www.animalshelterwrv.org

Happy Tails Newsletter We are on a mission to enrich the quality of life in our community by connecting animals and people through innovative programs that inspire and have impact beyond our borders.

Summer 2013 Issue

What do high-fl ying Frisbee-loving dogs and exotic trips to Africa have in common? Shelter supporters caught both at the annual Dog Days of Summer benefi t and auction on July 27 at Trail Creek Pavilion in Sun Valley. Featuring auction items like a Botswana safari and a pilgrimage to see the polar bear migration in the Arctic, opportunities to meet and greet adoptable pets, and a Frisbee-catching demonstration from Shelter alumna “Daisy,” the event focused on amazing animals, the connections forged between people and their pets, and how the Animal Shelter improves the quality of life in our community.

350 supporters sipped on “Greyhounds”, the event’s signature cocktail, while bidding on silent and live auction items and pledging their support for Shelter programs. Executive Director Jo-Anne Dixon says, “We’re so grateful to live in a community that not only supports our no-kill animal shelter, but also enables us to

fi nd real solutions to the problems of pet overpopulation and homelessness—helping us keep animals in their homes through programs like Paws for Hunger and reducing pet overpopulation through our No-Cost Community Spay/Neuter Clinics.”

Attendees were also treated to a short video by local fi lmmaker Desiree Fawn of Fawn Films, known for her Phantom Wolves of Sun Valley movie. Featuring several of the Shelter’s recent “Happy Tails,” the video brought laughter and even a few tears to the tent at Trail Creek Pavilion. Visit the Shelter’s website or Facebook page to view the video.

This annual event is the largest single source of funding for the Animal Shelter, providing critical support to enable us to continue our life-saving programs and services helping homeless companion animals and the people who love them. We couldn’t be more grateful to all of the sponsors, donors, volunteers, and committed friends who helped make this year’s event a tremendous success!

Fur, Friends, and Fun duringthe Dog Days of Summer! ......

Upcoming Special Event

Why does my dog do that and how can I get him to stop?Presented by the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley

Wednesday, October 2nd: 6 - 8 pmAt the YMCA in Ketchum

Kelley Bollen, Certifi ed Animal Behavior Consultant and Director of Animal

Alliances LLC, will be our guest speaker.

Some of the topics will include: How to deal with common behavior issues, reading dog body language, best training methods

Free of charge. $10 donation suggested. Please do not bring your pets to the presentation.

Best of the Valley 2013:Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley

Gold: Best Non-Profi t Organization

Thank you for this honor, and choosing theAnimal Shelter of the Wood River Valley

for the 3rd year in a row!

Silver: Best Local Volunteer

Our heartfelt thanks to Bridget Cimino for her tireless service, walking Shelter

dogs almost EVERY DAY of the year!

Bronze: Best Dog Breed for the Valley

Thanks to all of you adopters with rescued pets that believe that “A Shelter Dog” is

the best breed to have in our valley.

Bronze:

Best Thrift StoreThank you to all of you that donate and

shop at the Barkin’ Basement andchose us as your favorite thrift store.

Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley 100 Croy Creek Road

P.O. Box 1496 Hailey ID 83333 ( 208) 788-4351

Website: www.animalshelterwrv.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/AnimalShelterWRV

Email: info@animalshelterwrv.org

DIRECTORY

ANIMAL SHELTER OF THE

WOOD RIVER VALLEYA NON-PROFIT CORPORATION

ID #82-0351171 100 Croy Creek Road

P.O. Box 1496 - Hailey ID 83333 Telephone: (208) 788-4351

Fax: (208) 788-3601

Website: www.animalshelterwrv.org

Email: info@animalshelterwrv.org

www.facebook.com/AnimalShelterWRV

Hours of Operation:Mon: 10 am - 5 pm

Tue - Fri: 10 am - 6pm Sat: 10 am - 4 pm Sun: Noon - 4 pm

BARKIN’ BASEMENT THRIFT STORE111 S. Main Street

P.O. Box 1496 - Hailey ID 83333Telephone: (208) 788-3854

www.facebook.com/BarkinBasement

Hours of Operation:Mon - Sat: 10 am - 6 pm

Sundays noon - 4 pm

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:Rosemary Aquilante, President Priscilla Pittiglio, Vice PresidentChristine Ferguson, Secretary

Sam Christian, TreasurerChris Koch, Member at largeJinny Olsen, Member at large

SHELTER MANAGEMENT:

