Wishbone News

Hello All

I’ve been thinking lately of how Wishbone is like the story of the little engine that could.  Just a little more than three years ago we were a brand new shiny organization with lots of hopes and dreams but untested.  When Allegan county asked for help to run their shelter other organizations said “no, the problem is too big”.  But when Wishbone was approached, perhaps in our naivete’, we said “We — think — we — can”.

So from a slow start three years ago, we huffed and puffed our way up the hill.  Many times along the way we wanted to quit when the grade seemed impossibly steep.  But the mantra “We — think — we can”, kept us going.

Well, as 2011 winds down, I’m here to tell you we can.  For sure, we have many more steep grades to climb, but we can face them with confidence.  Consider these numbers.

1.   In 2011 we re-homed a record breaking 546 dogs out of the shelter.  By comparison that number exceeds the 2010 numbers of any other shelter along the west shore community from Muskegon down to Berrien counties. ( Their 2011 numbers will not be published until next summer ).

2.   From a pitiful 15 cats in 2008 prior to our arrival, numbers skyrocketed in 2011, re-homing 482 cats & kittens.  As with dogs, that number exceeds the 2010 numbers of any other shelter along the west shore with the single exception of Harbor Humane which re-homed an impressive 568 cats in 2010.

That is an astounding achievement for our little shelter group and tiny budget.  Our hats need to come off to the adoption team of Karen, Josh, Angel, Tammy, Julie, Amber, and Carrie, who have worked tirelessly to photograph and promote pets, and organize the adoption and transport of so many cats and dogs.

On the medical front we have made huge gains as well.  Our medical program is in full swing.  With the help of Cindy Walker’s vocational vet tech students from the Allegan Tech Ctr.,  John and Shelly, our licensed vet tech volunteers, we now vaccinate all incoming animals and provide heartworm and/or FIV/FeLV tests prior to adoption.  And if all goes as planned, we could start seeing spay-neuter services performed at the shelter by 2nd Qtr 2012.

Health at the shelter has never been higher.  Animals are well fed, exercised when possible, and the kennel areas are kept clean by the tireless efforts of Josh, and the volunteers and trustee crews he directs on a daily basis.  Thanks Josh, I know it’s exhausting work.  We’re working on more staffing for 2012 !

Volunteer participation at the shelter has ballooned too.  Through the efforts of Mike, Sara and Shalee, we now have regular volunteer orientation classes at the shelter.  We’ll close this year with a roster of 73 volunteers!  ..another record.

And of course, this is just Wishbones’s shelter work.  Wishbone has made huge strides this year in our community service work through the Pet Food Pantry, community spay-neuter services, and most recently, public education programs.  Watch for the Wishbone newsletter in January for stories about those programs and their 2011 achievements.

So.. thank you all for your tremendous commitment and efforts.  Imagine what we will achieve for 2012 !

Sincerely,

Jeff Stiegman
Wishbone Pet Rescue
Allegan Count Animal Shelter

Studies have shown that how one treats animals is a direct reflection of how we treat each other. For that very reason, it is vital that we teach our children the importance of kindness, compassion and respect for animals and instill these values at a young age.

Animals, especially pets, are an important part of our lives and are regarded as family members. Business articles indicate that we spend around 51 billion dollars on our pets annually on everything from extensive medical care to daycare to gourmet diets. About 71 million homes in the U.S. have a pet(s). Yet, our shelters are still bursting at the seams with homeless cats and dogs. Between 4-5 million homeless animals are killed annually. Puppy mills, animal neglect and abuse, including dog fighting, thrives. Animal welfare community outreach is key to educating our communities and sharing the programs and resources that are available to families and their pets.

Having been involved in various aspects of animal welfare, including community outreach, in Chicago for many years, I am proud to bring my knowledge and experience to Allegan County. I am very excited to announce the launching of our official school community outreach program “Kids, Critters and Compassion”.

The program is approximately one hour long, is geared mainly to 3rd to 6th graders and is supported by a colorful power point presentation. At our recent visit to Glenn Elementary School, even the K-2nd graders were participating as enthusiastically as their older schoolmates.

