Dog Bite Prevention Presentation

Where: Caledon Community Centre (map attached).

When: Saturday, May 24th at the Caledon Community Centre from 11 am until 3 pm.

Please click here for more information and a map. Note that you must have a PDF reader installed to read this article.

 

Dudley....says "Don't Fence Me In!" 

 

Although we take each resident's "wants and needs" into consideration, in this case, we are just ignoring Dudley's request for his own benefit....as a prime requisite for any adoptive family is the absolute necessity of a well-fenced yard.    Dudley is a cute, two-year-old tricolour beagle, and true to his genes he is totally scent-driven.

 

Yes! Dudley is a scent hound extraordinaire!  Leash walking consists of being pulled from one scent trail to another....and his enjoyment of outdoor experiences are unsurpassed..however, indoors Dudley is cuddly and affectionate and wants to interact with his "talkative" voice! 

 

Nobody in Dudley's life took the time to housebreak him,  so a home where someone will be there most of the day while he's learning would set him up for success.  Dudley is extremely food-driven, which is a plus for training and he should catch on quickly.  It cannot be stressed enough that Dudley is a roamer so he will need a securely fenced yard.  Dudley enjoys other dogs, but would chase cats; and is not suitable for a family with small children.

 

A perfect family for Dudley would be one who is familiar with the nature of beagles and who would enjoy working with him and watch the unfurling of his "hunting/scenting" type of personality.  Dudley will make a great addition to a family who would be willing to spend that extra time in the beginning of the relationship to truly bond with and train him.  A family who would delight in channelling  Dudley's inate  intelligence in the right direction and who would understand that he has not been in an environment during his life that would enable him to reach his potential.....this is Dudley's chance now!

 

Dudley is eager to put you in his future plans and would be happy to be introduced.  Call the Shelter at 519-833-2287 to meet him.... 

 

Submitted by: Judith-Anne Kolu 

Stella

 

Stella is an attractive, mature brown tabby with white accents and she is long overdue for a home of her own.  Sweet serene Stella is finding the stress of living in a Shelter with multiple cats in every nook and cranny increasingly unbearable and is miaowing for a quiet home with "no other cats"....a one cat family with a quiet lifestyle would be "manna from the Gods" for Stella.

 

When Stella came to the shelter she had said "goodbye to her babies" and was very nervous and sad, life was not good, then she had to suffer through a very painful eye ulcer which made her, understandably, rather cranky and she hid and avoided the other cats - she did not want them near her painful eye.

However, the eye is all healed up and the pain has gone and beautiful once again, Stella thinks of herself as the "Queen" of the cat room, liking people to locate her resting place and pay homage to her rather than seeking them out persistently.  Stella's ideal home would be without small children, an older family would be ideal, one who would love her and respect her independence and need for space.

Stella positively blooms when the cat room window is open and she can feel a light breeze on her face, she is content watching the world go by and purrs with pleasure.   If you like a feline who is willing to live her own life, this independent girl will be a wonderful addition to your family if independence is something you like in a cat but Stella is affectionate when approached and does love to have her head and ears rubbed and once secure and loved will probably "come out of her shell".

 

Stella feels that she raised her family and wants to join yours and live a peaceful life enjoying the warm sun on her fur and the love in your hearts.....Anyone interested to meet Stella, please call the Shelter at 519-833-2287.

 

 

Could You Foster a Kitten?

It is that time of year again! Abandoned kittens managing against all the odds to survive the winter are turning up hungry and exhausted and while the Upper Credit Humane Society Kitten Foster Programme is looking for homes; it needs kitten foster parents desperately. Kitten foster families look after the animals until they are adopted. This is caring without tears. The families’ skills are matched to the kittens needs. Food, bottles, blankets, towels, litter boxes and litter, carriers and medicines are all supplied. Foster parents find themselves part of an extensive support network with an inexhaustible supply of help and advice. You will never be left to cope alone! You are responsible for insuring that your kittens arrive at their vet appointments but if you are a working family, the Kitten Foster Programme (KFP) will supply a driver to transport the kittens to and from their appointments. The kittens are ready for adoption after ten weeks.

Foster volunteers are asked to complete a questionnaire. Not everybody has the home environment needed for successful fostering. Family pets need not be a problem but the kittens will need a safe, clean separate space from the family. A spare room is ideal. Children can be involved with the care of the kittens provided they have adult-supervision. Those volunteers with available time will discover that the KFP is a satisfying and fulfilling form of community service. New Fosters will have kittens approximately 6 to 10 weeks old that require minimal care. More experienced Fosters may get younger kittens (1-4 weeks of age) requiring more intensive care with bottle-feeding and hygiene needs. Foster parents can also adopt should they wish. If you are not able to foster, we have many other opportunities that would enable you to support the program.

For those of you encountering kittens in need of a home or protection, the KFP has a few words of advice. If you are planning to ask the Programme to accept kittens they need to be tame and easily handled. The programme has limited Fosters so kittens can only be accepted when space is available. The KFP would prefer the animals were surrendered at 6 weeks. Kittens older than 16 weeks will not be accepted. There is much less chance of successful socialisation and it is very difficult to find good homes for older animals. If you have a kitten living under your deck, and you want the KFP to accept them, try gaining their trust with a bowl of cat food but remember, just because the kitten comes to eat does not mean that it is tame.

For more information on how to participate in the program contact Barb Johnson at 905-873-8547 or by an email sent to uchskittens@gmail.com.

 

 

Van Donated to Shelter

The van was donated by Karen Hannah and Kevin of Kevin's Towing in Milton. Shown in the picture are UCHS Board Members Darlene and Zelda, a recently adopted UCHS dog, staff person Allison, Karen and Kevin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOESN’T EVERYONE NEED A “BUDDY”?
 

