EBHS Unleashed

CarMax really does care! The CarMax Cares volunteer team came out to work with me bright and early Sunday morning. I have to give a shout out to the whole group - Meaghan, Shelley, Nick, Sandra, Andrea, Cheryl, and Bridgett. These nice folks not only came out to the shelter early on a Sunday AM, they worked so hard cleaning, weeding, scrubbing, sorting and assembling a small kennel with absolutely no instructions whatsoever. Not only did they make the place look awesome and get us caught up on some chores that we let get away from us, but they also brought in a bunch of items from our wish list, and then made a very generous donation on the first big check I ever got! They also got to socialize a bunch of the animals and take the dogs for walks. I cannot tell you what a great time I had working with them. A big EBHS thank you to the whole group!

Wisconsin needs more bats! I had to do yard work this weekend, and I am fairly sure that I have contracted either Malaria or West Nile virus right on my front lawn. Where are they treating for mosquitoes? I am going to paint a target on my roof for the next time they fly over with the larvicide! I have no standing water on my property, yet I am covered by mosquitoes from head to toe as soon as I walk out my front door. I had to cover myself with "bug dope", as my husband calls it, just to get the newspaper! I hope my neighbors understand that I will not be doing any yard work until the first frost. I am going to hang some bat houses up in the woods in my yard to attract more of Mother Nature's natural mosquito control to my yard.

Guinea Pigs at the shelter do not really like strawberries! We have been low on fresh veggies at the shelter lately, and a neighbor gave me a bushel of strawberries and someone else told me she liked to feed them to her guinea pigs. So naturally, I brought them in this morning and gave them to all the small and furry animals - rabbits loved them, rats loved them, mice loved them, guinea pigs did not touch them. Lesson learned! I have to hope someone in the neighborhood is growing some greens for the guinea pigs.

People are always surprising! We had a feral cat brought in recently that was to be spayed and given to a foster family to live in a barn. After this cat was spayed we were waiting for the foster to come and get her and then found out that this person had changed their mind. This poor cat had no options and we did not know what we were going to do with her - until someone came in to have another feral cat spayed for them to release in their barn. This nice gentleman was asked if he would like two cats for his barn, instead of just getting the one he brought in and he said YES! So he not only saved one life with his kind gesture, he has now saved two!

Wall-E was a great movie! I highly recommend this movie. As I suspected, cockroaches will survive on the earth no matter how badly we mess it up. Then they get to co-star in a Pixar movie! The little cockroach was cute in the movie, and he made a great companion animal though I do not expect that trend to catch on. As an adult, I loved the movie probably more than my daughter who I took to see the movie (it was all a ruse, I really wanted to see the movie myself and I made my husband take her to Kung-Fu Panda so I could see Wall-E).

EBHS will have a lot of Chihuahuas available in 6 - 9 months! One of the trailers before the Wall-E movie was for another animated movie starring about 500 Chihuahuas. Typically, when an animal is featured in a movie (101 Dalmations, Air-Bud) people run out and get that breed of puppy and then when the animals are not as charming as the one in the movie they will bring them to a shelter, or try to re-home them personally. Chihuahuas are a great breed of dog, but they are not for everyone. I heard several children, including my own ask to get one right in the theater...Ay Carumba!

Atticus is a beautiful 4-year-old cat that came to us as a stray from the Milwaukee County Domestic Animal Control Center. He is a really striking cat, very large, and fearless. He also seems to not realize that he is a cat. He also happens to be our current front office mascot. This is a picture of Atticus.

At the shelter we typically keep one cat up in the front office for company and for the cat to get some extra attention from potential adopters. We have had a quite a few characters in the front office, like Gomer, who did not like dogs and would attack them like a lion would attack a water buffalo.  He loved people but anytime a dog would happen to be in our reception area, Gomer went into predator mode. He did not care if the dog was a tiny Chihuahua or an enormous German Shepherd. In Gomer's mind, they were going down.

