The Japan Animal Rescue Project
The C Street Hall Gallery in Eureka

Silent auction of animal art to benefit animal rescue in Japan

Friday April 1^st --  6-9:00
Saturday 2^nd -- 12-9:00

280 C Street, Eureka

Stock Schlueter, Rachel Schlueter, John King, Regina Case,
Linda Parkinson, Susan Fox,
Leslie Allen, Julie Allen,
Kathrin Burleson, Carol Andersen,
Sara Starr, Kim Pinches,
Elizabeth Berrien, Amy Granfield,
Linda Wise

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support

Animal Refuge Kansai

For more information, call 442-1419 or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

On July 1^st Elly Burger, manager of Tailwaggers Thrift Shop in Henderson Center, frantically called the Sequoia Humane Society Pet Adoption Center, “Someone just found a tiny little kitten stuffed into a brown paper bag in the alley – I’m not even sure it’s alive!”

“Bring it to the shelter immediately!” we replied.

A quick examination revealed that the kitten was indeed alive, but barely.  He was just skin and bones and his eyes were swollen shut.  Malnourished, dehydrated and suffering from a severe upper respiratory infection, we wondered if he’d survive.

We treated him with several courses of antibiotics and gave him fluids for dehydration, eye drops for his swollen eyes, nose drops for his congestion, and a dose of de-worming medication for good measure. We even had to feed him from a syringe for a few days because he was too weak and congested to eat on his own.

Christened “Scrubbles” for his extremely scrubby looking appearance, this survivor hung on for dear life – literally! A more docile kitty might have given up – but not Scrubbles! His feisty personality has shown through from the beginning. Not content to sit passively in a cage, Scrubbles launches himself at passersby, vying for attention – which, when bestowed, he rewards with a little (or big) love bite!

• Volunteers raised $1,300 through their annual Plant & Book Sale to help complete fencing around  the "dog park" west of the Pet Adoption Center, so that shelter dogs can run and play off-leash.
• Implemented a new dog enrichment program: a) Kennels are misted with a different scent each morning to provide the dogs with olfactory stimulation; b) Each dog receives a different enrichment ‘toy’ each afternoon – such as a kong filled with peanut butter or frozen yogurt.
• Helped 34 low-income pet owners with emergency veterinary expenses through our Pet Emergency Treatment Fund.
• Volunteers donated over 3,200 hours at the shelter walking dogs, socializing cats and helping find adoptive homes for our animals.
• Spayed and neutered over 1,300 cats and dogs, reducing the number of animals entering our shelters and helping to ensure a home for every pet in Humboldt County.
• Presented humane education programs in schools, teaching 3^rd graders about responsible pet ownership, and building awareness in youngsters that people who hurt animals may also hurt people.
• Doubled the number of pets microchipped (compared to last year), ensuring their safe return should they become separated from their family.

If you’ve visited the shelter or Tailwaggers recently you know that we have some new faces and exciting changes going on. First, I’d like to say a regretful farewell to Elly Burger, who worked as Tailwaggers Manager for 2 ½ years. Elly’s great talent for merchandising kept the shop looking its best. We wish Elly and her new granddaughter, Coral, the best.

New to Tailwaggers but familiar to shelter visitors is Helen Karganilla, who brings her creativity and enthusiasm to our Henderson Center location. Helen has worked as Customer Service Manager at SHS for over 3 years, and while we will miss her smile and bubbly personality at the shelter, we’re excited by the opportunity to form a new connection between TW and the shelter through her familiarity with SHS services. Already, Helen has implemented new programs, including “Friday Senior Appreciation Day," and soon customer rewards punch cards will be available.

Welcome to Rebecca Chesterton – new Customer Service Manager at the SHS shelter. No stranger to animal rescue, Rebecca has fostered many a homeless dog, and spent years as a professional groomer. Rebecca’s knowledge of animal behavior will help her match people with the pet that fits their family’s lifestyle.

And thanks to all our staff and volunteers, who put their hearts and souls into caring for the homeless animals that come to us looking for a second chance at a happy life.

Helen: As the new manager at Tailwaggers, I enjoy the opportunity to strengthen the connection between the Sequoia Humane Society and Tailwaggers Thrift Shop, and remind people that every dollar they spend at Tailwaggers helps homeless animals.  I enjoy working in the heart of a busy community where people are so friendly and welcoming and willing to help a worthy cause.  I also find it fun and fulfilling to be able to express my passion to create an inviting atmosphere for a pleasant shopping experience.  Everybody’s enthusiasm to help the homeless animals is like a chain reaction that transcends into a daily flurry of activities in the store.  This is what makes it worthwhile for me, and I feel optimistic that I can contribute to helping the animals by sharing their stories and promoting the no-kill mission of the Sequoia Humane Society.