It is very important that our kids learn about pet care and responsibility for a pet’s entire life span. We focus on the importance of their daily needs and bring awareness to our pet’s feeling and emotional capabilities, learning that their needs aren’t so different than ours. Those of us who own pets are well aware of their companionship and the comfort they bring to us in so many ways.

For many reasons, including health and behavioral, spaying or neutering is very positive for our pets. It is the best way to effectively reduce the over-population of unwanted cats and dogs in our communities and animal shelters. Many of the children already know the meaning of getting a pet “fixed”. Along with visuals including cardboard cut-outs of dogs/ cats showing the high numbers, a simple explanation that this is a quick operation to stop our dogs and cats from having puppies and kittens gets the message across well.

Safety around our pets at home is discussed to prevent dog and cat bites or scratches. More importantly, we discuss safety on the street when meeting a dog with an owner and safety around stray animals, especially dogs. Many of the children live in rural areas and can easily be confronted by a dog roaming free, with no collar or owner. Demonstrating to the kids how to behave in situations like this is very important to prevent them from suffering serious injuries from a dog attack.  All the kids participate in this and it’s fun to watch how enthusiastic they are about stepping up and demonstrating these techniques to the rest of the class.

Studies by the American Humane Society clearly document what is known as “The Link” – the connection between animal abuse and child abuse, domestic abuse, elder abuse and violence in general. In very simple language, we talk about how wrong and cruel animal abuse is. It is important to let a responsible adult know if they witness cruelty to a person or an animal so the proper authorities can be contacted. Dog fighting is rampant throughout the U.S., including western Michigan. It is surprising and disturbing that our young students are already familiar with this activity. It is vital that this topic is covered, the content of which is age appropriate, with no graphic visuals. It’s wrong, it’s cruel, and it’s a crime.

We conclude with the kids getting to meet and pet the animals we bring along with us, including Sandy’s wonderful therapy dog, Emmy Susu and a few kitties from the shelter. The kids can’t get enough of the animals and they all want to hold and cuddle them.

We leave all the students and teachers with packets of materials including information on all of Wishbone’s community programs along with literature on various animal topics to share with their families.

It’s very rewarding to work with these young children and from my personal experience, they all take away something from our visit. For some, it makes a huge difference in their attitude toward animals. Their enthusiasm to ask and answer questions is very heartwarming, as is their desire to share stories of their own pets.

We plan to start off the New Year by reaching out to more elementary and middle schools in the county.

If anyone is interested in volunteering with us or knows of a school that may be interested in having us present to them, I’d love to hear from you.

Lynda Stein /Contact information: lynda@wishbonepetrescue.com/312-286-6354

“  Dear Karen -

Thank you so much for the care you gave my babies.  I miss them so much.  Angel is in a far better world now, and I dream about Feather going to some 8-10 year old girl who will comb her and put pig tails or pony tails in her hair.  Again, thank you for your help.

Sincerely Ellen.. ”

Feather & Angel

BACK STORY:
Last month two small senior dogs were brought to the Allegan Shelter by a family member.  Their owner, an elderly woman in rehab for a back injury and in declining health, felt she could no longer care for them properly.

Wishbone contacted NBS Rescue in Ferndale MI, a group specializing in re-homing  small breed dogs.  Sadly, Angel, a long haired Chihuahua mix was subsequently diagnosed with severe bladder stones that could not be removed due to her age, as her health declined, and with consent of her previous owner Ellen, she was put to sleep.  However, her companion Feather, a miniature poodle mix is now on her way to a permanent home to live out the remainder of her life.

Unfortunately this is a story that is played out daily at animal shelters across the country.  Thankfully rescue groups like NBS have the resources and determination to step in and provide help.  Without the help of such groups, the Allegan Shelter would be the last stop for many more homeless pets.

Beth & Nancy

Meet Beth Allspach and Nancy Manchip, two “old timers” who are regular figures at the Allegan County Animal Shelter.  And by “old timers” I mean they predate almost every other shelter volunteer by at least six years.

