Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals

UPDATE: The maiden trip of OFOSA's Mobile Transport Vehicle results in saving over 60 dogs from death OFOSA set off for San Bernardino for the third time since January to rescue over 60 dogs from the San Bernardino, Ca a high kill shelter. "We got down to the shelter and it broke my heart to have to leave some behind" says Cathy Nechak President of OFOSA, "but we only had so much room". However it was a lot more room than the last two trips thanks to the recently purchased Mobile Transport Vehicle.

OFOSA worked with South West Washington Humane Society for this trip as well as Luv-A-Bull rescue to save as many dogs as capacity. "The rescues available have been different every time so a lot of planning has to be done" says Sue Woodson OFOSA's disaster officer.

Of the 67 dogs that came this trip one dog went to Luv-A-Bull rescue in Eugene, 13 dogs came to OFOSA including three 8 week old chi puppies. the rest went to South West Washington Humane Society. Faye Smith, the SWWHS shelter manager was excited to get the dogs. The have the appropriate medical facilities and space. Working with them this time helped save a lot more dogs from certain death.

This time was special. We were traveling in our new vehicle. Little momma was riding up between the two front seats. "I was petting her and there was the first baby" says Cathy Nechak. Momma was in a safe place and warm so she decided it was time. While Sue Woodson look for the next exit on the Interstate, Sandy Graham and Cathy delivered 7 puppies. When Momma and puppies were safe the trip to Portland continued. The first trip with the Mobile Transport vehicle was a tremendous success.

The Heigl foundation is sponsored some of the transportation costs. Sharon with the HEAL foundation is providing vaccines to prevent illness. These dogs plight is being heard around the country as approximately 500 dogs were saved by different rescue agencies in January, with OFOSA and partners taking 100.

Locally, there has been wide coverage of the plight of these animals by KOIN, KATU, KGW, The Oregonian, and Seattle Times about the rescue efforts. OFOSA continues to do its part by rescuing animals, helping with transportation and medical care. OFOSA would like to thank it's rescue partners, fosters and volunteers for their hard work in this endeavor.

You can go to the Adopt page and see their bios on Petfinder by clicking the available dogs link on the left hand side of the page.

Click here for a photo gallery of the rescue. Watch for more pictures and updates on the dogs journey to their forever homes.

OFOSA was in a bind. We were low on animal food. For the first time in nine years, OFOSA’s animals might go hungry. I called Madras Humane society. They graciously agreed to partner with us and help us obtain food through an national pet food company program. Madras Humane can purchase food for 35¢ a pound. Now I have to come up with the money.

I mentioned this to Robin Gordon of Estate Sale Unlimited and her reaction was swift and amazing. Friday November 27th, at their weekly auction, she took up a collection and raised $800.00 to pay for our food. Robin announced that she would match what was raised. Keith and Robin Gordon have been long standing benevolent friends to OFOSA.

I want to thank Robin for her actions, all the generous folks at the auction, with special thanks to Opal and Larry for their $500 donation..

I ended up truly having a night of gratitude and fun knowing OFOSA’s homeless animals would have full tummy’s. If you are looking for something to do on a Friday night, go to Estate Sales Unlimited's weekly auction. You we be surrounded by great and generous people and will have a great time too! Estate Sales Unlimited.

Scotty was abandoned, he was left to fend for himself. One of our volunteers found him. He had a condition called Entropian. This is where the eye lids turn inwards and irritate the eye. It is like always having sand in your eye. He was miserable and could not see very well. He laid in his bed and moped around.

We have a kind hearted vet Dr. Tom Fencil DVM. He fixed Scotty’s eyes and the transformation was nothing short of miraculous. He can now open his eyes. He can jump up on things. He is not in pain anymore.

Blossom is now 8 weeks and ready for adoption but she has already had a difficult challenging life. She was thrown away in a paper bag in Mcdonalds trash. She was found by a good Samara tin and given to us. She was thin, sick but very much a fighter.

She has battled every adversity and has come out the other side a loving, playful little thing that shows none of her battle scars. Do you have room in your life for a little Blossom?

Peanut was a small frightened little girl in a big shelter. When OFOSA rescued her, she appeared healthy. Little did we know she had a congenital heart defect that was bound to take her life.

During the routine exam prior to spay surgery Julie Kittams, DVM discovered a heart murmur. She said “You could not only hear the murmur but you could feel it in her chest”. Peanut's spay was postponed and an appointment was made to see Gary Woods, DVM a canine cardiologist. Peanut had a Patent Ductus Arteriosis, an abnormal connection in the blood vessels in her heart that should have closed when she was born. The outlook was grim, the surgery estimate was $7,000 and with out surgery she had only a few months to live.

Rick and Rita, long time benefactors of OFOSA. have generous and compassionate hearts. They asked to meet Peanut and could not bear to have her not have a chance. They funded her surgery at Oregon State University Veterinary hospital and it was a resounding success. She is playful and healthy and in her new adoptive home. Peanut inspired this year auction theme “providing a new leash on life” because this is what OFOSA strives to do every day.

Finds new Home

Big Red one of the cats seized last month in a filthy home in Yamhill County has found a new home. He came to us dirty and had and upper respiratory infection. He received medical care, vaccines, flea treatment. He is the sweetest fella says Cathy Nechak president of OFOSA. He purrs all the time and loves to be petted.