Another cat was Charlie. Charlie really liked people food, and if he heard any kind of wrapper or cellophane noise he would be on your lap in seconds. My favorite Charlie episode was once when I heard one of the front office gals shout the name "Charlie" and I looked up from what I was doing to see Charlie run past me with a sandwich in his mouth. He somehow managed to unzipper a lunch bag and remove the chicken sandwich inside that was right at the feet of this gal without her even knowing it. That is pretty talented for an animal without opposable thumbs!

We had another cat named Christy up front and she was the clumsiest cat ever. She had access to the whole front office at the shelter and thought nothing of jumping up onto your desk and walking around, drinking out of your coffee, then slipping on papers which would send everything on your desk flying onto the floor. Or she would run across your keyboard and close files that were not saved, or send incomplete emails. She knocked so many coffee mugs down that we are still finding broken bits from them under things when we clean.

Our Atticus has already proved he has a very unique personality as he was a model for a recent photoshoot with other EBHS shelter animals. He was a natural at working the camera, despite other cats and dogs around him, flashes going off and all kinds of commotion around him. He was so good that he will appear in some animal health advertisements for Abbott Labs. A star was born that day, and Atticus is not letting any of us forget it!

Atticus has had a very full first day up here in the front office. Like I mentioned, he is super friendly, and follows us all around like a dog would. He forced me to relocate my Guinea Pig maternity ward as he was relentlessly trying to get past the gate that I keep across my office and was making the guinea pigs afraid. Then someone came into surrender a dog, and he thought he should go say hello and try to play with this dog who was very stressed and did not appreciate Atticus' attempts to engage in friendly play. He has been at our side answering phones, stamping mail, doing data entry and even kept a handyman company while he was fixing the toilet in our lobby area today.

We had to move a bunch of birds into a front office where they would get some sunshine and hopefully more exposure to potential adopters. Atticus wanted to get a better look at the finches and he knocked down a water bowl and caused fur and feathers to fly. While there were no injuries, Atticus lost a little dignity as he had a wet head for a little while and the birds got a good laugh at his expense.

Atticus is available for adoption, and he is waiting for a new family that will appreciate his unique outlook on life as a person in a cat suit. Many people feel like a cat is a cat, but I can assure you that every cat is has their own well defined personality and can add so much to your life.

Today I received a call from a gentleman who wanted to know how much money another animal charity gave to us from the money he sent to them each year. He stated that he sent money to an animal welfare organization based in New York, and that he received appeal letters from them every year, and he sent money to them thinking that these funds would be given to animal charities in Wisconsin, specifically to Elmbrook Humane Society. He also said that they mailed him return address labels and he felt he needed to pay for them by sending money to this charity.

Many of us receive lots of mail from charities all over the state, and even the country. I seem to get a lot from animal welfare organizations, which I presume is in response to getting on mailing lists from products I buy or places I sign up to go to with my dogs, and through my professional affiliations. I also see a lot of television commercials on at night with sweet little animal faces, and sick puppies for national animal charities. The sad music plays and there are slow motion shots of sick, injured or sullen dogs and it is hard for you not to run over to your check book or grab your credit card and call the number on the screen.

I want to set the record straight for all local animal charities and rescues. We do NOT get any funds from any national, regional, or state animal welfare organizations. If you send money to a charity based in New York, that money will go to further the mission of that group in New York, and while it may help animals, it will not change the life of one animal in Wisconsin. Also, if you send money to a state animal welfare organization, it does not get distributed to the other smaller organizations in that state. Make sure you donate DIRECTLY to the animal welfare organization of your choosing. If you want to help local animals, donate directly to a shelter or rescue near you!

Now, this is just my own personal opinion, but I feel that if a charity can send you something in the mail  like labels, or magnets, or other goodies in a solicitation letter they might not need the money as badly as another charity who cannot afford to send an expensive mailing like that. Trust me, just mailing a plain old bulk letter these days is pretty pricey. If there is an additional goody in there - that is the Cadillac of solicitation letters.

I am a big fan of the old slogan - "Think Globally, Act Locally". I try to shop at local businesses instead of big chains. I try to support local school and youth organizations and local civic charities. Since there are so many ways that charities can reach out to people now (internet, television, direct mail, phone solicitation), make sure you know who you are donating to, and exactly where and how the money will be used.

