Two Dogs, One Happy Family

Stella at the shelter

Stella, a precocious American blue heeler mix, turned two in March. She came to the shelter with her mother and four siblings in April, 2014. This entire canine family was struck with tragedy. The mother, Simone, was heart worm positive. She was treated and was transferred to a rescue who found her a home. However, four of her five pups contracted parvo virus and died. Little Stella was the lone survivor of the litter

Dags, a cheerful American pit bull terrier, came to us in July of 2016 with two other dogs. They had been found, abandoned, by the Cowley County Sheriff’s Department. All three were very underweight, crawling with fleas, and dehydrated. They were held on a “cruelty hold” while the sheriff’s department attempted to find the owner. They were unsuccessful.

Dags at the shelter

Stella with a dog bed her mom knit

What do these two dogs have in common? Both were adopted by Dotti and Karl Call, and their children Kaya and Magnolia, of Oklahoma City, OK. They adopted Stella as a puppy. Fostering first, they introduced her to their senior dog. There were some concerns about how the relationship would go as Stella’s new big sister, Scooby, had been the Queen of the Castle for some time. The goofy puppy, however, stole Scooby’s heart (and food and toys) in no time.

Two years later, after Scooby had passed, the family wasn’t really looking for a new pet. However, Dotti’s sister works at the CCHS and was completely smitten with the sweet tempered Dags. Knowing what a soft touch Dotti and Karl are she broached the subject of just fostering Dags for a couple of weeks to see how things went. Stella, after all, needed a playmate, right? Within half an hour of the family meeting Dags, it was clear that she had found her furever home.

 

Dotti says, “When Dags first came to us, she really didn't seem to know how to ‘dog’. We think this may be due to her having been kept in a small cage or enclosure during much of her early life. We would take her for rides in the car and she didn't know what to do with an open window. We got her a nice soft bed, she laid on the floor beside it. We got her toys and chewies, she just looked at them, no idea what she was meant to do. In the short time she's been with us, all of this has changed. She now has the most joyous playful nature. She jumps in the car and immediately paws to have the window rolled down so she can stick her whole head out of the car.”

These two wonderful girls are now living the dream and making the Call family happy every day. They love to go hiking, take rides in the convertible, and play endlessly with each other. This summer the two pooches went on a road trip to Colorado where they ran around in the woods, made new friends at dog parks, and went to restaurants all over Denver. 

Dags, Stella, and Karl in Colorado

Sometimes the most tragic beginnings lead to the 

happiest endings.

Stella & Dags hitting the restaurant scene

November Adoption Special

Senior pets still have so much love to give--will you give them a chance?

From The Rubble

Tornado (front) with one of his siblings

On July 9^th of this year Kristi Powers of Winfield, her husband, and others with Operation BBQ Relief were in Eureka, KS feeding the victims of the tornado that had hit there just two days prior. They were surprised when two men pulled up and said, “We just found some kittens in the rubble. Can you feed them?” 

Kindergartner, Alyssa, promptly replied, “Yes!” Committed by this little girl, Kristi agreed as well expecting older kittens that they could take to live with them in their country home. However, the four tiny babies that were pulled from the debris didn’t have their eyes open yet and still had their umbilical cords attached. They couldn’t have been more than a day or two old.

The group took the wee kittens to local vet, Dr. Dan Droge, who supplied them with formula, bottles, and instructions on bottle feeding kittens. The group fed the kittens every couple of hours during the weekend. Once home, Kristi called on her friend Marlene Mayfield as she knew Marlene has raised bottle-fed kittens in the past. In fact, Marlene has hand raised several kittens for the CCHS. Marlene readily agreed to take over the care of the tiny tabbies. Sadly, three of the little ones did not survive. Ever the fighter, Tornado, so named by Alyssa, not only survived but thrived.

Once he was two months old, Tornado was vetted and ready to go to his furever

Tornado on his vet day

home! The tiny Tornado is unique not only because of his beginnings but he’s also a polydactyl. Polydactyl cats have extra toes making them look like they are wearing mittens. This genetic mutation is harmless and actually quite adorable. Tornado has not one but two bonus toes on each foot. Kristi and her husband adopted him, bringing him full circle back to his saviors. She says, “Tornado is a symbol of how resilient Kansans can be. We cannot thank Marlene Mayfield and the Cowley County Humane Society enough for the time, effort, love and resources that have gotten us to the point of a happy playful kitten.”

