It’s hard to believe that another year has passed and PAWS will be celebrating their 20th anniversary next year! I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers. We would not exist without all of you giving of your time, money and sometimes your tears. Thank you. Sometimes the work seems endless, but it’s so worth it when you see the joy on the face of an animal going to its forever home. Thank you to Marty Carlson and Barb Tuhn and Craig Carey for doing a great job of taking care of the Shelter and the animals. All of your help and caring are so appreciated. A special thank you to Suzanne Krieger-Mjolsness who spends her own money to provide us with gift bags for the dogs that are adopted. A dog collar, leash, ball and a list of suggestions on being kind to your animal are included in the gift bag. Suzanne also initiates a donation campaign each year at her own expense. This has brought in much needed funds. We keep looking for new ways to help the animals. This year, a foster dog program was started and it’s working out very well. We have some great foster homes and it has given us the time to find good homes. The dogs do so much better in a home environment and we have good volunteers who are willing to work with the dogs. We also try to take animals to PETCO or other adoption events as often as we can. We plan to have a microchip clinic in the spring, so be watching in the newspaper for that announcement. Remember our Annual Meeting which will be held on April 22 at 7:30 pm in the City Hall boardroom. Everyone is welcome to attend. Finally, a big thank you to all of you who have donated money and other items as well as your time to PAWS. We appreciate the support of the public, the City of Jefferson, Greene County and the Police and Sheriff’s Department. We hope to have a great 2011!

Marilyn Lane, President

Letter from President

Paws Educates Greene CountyTeaching local students how to interact with dogs.Page 2

Letter from Elvis (the Hound)An injured hound’s new lease on life.Page 2

Garage SaleOur biggest fundraiser of the year!Page 2

Things I’ve Learned from FosteringA very personal look at the highs and lows of fostering. Page 2

Paws OverviewWhat does PAWS do?Page 3

Shadow’s StoryA sweet 5 month old pup’s journey to her forever homePage 4

Happy TailsPage 5

Technology & PawsUsing a new approach to reach families looking for pets. Page 6

2009 was another busy year as we continued our efforts to find homes for as many animals as possible. Not only did we continue our monthly “Adoption Days” at Petco, we also participated in adoption events at Petsmart and the Carroll Pet Expo. We also took dogs to Deals Harvest Festival and the Threshing Bee at the Foster Farm. We also continued our work with rescue groups in 2009. 8 dogs that came in to the shelter were transferred to rescue groups. Some of the groups that we worked with include:

Iowa Golden Retriever Rescue, Minnesota Boxer Rescue, Golden Retriever Rescue ofMinnesota, Big Dogs Big Paws Rescue, Midwest Boxer Rescue and Waverly Pet Rescue.

Annual Newsletter - April 2010

AdoPtioN eveNts &

rescue eveNts

Milo (on the left) and his little sister transferred to MN Boxer Rescue

Letter from Elvis the Hound: I came to live with Peg and Mike at Hickory Ridge 5 days after having surgery on my leg. Toby, Shadow, Honey, Ben, and Doc all greeted me at the door, we dog greeted each other, and I have been welcomed into the pack ever since. Peg is trying to make me follow Doctors orders but I feel so good and love life so much that it is hard for her to contain my enthusiasm. When she's not looking, I jump on the couch and romp with the other dogs. I had a Dr.'s appointment 2 weeks post surgery to have stitches removed and my leg checked. I got a good report and was given physical therapy exercises to do. Doc said I am a fast healer. I like the attention I get when doing the exercises. I am putting some weight on my leg now, about every third step when I am in a hurry. I also have been trying to scratch my ear with that leg. It is getting easier. My leg has some muscle atrophy from not being used for a while, but I am working on getting it built back up. Thank you from the bottom of my paws to everyone who cared enough about me to make my surgery possible. I am looking forward to having better use of my leg and finding the family that will love me for who I am. I love giving kisses and cuddling. I am house trained and love to be in the company of people. I just want to be treated like the "happy go lucky" dog that I am. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to live a full and happy life. Love,Elvis the Hound

Foster HoMes New for 2009 was our animal foster home program. We applied to the State and received approval to have foster homes for some of our animals. We currently have 11 “approved” foster homes and 4 homes that are very active in the foster program. During 2009, nearly 50 dogs were involved in the foster program at some point during their time in our care. The foster program is very beneficial in helping us to determine the dog’s temperment, whether or not it is housetrained, etc. If you would be interested in helping us by becoming a “foster family, please contact us.