Nancy is a special education teacher in Hopkins. When she’s not volunteering for Wishbone, she helps out Michigan Basset Rescue in Waterford, MI, and has two Bassets and a Bagel of her own.  She and her husband Steve also foster cats for Harbor Humane Society and just recently placed two special needs cats she’d fostered for over two years.  Beth is a Complex Services Manager for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.  Beth has a soft spot for small senior dogs in need.  Over the years Beth has pulled several seniors from our shelter,  including a senior dachshund that is determined to drive Beth’s husband Steve from their home.

Beth and Nancy met as volunteers at the Kent County Humane Society in the mid 1990s.  Unhappy with the direction and management changes, in 2002 Nancy suggested they approach the old Allegan County Animal Shelter and offer to walk dogs on weekends.  At that time dogs were only walked occasionally by trustees during morning cleaning.  It took a bit of arm twisting and haggling but eventually Lt. Baker and Sr. Animal Control Officer Tim Halstead relented.  And though the road remained bumpy for a number of years, Beth and Nancy have been walking dogs more or less continuously for the Allegan Shelter since 2002.  These days they can be found rain, snow, or shine bright and early at the shelter several Saturdays each month.

“They are model volunteers, dependable, fun to work with, and knowledgeable.  I look forward to Saturdays when they join us…” said Jeff Stiegman, one of the weekend volunteer coordinators.

If you are interested in volunteering at the Allegan Shelter contact us at volunteers@wishbonepetrescue.com or just drop by the shelter 11-4pm weekdays or 12-4pm weekends to pickup an application.

Everyone has known that special kitten that just grabs your heart and runs with it. That is our dear Fabio. Coming to Wishbone at two weeks old, Fabio and his siblings were nursed to health by one of our amazing foster moms. At only 16 weeks old, our little Fabio has brought such joy and hope to everyone he meets. Unfortunately, he’s become sick and we have exhausted all avenues with our regular vet and now need to move onto a specialist. We want Fabio to have the best chance at a full life, so we need to have further expensive tests done. Please help us provide Fabio with testing to save his life. A donation of any amount is needed and appreciated. Thank you from Wishbone and from Fabio, for giving him a second chance in life.

Your donation via PayPal will help us to continue the search for the answer to his illness.

Hello Friends,

Well, it’s been almost a year since we lost our amazing little friend, Chancey.  To be exact, it will be 1 year on this upcoming Monday August 29th.  And there is not a day that goes by that we don’t think about how much this handsome little guy has changed our lives forever!

A few weeks after Chancey’s death, a new fund came to life through the Wishbone Pet Rescue, known as the “Second Chance Fund”.  A fund that would be there to help out other sick dogs with medical needs.

Along with the Second Chance Fund coming to life….we also rescued two black lab puppies from the Allegan County Shelter, and have named them River & Mystic.  Today the puppies are both a little over one years old…and have been a wonderful addition to our family

Mystic has a LOT of Chancey in her…she is a crazy girl who loves her swimming pool and loves to play fetch, and enjoys having the 3 boys chase her around!  River is a big cuddle muffin, but also loves a good game of tug a war with Mystic!  Bear & Bronco have accepted the new family members into the house with open paws

Today, we received a phone call with regards to a request for help.  A little 12 week old puppy, named Alli who had been poisoned this past weekend, subsequencely because the puppy had got into some medication, and she ate 54 pills.  Her vet bills are very high, thankfully it appears that she will pull through her ordeal.

Once we received the phone call, we knew what we had to do, we knew that Chancey would want us to help out, and today we helped out Alli, our first receipient of the Second Chance Fund!

Paying it forward today, sure feels good on the heart! Together we can change the world, one good deed at a time.

Love,

Chancey’s Parents

October 1, 2005 – August 29, 2010

I lost a treasured friend today
The little dog that used to lay
His gentle head upon my knee
And share his silent thoughts with me.
He’ll come no longer to my call,
Retrieve no more his favorite ball
A voice far greater than my own
Has called him to His golden throne.
And though my eyes are filled with tears,
I thank Him for the happy years
He let him spend down here with me,
And for his love and loyalty.

Saying goodbye to a Faithful Friend is difficult.   Chance was a loyal companion, a best friend and a giver of unconditional love.  Chance was an amazing little man, he had the will and the strength to live, and he overcame and survived so many battles he endured during his short little life time.  Sadly, on August 29, 2010, after a long, courageous battle with kidney disease, our friend and family member, Chance, passed away at home in the loving arms of his mom & dad.

