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A new friend for Christmas

12/21/2013

 
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Samba, pictured with Animal Care Technician Caleb Keneipp, is a sweet, well-behaved 7-year-old Golden Retriever mix. She is mellow, has excellent manners, appears to be housebroken and is very affectionate and loving — she’d be a great present under the Christmas tree!
Wishes for a blessed Merry Christmas, belated Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa to all of our animal readers! Our Hudson shelter is in a flurry of activities to improve the lives of our temporarily homeless residents while they patiently stay with us on Humane Society Road. Our staff eagerly awaits providing “going home” protocol for our holiday adoptions.

 If you decide to add a plush kitten or older cat to your house- hold, there’s no better agency with whom to partner. We absolutely have that special “purr” for every feline favorer who walks through our doors. Go online to be pre-approved, so that you can leave with a same-day someone. Even though our kennels showcase quite a few AmStaff and Bull Terrier crosses, we can assure you that these dogs are well-assessed for an appropriate adoption situation. Don’t overlook them, just because they seem to be plentiful. Our “pitbull” adopters wax lyrical about what fabulous dogs these purebreds and mixes are! Think back to the battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. The Union troops, I think out of Milwaukee, were protected courageously by their bulldog/terrier Sally, who went across enemy lines to stand with her wounded and dying Union soldier comrades. Unbelievable! Not to be outdone, we have dogs great and small watching and waiting for you — keep up to date on our website, or better yet, come on down!
The next best gift one can give your new puppy or dog household, is the gift of a formal training group or individual lesson or two. Most owners wait too long, often allowing problem behaviors to percolate, before the infamous “call” is made to a knowledgeable trainer. I start puppies in formal, working sessions at 9 weeks of age. The majority of my “early childhood education” clients are rewarded with quite impressive off-lead dog control by 5 months of age. They think they’ve died and gone to heaven. Those young minds are like sponges — they’re soaking up all that learning and experience — it just better be right.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I exhibited my 14-month-old German Shepherd dog, Cartier Noir, for the first time in AKC Championship Conformation competition. This young neophyte won an impressive 4-point Major. Though we were over-the-top with this incredible accomplishment, equally satisfying were the affections of so many at ringside who were attending their first dog show. The entry was 2,600 dogs — hustle, bustle, crowded conditions, babies, strollers, wheelchairs, crutches … you get the picture.

Four different families told me they had never seen so many well-behaved dogs. Their young children fussed with Cartier — who has not been raised with child exposure. Our caveat was this — sound temperaments coupled with early and balanced training is the only way to go for all of the dog-owning public. Give your dog, and yourself, that gift. It lasts a lifetime.

Now, tuning in to current events at the shelter … how about considering one of these to help you deck those halls this season:

Peanut is a well-behaved 5-year-old female Boxer mix. She has been bounced around one too many times, and is ready for a forever home. Peanut came to us after her owners just “didn’t want her anymore” (oh, we just love that excuse ... sigh). She has charmed us with her adorable “happy wiggle” when she greets staff and adopters, and her eyes seem to sparkle with a genuine happiness that is contagious. Peanut is meant for a family, especially one that will love her unconditionally — she will certainly return the love!

Pepper, a 6-year-old male Pomeranian, is full of energy and craves attention! Pepper is very vocal, and will bark to get your attention. He would prefer a home that can offer him a lot of play time, and at the end of the night a nice comfortable bed to cuddle up on. Pepper was found as a stray, and has been at CGHS/SPCA ever since. He came in with some medical issues that have since been resolved, including a severe flea allergy which left his once-beautiful mane lackluster and missing in patches. Pepper gets along with other animals, though he would prefer a home without young children ... he’d like the spotlight all to himself!

Spot, a very handsome shorthaired tabby, really misses the warmth and comfort of his previous home. His owner unfortunately had to retire to a nursing home, and Spot has had a hard time adjusting to the shelter life. He’s 3 years old, very loving and affectionate, and he has a tendency to meow for affection. Spot’s adoption is even sponsored — come give this sweet and loving guy his forever home!

Named for his merry personality, Jingle is a lot of fun and full of love! Jingle has a wonderful temperament, good looks, and we were all shocked to see the amount of toes he has — some paws have multiple toes, even as much as a whole extra paw! Jingle is only a 1 year old, and was found as a stray, despite his docile and affectionate personality. Come fall in love with this little guy — we’ll promise he’ll sweep you off your feet!
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Charlene Marchand is the Chairperson of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA Board of Directors. She may be contacted by e-mail at cghsaaron@gmail.com.

