A no-kill Shelter dedicated to loving and nurturing the animals in our care until they find new homes - no matter how long it takes.

OSAS 
by: Renee Robins

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Little dog pulled
from icy water 
(Jan. 26/06);

Place Your Order
Apparently, there were others who noticed my bad day yesterday. I hate to say it, but it worked out OK.

Today Baby's mom and dad (who had adopted a puppy), brought me some excellent cheer up stuff. The hugest thank you to them. It was cheering me up enough to see "Baby" one of our last pups and see how loved and grown she was. Thank you for the cleaning stuff, blankets, tons of pet toys and pictures. I shouldn't mention that they brought me soup and garlic bread - all home made - how can you beat that?? Thanks to Baby's family for making my day much better. Playing with puppies and having homemade soup ...  just excellent!

The Bulb order forms arrived today in time for the Spring Bulb Fundraiser!!!! Todd and I have decided to award a prize to the person who sells the most bulbs during March. The prize will be 2 tickets to the Galaxy Movie Theatre. So, get competing everyone...

Max was adopted today, and another young cat. So, the stress of 2 many cats has been lifted, hopefully, for the rest of the week. One can't get enough soup and garlic bread for the soul!

Mixed Feelings?
Yesterday was a day of mixed feelings. We had a great cat adoption. One of our long timers who was waiting to be spayed, Midge, got an excellent home and now another can take her spay spot. It was so very nice to see her go. We also had a dog reclaimed who was picked up on the weekend and it was good to see her returned to where she belonged. 

Then my warm happy feelings started to fade, as the rest of the day cats came in and kept coming in. Every time someone came to the Shelter door, there was another one. In total, by 6 pm, I received 3 adult cats, 1 male - not fixed, 1 female expecting kittens, and a mom with 5 five-day-old kittens. Instantly - 'poof' - eight cats. These 8 cats will with me a while, as it will be at least another eight weeks for the mom with her kittens. I then had three more calls about cat surrenders. 

The rest of my day was a bummer. Normally, I try to be up-beat, but unfortunately, the reality is that some days it just don't work! Today was one of them - must have been because it was Monday? Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

Catch-Up
An excellent catch-up day. This has been one of those weeks where you go go go; next thing you know the week is over and you have no idea what you've done. Thank goodness for sticky notes, else I really would have no idea what had been done. Lots of extra cleaning today: walls, windows, shelves, etc. You'd think we were an animal shelter or something.

No news for Boomer, here's hoping Monday is great for him. Glad they're thinking and not rushing into it.

I was pleased with the adoption of sweet Emma. Once a stray who had kittens and we watched grow. We had her spayed, socialized her and spoiled her. She finally found a great home. Emma was with me for quite some time, but I am thrilled to see her go. She went to a nice quiet home with adult cat lovers ... exactly what she needed. 

Way to go girl.

Boomer
Today, it was all about Boomer!! We had a busy day; he and I. First the Mix, then Rogers' TV ... and all the people who came to see him. Boomer was approached at different times by two ladies who brought him treats and who just wanted to meet him. Rottweiler lovers; love that. 

Then Robin Wood's husband showed up ... yup, the on-air personality's hubby. Since Robin loved him, they both spent about an hour with him, then Robin went home and came back with their cat (who hated Boomer) and Boomer liked the cat very much. 

We had a visitor show up with more treats. She had adopted a dog from us 6 years ago (now 16 years old ... isn't that the greatest). Silken is still going strong - for those that may have met her. 

The dog walkers wanted to walk Boomer extra long cause he's a star!

Robin and family came in to see Boomer again (with the kids). I have spent the entire day covered with dog slobber and a dog bigger than I am on my knee and licking my nose ... something he really enjoys and a variety of dog treats  under my nails.

Boomer will sleep very well tonight. Rest up big boy ... I think you're going home.

As you see in the first picture ... my concern was "is Reese gonna eat" little tiny Miss Lucky (16 years old and a 3 pound mighty mouse)? This quickly ended as Miss Lucky put him under the chair!! This boy who snarled at all those who approached his cage, was brought to his knees (or more aptly ... belly) by this little 3 pounder - she sure told him.

In the second picture you can see they were both playing by the end of their visit and even sharing mom (who was in love). 

I made sure they had a crate, and all the necessary tools. I gave Reese the biggest kiss as I wished him the best of luck, and hoped he will be happy in his new "forever home" - we want to see updates for sure!

Many tears were shed ... tears of joy.

Way to go Reese!

Funny?
What a funny thing happened today. They must have opened the roads! No, it stopped snowing. Today all of our visitors were from out of town, many from Lions Head, or the Penninsula and one from Shelburne. Everyone had been waiting until it was safe to drive I bet ... no one ever said this, but I am sure this was it.

Local dog rescue friends Renee and Bill from out of town stopped by to deliver us raw bones. The dogs are in their glory and us too, keeps them happy and they have their mouths full!

