TOYA NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Toya holds the distinction of being our longest resident foster pet in the RHS history - three years this month.  We feel blessed that we can offer loving foster homes to our homeless animals instead of cages or kennels - at any other shelter, Toya would have been just a statisic.

Now, however, we have run into a situation that can only be corrected by moving 8 year old Toya into a new home asap.  This sweet girl is getting very stressed out in her foster home as the home has taken on more foster cats for the RHS and she is NOT enjoying the elevated activity level etc. this brings to the home.  Her stress is manifesting itself into health issues and this is one very unhappy kitty. We always say that when an animals behavior changes, the first thing you need to do is rule out the physical.  So, Toya went straight to the vet and had extensive blood work and a complete, thorough exam.  All came back 100% normal.  Once the physical can be ruled out, then it is time to look at the behavioral aspect of things.  That is where we can tell that her demeanor has changed over the last few months and so has her health, and not for the better.This girl is a big part of our RHS family and we want to do what is right for her.  We believe Toya would be happiest in a home where she is the only kitty or only shares the house with a pet or two.  A senior home or one without a lot of activity would be best for her (no small children).  It breaks our hearts to see one of our own suffering and we cannot allow that to happen.  We are confident that in a new, quiet environment - Toya will come full circle back to the sweet kitty we know she is .... and she will be so much happier as well! Please share this story with others and let's try and find that forever home for this poor girl who deserves a fighting chance at a happy life. Our contact info is 406-323-3687 or wschurch@midrivers.com - thank you in advance for your caring and assistance!

PAMPER YOURSELF & HELP US PAMPER OUR PETS!

Join us for our 4th Annual Pampered Chef Fundraiser to raise money for the homeless animals in Rimrock Humane Society's care! This is not an actual show that you would attend but a virtual/internet fundraiser.  This fundraiser will run from November 23^rd until December 17^th.  We have had a lot of fun with this the last three years and raised hundreds of dollars to boot!
This year we are going to do things a bit different – just go to the webpage specified below and order straight from there instead of through an actual “show”.  This will enable you to get your products right away and RHS still will receive 20% of all sales.  So go ahead and pamper yourself or get your Christmas shopping off to a good start!  And here is the great news …

Monday, November 29^th is Cyber Monday and
there will be FREE shipping on all orders over $75!

Here is how you shop & order:  Go to www.pamperedchef.biz/debfeddes and click on "Shop Online" which is in the middle of the page toward the left. 
The next page will give you 2 options.  Choose #2 (not invited to a show but would like to place an order).  Click on "Place an Order" - a warning will pop up about placing an order for an organization, but go ahead and click to get past that also.  You will then be on the page listing all the products available in different categories.  Click on each category to see details/pictures of all the products.  Shop and check out as directed.  It is as easy as that.  Your order will be shipped within a day or two of your order, so you won't have to wait very long (in general, about 7-10 days max to arrive).

PLEASE NOTE:  If your order is more than $150.00, before you place the order please feel free to contact Deb at pdfeddes@theglobal.net and you can order through her to save yourself a bunch of shipping.  This is optional for you, but will save you at least $10 in shipping doing it this way.  She is also more than happy to combine orders with your friends who live nearby to save you all shipping if you want - just contact her before you place an order.

All proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit the animals in the Rimrock Humane Society's care. 2010 has proven to be a very busy year for our organization with over (105) animals assisted and we still have more than a month to go! Veterinary costs have totaled over $8,600 so farthis year and our food bill has surpassed the $1,500 mark. Your kindness of placing an order for your Pampered Chef Products through this fundraiser will allow us to continue our important work of helping the homeless animals in our area!

 

Please be sure to place your orders by December 17^th!!!

(The Rimrock Humane Society would like to personally thank our Pampered Chef “professional”, Deb Feddes, for all of her hard work and charitable heart for assisting us with this fundraiser every year.  Deb adopted “Chloe” from us back in the spring of 2003 and approached us in 2007 with this idea to help benefit the homeless animals in our care.  Her caring and sharing is deeply appreciated!)

Help "Z" Find a New Home!

Situations like Z's always tug at our heart strings and make us sad for all parties involved. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world but we here at the RHS always believe there is a happy ending for every needy animal out there.  We will let Z's owner tell his story below:

It is with a heavy heart that I must find a good, loving home for my smart, loving dog.