Jail cell dogs, handlers put on show

4/2/2013

 
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Adoption Counselors Jhori Jurgenson, Stephanie Nedwick and Jessica Farkas pose with a few of our many cats for adoption as well as Bernie, an 8-year-old male Collie. Bernie was found as a stray, and has been residing at the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA ever since, in search of a retirement home. Bernie is very sweet and gentle, and is easy-going and loves to sleep by your feet. He gets along well with cats, as you can see by the picture, and does well with other dogs. He will need a low-key home where he can live the rest of his life comfortably!
The 137th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is now history. The excitement is palpable, the breed education offered is second to none, and man’s greatest “best friend” is showcased in all of his and her glory. The spectacular  International Champion American Grand Champion Banana Joe v Tami Kazan gaited his way to Best in Show. This charismatic Affenpinscher was the Number One Toy in 2012, and to date is the top winning Affenpinscher in the history of the breed.

I was thrilled to see Banana Joe go Best at a 2012 spring show, and I can assure you that when he entered the ring, I (and most attendees) couldn’t take my eyes off of him.  Congratulations to Tina Truesdale, wife of Dr. Bill Truesdale of ICG fame, and her co-owner Mieke Cooijmaus for a well-run campaign and well-deserved win. I was tickled that my GSD Champion Ikea’s 8-year-old half-sister, GCH Jantar’s China Lake of Witmer, won the Breed, and was pulled in the Herding Group. A great exhibition for a seasoned senior competitor.
Westminster may have an extensive viewing audience, but it’s far from the only dog show in town! Last week our handlers in our Columbia County Jail New Leash on Life Cell Dog Program put on an impressive dog show of their own. Kevin and Grits, Ryan and Jetta, Nick and Casey, with back-up handler James, put their canine companions through their paces for a large group of onlookers.

Capt. John Davi and Program Supervisor Sgt. Brian Gardner hosted the Albany County Jail Superintendent Chris Clark, his associate Sgt. Ralph Peltier, other corrections officers, Director of the Mohawk-Hudson Humane Society Brad Shear, and two of Shear’s potential dog trainers for the soon-to-be-created Albany County program. We are so proud to be the first county jail cell program in New York state. We have hosted a number of corrections officials from in and out of state, to learn from us the best and most efficient way for them to establish a program similar to ours.

We are just over two years young, have graduated 37 dogs to date, and our momentum has not slowed. I personally swelled with pride when our handler-dog teams excelled with their knowledge and presentation. These class dogs never blinked an eye when an onslaught of program “auditors” entered the training room. We ended with a meet and greet for all of our guests, and the handlers
shared their personal comments on their participation in the program, and how far the dogs have come in such a short period of time.

Excellent job, handlers. Thank you for your love, devotion and commitment to the dogs. The performance was met with impressed and rave reviews from our guests. A special thank-you goes out to CGHS/SPCA CEO Ron Perez, whose hands-on contributions to the program are too numerous to mention. Another special thank-you to my friend and colleague Laura Manchester who has faithfully assisted me in class since the beginning of winter. Call the shelter to set up a meet and greet with one of our canine stars. This is a unique opportunity to get a dog in need with many training and management skills. The line forms to the right of our CGHS doors!

Thank you for your generosity to our food bank. We are always ready to fill our shelves with your goodness and food!

 Feel free to call us with any questions at 518-828-6044, or visit our website at www.cghs.org. Stop down and see us at 125 Humane Society Road, off Route 66 (about a mile south of the intersection with Route 9H) in Hudson. Our hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed on Wednesday and Sunday. The food bank is open to any from the public in need of pet food or for those wishing to donate food anytime during business hours. All of our cats and kittens are “Furrever Free” with all expenses paid. Spay/neuter clinics for cats are $65 male or female, including a rabies vaccination and a 5-in-1 feline distemper combination vaccination. Nail clipping services are available every Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the shelter, no appointment necessary, for a donation of $5 for cats and $10 for dogs.

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Charlene Marchand is the chairperson of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA Board of Directors. She may be contacted by email at cghsaaron@gmail.com.

    Author

    Charlene Marchand is the Chairperson of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA
    Board of Directors and positive dog reinforcement trainer  &  behaviorist serving the needs of the NY Capital District ~ Western  MA ~ Schenectady / Troy ~ Saratoga ~ Mid-Hudson Valley region for over 40 years.

    She may be contacted by e-mail at cghsaaron@gmail.com.

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