Rebecca: I am very excited to have such a great opportunity to work with the wonderful team at Sequoia Humane Society! I'm looking forward to using my skills working in the pet industry towards the positive goal of placing pets in their forever homes. This position is so rewarding, although it can have its emotional moments too. I find myself experiencing excitement about the possibilities that each day brings

At the Sequoia Humane Society Pet Adoption Center our number one priority is the well-being of the animals in our care. Many of the cats and dogs at our shelter come to us from abused or neglected situations, and for most the transition to a shelter environment  - with the smells and sounds of other animals and unfamiliar people parading by each day - is stressful, to say the least.

That’s why we do everything possible with our limited resources to create a comfortable living space for our shelter cats and dogs while providing enriching activities to keep them physically and mentally stimulated.

Anyone that has visited our cat room can tell you that our feline friends live the life of luxury – with ramps to romp on, perches giving them an elevated view of their domain, an outdoor sunroom, and entertaining videos to watch.

Dogs are walked three times a day and rotated into outdoor play pens, in addition to the longer hikes and offsite excursions they enjoy with our volunteers. Peaceful music is piped into their kennel space, to “soothe the savage beast” (so to speak). Staff and volunteers train dogs on basic obedience commands, like “sit," “stay,” and “hee." And if they are so inclined, dogs can even work out on a treadmill!

Still, there is a considerable amount of time that dogs spend in their kennels without anything to do. In an effort to relieve their boredom, senior kennel attendant Chloe Cunningham developed a schedule of enrichments to augment the dogs’ daily routine.

Hi!  My name is Sissy.  I was known as Cecelia when I lived at the Sequoia Humane Society, but my new mom called me Little Sister which eventually got shortened to Sissy.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am very happy in my new forever home.  I have so many toys, I can’t decide what to play with first.  During the night while my mom is sleeping, I drag them all one by one to her bedroom so she has presents every morning when she wakes up.

Another thing I love to do is sit in the middle of the jigsaw puzzle my mom is trying to put together.  She tries really hard to persuade me to move, but that’s my favorite spot to see what is happening.  I also like to visit my neighbor cat, Alice, even though she hisses at me a lot.  That’s OK – I know she doesn’t really hate me – she’s just  being territorial.

My mom wants to let you know how much she loves me and how grateful she is that you took such good care of me while I was at the shelter.  She says she doesn’t know what she would do without me, and I know I’ve never been happier!

Thanks!

Sissy Chandler

Woe is me! My person got sick and passed away and I was left all alone. Where is that nice, warm lap I used to snuggle on? That gentle hand that used to stroke my silky fur?

My delicate disposition just couldn’t handle all these changes and I came down with something called a “UTI” – it burned and I couldn’t make it to the litter box in time! It wasn’t my fault and I felt really badly about it, but I don’t think my new person understood. He took me to the “VET” and told them to “put me down."

I’m not really sure what that means, but next thing I know I’m in this new place with lots of really nice people all petting me and cooing over me. I got my own room and some special food they said would make me better. Every day someone comes and talks to me and tries to coax me out of my room. But there are so many people walking by, it makes me nervous!

They tell me that they’ll find me a new home soon, where it’s quiet and the people will love me and be patient with my shyness. They say I’m beautiful and someone will surely recognize my inner beauty as well. I don’t know about that, but I do know that I have a lot of love to give if you’ll just give me a chance.

If you spend a lot of time sitting and reading and would like some company, maybe we’d be a good match. You can come meet me at the Sequoia Humane Society’s Pet Adoption Center – just ask for “Pretty Baby."

They told me the big black Lab's name was Reggie, as I looked at him lying in his pen. The shelter was clean, no-kill, and the people really friendly.

I'd only been in the area for six months, but everywhere I went in the small college town, people were welcoming and open.  Everyone waves when you pass them on the street.

But something was still missing as I attempted to settle in to my new life here, and I thought a dog couldn't hurt. Give me someone to talk to.

And I had just seen Reggie's advertisement on the local news. The shelter said they had received numerous calls right after, but they said the people who had come down to see him just didn't look like "Lab people," whatever that meant. They must've thought I did.

But at first, I thought the shelter had misjudged me in giving me Reggie and his things, which consisted of a dog pad, bag of toys almost all of which were brand new tennis balls, his dishes, and a sealed letter from his previous owner. See, Reggie and I didn't really hit it off when we got home. We struggled for two weeks (which is how long the shelter told me to give him to adjust to his new home). Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to adjust, too.  Maybe we were too much alike.

For some reason, his stuff (except for the tennis balls --- he wouldn't go anywhere without two stuffed in his mouth) got tossed in with all of my other unpacked boxes.  I guess I didn't really think he'd need all his old stuff, that I'd get him new things once he settled in. But it became pretty clear pretty soon that he wasn't going to.

What better way to honor or memorialize a beloved pet or family member than to make a gift in their name to help save the life of a homeless animal? When you make a donation to the Sequoia Humane Society on behalf of a cat, dog, horse, guinea pig, friend, parent, sister, brother, or other 2 or 4-legged creature, you’ll receive a special memorial card recognizing your gift—a card can also be sent to the honoree’s family at your request.