some.  We DESPERATELY need funds to get as many of these puppies off the property as possible in the limited time left.

PLEASE help HCSAS find, and pay for, safe placement for these dogs before March 15th!!

Help is desperately needed to find placement and to pay for transport expenses, food and medical supplies. Donations can be made to any branch of US Bank or by sending a check to Harney County Save A Stray, PO Box 403, Burns, OR 97720.

If you can help in any way please contact Melanie @ 541-589-1104 or melanie@harneycountysaveastray.com.

Dennis Company in Long Beach, WA, long a supporter of their local no-kill Shelter, South Pacific County Humane Society, just learned about the Princeton dogs and has offered up 3-4 bags of Science Diet food to go with the first ten dogs fostered or adopted near their stores (the Pacific County, WA area).   Contact Melanie for more info:  541-589-1104

Please take a look at our Flickr feed for new photos from Byron, Melanie and Curtis this weekend as they rescued another round of dogs – mostly puppies – in the desert snow. 

These dogs have SEVEN WEEKS to find permanent or foster placement.  All ages of dogs remain; from young pups to senior dogs.  Some are shy.  Some are wounded.  All are COLD.

Melanie and Curtis Epping from Harney County Save A Stray [HCSAS] and Byron Wilkes from the Washington State Animal Response Team went back out to the property in Princeton, Oregon, to rescue more of the puppies.

Cooper’s Boarding Kennels in Amity, OR, took three small breed dogs into foster; they will be available for adoption soon.  Pasados Safe Haven is taking 9 of the puppies.  Melanie is bringing to Long Beach, WA two of the Princeton dogs and all the dogs HCSAS has recently rescued in the area not related to this case.  The latter are going to South Pacific County Humane Society in Long Beach, which frees rescuers closer to Princeton to work on this case.  The two Princeton dogs coming to Long Beach have been in foster care need to move; if anyone can take just ONE of the two, it would be a great help. Contact Melanie@harneycountysaveastray.com or 541-589-1104.

PLEASE help HCSAS find, and pay for, safe placement for these dogs before March 15th!!

Help is desperately needed to find placement and to pay for transport expenses, food and medical supplies. Donations can be made to any branch of US Bank or by sending a check to Harney County Save A Stray, PO Box 403, Burns, OR 97720.

If you can help in any way please contact Melanie @ 541-589-1104

Yesterday, Save A Stray, with the help of Byron from the Washington State Animal Response Team, went back out to the property in Princeton,Oregon to rescue more of the puppies. There is still a desperate need to find foster or permanent homes for some of the older pups from the ages of 4 to 6 months.  Time is running out for these dogs, we only have a few short weeks to find places for them to go.

Today we were able to send 9 tiny puppies and 3 small breed dogs to a foster home at Coopers Boarding Kennels in Amity,Or. where they will be up for adoption soon.

Pasados Safe Haven in Washigton has also agreed to take in some of the older puppies to socialize and eventually place up for adoption.

We are so grateful for this help and support to save some more puppies.

Save A Stray still needs donations to help with transport costs, you can make a donation at any U S Bank or send to P O Box 403 Burns, Or. 97720

If you can help in any way please contact Melanie @ 541-589-1104

These pups need socialization but are smart and eager to learn

A Princeton, Oregon Puppy, so young to be feral in the snowy desert

Princeton, Oregon Puppies in need of homes SOON

A Princeton, Oregon Puppy with beef carcass food littered in the snowy desert

Melanie of Harney County Save A Stray and Byron of Washington State Animal Response Team

Days are very numbered for these pups. Can you help?

Save A Stray is continuing to work on rescuing the dogs and puppies left behind .  Over 100 have been rescued.  Most of the rescued dogs have already found loving homes while a few others are in foster care until they are ready to be adopted.

The owners of the remaining dogs are cooperating with the authorities, and Harney County Save A Stray Rescue, to catch the rest of the puppies and adult dogs that are adoptable.  Soon these dogs and puppies will also make their way into foster homes and shelters, hopefully in the upcoming weeks.

Right now, thanks to the Safeway store in Burns, and Byron with the Washington State Animal Response Team, the dogs are being well-fed until they can be rescued.

We would like to thank all of you for your help thus far in this most worthwhile effort to save as many of these dogs as we can.  The e-mails, phone calls, donations and hands on support have been so great and so appreciated!  We could not have been able to do this without you!

Melanie
Harney County Save A Stray Rescue