Because of the current economic climate, there will be pleas from many organizations this year so you should be extra vigilant to make sure your donation dollar will do the most good!

 It is raining cats at EBHS. Today we took in 10 cats from a hoarding situation in a home where there were 180 cats. The cats are stinky, and some have ear mites, but they are all friendly and once they have been cleaned up, and are spayed and neutered and receive medical treatment, they will be made available for adoption. This hoarding situation was bad, but since the animals seem to be placeable this tragedy will not be made worse by having to euthanize the animals, which is the unfortunate result of many similar cases.

Many people are quick to condemn animal hoarders. It is very difficult for most of us to understand how someone can go from one or two animals to 180, while living in the conditions that 180 animals create in a home. There has been extensive research done on people who hoard animals and there are three types of personalities found in hoarders:

1. The Expert: This is a person who feels that they are an expert in animal care and need to be in control of the animals they have in residence. These people tend to reject outside concern, help and intervention. 

2. The Rescuer: This is an individual who feels that they are the only person capable of providing the proper care and home for an animal in need. Often these individuals start off with one animal in the hope of rescuing and then rehoming the animal, but find that they are unable to let that one go, so they get another and the same situation arises which leads to a cyclical bringing in of animals and none are ever let go.

3. The Overwhelmed Caregiver: These are the most common type of hoarder, and they tend to be more socially isolated and the animals fill up the void in their lives. The hoarding in this situation is usually triggered by a change in circumstances, such as the death of a spouse, or retirement.

Animal hoarding situations are very emotional on so many levels, and it is not the job of a Humane Society to judge people that hoard. The people and the animals in these situations need our help, and that is what we are committed to doing. If you have a relative or neighbor that you are concerned about, please first understand that hoarding is a type of obsessive compulsive disorder, and they honestly cannot help themselves. Simply removing the animals from a home is just the first step in a long path that a hoarder must take and they will need support and care so as not to repeat the cycle again. There is an extremely high rate of recidivism with hoarders, so it is critical that there is ongoing support and monitoring by family and friends.

We can all do our part to protect animals and help hoarders by notifying the local humane society and authorities if you suspect someone might be hoarding animals. Also, if you are considering surrendering your companion animal to a private rescue, make sure to visit the residence where the animals will be kept to make sure it is not a hoarding situation.

Hoarding situations prove that it is all too possible to love animals to death.

Mondays are such a busy day at the shelter! We have had a ton of visitors, lots of phone calls, and one really upset lady with a fox problem. It seems that a family of fox had taken up residence in the yard of a neighbor who was out of town, and she wanted us to come and remove them immediately. She also said that this fox family had eaten all of the cats, squirrels, chipmunks and other small animals in the neighborhood. She had been on the phone all morning with the DNR, and the police, and felt that someone ought to come out and remove these animals and could not understand why no one would. She hung up on me and I felt badly that she was so frustrated and felt like no one would help her.

Elmbrook Humane Society will always respond to phone calls about injured wildlife. It is out job to pick those animals up and make sure they receive the proper medical care. Often times, we will transfer injured wildlife to our good friends in Oconomowoc, Wildlife In Need. We will also come over and remove an animal if a resident finds a wild animal inside of their home. This occasionally happens with raccoons down chimneys, and sometimes bats.

However, when we get a call from a resident saying that wild animals are living near their home there is nothing that we can do unless the animal is injured or exhibiting visible signs of disease. We are not permitted by state law to trap wild animals and relocate them, which is what most people would like us to do. In fact, simply removing one wild animal, such as a fox only creates the opportunity for another fox to move in on the territory. In the spring and early summer we actually discourage residents from trapping wild animals. Trapping and moving a wild animal during this time often creates a family of orphaned babies left to die, or to need hand rearing until they can be rehabilitated and released by a professional animal rehabilitator.

We are so lucky to live in an area that is so rich in wildlife. When I was a kid, I lived in suburbia on Long Island and I never saw any wild animals other than bird, squirrels, and the occasional deceased raccoon on the side of the road. Living in Brookfield, I routinely see deer, turkeys, fox, coyotes, all kinds of raptors, reptiles, and the occasional skunk or opossum. Wild animals are around us all the time, probably many more than we are even aware of. Most will pass through our yards without us even noticing.

