Helping Pets and People in our Community

Alone, in pain and wandering the streets of La Grande, poor Walter needed a miracle. His luck began to turn when a good Samaritan began to care for him in September.  But a trip to the vet uncovered some terrible news. Walter was suffering from a painful dental disease called stomatitis. The condition is difficult to treat and requires repeated, and often expensive, dental procedures. The good Samaritan who had been caring for him was no longer able to afford his challenging medical condition. So, in January, Walter found himself at Blue Mountain Humane in LaGrande. 

OHS’s Second Chance Program frequently works with Blue Mountain Humane so when the call came in to help, Walter’s case was reviewed by the OHS medical team and he was scheduled to be transported to Portland.

When Walter arrived, it was clear that his stomatitis was severe. He’d already had 17 teeth extracted and it was determined that the only way to alleviate his pain was to remove his remaining 13 teeth. His recovery was challenging, but after a few days of love and care in the OHS Medical Center he began to turn the corner. The team would coax him to eat and gave him special accommodations to make him comfortable.  He then spent a few weeks in foster care while his mouth continued to heal from oral surgery.

With all the surgeries behind him, Walter was ready for the next happy and healthy chapter in his life. A blog post featuring adoption-ready Walter was put on our website in February, drawing the attention of potential adopters, including Enny. Enny specifically wanted to adopt a cat who was having a harder time finding home. When Enny came into the shelter, they sat calmly and quietly with Walter, just letting him be while softly petting his head and gently reassuring him that better days were ahead. “I have a really nice window that you can sit and look out.”

As the paperwork was finalized, Enny got emotional. “Let’s get you home before I start to cry.”

Thank you for your support of the pets in our shelter and community, and for helping Walter find his happy ever after.

Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Oregon faced another massive challenge. Wildfires were raging across the state — roaring through the Santiam Canyon, decimating towns in Southern Oregon and the coast range, and creeping dangerously close to some of the most densely populated areas in Oregon.

Oregon Humane Society’s Incident Command team, already meeting regularly, shifted their focus to wildfire response.

“We deployed all of our resources to meet the specific needs in the affected communities,” says Jennifer Barta, OHS staff member who led planning through the wildfire incident. “We approached the response in three distinct ways.”

1. OHS collaborated with agencies in the Portland metro-area to help pet owners from Clackamas County – sending teams into the field to deliver supplies, setting up kennels and caring for animals at evacuation sites.
2. OHS worked with partners around the state to transport shelter pets to Portland so space and resources were freed up to help pets and people directly impacted by the fires.
3. OHS supplied pet food and supplies so evacuees could keep their pets with them. OHS also provided emergency boarding as a last resort for pet owners who were not able to stay with their pet.

In addition, stray cats from Clackamas County were brought to OHS for medical treatment and daily care until their owners could be located.

“But, we couldn’t forget that we were still operating during a global health crisis, so we always had to put our plans through that filter,” says Brian August, OHS Chief Operating Officer. “For example, if we were sending responders to an evacuation site, we made sure they had masks and could stay six feet apart if they were in the same vehicle, or we planned for separate vehicles.”

“Every aspect of managing operations during the wildfire was a challenge,” says Chase Patterson, OHS Operations Director and member of the Incident Command Team. “When we were bringing transports of pets to OHS, we had to make sure our processes kept employees safe from COVID-19 and the smoky air.”

To keep the hazardous air out of the shelter, dog walks were suspended and special indoor areas for potty breaks were set up. The OHS maintenance team brought in extra filters and air scrubbers to keep staff, adopters and the animals safe.

Although the wildfires in Oregon have subsided, OHS continues to be a resource to both pets and people in our community. To help pet owners impacted by COVID, job loss, or other factors, OHS is hosting a pet food bank on Dec. 1-2 where free pet food is available to those that need it.

“Our goal is to continue to support pet owners in our community in any way we can. By hosting this Pet Food Bank, we hope to give those who are struggling one less thing to worry about this holiday season," said Sharon Harmon, OHS President and CEO, in a statement.