Z is an 8 year old, neutered, male lab/chow mix. He is 50lbs and in good health.

Z has eight years of training including basic and advanced obedience, personal training with Marty Golden and agility with Jennifer McCandless. Skills include but are not limited to Sit, Stay, Lay down, Roll over, Play dead, Place, Free, Crawl, Push it, Drop it, Touch it, High five, Speak and Kisses. Z is very food motivated and loves to do tricks for treats.

He gets along with other dogs (prefers to be alpha) and will possibly chase rabbits and/or cats. Z loves massages (preferably elbows and shoulders) and he loves to swim.  He also loves walks and runs. His favorite toys are tennis balls (which he will fetch and return) and stuffed animals.

Z has some anxiety and would do well in a home without small children. He responds well to treatment, which includes 1 chlomiprimine twice daily, regular exercise and training.

Z  is a wonderful, loving dog that deserves these opportunities which, sadly, I am unable to provide for him.

If you are interested in meeting Z, please contact Marla at 406.208.4459 or the Rimrock Humane Society at 406.323.3687

Willow - The Velveteen Kitten

We would like to introduce you to our sweet Willow!  Her foster mom can no longer house her so we are actively pursuing a "furever" home for her (prefered) or a new foster care situation.  Please, if you can, open your home & heart to this girl ... her story is below.

Willow's owner kept putting her outside during the day while she was gone to work and the neighbors were so concerned that this beautiful girl was going to get hurt, they asked if they could have the kitty. That is how Willow came into our program and we are so thrilled she did! What a sweet, wonderful little girl she is! We just hate to think what could have happened to her when she was left to fend for herself outside. You can see that she has the neatest haircoat ... not only beautiful colorings but it is of medium thickness and is soft like velvet. Willow immediately warmed up to the dogs of the foster home and walked right over and "bumped" several of them on the chin. A little "hissy" at first with the cats of the house but is currently warming up wonderfully with the other felines. Loves to cuddle and purrs like a tank ... is a great bed warmer at night! Willow is going to grow into a strikingly beautiful cat! Feline leukemia/FIV negative, all shots (including rabies), spayed, wonderfully litter box trained, and microchipped - we were so happy to be able to help this sweet soul make the next move in her happy ever after story ... you must meet this beauty in person!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

One Daily "Click" Is All It Takes!

We here at the Rimrock Humane Society know and understand the difficulties of these tough economic times ... perhaps you could say that we actually comprehend it better than most because it effects us on so many levels.  Not only with the slow down of donations but the continuing rise of animals being surrendered due to affordability issues - it is truly a double edged sword for any non-profit animal welfare organization.

So, when an opportunity comes along that costs YOU absolutely nothing but can award us "mucho denaro" ... well, we'd be silly not to share it right?  That is what we thought ...

The Animal Rescue Site and Petfinder.com sponsor (3) Shelter Challenges every year – these contests are where people can vote for their favorite shelter and that shelter will, in turn, win some very much needed “cash” (if they get enough votes for the specific category).  In the past, the RHS has won the “most popular shelter” in the state of Montana twice which secured us a prize of $1,000/ea which we applied to our very successful spay/neuter program.  There is a national prize of $10,000 which we have tried for in the past but with many large national organizations competing we have decided, in this go around, to focus our sights on winning the Montana prize again of $1,000.  You figure, if we win this prize (3) times a year … that is $3,000 of extra cash for our spay/neuter program that we wouldn’t have had normally.  What a simple way for you to assist us and it costs you nothing!  Just a daily vote every day is all we ask … it is that easy!  We cannot do it without your help though so please read below on how easy this is to accomplish for us.

For those of you have assisted us in the past, you know the routine!  It is a DAILY vote ... not just a one-time deal.  Please cast your vote every day at the link below and be sure to bookmark it for easy reference:

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3

For any newbies, just click on the link and type in Rimrock Humane Society for the shelter name, Montana for the state and Roundup for the city.  Once you do this, it will automatically take you there every time you vote!  It is as easy as that!

Currently, we are 2^nd in the state and we just can’t have that!  Please vote every day and forward to your friends and family – we have learned in the past that it is important to rally early and take the lead quickly!