Brooke BonnerDirector of Development & Communications

Jo-Anne Dixon DVM Executive Director/ Medical Director

Nadia Novik LVT Operations Manager

Robin PottsShelter Manager

THRIFT STORE MANAGEMENT: Andrea Parker

Manager

Paul DuffyAssistant Manager

Summer 2013 Events RecapThe Shelter has been busy this summer, and we are so very pleased to see our many programs and services working to benefi t our community. Here are some highlights:

The warm weather in late spring gave us the opportunity to kick off our annual Hikin’ Buddies program and Ketchum Town Walks early this year, starting in the last week of May. This sum-mer, we have seen between 60 and 80 hikers showing up at the Adam’s Gulch trailhead on Wednesdays to walk with a Shelter dog! Our Ketchum Town Walks has introduced many of our dogs to the community, and we are thankful to our great volunteers that organize and execute this program. This program remains very popular and we continue to see dogs adopted after being discovered at these outings.

We have seen a constant fl ow of visitors coming to meet and spend time with the animals as well as our dog walkers and cat cuddlers that help us care for our residents. Teddy Bear Day-

care and a group from Mountain Adventure Tours came out for fi eld trips in July. Adoptions have been steady throughout the summer, allowing us to help other Idaho shelters when they are at capacity by transferring animals to our Shelter.

Weekly visits to Blaine Manor and the Senior Connection as part of our Paws On Location program remain extremely popular at both facilities.

The Shelter staff and more than a dozen volunteers participated in the annual Hailey Fourth of July Parade, walking with Shel-ter dogs along side our traditional dog mobile express.

Three Reward Based Training and Obedience Classes were off ered to the public this June and July. The class instructor was our own Hillary Hayward, a Petsmart Accredited Instructor and the Shelter’s Behavior and Training Manager. Additional classes are being scheduled due to the popularity of the program!

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Annual Blessing of the AnimalsSunday, October 6th

Noon until 1 pmOn the Belltower patio at

St. Thomas Episcopal ChurchSun Valley Road in Ketchum

All creatures large and small are welcome to attend and

be blessed.

The Animal Shelter staff and volunteers will bring Shelter dogs and cats to St. Thomas

Episcopal Church to be blessed and to mingle with the public.

“The evacuation was smooth and effi cient,” said Shelter Manager Robin Potts, “the whole process

couldn’t have taken more than an hour.”

The Beaver Creek Fire:The Beaver Creek fi re was out of control and the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley was directly in its path. At 2:00 pm on Friday, August 16th pre-evacuation orders were given to all of Croy Canyon. With 35 mph winds predict-ed for that evening the Shelter was in danger from this aggressive and unpredictable fi re.

One way or another all of our residents had already lost their homes once, now with this fi re threat they were facing losing their temporary shelter home too. Since the threat of the 2007 Castle Rock fi re, Shelter evacuation had been planned and practiced but had never needed to be used until that moment. No time was wasted as Shelter personnel implemented the plan to evacuate the facility. “The evacuation was incredibly smooth and effi cient,” said Shelter Manager Robin Potts, “the whole process couldn’t have taken more than an hour.” Evacuation sites for the animals had been identifi ed and prepared earlier that week. Each animal had already been photographed and had on identifi cation tags to reduce any confusion in the evacuation process. Crates for transport had already been assembled when it was time to move the animals. Staff and volunteers each knew their job as they worked together into the evacuation plan. The communication tree had volunteer vehicles fi ling through the Shelter while staff helped load animals and equip-ment. Well before the time the mandatory evacuation status was posted for Croy Canyon, all animals, staff , and Shelter essentials were safely out of harms way.

By day’s end, Croy Canyon was moved to mandatory evacuation.

That night a fi restorm ensued in Croy when the fi re got away from the crews in Deer Creek and blasted over Democrat and Carbonate with the Shelter directly in its path. To see what remains today it is nothing short of a miracle that our buildings survived at all. The Shelter, empty of animals, was unscathed thanks to the heroic eff orts of the Ketchum Fire Strike Team led by Team Leader Mike Witthar, with support from the Eagle Idaho Fire Department. Evidence of a valiant fi ght was demarcated with fencing and low-cut grass splattered and dotted with the pale red retardant that fi refi ghters threw out like stepping stones with the fi re keeping pace a breath behind. By Early Saturday morning the Shelter property looked like a moonscape, scorched to every fence line but the buildings were saved.