We would like to give our thanks to Marlene for fostering this boy with love and devotion and to the Powers family for giving him a home!

Tornado and Cruiser, another one of Marlene's foster cats. 

May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor!

Huge raffle and bake sale on Sep 10th, Walmart Winfield 9-4 (drawing at 3)! You do not have to be present to win! All proceeds benefit the shelter. Rex and Janice Harrington, their daughter Rachael Ray and her sons Nick, John, and Alex decided to collect items in the community and have a raffle to benefit us! 

Tickets are $2 each, 3 for $5, 7 for $10,or 15 for $20. Receive a free raffle ticket for every new item you bring for the shelter (paper towels, bedding, or stuffed animals). Tickets available on location or in advance by FB messaging Rachael Harrington-ray or texting Rachael at 620-218-9551 or Rex at 620-229-8100. 

There will be large totes filled with incredible items you can specifically buy tickets for. Items such as gift cards to local restaurants and businesses, haircuts, tools, tool box, cash, pedicures, manicures, jewelry, clothing, movie tickets, oil changes - too much to mention! Come check it out-the Aaron's Dog will be there in the afternoon! 

Thank you to all who donated and to the Harringtons and Rays for their hard work!

Check our Facebook page this coming week for a link listing the contents of the prize totes!

Petpalooza Right Around the Corner!

Cowley County’s party animals are at it again! For one day only, on Sep 10^th at Black Creek Park in Winfield, baseball diamonds will be transformed into dog parks, the pavilion will house a cake walk and the lawn will be the site of many canine-friendly activities, contests, vendors, silent auction, raffle, hotdog bar, and an adoption event.

Our third annual Petpalooza will be kicked off at 10:00 a.m. with a 1-mile leisurely dog walk through the beautiful Fleetwood neighborhood. At 10:45, special guests Lynda Symes and Tammi Harris will introduce their miniature horses who are sure to enchant visitors with their tricks - a first at Petpalooza! We will honor our volunteers at 11:30 and at 11:45 it’s contest time! The categories are best dog costume, best dog kiss, and most photogenic dog. Dogs of similar height can compete against each other in the noon dog races and show off their secret greyhound skills! The event ends at 2 p.m.

Bring your family and have lots of fun at the only festival in Cowley County to celebrate our furry friends!  Dogs must be current on rabies vaccination to attend. Admission is free! Like us on Facebook for updated information.

Our vendors this year:

- CCHS Doggie Boutique: all things pet-related
- CCHS Hot Dog Bar: vegetarian/vegan chili available
- Face painting by Sarah Martin
- Pampered Pet: hand-made soaps for pets and humans
- Dawson Monument: pet memorial items
- Matsufoto: pet photography
- Scentsy: wickless candles and warmers
- Salon 5th Avenue: "doggie tattoos" with stencils and human-
grade hair paint, colorful tails
- Crafts: wooden signs, chalk-painted furniture, crocheted items
- CHARG: Cowley Health Assistance Resource Group; info
info material
- South Central Kansas Kennel Club: info material
- Girls On the Go: pet/house-sitting, errand service

A huge thank you to our sponsors: American Family Insurance-Jonathan Leeper Agency in Winfield, Winfield Chiropractic, RCB Bank, and Wheat State Telephone!

Hope for Hondo

Hondo’s journey with the shelter started out, like so many animals, somewhat tragically. Hondo escaped his yard and was hit by a car. Injured, he was taken to a local vet and his owner contacted. Unfortunately, the owner did not have the resources to be able to pay a potentially large vet bill. After some heart wrenching thought, the decision was made to surrender him to the humane society so that he could be cared for. And so Hondo’s extensive treatment process began.

CCHS veterinarian Dr. Lindsay Gehring cleaned and flushed Hondo’s wound. There was also a fair amount of dead tissue that had to be removed. His wound was cleaned of that and sutured. He had bruising to his abdomen as well and we feared possible internal bleeding. Luckily, this was not the case. Hondo was placed on antibiotics to prevent infection and was taken in by shelter employee Dovie Browning to be fostered while he healed.

Unfortunately, Hondo had to come back in a week later to have more tissue removed. Once again, he was sutured and sent back to his foster home. Another week later and his sutures had opened and he had to be stitched up a third time. Yet again the wound tried to reopen. We were beginning to fear for this big, lovable dog but were not willing to give up on him!