Now, other than my dogs rolling in deer droppings, and the occasional raccoon ripping open my trash, I have not had any real problems with wild animals. But I know that many residents are not as charmed by the sight of a family of fox, or coyotes in their yard. The best way to avoid having wild animals decide to take up residence near your home is to make it as unwelcoming as possible. Here are some tips:

1. Make sure the exterior of your home has no holes, cracks or broken attic/basement windows where a wild animal might be able to gain access and start raising a family.

2. Keep brush piles and wood piles far from your house, as these can make attractive places to hide for denning animals such as coyotes and fox.

3. Wild animals prefer quiet, secluded places to have and raise babies. Make sure that your backyard is well used and well lit in the evenings to discourage wild animals from lingering around.

4. Feeding birds and squirrels in your yard will attract predators such as coyotes and fox, who live off small animals. If you stop attracting prey, you will also be less likely to have predators in your yard.

5. Make sure your trash is always secure. Nothing delights a wild animal like a buffet of table scraps!

Wild animals are here to stay in Brookfield and our neighboring communities, and while it can be trying sometimes, we have to learn how to live with each other. Please do not hesitate to contact EBHS if you need some tips on your own special issues with wildlife. We will do all we can to help keep your family, and family companion animals safe, and tell you the best ways to deter wild animals from becoming homesteaders on your land.

One last reminder - Please keep your cats indoors and do not let your dogs roam around unattended. They can easily fall victim to a wild animal!

Milez went home today! Many of you are already familiar with the plight of Milez. He is a 5 year old Husky that was recently surrendered to the shelter when his owners could no longer afford to pay for his seizure medications (about $50 a month). On top of everything else, poor Milez is about 30 pounds overweight.

Fortunately, a super lady came in today and fell in love with this beautiful dog. She is committed to maintaining his medications, and exercising him, and we know that he has found the perfect forever home. A few tears of happiness were shed when he left today. Shelter animals already have so many things stacked against them, and to have a medical condition, with a weight problem would definitely be a hindrance to most adopters. We love people that can love an animal the way our animals love us - with all of our faults, problems, and bad habits. There are no perfect people, and no perfect animals, but there sure are many people and animals that are perfect for each other! Here are photos of Milez, and Milez and his new mom!

My office at the shelter has now turned into a Guinea Pig maternity ward. We recently had a few young guinea pigs surrendered here to the shelter, and today our vet who comes in once a week advised us that two of them seem to be in the family way. I will keep everyone apprised on when the stork arrives here. I have never spent much time around a Guinea Pig, but they seem to be nice office mates. They do not mind being stared at by my foster dog, and they make all kinds of little happy noises when I give them hay.

Do you have a dirty bird feeder? Have I got the opportunity for you! This Saturday volunteers from Elmbrook Humane Society will be at Wild Birds Unlimited at 19555 W. Bluemound Avenue washing out bird feeders just in time for the summer feeding frenzy. We hope to see you out there.

If this is the first time you are reading EBHS Unleashed (or the EBHS Insider from our webpage) we welcome you to our shelter blog! This blog helps keep the community involved in the day to day goings on at Elmbrook Humane Society, your local animal shelter. We have some happy stories, some sad stories, but we always have animal stories to share. We hope all animal lovers will enjoy being a part of world!

Today was a rather exciting day for a few of our animals. Three of our cats, and one of our dogs were asked to participate in a photo shoot for Abbott Labs Animal Health Division. O'Malley, Atticus, Ginger and Larry were photographed at the Saturn Lounge Photography Studio, and all of them did very well. They all seem to know that they are stars now!

Pictured above are some of our animal celebrities, Atticus, Ginger and O'Malley...

If you are interested in adopting a kitten, we hope you will come in to see us on Friday. We will have many new cuties available for adoption this Friday.

We were happy to see Ferris, a West Highland Terrier go home with a new family today. We are still hoping to find new homes for three parakeets and a pair of cockatiels. We also have several Guinea Pigs looking for new families. If you know of anyone looking to add a small animal or a bird to their family, please tell them to come visit us!