While the fi res grew out of control, all of the Shelter staff and animals were safe and secure in numerous locations throughout our valley. While some animals went to the homes of various volunteers and staff , the majority of dogs were housed south of Bellevue. Jay Gove, owner and operator of Alpine Kennels in Bellevue, had an unused kennel building that he opened for us to set up our temporary kennel for our Shelter dogs. Many staff members had to evacuate their private residences and fi nd shelter with friends, but they all showed up for work every day, anxious to make certain the animals were being cared for. The staff rose to the occasion taking extra time and eff ort to make the animals more comfortable; extra treats were given, more playtime was had, and Kennel Manager Connie Koonce worked overtime to ensure that all the dogs supplies were clean and ready for them each day. Despite a raging fi re knocking on the doors of the Shelter, the dogs happily sniff ed, rolled, swam, and wagged each day at their temporary home.

Squirrel:Dollars For Collars Helps

The Beaver Creek fi re forced thousands of Valleyresidents into mandatory evacuation with the instructions “take essential belongings and pets and go now.” Our community came together to help each other when so many became displaced by this aggressive and fast moving fi re. Homes in non-evacuated areas swelled with refugees and their pets from the evacuated areas. It was a stressful and confusing time for everyone but especially for many of our valley’s pets.

When the owners of “Squirrel” the cat had to evac-uate their home they, like many others, moved in with friends. Somehow in all the chaos and confu-sion Squirrel became lost. With the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley itself having been evacu-ated few resources were readily available to help owners of lost pets. When another fi re evacuee found Squirrel seemingly lost in all the commotion related to the fi re they were able to reunite her with her owners because she had been part of a very important Shelter program, Dollars for Collars. Squirrel, a recent adoptee from the Shel-ter, was wearing a collar and tag she had received from the Shelter when she was adopted. Squirrel was quickly reunited with her family and they were so appreciative of everyone’s help in bring-ing their new feline friend back home.

Once adopted, we want to help prevent our shelter alum from ever getting lost again. The Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley partnered with Wood River Valley student’s WOW generosity project this past school year to fund the Dollars for Collars program. With the help of the Shelter’s onsite ID tag machine, this program ensures that every animal adopted from our Shelter goes home with a microchip, a new collar and a pet ID tag. Throughout the year students raised money for this program as well as community awareness of the importance of ID tags for every pet.

Anyone can come to the Shelter and have ID tags made for their pets for a nominal fee. We have a large selection of colors and styles - - and would love to have you come by the offi ce and have a tag made for your special furry friend!

In addition, the Idaho Humane Society in Boise reached out to help. Shelter Operations Manager, Nadia Novik, coordinated transferring some of our dogs to them. We are happy to report that many of those dogs were adopted within days.

The majority of the cat population was placed at dedicated shelter volunteer Jane Dettwiler’s house. Jane transformed her garage into a cattery while Shel-ter kennel staff rotated shifts at Jane’s home, cleaning litter pans, brushing the cats, and attending food and water bowls. Another long-time supporter and friend of the Shelter, Janice Blanton, opened her home for a group of cats who returned to the shelter looking happy and purr-fectly pleased.

Our Executive Director/ Medical Director Jo-Anne Dixon visited each location daily, checking with staff members to hear that all of the animals were healthy. Jo-Anne was also conferencing with our local law enforcement offi cers and attending the nightly fi re update meetings to keep abreast of the situation. Although she knew the Shelter animals were safe and being cared for, she had a real concern for animals that may have been lost or displaced during the fi res - - with the Shelter closed, our community had no impound facility for several days.

News broke that the mandatory evacuation was being lifted from the Croy Canyon area on Thursday, August 22nd. After six days of being displaced staff was anxious to get back and assess any damages. What they found was amaz-ing. The Shelter and surrounding out-buildings, agility fi eld, and kennels, were an oasis surrounded by scorched land and vegetation. An overwhelming feeling of relief rippled through all who call the Shelter “home”.

The staff spent Thursday afternoon cleaning the facility and preparing to bring the cats and dogs “home”. Friday, the cats returned early morning and the dogs shortly behind them. Saturday morning, we were once again open for business - -

We cannot thank the fi refi ghters enough for saving the Animal Shelter.

Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley Photo Gallery Please enjoy reading about one amazing volunteer, and Many of our adopters, volunteers and friends of the Shelter recent correspondence we have received from our adopted post photos on our Facebook page daily. Find us on pet guardians. We love hearing from you! www.facebook.com/AnimalShelterWRV to keep in touch.

Thought you would like to see this photo of Morgan AKA Tommy, with his new family.

Joanne Mercer

Maya is quite a little nut. She loves her stuff ed animal; when thrown she loves to run and pounce

on them, and then brings the toy back for it to be tossed again and again and . . .

David Neumann

Harry Stevens volunteered his time and talent this summer to give the Shelter exterior a much

needed fresh coat of paint.