In April, retired veterinary wound specialist, Dr. Swaim, volunteered his time and assisted Dr. Gehring in a skin graft on the area that refused to heal. Hondo’s activity was severely restricted to give the graft time to adhere and begin to grow to the healthy flesh. For weeks Hondo had to be kept in a crate when not on a leash so that he would move the healing hip as little as possible.

Through all of this, Hondo has remained a cheerful and loving dog. This big shepherd just doesn’t give up! Dovie says, “He’s a very good dog! He just loves to be loved.”

Nearly three months after his medical journey began, Hondo was finally declared well on the way, if not completely, recovered! He is currently in a foster-to-adopt home. His current foster mom reports that he loves to play and, if his foster brother won’t play with him, he’ll throw a ball up in the air and chase it by himself. It’s this “won’t give up” attitude that has seen him through months of repeated medical treatments. We’re holding out high hopes that this precious boy finds his furever home soon! He deserves it.

Petpalooza Is Coming Up!

Bring your four-legged friend(s) and have some fun with us! On Sep 10th, we are celebrating our furry companions with Petpalooza! There will be a 1-mile fun walk, contests for you and your pets, dog parks, miniature horses, dog race, vendors, cake walk, activities, raffle, silent auction, doggie boutique, hotdog bar, adoptable shelter animals, and more. See you there - admission is FREE!

August Adoption Special!

All adoptable animals are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, vetted and microchipped!

View our adoptable animals on our website

www.cowleycountyhumanesociety.org

Lucky Lucius

By Diana Russell

Last December the humane society received a litter of three 4-month old kittens. The owner had been unable to re-home them so turned to us for help. The beautiful, little Siamese mixes quickly found homes. About two months after he was adopted, the male was trapped running stray and returned to CCHS. We called his adopter but she informed us that she had been forced to re-home him and didn’t know the name of his new family. He was held for the standard stray period but no one came forward to claim him. Already vetted, he was immediately made available for adoption.

Lucius

I work at the CCHS and kept being drawn to him every time I walked by his kennel. We had an 8-month old kitten at home, also adopted from CCHS. My husband kept saying she needed a playmate but she showed no interest, and often outright distaste, for the little foster kittens I brought home. Still, it was worth a shot. Maybe, since he was closer to her size and looked less like a mouse than the tiny foster kittens we occasionally had, she’d take to him? Not holding out much hope I brought him home. Within 30 minutes the two youngsters were chasing each other up and down the hallway, wrestling, and napping together. It warmed my heart.

Lucius and Narcissa

We renamed him Lucius since his new friend was Narcissa. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’ll get that. Luc, as we call him, proved himself to be just as friendly, cuddly, and loving to humans as to Narcissa. He doesn’t know a stranger. When anyone visits, rather than hide like many cats, he rushes out to see who is visiting him.

Lucius being a foster daddy

Luc’s loving nature isn’t limited to the humans who live with and visit him. He loves our fosters! 

We regularly bring home 4-6 week old kittens to hang out at our house until they are old enough to be ready for adoption. They all LOVE Luc and he loves them back. It’s very common to find one, or a pile, of kittens sleeping on him. We call him Lucky Lucius but, really, we are the one who are lucky to have him.

Lucius and another one of his fosters

Little Orphan Annie

Annie at the shelter

On a hot summer day last July Annie, a sweet-tempered Treeing Walker Coonhound, was found running stray in the country. She was exhausted, underweight, hungry, thirsty, and seemed to have some minor injuries. She was brought to the CCHS for care. She had fly strike to both ears, a wound on her cheek that was flayed open and swollen, hair loss on both back legs, what appeared to be a BB stuck in her side, enlarged lymph nodes in her neck, and a corneal ulcer in one eye. She was a pitiful sight. But her disposition was sweet and gentle and she immediately captured our hearts. She was treated for her multitude of afflictions, given lots of food, rest, and a warm, safe place to recover.

Soon Annie was healing well and ready to find her furever home. Three months later a family was taken with her gentle nature and adopted her. However, she didn’t work out for them and they returned her. This happens from time to time. Not every dog is right for every family!

The search for a home for Annie began again. Annie had a four month stay at the shelter this time until Holly DeVos met her at an off site adoption event in Wichita. Annie quickly charmed Holly and her medical history touched Holly’s heart. Holly has other hounds so is familiar with the breed and their requirements. Holly decided to give Annie a furever family and brought her home to live on her 20 acres with six other dogs, four of them hounds, three house cats, two barn cats, thirteen horses, and assorted guinea hens! Annie was a very happy girl. 