The answer to that question is a definite “yes” especially if it is this particular “Buddy”.  Buddy is a young 7 year old Mastiff mix and yes she is a female.  She was surrendered when her family could no longer afford to take care of her and she had to leave the home in which she had spent her entire life and this sudden arrival at the Shelter left her bewildered and shaken and slow to adjust.

Our wonderful compassionate staff and volunteers decided that “Buddy” could not be put in the general Shelter population because her gentle heart would just “snap in two”, so Buddy has made her home in the office where I have met her several times.  Of course she has her daily exercise breaks, but has adapted well to the hurly burly of the main office, phones ringing, people coming and going, other animals arriving and leaving.  Buddy greets you with tail wagging and even an “alert” bark if the office is empty to let her new friends know there is a visitor.  

I was told she is an amazing dog, and one look at Buddy was instant love.  This dog exudes love and a quiet serenity that even those who see so many can see she really deserves that title “amazing dog”.  She approaches you, inspects you in a ladylike manner and is immediately wanting to be petted and admired.  This gentleness extends to other dogs, cats and children.  Buddy is also described as a sort of “peacemaker” “a nanny dog” one who just wants to love other pets and be loved back by everyone.  One of her favourites is Obi and she certainly shows that he is special to her by giving lots of kisses to her pal.  Buddy enjoys wrestling and playing and having had all that interaction, what’s better than to curl up on your bed and take a nap?

Everything about Buddy is a positive and her ONLY negative is the fact that the other part of her lineage besides Mastiff could be part Am Staff which our Ontario law designates a breed who has to wear a muzzle in public.  This is ludricrous in Buddy’s case and no-one has yet had the heart to put this horrid apparatus on her, so she would have to bear the indignity of this unsightly muzzle and be trained to wear it.   The writer finds this abhorrent as Buddy is as much danger to people as an 18 month old toddler!

“Buddy” described also as the “gem of the Shelter” is going to need knee surgery – she tore the ligament several years ago which her owners never had repaired. Her surgery will cost over $400 plus the work, time and money for her rehabilitation.  She has lived with this injury for several years and has lost all the muscle mass on the injured leg.  She is very “top heavy” due to her front legs having to do all the work and she will need physical therapy after healing to gain back all that muscle mass.  She has also (like so many of us) developed arthritis in that leg and will need ongoing supplements..

It is her very essence of being that we feel this surgery is absolutely necessary – she gives so much on a daily basis to all she meets, both human and canine….and we are hoping we can give her peace and a life free of pain.

We are once again asking for the public’s help……through our nearly deplete Trooper’s Fund.

Since setting up the Fund, many animals have been helped and gone on to find excellent, loving homes and a bright new future, we are hoping that Buddy (our special girl) will be able to do the same.

Some of the animals the Trooper Fund (i.e. you the Public) has helped are:

The pointer puppies – Freddy, Gunner, Jasper who were rescued from a horrendous life and had multiple problems from neglect.  You paid for their operations on hips, eyes, teeth.

Lava a dog that had an infection in her head and shoulders that required major vet care, surgery and medication.

Genevieve, a feline who had been shot with a pellet gun in the eye and was in dreadful pain, and nearly lost her sight but after surgery through the Trooper Fund, her eye was saved with some sight  - truly amazing. 

Then there are those dogs and cats which are numerous who have had dental surgeries instead of starving to death, because it was too painful to eat. 

We cannot help Buddy without your help, so if you cannot adopt her, can you help her by donating to the Trooper Fund on her behalf. If you are not sure, just come into the Shelter and meet this darling girl, and you probably will be the first to make a donation such is the power of Buddy.

In summary, Buddy needs a very special family, and after surgery if we cannot place her in her final home, we would be happy to place her with a foster family while she recovers from the surgery and therapy.   The Shelter is not an optimum place for an animal post surgery, but she will be kept until a suitable family can be found. 

The writer, Staff and volunteers are hoping that once more the public will come through for us either to adopt Buddy, foster Buddy or donate for her surgery…..we cannot do any of this without you! 

To meet Buddy, call the Shelter or drop by during our hours of business and fall in love with this super girl who is special to all who meet her.   The Shelter can be reached at 519-833-2287.

“Spring Thaw” fundraiser a resounding success!

On Sunday, March 31^st, the Bistro Riviere in Erin hosted “Spring Thaw” for the Upper Credit Humane Society.

Chef Thorntin McDonald and his wife Sonia Catino were eager to help the UCHS to get some much needed funds (their generosity was even more heartwarming as the Restaurant has not yet celebrated its own first year anniversary).  We hope some of our guests will be back for lunch or dinner because the food samples we enjoyed were high end and mouth watering and gave us an opportunity to see the standard of culinary arts that Chef Thorntin is attaining.  

Hosting our event by offering their fine restaurant and preparing a taste testing of things from their menu provided a great venue for this unique opportunity to fundraise.....the tickets sold out two weeks before the day!   One of our most popular events…..thank you Thorntin and Sonia for your fantastic efforts!

Adding interest to the culinary delights, there were some great door prizes donated from some of the many unique shops in Erin.   An ecletic selection of Raffle items was available including a very fine piece of jewellery which certainly prompted our guests to participate.  Additionally the small but select Silent Auction items were available to bid on, more jewellery, wood items, pictures, porcelain figurines, garden statues, baskets - donations just poured in….thanks to all who assisted us.

Everyone declared the afternoon a huge success and over $4,500 was collected for the animals’ care and welfare…they excitedly bark and meow their appreciation.

A sincere thank-you goes to each and everyone who played a part in making this Fundraiser a fun time and a successful venue.  Special thank you to the Chair Judith-Anne Kolu for her superlative efforts in co-ordinating the “Spring Thaw”.