These are my words and not those of the shelter. I'm just a volunteer who cares about the local homeless dogs
UPDATE Jan 12, 2023 Thank you to all the wonderful Portland area people who have offered to be shelter volunteers in any capacity, and especially those who are volunteering to foster shelter dogs so they can decompress and have a better chance of finding a good home!
and those who are taking the dogs into your rescue groups to help them find a good home. Your impact on saving lives is already making a huge difference for some long term MCAS shelter dogs!!
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Since MCAS is NOT a no-kill shelter, we need more Foster homes, local RESCUE groups and Oregon Humane Society to help more of these LOCAL homeless dogs. NOW.
The MCAS dog population should NOT have to be in an
"Emergency Mode" (ie: needing to euthanize for space) in order for OHS to help out more! Over the years as a volunteer, I've watched numerous really nice large active dogs start to go downhill and sometimes become kennel crazy (even though they were at that time being well-cared for by staff and volunteers) in the county Troutdale shelter: dogs that would have been adopted into a home quickly had OHS offered to take them instead of the cute (poodle puppy or whatever easy dog) that it chose.
Oregon Humane Society has far greater resources available to help these local dogs;
-Marketing and Public Relations to attract good adopters AND a population sector that is proud to adopt/support from OHS but would never adopt from a "County Pound". MCAS is truly the underdog.
- OHS has a Behavior training department to work with under-socialized, frightened, insecure or otherwise just not ready to be adopted dogs; space and resources (like the running group) to exercise active dogs
-OHS has a new Medical facility to care for needs, rooms available within the shelter to have time-outs to decompress
- A location that is closer to more adopters and more volunteers
and a much more attractive, specious facility (which attracts adopters, and donors) that has all the amenities that MCAS shelter lacks.
Rather than just "cherry picking" a few desirable dogs from MCAS as they have routinely done for many years, OHS ought to be routinely be helping out with some of the dogs that may take longer to get adopted, and more of the young active dogs that come into MCAS. Save lives!