This contest runs to midnight on December 19^th – we will be sending out frequent reminders and be sure to join us on Facebook as we send out daily reminders there as well!

Sadie - Our Gorgeous Dark Haired Beauty

Look at the intense eyes on this girl and that glorious, shiny dark brown/black coat!  What breed is Sadie you ask?  Why she is a Weimaraner and Akbash mix ... say what? Yup ... that's right ... a gorgeous combination for sure! 

Sweet Sadie is back with us as her adoptive owners claimed that she was being destructive at their home. Since she has returned back to her foster home, Sadie is doing great and has not shown any destructive behavior as of this writing! She will thrive in a home where her people are home a lot and have time to give her attention...this girl needs structure, exercise, boundaries, and leadership from her people which will make her feel secure. Sadie has a strong outgoing personality and could take over the household with an inexperienced dog owners (you know the phrase, give her an inch she'll take a mile). She would love your home if she can be your best friend; playing during the day and curling up with you at night when you are ready to relax. What a sweet energetic best friend who likes being with her people. Athletic, loves to play but also loves to be next to you and cuddle. Sadie gets along well with other dogs and cats and has shown some natural skills for birds; fixating and pointing. She is perfectly house trained, crate trained, loves car rides, and is obedient with leadership. Spayed, up to date with shots, and microchipped ... so gorgeous with her shiny hershey chocolate coat and 4 white toes! You just have to meet this beauty to appreciate her!  Check out her graceful moves in her video debut below:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kittens Kittens Everywhere!

The other day, I was standing in a local veterinary office when a woman walked in with a box and asked, "where is the local humane society?"  Of course, I stepped forward and was handed the box with (4) freaked out kittens in it.  Luckily, the Rimrock Humane Society has a policy that if we take any puppies and/or kittens, the momma has to be spayed as well.  Such was the case in this instance and one more "kitten factory" will soon be put out of business. 

The thing that saddens us the most is even though preaching spay/neuter is making a difference, it just doesn't seem to be imparting that BIG of a difference.  When we try and educate folks on the human to pet ratio as pictured here, we are not sure that it is truly sinking in.  Get it ... for every human born there are 15 puppies and 45 kittens.  Do the math, peeps ... there just aren't enough homes!  Because of this surplus, animals are homeless, starving, neglected and ... in most shelters throughout the U.S. ... euthanized due to lack of loving homes.  What a tragedy especially since it is a "fixable" (excuse the pun) situation.

I have always contended that there is no "lesson" for people who can just walk into a shelter, dump their animals and walk away.  They don't have to watch their dog's two week depression after their departure, witness their cat blow up with an upper respiratory infection due to stress in the shelter environment or the light leave their puppy's eyes when the euthanasia solution reaches his heart.  Pull into the shelter, dump your animal, walk away and it is life as usual.  Now mind you, we all know and recognize that there are life situations that cannot be avoided such as death, divorce and other altering moments that might cause an animal to be seeking a new home.  It is the "I just got new carpet and my cat's hair doesn't match any more, I don't want her" that irks me (and yes, that was an actual surrender scenario).  Then these very same people are aghast at the fact that their animal was euthanized!  All of us out here in the animal welfare world are expected to find homes for every animal that crosses our door step whether it is a cat that is wilder than a March hare or that dog who has severe aggression issues "only 20% of the time".  May I refer you back to the statistics at the top of this page ... it just ain't gonna happen people!  Most of us in this profession wear this responsibility like a yoke around our necks ... it is a heavy burden that we carry with us 24/7 and it actually has a scientific name "Compassion Fatigue".

So what is the answer?  The days of apathy are over ... they have to be.  We all need to play a vital part whether it is educating, volunteering, fostering, donating, adopting ... it doesn't take much to make a difference.  If you could educate one person on the benefits of spay/neuter and that person educates one person ... think of how the ripple effect would spread!  Yup, huge strides have been made in the last decade or two in regards to animal welfare but we still have a long ways to go.  This is clearly evident every day for us when the phone continues to ring with people who have unwanted pets. We cannot do this alone ... please help us be part of the solution ... if not for us, then for them?

Sandy Church
President

NOTE:  Do not forget that we have many kittens, adult cats and dogs looking for good homes.  If you or someone you know is looking, please have them contact us!