Drako's owners popped by to update us on what a wonderful cat he is. Hey, we already knew that! Love those updates!

Both puppies were adopted ... both out the Penninsula way, and our Shelburne visitor finally had a chance to see what we were all about. 

Shyne was adopted, and two dogs reclaimed. It was great to see people out and about.

Spotlight
Shyne was in the spotlight today at the Mapleview Nursing Home. Thought he could handle a busy day with all kinds of people, and with those cute hound dog eyes ... he was the number one choice.

Wow - Shyne, although lovely and wonderfully friendly and entertaining, woke'em all up with his hound dawg bark ... oops! Apparently, he does not travel too well ... he dipped his tail in my coffee twice before we ever got to the nursing home ... and don't ask that question - did I drink it?? 

He was a hit! The residents loved him, and the staff are all working on finding him a home; they were so impressed. He got tons of attention and was appreciated. 

Tammy was in to do massages this evening, and since Shyne was sooo busy today, thought he would enjoy it. Now, he has been spoiled and pampered. Boomer got a relaxing massage as well. Lucky guys!

Puppies
The day started with a stray cat ... but on a lighter note all those puppies were so nice. 

We received 5 puppies in and there are only 2 puppies left. All the puppies adopted out were welcomed to loving and giving homes to which they will be part of the family. 

To see them go to that perfect home is why I am here!

Be Prepared?
All is well. We prepared for the worst, and nothing really happened - just a messy day. Ice, snow, wind, extra shoveling and salting.

Busy day ... 2 pups were adopted and so was Callaber - such a nice dog. All this during the bad weather ... Glad to see it didn't slow adoptions down. However, we took extra time with the driveway, and the run. We just seemed to be behind all day.

Todd spent two hours looking for a stray dog in the snow. The weather has affected some stuff, but we still have power, water and all those important things. Will have to keep smiling ... did someone say spring???

Storms, Storms, Storms ... Ice
Like Rock/Paper/Scissors, who is getting the storm today ... Hydro on, hydro off - my vehicle is a "vansicle" - defrosted the van locks, to defrost the door, to warm the vehicle, to spend an hour on slippery roads - usually a ten minute drive. Half way to town we heard on the radio ... "motorists are advised to stay off the roads and to stay home"... "Roads will worsen as the day goes on, and roads will close"... Don't you love that when your not at home?

Luckily, we did pack to stay in town - just in case. We need to be with the animals who still need to eat, be walked, and get medicated... Soooo, we inched our way to town, to find the roads were a sheet of ice and the Shelter doors were frozen. 

We eventually worked our way in ... to spend three hours at the Shelter. Couldn't get to the Mix this morning and there was nobody at Rogers'. We will have to wait until this storm is over. TGIF???? 

Storm Brewing
Thunder and lightening out there - didn't someone say it was February in the north. It is pouring rain I suspect this may all freeze up!

We heard the storm was coming, so in anticipation of no power ... it wasn't too long ago we had the last storm ... made sure that everyone is clean, and lots of water and blankets, just in case the power goes out for a bit.

Everyone is well exercised too, so they hopefully will sleep well and not notice the thunder. The dogs hate thunder!

Here's hoping it will pass easily, but all precautions have been taken just in case!

Footnote: My evening chasing a dog was not wasted - it can be disheartening when you can't catch them, or when you can and they don't belong to anyone. But, as it turned out the dog I was chasing was old ... we were first paged about at 7:30, searched for him, then we were paged again at 8:30 and then at 9:00 found him with no id ... we did locate his owner who was glad to have him back safe and sound, and we were too! It was so worthwhile.

Valentine's Day
What a great Valentine's Day I had. I was guest speaker at the Legion here in Owen Sound and the turnout was great - 80 of the Legion's best turned out to hear me speak.

They welcomed me with coffee, they wrote me a poem and sang it ... how wonderful. It will be a Valentines' I will not forget.

I chatted about the Owen Sound Animal Shelter for an hour - stayed longer to answer all their questions. A great group of guys who support the cause!

Later I spent the night looking for and picking up a stray dog. One great day!

Sending A Call
Willy ... truly a 'superstar'. We are still getting calls about him. Of course I am taking names and numbers, as I know there are more to come!! Great to have them spoken for before they even get here. Thanks to Willy and his "gentle squeaks" certainly called out to adopters.

Had a visit today from Cuddles' owners (aka Flopsy), they have updated me on what a wonderful cat she is - other than waking them up during the night she is purrrfect. They promised to send an update and a picture. I can't wait!

Wee Willy
Well worth the early start today. Wee Willy was a superstar by 9:00 am and the Mix was a great success. He is a real star, as he sang into the mic and everyone loved him. Jackie Shows, morning on-air personality, loved him the most, and while we were still on the air she made the arrangements necessary to take him home. Lucky fella!