Annie in her chair

Annie and her water dish

Holly says, “She sure does soak up affection and every day after breakfast or dinner she comes and stands next to me while the other dogs are finishing their food. I sit on a milking stool while she rests her head on my thigh and gets lots of love and scratches. She loves that special time.” 

Annie has a funny habit of standing in the water dish while she drinks and buries her whole muzzle in the water. She spends her days dozing on the porch until she rallies to run with the other dogs or chase a squirrel. She sleeps in "her" chair by Holly's bed each night. 

We’re thrilled that Annie has found such a happy, loving home. It didn’t happen quickly but, sometimes, it just takes a little patience waiting for the perfect match to come along. Annie has found hers.

Bark In The Park

CCHS was invited to be present at the Wichita Wingnuts game on June 5th. We had booths, contests, adoptable dogs and a lot of fun! Visitors were encouraged to bring their dogs to the game and many did! Thank you to everyone who came and to the Wichita Wingnuts for having us! Many of the visitors donated supplies and our Doggie Boutique took in $130!

All set up

Bobbing for hotdogs

More bobbing for hotdogs

Brynn, on of our adoptable dogs, enjoying the game

Volunteers with adoptable shelter dogs

Board member Tiffany Smith with her dog Hella, who was recruited for the first pitch

Olivia and Eugenia Moffit with their dog Dakota, who won the "furthest traveled dog contest"

Bark In The Park visitors

July Adoption Special

One Week Only!

A Tail of Four Kitties

Steve and the fosters

Nearly a year ago, the Ark City Animal Control officer brought four tiny kittens to the shelter. There was no mother to be seen and the citizens who found them were concerned about their survival. They were taken in, determined to be about 10 days old, and sent to foster. I happened to be that foster. My husband, Steve, and I bottle-fed these babies and hand-raised them until they were old enough to eat on their own. We named them Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. The wee kittens grew, were quickly eating on their own, and using a litter box just like the big kids. Soon it was time to find their furever homes.

Gryffindor, a sweet orange tabby, was adopted by Julia and Christopher Webb for their son Donovan. She was renamed Ginny and she and Donovan soon became best buddies. Julia says, “She has a beautiful trilling voice when she wants something. She sleeps with Donovan in his bunk at night and happily greets all visitors.” Ginny does suffer occasional seizures from an injury she suffered as a young kitten but, luckily, she has a wonderful family who has gotten her the veterinary care she needs and her seizures are well- controlled with medication.

Ginny and her boy, Donovan

Ravenclaw, a striking cream-colored girl with gorgeous blue eyes, and Hufflepuff (Caffy), a darling orange tabby with white, were adopted by Tracie Alcorn. “They are doing wonderfully! They’re so big now and still growing! They are both quite attached to my youngest daughter”, Tracie reports. “I really don’t know what we would do without our fur babies.”

Caffy, Ravenclaw, and Tracie's daughter

Steve and I kept Slytherin, a pretty white kitty with brown and gray spots, whom we renamed Narcissa. We hadn’t meant to keep one of the fosters but, after eating, all the kids would find various places to curl up and take a nap … except for Cissa. She was crafty and would come to Steve or me and want to sleep in our laps. How could we not keep her? She’s a bit of a trouble-maker and we often joke that we should have kept Hufflepuff. A Hufflepuff would never be so naughty! But we adore her and wouldn’t trade her for anything.

Narcissa

The humane society is fortunate to have many wonderful fosters, but we can always use more! Summer is kitten season and we have many, many litters of kittens. Please consider fostering for us! Bottle-feeding very young kittens is time consuming and not everyone is able to do that. However, we have many kittens that are 5-6 weeks old, eating on their own, and using a litter box. They cannot be vetted until they are eight weeks old, so they have to hang out at the shelter for weeks until they are ready to find their furever homes. Fosters who can take these litters home for just two or three weeks are invaluable to us and, most importantly, to the kittens!