On February 20, 2009 Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals (OFOSA) assisted the Yamhill County animal control with the rescue of 27 cats from the property of George Andrews in Newberg, Oregon.

“These animals survived through some horrific living conditions, but despite that, they are all friendly and, with a few exceptions, relatively healthy,” said Cathy. “It is unfortunate that these cases happen, and we are just glad that we have the resources to help the county and the cats.”

After rehabilitation from upper respiratory infections and other minor health issues, the cats and kittens are available for adoption. A couple of the cats required eye surgery. The outcome is is sunny for all of these cats.

OFOSA was invited to the Portland 2009 Spring Home & Garden Show at the Expo Center. There were thousands of people that visited our booth from Wednesday-Sunday. We had a real opportunity to educate the public about the plight of unwanted homeless animals and overpopulation. The volunteers gave out hundreds of information sheets, books and pamphlets about overpopulation, heath and behavioral correction. We were able to adopt many animals who used this venue to find their forever home. We were interviewed by a local TV station which further spread the word about the overpopulation and homeless animals. A great thanks to the O'Loughlin Trade Shows for providing us the great opportunity to meet and educate the public.

Nurse delights in being a friend of sheltered animals

Oregon: “When you have an animal in front of you and you have to put a bowl of food down on the floor in order to tell which end is the little guy’s face, you know that animal needs some help,” explained Cathy Nechak.

No stranger to animals in need nor to the hectic and oftentimes depressing lives of animals housed in shelters, this woman decided to do something about an issue that affects a great number of animals in Oregon.

A registered nurse by day, Nechak proudly identified herself as one of the founding members of Oregon Friends of Sheltered Animals, or OFOSA, a non-profit that started with a couple of good friends putting in some extra time to help animals and the shelters they called their temporary homes.

The agency’s mission includes providing support to shelters by fund-raising for them; providing community services, such as the senior smiles program, where senior citizens are aided if they can no longer care for their pets; and, of course, providing rescue services where they rescue shelter animals and then adopt them out.

“All we did at first was try to raise some money. We worked at this for about a year before we became a non-profit. Mainly we would bathe the animals and groom them. If people see an animal being bathed and see them looking all cute right then, that is often the time when they decide to take that animal home. Being bathed and well-groomed enormously improves an animal’s chances of being adopted,” she said.

“Shelters do not have a closed door policy … most shelters will take as many pets as they need to. People who work there are big-hearted people and we just really saw a need for a support service for these great places,” she explained.

Nechak is big-hearted herself, though this quality seems to come to her naturally.

She speaks in glowing terms and in great detail about some of the precious puppies and dear other animals she’s worked with, rescued, and nursed back to health over the years.

“It would just break my heart to see so many animals in shelters,” Nechak said, “and to see these shelters that double up kennels and do their best to provide for the animals, but which just can’t be everything to every animal.”

She recalled instances when local shelters had to put down or euthanize all of the animals they housed due to a specific illness.

One of the saddest things, as Nechak shared is that, “… only about 15 percent of sheltered animals are owner-abandoned. Of the dogs in shelters, 80 percent of them are simply lost.”

This is an important number for people to remember when they consider adopting a pet. Many families are concerned about adopting a pet from a shelter because they fear it is unhealthy or has not been well-socialized and that may be why it is in the shelter, but, as Nechak explained, that is simply not the case.

In fact, a good number of animals also end up in shelters because owners are moving to apartments where pets are not allowed, or because young adults go to college, marry or experience other life-changing events and can no longer keep their pets.

Nechak talked passionately about animals in shelters, the importance of caring for them and what wonderful pets most of them make once they are placed in a loving home.

When she spoke about helping people find the ideal pet for their lifestyle, she said, “I tell people to close their eyes and describe to me their idea of the perfect pet. It’s hard because some people have a specific breed in mind and they think they want some exact type of dog because they saw one once and it was so well-behaved, or they read about one or they just like the way it looks.

“Many people do not realize it takes a lot of patience and training and attention to have a well-behaved dog of any breed. But then, I say to them, ‘Okay, close your eyes and tell me what your ideal pet is like,’ and they go on and describe how they want the pet to behave and what they think life will be like with this pet and, quite honestly, we recommend Toys R Us to some people.”

Nechak said there are just some people or some families who come into the shelter that are simply not in a good place for any sort of pet, and the fact that OFASA staff are honest with them is very helpful to all involved in the long run.

“There is so much to do for these sheltered animals, and for the shelters … we’re only doing part of it,” Nechak shared of the work that OFOSA is involved with. She did say there are many opportunities for new people to become involved in this issue by volunteering to groom or spend time with animals, to be foster parents for pets on a temporary basis, or even to donate much-needed food and other supplies for shelters. For more information on OFASA and how to become involved, go to the Web site www.ofosa.org.

A nurse in labor and delivery of human babies, Nechak smiled and shared, “I have fun at work and I have fun at OFOSA!”

Originally from Michigan, she moved to Oregon in 2000. She had worked as a traveling nurse and had the opportunity to visit the Pacific Northwest with her husband, and she said of the area, “I like the temperate weather and there is always something to do nearby!”

(Jennifer Priest Mitchell is a freelance writer in Beaverton. She can be reached at jnjmitchell@yahoo.com.)