Paw Print Personals! Peanut! Shy and sweet little guy looking for someone who will give me lots of chin scratches! Come meet me at Greenhill and I ll sing you my whole life story! Meet Stacie, our Volunteer of the Month for August! Stacie started volunteering in June 2017 and has already contributed over 190 hours of service to our shelters. As a Team Leader, Stacie enjoys helping train new volunteers to work with the shelter dogs. Stacie volunteers as a dog walker and in the Dog Enrichment Program and finds it especially fulfilling to help the shelter dogs work on their manners and assist in making them as adoptable as possible. She also finds it exciting to take the shelter dogs to KMTR for a Pet of the Week television spot on Friday mornings. One of her favorite aspects of volunteering is having a place away from the day to day worries and responsibilities of life. Stacie finds being around the dogs peaceful, fun, and her own way to destress. She loves the chance to make the quality of life better for the shelter s furry friends by cuddling them, letting them explore the world outside of their kennel on walks and ultimately having a part in helping them to find their fur-ever home. Stacie also enjoys the aspect that the staff and volunteers always provide a welcoming environment at the shelter as well, almost like a second family, and it s so neat to see all kinds of people come together in support of loving animals. From volunteering at Greenhill, Stacie has learned how re- warding it is to give your time to a genuine cause that does so much good. Stacie feels that it s such a simple thing for me to do but makes such a big difference and it s the most meaningful part of my day whenever I spend time at the shelter. I ve also learned so much about how to read dogs behaviors and how to be a better owner myself. Stacie graduated from Valparaiso University in 2013 and has been working in marketing ever since. She has lived all over the U.S. but settled in Eugene in January of 2017. Her boyfriend is a soccer coach locally for many teams. Stacie adopted her dog, Cado, in April 2014 and he has been her partner in crime for 4 1/2 years. She has since added Tonya, also a rescue, and hopes to be able to foster dogs when she has a house one day. Stacie enjoys playing and hiking with her dogs, reading a good book, fitness classes, gym time and watching Oregon sunsets. Tango! Super sweet pup looking for a quieter home. I may take a while to warm up, but then will want nothing but belly rubs! Come say hi at First Avenue! Bast! Loving and affectionate girl looking for someone to snuggle with! Come meet me at Greenhill! Meet Katie Gatlin, our Foster of the Month for August! Katie has been fostering with us for just over a year and has already fostered 19 kittens for us. She is always willing to take on whatever types of foster kittens we have for her, including bottle babies, and we are so grateful for the positivity and enthusiasm she brings to our foster team! As a foster parent, Katie most enjoys meeting and falling in love with kittens with so many different personality types. Her most memorable foster case was a two-week-old kitten named Albert, whom she fostered for nearly two months. In her own words, Seeing how much he changed and learned from this little bean who needed his bottle every few hours to this long-legged kitten who wanted to run, play, and investigate everything was such a joy. He was so energetic, curious, and rambunctious (aka a kitten) but would always come back and snuggle for a kitten nap. Outside of Greenhill, Katie works for CASA of Lane County, a nonprofit that advocates for children in foster care. At the end of the day, she comes home to a 4 year-old rescue pup named Lucy and a 20 pound rescue cat named Miles. Her hobbies include reading, walking with Lucy, yoga, baseball games, and going on adventures in the Pacific Northwest. So why should someone else consider fostering for Greenhill? To Katie, it s pretty obvious: I have perpetual kittens in my house is that not the sweetest gig ever? Saying it is easy would be a disservice, but the amount of fun and joy it brings to my house, colleagues, and friends is amazing.
Fostered by: Yvonne E. Going real good! We haven't changed his name, but we call him a variety of nicknames. He's a cool little cat. He hasn't been the vet yet, but I don't have any health concerns. He is AL- WAYS hungry though. He is a scratcher, but I'm building a new scratching post for him to redirect his scratching. I had a good experience at Greenhill and would do it again. He has similar characteristics like the monkey from our favorite movie, The Lion King. His face is white just like the monkey also. He bonded very quickly with our 13 year old cat. He gets along great with my young kids. He plays with them until they are worn out. We had him escape out of the bedroom while we had him separated to do a slow introduction to our other cat. We haven't had any behavior issues or litter box issues. He did need to be treated for fleas and will give a second dose soon for fleas. He has got some of his shots from the veterinarian. We had a great experience at Greenhill and enjoyed visiting with all the kitties while we were waiting for our adoption paperwork to be finalized. He's doing great. His name is Gizmo now. He has been to the vet and that went well. I haven't noticed any behavior or temperament issues. I would definitely adopt again from you guys if I was looking for another pet. He has been around another cat and does just fine. She is such a blessing! She loves to snuggle with Leon. She s my sidekick and won t leave my side. At first she didn t do much of anything, though she was always very friendly. But now this is her house; if somebody comes to the door she lets them know. I trust her off leash in the back yard; she doesn t run off. She s really come out of her shell a lot. We did use the vet exam. He said she s in great shape and didn t see any problems at all. She s probably a little over a year.
39 days at Greenhill! Reba is doing well and fitting into the family. We have a dog who is anxious to play with her, but for now, I am taking it slowly to make sure everything works out when I do an introduction. I m working on teaching Reba some tricks. She's doing wonderful! We have 2 kids and she gets so much attention. Demi is really good with the kids. She is our one and only pet right now. We adopted her on the date that was three years to the day that our other cat died. We took her to the vet and she had an upper respiratory issue and it's better now. She adjusted very quickly. Zing (name fits him perfectly!) is a great dog I take him to work with me, he s a great dog. He was a little mouthy when we first got him but we ve been working with him and he s getting much better. He s been to the vet, he had some worms but all clear now. He loves to run in big circles - does his heart good and mine too! They are super happy! We changed Rudy's name to Onyx, and George's to Spots. They have not been to the vet yet but will be going soon. We have no health concerns at all. They get lots of attention and are lovey. They also have lots of energy. I haven't noticed any training or behavior issues at all. We had a good experience with Greenhill and would definitely do it again.