Now, I can be updated weekly on Wee Willy's progress. As you know - I love those updates !!

Ladybird
I had a fabulous day. Ladybird got the best of homes. A young couple were looking for a quiet well mannered dog and fell in love with those hound dog eyes. We chatted at length about her history, and what was needed for a successful future... cratetraining, etc. They went away to think about it - came back early evening. Her new daddy has even checked in with me to assure me that so far so good and promises to stay in touch.

I knew the right home was there for her, and I am so pleased that she has found it. It was worth the wait.

Silver Lining
The sunshine must have everyone in good spirits, I know we are all having a good day. Which is made easier when my friends are getting adopted. Sad to see them go, but glad to see them go to their "forever homes". 

Leo and Emmanual have both been adopted together - the word is they are doing fine with more information to come soon. Drako was adopted to a real cat lover with a country home - Drako you "lucky guy". No more of my reno stories for you my dear. Bonnie the guinea pig - the beautiful black one - has gone to her new home - real animal lovers.

Such a nice day after such a rough start to the week.

Fundraising
We are doing more fundraising. This is going to be nice - flowers/bulbs what could be better. More information will be coming later this month.

Now that we have the Paypal, I think we will try to use it for ordering the bulbs. Will get the information together and let you know how it goes.

After this past weekend's snowstorm, thinking about spring and flowers is so nice.

Snow Day(s)
... Shoveled snow for the thousandth time today and that was just to get me out of the driveway at the house. Let's not even talk about cleaning vehicles. What a drive ... hope you didn't have to drive yesterday as the roads were impossible. I drove down the Shelter road, I knew I was in trouble. 

I couldn't get in ... I had to plow my way into the Shelter - you know it feels good when you can finally make it where you are going - especially in a snowstorm. I spent three hours cleaning, walking and medicating the animals. By this time, I knew I had to leave or risk being snowed in for the evening. Shoveled my way out and drove home. I found it a challenge to just keep the vehicle on the road, forget getting to where you wanted to go. It was a long drive home. 

As I am about to pull into the driveway what do you think I find ... I have to shovel out again. Needless to say, it was a long night ... I fed the kids, fed the dogs and cats, cleaned the house, did some reno (put on trim in the back room - long needed to be done). I surfed the real estate pages .. tired of renovating. Very long day, and thankfully no emergency calls, as we were really snowed in. Snow up to our eye balls. I hope tomorrow has a little less snow in the forecast. Didn't 'Willie' say we only had 6 weeks left? All snowed in? Nah...

Adoption of Vader
Today we adopted out Vader - he was a good dog when he was here and a nice family adopted him. Here's to hoping we get a Happy Tail from the family soon. 

Big Red
Received an email from Mary, she adopted Big Red from us about 1 1/2 ago and sent us a nice Happy Tail along with a great picture. 

She also sent along a little information about where she moved to London and had checked our web site and noticed Emanual on the Adopt A Cat web page and knew that she wanted to adopt him, but the distance was too far. 

If anyone knows of transportation from Owen Sound to London, Ontario, use the comments link below and send me an email.

Tammy from Paws'N Claws
Starting Tuesday February 7, 2006 Tammy of Paws'N Claws Canine Therapeutic Message will be coming into the Shelter to do pet therapy on the dogs. Can't wait to have her start that therapy on the pups at the Shelter - they will love it. Maybe you know of someone who could use some pampering, Tammy can be contacted at 705.441.3738 or email her. Also went to the Mix this morning with Drako - what a big hit. You can see the picture on the web page.
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February 3, 2006 |  Share your comments with us.

February 2, 2006
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SOAR Needs Help
The dog Shadow was adopted and we received another dog Tucker. Also a rescue group named SOAR needs help with their wonderful animals - they are looking for foster homes. It is urgent. Send me an email using the comments below and let me know if you can help.

Missing Dog
An alert went out about 'Blondie' who went missing in the Ottawa/Kingston region. You can read more about Blondie on our web page. 

We had a great guestbook notice from Candice - a must read (we were so impressed). 

Lots of great pictures have been coming in from all over Ontario and Canada for the 2006 Photo Contest - we love them all - keep them coming.

Catch-Up;
I sure do hope you're right about Boomer going home!! Fingers crossed ... I can't wait to hear (-: Good luck Boomer!!
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Posted by: Renee  | February 25, 2006 at 9:37 PM

Storms, Storms, Storms...Ice
Did your power go out? Ours did ... this time, just less than 24 hrs! lol  It's better than 5 days though! Glad to hear everyone is safe!
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Posted by: Renee  | February 18, 2006 at 4:45 PM

Webmaster Comment
What other city has such caring and considerate people running their animal shelter?  Renee and Todd certainly deserve kudos for their efforts in helping our four footed friends 365 days a year.
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Posted by: Cathy  | February 21, 2006 at 8:50 AM

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