Our biggest fund raiser is our garage sale and we are looking forward to another one at Clover Hall at the Greene County Fairgrounds on May 28 and 29 with a special preview the evening of the 27th. We will be accepting donations at the Hall on May 24 through noon on May 27, but if you have items you would like to donate before those dates, contact Mar Smith at 386-2628 to make arrangements. We ask most earnestly that all donations be clean, in good repair, and in working order. Clothes need to be clean and stain free as many get discarded for this reason. so MArK Your cALeNdArs ANd sAve Your “stuFF” to sAve AN ANiMAL!

GARAGE SALE!

PAWS educates Greene CountyPAWS has been spending time in the community educating children and adults on many issues. One of the issues we focus on is teaching children how to behave around animals. We like to show kids the correct way to behave around dogs, either their family pet or a strange

dog, so that they can avoid getting hurt. Many times dog bites are caused by a child approaching a dog in an unsafe way so PAWS is trying to emphasize when and how to safely interact with dogs. We have done this by visiting local preschool and giving demonstrations, as well as handing out safety coloring pages for the children to work on.Another project we have been involved with is telling people about our shelter, including how it is run, what we do for the community and other duties we perform. We have gone and visited the classroom at Genesis. We have also hosted several tours of the shelter for various groups. Volunteers for PAWS enjoy being able to teach the public about our hard work to help the animals of Greene County be safe and healthy. If you would like PAWS to get together with your group for a tour or educational meeting please call us at 515-386-9814 to set something up!

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Things I have learned about Fostering

Who doesn’t love puppy accidents in the heating vents? Chewed up computer cords, shoes and furniture? Who doesn’t love 3 a.m. trips outside in freezing Iowa weather to let someone go potty? Who doesn’t love cuddles, kisses, unconditional love? Who doesn’t love knowing that in a small way, they have made a HUGE difference? Who doesn’t love helping to save a life? Being a foster parent is not a glamorous thing. It can be downright dirty, heartbreaking work. However, it is one of the most worthwhile experiences a person can have. You are only expected to feed this animal, keep it safe and warm. No one told you that you were going to fall in love. No one told you that even though you are thrilled when the perfect family is found for your foster baby, you cry your eyes out because you are in love and it hurts to lose them. No one told you that each time you have a foster get adopted, your heart gets broken again. Foster homes show animals that someone will love them, that not everyone is out to hurt them, that being warm and fed should be normal, not an exception. By just including the animal in your everyday life, you are showing him/hers so much! I believe one of the biggest purposed of foster homes is to know more about this poor animal so that the chance of successful placement is way greater. Does your foster eat your couch? May be good for a new family to know! Does your foster love to share your pillow? Good for the new family to know! Is your foster scared of thunder or love the snow? Good things to know! Does your foster prefer the company of other dogs or cats? Or not? Good thing to know! Not only does fostering make life a little better for the animals, it makes it a lot better for you too! You make friends who love what you love and believe what you believe and support you. It brings your family closer by sharing in the joys of making a difference. They say it takes a village to raise a child. I believe it takes the same to foster a dog. If you want to be part of our village - just let us know! We would love to have you! You won’t be sorry! I have fostered for more than one organization and will tell you that hands down the support received by the other volunteers at PAWS way exceeds anything I could have expected. Personal Note: I was thrilled when Cindy asked me to write this for the newsletter and hope that it makes sense. Those who know me, know that I tend to ramble. If you have adopted a pet from us: Remember that we LOVE updates!