What to Do If You Find a Litter of Kittens If you find a litter of kittens, first, watch and wait! A kitten s best chance of thriving is with their mother. Momma Cat may be off finding food for herself or she may be in the process of actively moving her litter to another location. Try to determine if the mother is coming back for them, or if they are truly orphaned. Stand far away from the kittens 35 feet or more. If you stand too close, the mom will not approach her kittens. You might need to go away completely before the mother cat will return to attend to the kittens. It might be several hours before the mother cat returns until she no longer senses the presence of humans hovering near her litter. If you need to leave before the mother cat comes back, carefully evaluate whether the kittens are in immediate danger: Is it raining or snowing? Are dogs or wild animals that might harm the kittens running loose in the neighborhood? Does the neighborhood have kids or adults who are likely to harm the kittens? Are the kittens located in an area with heavy foot or car traffic? To help with your decision, it is important to know that it might take several hours for the mother cat to return, and healthy kittens can survive this period without food as long as they are warm. Neonatal kittens are just as much at risk of hypothermia as they are of starvation. During spring and summer months, waiting a longer time to see if mom will come back is much safer than during frigid winter months. The mother cat offers her newborn kittens their best chance for survival, so wait and watch as long as you safely can, and consult Greenhill Humane Society, 1st Avenue Shelter, or your veterinarian before approaching or touching the kittens. If the mother cat returns If mom returns and the area is relatively safe, leave the kittens alone with mom until they are weaned. You can offer a shelter and regular food to mom, but keep the food and shelter at a distance from each other. Mom will find the food but will not accept your shelter if the food is nearby, because she will not want to attract other cats to food located near her nest. Six weeks is the optimal age to intervene with additional care, such as socialization, vaccination and deworming. Any time after eight weeks of age is after a kitten s socialization period at that age or older, see our Trap-Neuter-Return (spay/ neuter, vaccination, eartip, and return to their colony). Female cats can become pregnant with a new litter even while they are still nursing, so don t forget to get the mother cat spayed or you will have more kittens soon! If the mother cat does not return If you discover that the mom has been hit by a car or if for any reason it appears that she is not coming back, then please call Greenhill at 541.689.1503 or 1st Avenue Shelter at 541.844.1777 for further guidance before picking up the kittens.
Summer Temperatures Rising: Keep Your Furry Family Members Safe! Summer temperatures have arrived and are on the rise. This means extra precautions for dogs and cats. Please, follow these tips and guidelines for the wellbeing of your furry family members: Leave pets at home when running errands. Remember that leaving your animal in a hot, parked car for just a few minutes can cause heat stroke, brain damage, or worse. It s not enough to just have your windows cracked open. On an 85 degree day, a car s interior temperature can climb to 104 degrees in 10 minutes even when the windows are slightly open. Keep pets inside during the heat of the day. Do not leave them outside unattended. If your dogs are alone indoors all day keep your air conditioning on when it is hot outside. Dogs are especially vulnerable to heat stress because they do not sweat in the way that humans do. They release body heat by panting. Make sure pets have access to water bowls full of cool, fresh water both indoors and outdoors. When dogs are outside, be sure to provide shaded areas for them. Help your pooch cool down. A sprinkler, misting hose or kiddie pool in a shaded area is a great way for dogs to cool off. Always test the pavement or ground with your hand. If it is too hot for you to touch, it is too hot for your best friend. There are many brands of dog booties on the market, designed to protect your pup s delicate paw pads from the harsh elements. Don t let your dog ride in an uncovered pickup truck bed. The hot metal can burn your pup s paw pads. Limit or skip outdoor exercise during the heat of the day. Walk early in the morning or late at night when it s cooler. Carry water and take frequent breaks in shady spots. Continued on page 8, Protecting Pets from Summer Heat
Yasmin E. (front office) got caught" pitching in to do laundry and help clean up the kennel even though that wasn't a part of her shift. Thank you for always being willing to fill in as needed to help the dogs and staff! Sue M. (kennel/ cattery) "got caught" going into the Cattery after her kennel cleaning shift to help wash heaping piles of litter pans. Sue- you amaze us with how giving you are of your time and energy! Sometimes it s tough when the kittens want to be snuggled up on my lap when I have a paper due, but it s worth it! Christie P. - Foster Parent SAVE THE DATE!
Seeing the changes in their behavior to be able to trust again and be loved on fills up my love meter! Kim Herrington - Volunteer Protecting Pets from Summer Continued from page 6 Heatstroke symptoms can include: restlessness, excessive thirst, heavy panting, and lethargy, lack of appetite, dark tongue, vomiting, and lack of coordination. To cool your pet down: offer water to drink, get in the shade, cool down the head, feet, chest, and underbelly, with cool (not ice cold) towels or wet your hands. If you have a fan use that. Signs of burned pads can include: blisters or redness, pads darker in color than usual, limping, licking or chewing on the feet. If your animal is overcome by heat exhaustion, has burned paw pads, or is experiencing physical or behavioral distress, contact your veterinarian or 24- hour animal hospital immediately. If you notice an animal in distress or unresponsive in a parked car, first try and locate the pet s owner and alert him or her to the animal s condition. If you cannot find the animal s owner, contact Law enforcement call 911.