Palo Alto Animal Services is a small shelter with big heart. We are a team of 11 employees and more than 40 volunteers who serve at Palo Alto Police Department’s Animal Control Division. Like many shelters, we have our share of challenging dog cases. Shelter stress is common, so the challenge is to keep everyone in good spirits until a forever home comes along. We provide healthy diets, exercise, and pay close attention to every animal’s emotional health and well-being. If their emotional health is suffering, their physical health does, too. Fortunately, we see many happy endings. Here are a few of them.
Sam’s manners makeover
In June 2014, a good Samaritan saw an exuberant Pit Bull-type dog running loose by the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford. The dog wore a collar without identification, so he brought the dog to the shelter. When no one came looking for him, we gave him the name “Sam” and got to work getting him ready for adoption. Strong and high-energy, Sam was desperately in need of basic training, not to mention he was leash reactive, jumpy, mouthy, and dog aggressive. Would he ever make a good pet? Thanks to Marthina McClay of Our Pack, Inc. and Jennifer Underwood of 2 Feet & 4 Paws Forward Training and the tireless efforts of shelter volunteers, Sam improved his manners and learned to be a gentleman on leash. Long walks with volunteers along the Baylands path were his saving grace. Weeks and then months passed without a home for Sam, but he handled it well. Sam had just celebrated his one-year “shelter-versary” when, finally, a prospective adopter came to visit — a woman whose sister has a female dog just like Sam. When the two dogs met, there was a lot of excitement and sniffing, but no doggie drama. When she decided to adopt him, we all rejoiced. At last Sam has a home of his own.
Dougie, the honors student
Earlier this year, a hospitalized man surrendered his 1-year old dog to us due to his unfortunate circumstances. Dougie, who had probably never been away from his owner before, showed separation anxiety right from the start. When alone, he missed being around people so much that he drooled, paced, and smeared his feces on the kennel walls. Then, Jennifer Underwood offered Dougie the chance to attend her Canine Good Citizen classes in Sunnyvale. “I could see Dougie had some training and had been out in public,” she said. “He needed the outside stimulation that he was used to having, even if it was only once a week in my class.” Shelter volunteer and experienced dog handler, John Korges, stepped up to take Dougie to weekly classes and they passed the CGC test with flying colors.
According to John, “This was a team effort. The staff and volunteers all contributed to Dougie’s well-being. We all saw a need to increase Dougie’s stimulation and Jennifer’s offer to give additional training was such a gift. I see it as a group effort that brought a solution for a sweet dog that needed a little extra attention.” Jennifer added, “Right from the beginning, Dougie seemed to know what was expected of him. Many who saw him in downtown Sunnyvale were impressed and made remarks about his calm, good behavior. He definitely is the great ambassador for what a shelter dog can become.”
After about a 7-month stay at the shelter, Dougie found a wonderful family and has been seen about town, shopping, going to work with his owner, and on vacation in Tahoe.
Huey beats the odds
Last May, a report came in of a friendly dog wandering around the parking lot of the Palo Alto Main Post Office. We always look for identification on stray animals, but he wasn’t wearing a collar and had no microchip either. We checked all our lost pet reports, but didn’t find a match. Surely, we thought, such a nice dog would have an owner looking for him! Eventually, our seven-day wait period was over and no one came to claim him. His tail whirled around like a helicopter, so we christened him “Huey,” vaccinated him, microchipped him, and put him up for adoption. Although he ate well, got plenty of exercise, and charmed everyone, he had no takers. Two months later, a gentleman came in to look at our adoptable dogs. When he saw Huey, he stopped cold. To his amazement, Huey was his long-lost dog.
Cody Macartney, Lead Animal Control Officer, witnessed the happy reunion. In his words, “Two months before, someone attempted burglary and broke down the man’s fence. His dog was in the yard at the time, and was never seen again. The man searched for his dog at every animal shelter in the area, but not ours. Because his young son was distraught about the loss of their dog, he finally called off the search, and decided to adopt a new dog. When he found out about the existence of our shelter, he came and found that his dog had been waiting for him here the whole time.”
Sachi Hwangbo, RVT, serves as the volunteer coordinator at Palo Alto Animal Shelter, a section of Palo Alto Police Department’s Animal Control Division. For more information visit: cityofpaloalto.org/animalservices or facebook.com/animalservices or call: (650) 496-5971.
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