For the 20 months while in our care, Chance stole our hearts and he stole the show.  His never give up attitude and energy level brought smiles to all that knew him.  From the very first day of meeting him, we left that interview showered with his love; we knew in our hearts that he had picked us to be his parents.  And we would in return love him unconditionally, and protect him always. 

Chance would play ball for hours at a time, only taking breaks to splash around in his pool or to mine for smooth stones.  While playing ball, he always had to perform a show, with his leaping like a fish on a hook ball or his great surfing style as he slid across the grass.  It was always a show!  A show that made us smile from ear to ear every day, A show we never got old with, A show that we are going to miss so terribly so, A show that will forever be in our hearts & memories.

At bedtime he needed to sleep on 2 pillows as near to your head as he could be.  He was mama and daddy’s pillow buddy.

Chance will be sadly missed and will remain in our hearts forever.

We thank Wishbone for allowing us to adopt Chance.  And would also like to thank all of the many wonderful doctors who took such great care of him, from the beginning and through the end. 

We also send our sympathy to Jeff and Karen, the foster parents that loved him as we did.

Sincerely,

Brian and Stacy

Thank you all so very much for all your kind words and continued thoughts and prayers for Chance while he continues to fight this horrendous chronic kidney disease, that he never deserved to have.

Chance is an incredible little man, he has such an amazing strong will to survive and is trying his best to fight this horrible disease.  During the past few weeks we’ve had some good days and also a few not so good days.  Yesterday was a GOOD Day!  It was nice to see him smile and be so happy to go for a car ride and to also play with his toys outside with his big brother Keith!!  He’s by far not out of the woods yet, but at this time we are all just taking it one day at a time…thank you all again for your continued support and ongoing thoughts & prayers for our little man…

Love,

Mom & Dad

As of today, August 18^th  

Chancey is home from the hospital.

As we had mentioned last week, Chance was not doing very well due to the chronic kidney disease he has.  His blood levels took a huge spike, which was ultimately causing him a loss of appetite, energy, nausea & weakness.  He had stopped eating and had lost a considerable amount of weight.  We rushed him down to the MSU hospital last week in hopes of one more miracle.  While at MSU all last week, he was receiving IV hydration to flush his kidneys and a blood transfusion to help lower BUN and Creatinine levels. However, with all the best doctors and the best medications given, the values of his blood chemistries have continued to rise, sadly indicating that he has entered into the final stage of renal failure.  Our hearts are breaking, knowing that our time with him is very limited. 

We brought him home yesterday afternoon.  And on our way home, we decided to try one more option, Holistic Medicine.  We met with a great doctor who practices in Holistic veterinary medicine.  She offered up some great advice and suggestions for us to try.  She along with all the MSU doctors has agreed that Chance has a VERY STRONG WILL to SURVIVE.  They all indicated that with levels like his, they are surprised to see that he was able to still walk thru the doors on his own, let alone have the energy he has in his condition and still play for hours on end with his favorite squeaky ball throughout the week and yesterday!  He was ecstatic to see Bronco & Bear, and big Brother Keith last night….not to mention the happiness to be back in his own bed again J 

We are still praying he has one more miracle left in him.  He is truly a little angel, and we are so blessed to have him in our lives. 

So, please keep those prayer chains going for our little man!

Love,

Mom, Dad, Bear, Bronco, Keith & Chris

Here is the latest update we have on the little man as of this afternoon….today makes day 2 on IV fluids which are being used to help flush out the toxins.  The chronic kidney damage that he has, is taking a big toll on him.  They drew more blood this morning and found that there was a slight decrease in his bun, creatinine & phosphorus levels.   However the levels are still quite high…too high, which is also causing him to have high blood pressure too.   And although all the levels are extremely high, he seemed to have a bit more energy this morning.  And the drs were nice enough to take him off his IV for about an hour so he could have a little play time with mommy & daddy.  Attached are a few photos of the little man from this week

We ask for your thoughts and prayers and hope for one more miracle, to be able to have him come home from the hospital very soon.  Bear and Bronco are missing their baby brother too

Sincerely, Chancey’s Mom & Dad