Wiggy & Pancho - Cutie Patootie Chi-whoies

It always breaks our heart when we hear of adored pets who lose their home due to the health of their owners.  It is a tough scenario not only for the owners but for their beloved pets as well.  That is the case with these two adorable little Chihuahua's ... their momma had to go into assisted living and these two were uprooted from the only home they have ever known.

Wiggy is the adorable little black & white 12 y.o. female Chi on the left and Pancho is the 2 y.o. tri-colored male on the right.  Both came to us needing some veterinarian attention.  For Wiggy, we ran a complete senior blood panel (which was all normal) and she had to have a dental so got her teeth cleaned and some teeth extracted.  Pancho needed to be neutered and both were in serious need of an update on shots.  They came through their procedures with flying colors!

These two are as different as they look ... Wiggy is Miss "roll w/the flow" and Pancho is the more nervous, shy type.  We thought originally that they should be adopted together but Pancho is showing, in his foster home, that he likes playing with small dogs his age and now finds ol' Wiggy boring!  =)  Wiggy will meet new people with a happy tail wag where Pancho is more subdued and will meet you on his time frame.  He is starting to play more not only with the dogs of the house but his foster parents as well.

These guys had a huge adjustment to make and we want to think Rob & Julie, their foster parents, for their patience and kindness.  These two would prefer to be in a home where the owner is home a lot of the time but it is not 100% necessary - both are crate trained and guess where they like to sleep?  You got it, under the covers in bed with YOU!  Please let us know if you might be interested in adopting one of these cuties ...

Sweet Honda & her family

It is tough being a young mother but heap on top of that possible abandonment plus you have 5 hungry mouths to feed ... talk about responsibility!  But sweet Honda did the best she could - this beautiful cat was found in the backyard of a home where the owners had just moved out ... was she theirs?  Did they just discard her and her babies out into the bushes while they locked up the house for the last time and left?  We will not know but the new owners found this homeless momma & her five 3 week old kittens and turned them into the RHS.  That was over a month ago and let's just say that life has improved 100% for this special family!

Lovingly raised in one of our great foster homes, Honda's "kids" are now almost 9 weeks old and ready for adoption!  We would like to introduce you to them and hope perhaps they will be able to find new furever homes soon! 

Aren't they adorable?  All medium haired and all females!  We would love to share their personalities with you (please call us at 406-323-3687)... they've had their 1st shots, wormed and litter trained.  This whole family has been raised with love and the kittens have been socialized with other dogs, cats, kids and people.  Nothing like hand raised, loved & adored kittens!  We hope you can't resist and want to adopt one of these love muffins.  Also, don't forget ... Momma Honda is looking for a new home too!  After all, she raised quite a family here and now she is looking for a good rest in a great home.  If you cannot open your home to one of these special felines, please share this blog with your friends and family and let's see if we can write a happy ending for these deserving kitties!  Thank you so much!

Welcome to our New Blog!

Well, we finally did it!  The Rimrock Humane Society can officially be classified as BLOGGERS!  We have been wanting to make this step for quite some time but it took a gentle nudge from a loyal supporter and here we are!  There is no doubt that in today's day and age of social networking, tweeting/facebooking/blogging are the best ways to stay in touch with our supporters and share "what is happening" with the public!  So, sit back and become a "follower" ... you never know what you might learn or experience here!
~~~



There is another Shelter+ Challenge underway and we sure would appreciate your votes!  We are currently 130th in the Nation (out of 10,000 shelters, not to shabby) and #1 in the state of Montana (which would mean $1,000 to us if we won that category).  Remember, you can vote every day, so please bookmark this page to make it easier to go back every day to vote.  This contest runs through December 19th ... yup, that's lots of voting but it only takes a second and the critters are so appreciative of your time and devotion!

You can vote in the Shelter+ Challenge here.

Please note:  Use Rimrock Humane Society for our name and MT for the state and our listing should come up.

We have been honored to win the most popular shelter in Montana twice now to the tune of $2,000 smackeroos!  This money was applied to our Community Spay/Neuter Program (CSNiP) which, since it's inception in 2006, has assisted with over 975 surgeries for low income families.  So this just proves that every vote counts and this contest is vitally important in helping us continue our ever important programs.  Please help us win this Holiday Shelter+ Challenge by voting every day, and by encouraging your family, friends and colleagues to vote every day, too.  Thank you!