I have a litter of four such kittens at my house now. As I write this one is curled up on my lap sleeping, one is tap-dancing on my desk, and two are frolicking behind me. Fostering is tons of fun and so rewarding, knowing that you’re helping these tiny lives. Also, fostered babies tend to become very social helping increase their chances of a successful adoption. While animals are in foster care the humane society will be responsible for all their needs – food, bedding, litter, medical care. All you’re out is a little space, a little time, and you get lots of love, laughs, and kitten cuddles in return. Contact us at the shelter or via private message on Facebook if you’d like to become a foster!

Diana Russell

Truly Wonderful

One Monday morning in March, shelter staff arrived at work to find a note left by the Arkansas City Police Department stating that they had left us eleven dogs the previous night. Wait …. ELEVEN?? Yes, that was correct. The owner of the dogs had passed away leaving two adult, yellow labs and their nine puppies homeless. 

Two of Truly's puppies

Truly

The dogs were examined, vaccinated, and de-wormed as is customary when taking in new animals. They were placed on “stray hold” even though they weren’t technically strays. This hold is placed on all animals brought to us by anyone other than the owner to give owners time to reclaim them.

The following day we were contacted by Amanda Winkelman, the owner’s sister, who had now inherited the dogs. She had decided not to claim them and agreed to sign them over to us. The puppies were all of age to be vetted and made available for adoption. Amanda and her friends helped spread the word that they were at the CCHS and we soon had a great deal of interest in the beautiful pups. They were adopted out to their new furever families very quickly.

Truly, Ace, and Amanda

A short time later Amanda contacted us and said she had decided she just had to adopt Truly, the mother. Truly was very beloved by her brother and went everywhere with him. She felt adopting Truly and giving her a loving, furever home was a fitting memorial to him. But we had sad news to pass on to Amanda: Truly had tested positive for heartworms. Heartworm treatment is very costly and can run upward of $1,500. Many families just can’t take on that financial burden, but Amanda was not to be daunted! She spoke with her veterinarian and they made a treatment plan for Truly. On April 6, Amanda adopted Truly. Amanda says, “She has been doing amazing! I’m so glad she was able to join our family. She has been the best thing for Ace (the family’s other dog). They play all the time. She loves playing fetch, especially with my daughter, Jessalyn.”

Ace and Truly

Truly is a sweet-tempered, cheerful girl and we’re so happy that her story, which contained such tragedy, had a happy ending!

2016 Wine Tasting a Success!

Not only was the Alice In Wonderland--A Tea Pawty Annual Tasting and Auction Benefit a lot of fun, but it also made over $15,000 for the shelter! A huge thank you goes out to our donors, sponsors, volunteers, board members, staff, and guests who made this success possible! 

How Long 'Til Dallas?

 Dallas … a really big city or a really big cat? Both! Dallas, the cat, came to the humane society in late December of 2015 because his family could no longer care for him. He brought with him some medical challenges which we addressed. While waiting for his new home he developed an upper respiratory infection (URI). URIs are not unusual in shelter cats as the disease is highly contagious and it can be difficult to completely sequester sick cats from healthy ones when large numbers of animals must be housed in close proximity. This beautiful, snowy-white senior boy was friendly and loving but wasn’t responding well to medications to treat his URI. Meanwhile, Dallas had a new family awaiting his release. And waiting … and waiting.

Shelter veterinarian Dr. Lindsay Gehring took Dallas home with as a foster to see if his recovery would improve outside of the shelter environment. This is where Dallas blossomed. Most animals take their stay in a shelter in stride but a few find it distressing. It seemed Dallas was one of the latter. Finally free of his health concerns, Dallas was able to go to his new, furever home.

Jennifer and Mike Joseph adopted Dallas in February where, in typical cat fashion, he took over the house. When we called the Josephs to see how Dallas was doing, Jennifer responded, “He’s doing just great! He’s laying here beside me on ‘his’ couch, curled up in ‘his’ blanket – one that I was crocheting but he claimed for himself.” Clearly, Dallas has made himself a mini emperor in his new domain. But that’s just fine with the Josephs. They adore him and say he was worth the wait!

Can you help a sick cat? As summer approaches the humane society will receive more and more cats. Some of these will have upper respiratory infections. Sending these cats to a foster home with their medications dramatically speeds up their recovery time. While the disease is infectious, cats can be sequestered in a spare room to protect a family’s pets. Treatment for URIs generally lasts 10 days to two weeks. The humane society will provide for all of the cat’s needs during this time – medications, food, crate, litter.

 If you are willing and able to help please call the shelter at 620.221.1698 or message us on Facebook!