Remember the old joke, “How come radio announcers have little feet?” Mom asks where that idea came from, and the kid says,“Well, they always say ‘wee paws for station identification’” OK, sorry, sorry! PAWS isn’t about little feet, although some of our clients do have wee paws. People for Animal Welfare Society is about helping animals, mostly in Greene County. We’d like to help them everywhere, but we’re limited by the small size of our group—eleven people on the board, plus some active helpers at the pound. So here’s what we do, in five areas. First, we look after the animals in the pound—PAWS volunteers have the evening shift, with mornings covered by Marty Carlson, who is hired jointly by PAWS, Jefferson, and Greene County. The chores include sweeping, scrubbing, laundry, transporting animals to and from the vets’, buying supplies, assessing animals for adoption, and giving them some playing and loving-up time. Second, we have a big annual garage sale, which is our primary fund raiser and generally covers our expenses—mainly vet bills, medicine and special food, and low-income assistance. The garage sale is in the spring, and we’re taking donations now. (Call Mar Smith at 386-2628 for more info.) Third, we help low-income pet owners with vet costs, primarily spay/neuter and basic vaccinations. We also have a special, rather limited fund for pet emergencies that can’t be met by the owners. We don’t have the money to cover all of these, but we do what we can. Fourth, we work with schools and community groups to educate the public about the proper care of pets. PAWS has found that much animal “abuse” is just not knowing what pets need to keep them healthy and happy. In many cases, the owners are glad to do whatever is needed to correct a situation that might appear to be animal cruelty or neglect but is just lack of knowledge. Which brings us to PAWS final activity... Fifth, investigations. When we receive a complaint that an animal is being neglected or abused, our first response is to drive by the address and eyeball the situation. Sometimes the complaint turns out to be unfounded. If there seems to be a problem, we next pay a l visit to the owner and try to resolve things via friendly discussion. If this fails, we ask the police to step in and get compliance with the law. We’ve been doing these things officially since April, 1991, after planning and organizing from May of 1990, and we hope we’ve made a difference for the animals.

PAWs overview by Teri McFarland

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PAWS and the Community Make a Difference in One Cat’s Life Chad and Kara Sloan’s family in Jefferson had thought their cat was gone forever, until fate, and some good people, stepped in to help. Last fast, Sky, the family cat, went missing. The Sloans had experienced this before, as their other cat, Butterscotch, had gone missing previously and was brought in to PAWS after being caught in a live trap. After that, the Sloans took precaution and bought harness collars for their three animals, the two cats and their Chihuahua, Esther. As fate would have it, two months later in November, Kim Wright and her daughter, Jordan, spotted a gray tabby at their house. The Wrights own a property south of town and stray cats are a common occurrence. This cat, however, was friendly and craved human attention. After making the cat comfortable at their house, Kim contacted people throughout the community to see if anyone knew about this cat. She described him as a gray, stripped, declawed cat with some white markings, and a harness collar. Through connections with the right people, and because of good communication by the pet owners, a PAWS volunteer remembered that Sloans had a missing cat wearing a harness collar! When the Sloans received a phone call from PAWS saying their cat may have been found, they were in disbelief. How could he survive that long on his own? A meeting was set up for Sloans to look at the cat and sure enough, it was their Sky. He had traveled over two miles, gone across the Raccoon River, and survived against all odds. He looked different and really dirty, but had on the same harness he had over two months earlier. It took Sky a little time to warm up to his owners again. He had acquired some survival techniques; such as eating threw garbage bags and containers to get food. Sky doesn’t scrounge for food anymore, and is once again comfortable walking across the tables and counters knocking things off, just like he did before his adventure. He also doesn’t try to go to the door wanting out anymore, EVER! The family of Chad, Kara, Izabelle, Jordan, Ethan, and Lillian Sloan would like to thank Kim Wright and her family for finding their family pet and sending out messages looking for an owner. They would also like to thank the Jefferson Veterinary Clinic and PAWS for getting him back to them and remembering where Sky’s home was after so long.

Shadow’s StoryHi! My name is Shadow and here is my story: I was found wandering around outside in the freezing February cold. Thankfully, someone found me and brought me in to the Greene County Animal Shelter – who knows what could have happened to me!! Since I was so small and skinny, a very nice lady named Jenn took me to her very own home to take special care of me. And since I’m such a handsome little fella, she thought she’d show my picture around a bit. (I think she had a plan in mind!!) You see, she knew this couple that just deep down knew that they wanted me. I mean, how could you not – just look at me?! Anyway, I met my new mom first, and that’s all it took – one look and I had her hooked! On to my new pop - smooth sailin’ with him too! However, I did run into an issue - Scooby and Shelby! You see, this couple already has two other dogs, and were very worried about how I’d fit in with them. I had my work cut out for me! They are both older dogs, and quite set in their ways – especially Shelby. Whew, what a gal!! Needless to say, we all had quite a tussle at first – pretty scary for all of us, but not as bad as was feared – no harm, no foul!