Thanks Harry!

As you can tell from the photo my husband is in love with Sheila. Haha. He doesn’t want

people to know he likes cats!

Katie Silver

Ruff , ruff from Moscow! Thanks again for taking care of me and fi nding

me a nice home. I am loving my new family.

Ally Kindelspire, AKA Alice

Our sweet Yoda has been such a joy and all the kids take turns having him sleep in their rooms; it’s very

sweet. He especially has taken to our youngest, who is our little girl.

Susan Morgan

We love Aspen so much! He is a great addition to our house! We have 3 yellow labs now and couldn’t

be happier! They all love each other!

Tori, Mary, and Mike Shimchick

Volunteer Spotlight: Pamela Wertalik

Pamela Wertalik is an animal lover, pet owner and active participant in Akita Res-cue. In 2012 she moved to the Wood River Valley for six months to help her sister with her new baby. When she learned about how the Barkin’ Basement thrift store in Hailey supports the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley, she soon became a regular volunteer at the store.

In the fall of 2012, Pamela was in a serious car accident in route to Boise and her plans changed overnight. That six-month staycation changed to a fairly permanent new residence as she recovered from her injuries. During the many months of being stuck indoors, she worked at fi nding ways she could support the store and the Shel-ter animals. After researching how thrift stores work, and that the art of repurpos-ing product was a big industry trend she created the idea of Repawsed.

Repawsed is the Barkin’s green venture where vol-unteers repurpose donated product from the store into pet-related products. The Barkin’ now carries

many fun pet toys and supplies from the Repawsed program and each animal adopted from the Shelter goes home with a Repawsed pet toy.

We would like to give a special thanks to Pamela for her support and dedication to our organization and her entrepreneurial spirit in bringing the Repawsed idea to the Barkin and our valley’s pets. Pamela lives in East Fork with a cat named Emmett and a dog named Tabasco that she adopted from our Shelter!

BARKIN’ BASEMENT THRIFT STORE

111 S. Main Street in downtown Hailey

Telephone: (208) 788-3854

Store Hours:Monday - Saturday: 10 am - 6 pm

Sundays: Noon - 4 pm

Howl-o-ramaThursday, September 26th

5 - 8 pmAt the Barkin’ Basement

Bow Wow BazaarFriday, October 11th &Saturday, October 12th

10 am - 5 pmSunday, October 13th

noon - 4 pmAt the Blaine County

Senior Center

Kitten Ellis has very kindly agreed that, grooming with the lint roller is not only acceptable; but, works

in lieu of tormenting the linens as I make the bed. I roll him to his satisfaction (about 7 sticky sheets).

Who knew...?

In November of last year I adopted Rango. Without a doubt he has become my best bud.

Here is a recent picture of us gardening together.

Lacie Hernandez

It has been one month today that we adopted Rosie, but it seems as though she has been a part

of our lives from her beginning, and we feel so fortunate to have been brought together through

the Wood River Animal Shelter – thank you!

We are so happy with Tye, as the newest member of our family. He has made our

family even better.

Jennifer, Brooks, Bella, Cole & Oreo Townsend

Hi Everybody.I am settling in with my new family. I have been

exploring the house, making myself comfortable!

Abby Sutherland

ANIMAL SHELTER OF THE WOOD RIVER VALLEYP.O. Box 1496 Hailey ID 83333-1496

Return Service Requested

OUR TOP DOG SPONSORS:

Sherry Daechwww.sherrydaech.com

40 - YEAR VALLEY RESIDENT

LONGTIME VALLEY REALTOR/BUSINESS PRINCIPAL

LIFETIME ANIMAL LOVER

SCOTTEVEST INC.Laura and Scott Jordanwww.scottevest.com

TRAVEL CLOTHING FOR THE TRIP OF YOUR LIFE

Proud Sponsors of theANIMAL SHELTER OF THE WOOD RIVER VALLEY

Want Shelter information sent right to your phone?Try out our new texting program!

Enter the number 22526 as your recipient and type one of three messages:

“PAWS” for information on volunteering“WOOF” for shelter updates

Or “BARK” and you’ll score deals and promotions from the Barkin’ Basement!

Happy Texting!

Antique Agra Carpet, India1st quarter 20th centurySize: 27.5 feet x 15 feet

Excellent conditionAvailable for sale at

Davies-Reid in KetchumAppraised value: $75 - 110,000

If you are interested in purchasing the carpet,please call the Animal Shelter and ask for Rosemary.

This carpet was donated to the Shelter by Barbara and Paul Dali.All proceeds from the sale of the carpet will go directly to the Shelter.