Dog rescue can be discouraging–the limited resources, overwhelming demand, and endless stream of dogs in need. It’s all so enormous, like clearing a mountain with a teaspoon. But sometimes all it takes to shift the point of view is one good rescue story. Last weekend, the Lake Shastina community worked together to rescue five scared dumped dogs near the golf course. Thanks to these local heroes, all five strays–plus eight puppies serendipitously surrendered to our gates and reunited with their momma–are now safe at the Rescue Ranch Sanctuary. Donate today to help us care for these precious lives!
It takes a community to rescue scared dumped dogs
Madeleine Audouard saw the scared dumped dogs just off Big Springs Road on the Lake Shastina golf course early Sunday morning. She called her parents, Courtnie and Nicholas, to see what they could do. The five dogs–black and white terrier mixes with short legs–were too skittish to catch. So Courtnie and Nicholas called their neighbor Gita Bhushan for help. Gita has caught strays before and immediately set to work to gain their trust with food and treats.
Gita spent the morning trying to lure the dogs, but it was soon clear she needed more equipment. She reached out via the Nextdoor app and the support from the Lake Shastina community was amazing. Michelle and Darren Valdez loaned crates and traps. Other neighbors helped keep watch around the trapping site. Folks frequently stopped by to check for progress and offer support. Nicholas was Gita’s backup throughout, always ready to help when needed.
Thankfully, the dogs were hungry. The first dog, a very pregnant female, was trapped on Sunday evening. Mark Reichert helped Gita transport her to the Audouard’s home, where she spent the night in a secure pen. Early Monday morning, a second female entered a trap. A few hours later, a male followed suit. Hallelujah!
Fortuitously, I was out walking my dogs on Sunday morning when Gita passed on her way back home to change for work. Gita warned me about the strays and I immediately alerted the Rescue Ranch team. Lake Shastina is a challenging jurisdiction for dog rescue. The local police department has no resources for animal care, and county animal control was closed for the weekend. That left Rescue Ranch as the only option. By the time the first three dogs were safely contained, the Rescue Ranch Sanctuary was standing by to receive them.
Puppies and momma reunited
Now comes the bizarre twist. While Gita and neighbors continued to monitor the traps on Monday, a local resident surrendered a box containing eight puppies to the Sanctuary gate. They claimed they’d wandered onto their property. But the black-and-white pups are too young to be wandering anywhere and look as if they’ve recently been weaned. What’s more, their markings exactly match the Lake Shastina strays. Weird, right?
It gets weirder. The fourth stray dog, a female who’s recently whelped, was trapped on Monday evening. When Gita transported her to the Sanctuary, the team showed her the matching puppies. As a test, Sanctuary Manager Laura Finley brought one of the new pups to the stray. Sure enough, momma accepted the puppy without hesitation. It was a bizarre coincidence, but momma and pups are now safely reunited.
That left just one stray on the golf course, a male. Gita spent hours patiently sitting near the traps, offering pieces of food and hoping he’d relent and let himself be caught. He came as close as Gita’s shoes, but wrangled out of a net and eluded the traps.
A happy ending… and a new beginning
Time for a new tack. Late Tuesday morning, Executive Director John Golay and Ryan Ekov drove out from the Sanctuary to help Gita build a secure pen on the trapping site. They rigged the door with a long line–when the stray entered for food, Gita could quickly pull the door shut behind him. It’s a proven method and our crew has had plenty of practice.
But there was one more coincidence in store. Just as the team completed the pen, Gita glanced across the road. There, sitting in a trap at the edge of the golf course, was the male. Mission accomplished!
For the Lake Shastina community, it was quite a rescue saga. We’re incredibly grateful to Gita Bhushan for her untiring efforts; Courtnie and Nicholas Audouard for constant support and accommodating the strays overnight; Mark Reichert and Nicholas Audouard for transport of the trapped strays; Michelle and Darren Valdez for equipment and advice; Karla Filler for helping with the last dog; Siskiyou Humane Society for the loan of a large trap; and all the local heroes for their compassion and support. Gita also thanks her husband, Joe Champagne, for holding down the fort and caring for her own two rescue dogs so she could focus on the strays.
For the Rescue Ranch team, the work has just begun. When I visited on Tuesday afternoon, the crew had just finished deworming and vaccinating the puppies. They’re giving the adults extra time to decompress in their new surroundings. These scared dumped dogs have probably never known much kindness. They have a tired, hungry look and are nervous and skittish.
Help us care for scared dumped dogs–donate today!
Thanks to the Lake Shastina community, all five strays are now safe and cared for. Momma and pups are together once more. And the pregnant female will deliver her pups in a warm whelping box instead of in the brush along a county road.
Dog rescue truly is a community effort, and we need your help to take these thirteen lives (plus unborn babies) onboard. Our immediate costs include deworming, vaccines for all, plus spay/neuter for the adults as we fit them into our vetting schedule.
We firmly believe that every dog was born to enjoy a life of love, but we can’t make this happen alone. Donate today to help us give these stray dogs the second chance they deserve.