We just had to set some boundaries, and I’m still learning every day that

I need to respect my older canine siblings, but we’re getting there! I’ve been working on going outside when Mother Nature calls – still need some work on that; have been learning to walk on a leash with Scooby and Shelby, am learning proper mealtime etiquette and I’m trying to “play nice” with my feline brother,

KC! Whew – didn’t know I had so much work to do, but I’m learning! I am only about 5 months old now, and all I need is some proper training, time and a whole lot of patience. I’m now with the perfect family to give me all of that. Besides, I already have the most important thing, the LOVE!!! In fact, they love me so much that they had me neutered, micro-chipped and vaccinated, and pretty soon I’ll be on some preventative pills to keep me heartworm-free and keep fleas and ticks away from me when I start tearin’ up the outside world! I’m all healthy and rarin’ to go! Well, my story is just beginning, but I know I already have my happily-ever-after. And since my mom and pop are PAWS volunteers, I’ll keep you updated as to my progress. I know I found my forever home, and I’ll see you next year!!

Love, Shadow

A man not familiar to me came down my long winding driveway in a pickup about a year ago. In the back was a very handsome collie, shepherd mixed dog. The man asked if I was the owner of that dog or if I knew where he belonged. I said “no, I’m sorry that I don’t”) All the while this dog was

giving me “the look”. If you have ever gotten this look, you know what I mean. If you are reading this, you have probably gotten “the look”. “The Look” continued as the man pulled out of the driveway until I could no longer see the handsome dog. The next week or so, I saw this handsome dogs face in the

PAWS ad in the local paper. I kept reassuring myself that he would find a good home. He did find a home... in my dreams. He haunted me in my sleep and during the day in my thoughts. Finally, I listened to that little voice and called the PAWS voice mail. A very nice woman named Cindy returned my call

“tHe LooK”

“THE LOOK” continued on next page...

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I wanted to write to wish you and the other volunteers at PAWS a happy holidays. This will be the first Christmas that Pippi will be a part of our family and I can tell you she’s been a blessing since we adopted her. My mom is now undergoing treatment for breast cancer -- she’ll be fine! -- but I know having Pip around to sit with her has been a key part of her recovery. I’ll be

settling into my new home soon and plan to adopt another shelter pup for Pippi because she adjusted so well to life with my family dog while we were in transition. I just wanted to update you on her and let you know we’re thankful every day that you and the other volunteers took care of her before we came along. I’ve attached a photo of her enjoying the afternoon sun with our family dog, Jake. They’ve had a blast playing in the snow so I know he’s glad we have her this Christmas too.Take care,Lynzey Tharp

Wanted to let you know that Dee Dee, the mastiff we got from you in April/May, is doing awesome! She’s very well adjusted and I know she loves us as much as we love her.Thanks again for everything.Happy HolidaysManda Brisbois

Ilse and Princess asleep. A princess for a princess.

and I asked her about the dog that was a collie shepherd mix that had the widows peak and had been in the paper a week or two ago. I asked her if he needed a place to go until he found a home. Cindy replied that the dogs name was Shadow and he had fortunately found a home with some people near Ames. BUT - would I be interested in meeting with her about possibly “fostering” another dog that would benefit from some attention. I agreed and so we had lunch at the Peony one day where she asked lots of questions and I asked back. I filled out a form and a few days later Cindy called and said they had gotten a dog (another collie shepherd mix) and would I be interested in taking him to foster for a while as they did not know anything about this dog. That was the beginning of fostering dogs at Hickory Ridge. This dog had not been at the shelter long enough to be named by anyone and we did not know his name as he had been a stray. He had not been at home with me for long before I knew he was a real gem, and so he was “Gem”. I instantly fell in love and he became a wonderful, housetrained, non jumping, non barking, get along with everyone and everything companion. After several weeks, Cindy asked if I thought Gem was ready to go to adoption days. I wanted to tell her no, but admitted that he was. So I agreed to take Gem to our (Gems and mine) first ever adoption days. This was the Saturday before Mothers Day of 2009. I just knew that there would be so many dogs there that he wouldn’t get adopted. He would be coming “home” again. Cindy and her daughter Amber were there, and Amber relieved me of Gem for awhile. While Amber was walking with Gem, a family of four including two young men of early to mid teens introduced themselves to Gem. Gem took an instant liking to one of the young men and they

spent quite awhile playing together but eventually moved on. Amber came to me and said that Gem and the young man had really hit it off. I took Gem and slunk off to my pickup to brush Gem and give him a break (so I said), but what I REALLY wanted to do was to get Gem in the pick up and drive as fast and as far as I could. But I didn’t. It appeared that this young man needed Gem and Gem knew it. So we had a long talk (entirely for my own benefit of course), and I brushed him for as long as I dared, and we went back to the adoption days where the family was looking for Gem. They wanted to adopt him. Paper work was done, questions asked, and they passed with flying colors. I asked for pictures to be taken and was trying not to let my tears show, but the young man who was to be Gems charge, saw my tears and looked me in the eye and said “I know you will miss him, but I promise I will take very good care of him”. I now love the picture of Gem, the two young men, and me. I have never been able to bring myself to contact them again. I did tell them that Gem was always welcome to come back to Hickory Ridge for any reason. I cried for three days. It seems selfish that I wanted to take Gem back home with me. I am so happy that I didn’t and hope that Gem and his young man have been great companions for each other. I still remember seeing them walk into the pet store together after the adoption was finished. Gem was not looking back. The Dog Whisperer says that dogs live in the moment and if allowed, have a very short grieving time as they neither look back or forward in time. This has helped me tremendously with the many other adoptions that have taken place since that time. Gem still has a very large place in my heart, as does the very observant and caring young man who adopted him. Each adoption has gotten better, but never easy. Besides the dogs making

fostering worth while, I have also met very wonderful people that have become some of my greatest friends that light up my life. Fostering has been one of the hardest, most rewarding, life enriching things I have ever done. And by the way.... Shadow was returned to the shelter by his new family because they had to move. He was my foster dog for a very short while before he became a permanent member of our family. Shadow is the “boss” dog now in charge of new fosters that come to Hickory Ridge. He makes sure that they know the rules and mind their manners. In spite of me, Shadow ended up where the Good Lord intended him to be. It just took a little while longer. Shadow knew he belonged here when the man brought him in the back of the pick up. Fostering allows us to know so much more about a dog, which greatly increases a “good match” with a family, and allows the dog to learn as he is awaiting his or her “forever” home. Please, if you have any idea that you would like to foster, listen to that voice and just do it for the animals.

“THE LOOK” CONTINUED...

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Marilyn Lane – PresidentAnn Wenthold – TreasurerCheryl Swanson – SecretaryBonnie Silbaugh – Historian Mar Smith, Jean Meiners, Shari Hewitt, Shirley Herrick, Jenn Sparandeo, Cindy Beenken, Jill Mills. NOMINEES FOR APRIL 2010 – MARCH 2011 – President, Marilyn Lane;Vice President, Jean Meiners; Secretary and Historian, Bonnie Silbaugh; Treasurer, Ann Wenthold.

Clyde Harrison by Leone HarrisonWayne McDaniel by Carolyn HoukRay Smith by Norma Milligan, Roberta Beebe and Marion HockeBonnie Hostetler by Paul HostetlerBessie Murphy by Jane AlexanderWaneta Plath by Waterman and Hartford familiesIn memory of "Abby" by Alice Yepsen Darrell Scheuermann by Connie Allensworth, Alice Lundberg, Lorna Safley and Teresa Green Red McPherson by Deanna McPherson*Gary Elliott by Carolyn Houk, Jack and Lisa Fredrickson, Mary Jane Blair and Doug and Brenda Rieken *Additional funds also donated in memory of Gary Elliott went towards the purchase of an extra large wire kennel for PAWS use.

Memorials for 2009:

Thanks to...

Board of directors

Rocky and his new best friend Drew --- Drew had been waiting “his whole

life” for a dog like Rocky!!

Technologyand PAWS“I was looking for a pet on Craigslist and found a link to your page on Petfinder. From there I saw you had your own website so I searched and found a pet I want to adopt. Please e-mail me, text me,

or send me an instant message on Facebook so I can arrange meeting this animal.”

Did that sound like a foreign language or did any of that make sense? Technology has sure taken a big turn and been a tremendous benefit for the animals at the Greene County Animal Shelter. New homes for animals have been found because of the growing internet and communication through phones and computers. We advertise our animals in a variety of ways and have reached more adopters and great new homes. No matter how someone contacts P.A.W.S., a potential adopter is screened in the same manner as someone who calls on the telephone or stops at the shelter. Questionnaires are filled out, references are checked, and knew homes are being found all over Iowa and beyond. Please check out our links on the Web, search us on Craigslist, or add us as your Facebook friend.http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/IA44.htmlhttp://www.pawsofgreenecounty.org/

shelter statsDOGS:Adopted: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167Return to Owner: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Transfer to Rescue: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Euthanized: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Other: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Total: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

CATS:Adopted: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98Return to Owner: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Transfer to Rescue: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Euthanized: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Other: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Total: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Total Animals from Jefferson: . . . . . . . .248Total Animals from Greene County: . . . 99

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