What the Chuck?

PAWS dog nds his forever home

Published: Wednesday, 04 December 2013 12:48 By Kim Hilsenbeck.

Chuck, who spent most of his life in a shelter, is doing well at his new home in Dripping Springs. His brother, Cain, remains at PAWS in Kyle, waiting for his chance at a new life in a forever home. Long-stay dogs are often the hardest to adopt out, but PAWS staff say they can also be great pets.
After spending almost his whole life in a shelter, Chuck, a three-year-old German Shepherd/ Black Mouth Cur mix, recently found a place to call his forever home. So momentous was the occasion that his person, Melanie Cambron of Dripping Springs, started a Facebook page called What the Chuck? to share the news about her newfound family member. Cambron stumbled upon Chuck through Facebook originally when she saw his photo on a friends page on Oct. 18.

Having lost a special dog, Bruna, just recently, Cambron wrote in a post, I saw the photo and instantly knew he was the one. Within an hour of inquiring how Chuck was with little dogs, my friends at the (PAWS) shelter, Andrew, Michelle, and Roxy, tested him and texted a video. Within minutes, we loaded the dogs in the car and were on our (way) to fetch our new family member. They arrived at the PAWS Shelter & Humane Society in Kyle, a no kill facility. Later that day, Chuck was saved. His brother, Cain, still awaits his chance at a forever home. Rewind to three years earlier. Chuck was one of nine newborn pups and his mother, along with nearly 30 other dogs, who were rescued from a horric hoarding situation a few counties away. Nearly all the other animals were humanely euthanized; Chuck and his family were the only survivors. Most of his siblings and his mom were adopted, but Chuck and Cain ended up in a municipal shelter until March of this year. Because of overcrowding at their old shelter, and the fact that both were on the kill list, PAWS agreed to take the brothers. PAWS regular volunteer Cynthia Wallace said she worries about the long stays, like Chuck and Cain. The longer theyre here, the more critical is it they get adopted, she said during an interview at PAWS. PAWS essentially hand picks dogs from various shelters in the region, generally opting for those that are more adoptable. Still, once they get here, it can be months or longer before the right person or family comes along. As Wallace explained, dogs that stay in a shelter too long lose the chance to socialize. Thats why Wallace takes home a dog for the night most days she volunteers, focusing on the longstays. This past Sunday, she was taking Cookie, a Rottweiler mix who clearly adores Wallace and seemed to know she would be going for a ride with her soon. Prior to the interview, Wallace said she hoped area residents would learn that PAWS is approaching a milestone the shelter has saved nearly 1,000 lives (cats and dogs) in 2013. Thats pretty impressive for a little shelter running on a small budget that relies on donations, a bare bones staff and dedicated volunteers, she wrote in an email. Wallace is among a group of dedicated folks who give their time each week to walk dogs, cuddle cats, and do whatever other tasks are needed to keep PAWS open and to nd forever homes for the 50 or so dogs and cats at the facility. The PAWS facility is located at the intersection of Lehman Rd. and FM 150 east outside of Kyle. She said other long-stays are Ducky, August and of course, Cain, Chucks brother. Each one has an interesting life story that has created some barriers to quick adoption; so they wait at PAWS. Chucks story makes staff and volunteers more hopeful, she wrote. The time, patience and effort of the PAWS staff and volunteers was evident. Many of the dogs came out for a walk during the interview, including Cain. Volunteer Debbie Brooks of Buda sat with Cain in the shelters small side yard working with him on training. She later walked the handsome black dog around the PAWS property and next door at the city of Kyles public works facility (with permission from the city).

New PAWS volunteer Mary Lou Holt walks Scotch. His sister, Hop, was adopted. (Photos by Kim Hilsenbeck)

Brooks comes out every weekend, typically for a few hours. She has dogs at home but said she enjoys giving the shelter dogs her time, especially now that her daughters are out of the house. One of her daughters also volunteers for PAWS. Wallace said Brooks is here every weekend, all year long. Those dogs get walked no matter the weather, she said. She is dedicated. Wallace also introduced volunteer Cameron, 10, of Kyle. She volunteers one or two days a week. Most days, Cameron volunteers with her dad but on this day, her grandmother Sharon of Blanco came along. Im an animal lover, Cameron said. We walk the dogs and play with cats. It means a lot to the dogs. She also helps PAWS by taking photos of the animals to post on the shelters website. Mary Lou Holt, who said she loves animals and recently retired, attended the volunteer orientation earlier in the day. She lives in Buda and said PAWS is a humane society shelter a big factor in choosing to volunteer. Im just excited about this opportunity, she said. She was walking Scotch, a 10-month old Golden Retriever mix who was returned recently from a family that adopted him for a week. Adoption Counselor Roxy Riely of PAWS said Scotch needs some basic training and is excitable around small children. He was found as a stray in Williamson County with his sister Hop, who was adopted out quickly, Robin said. Hes a really sweet dog, she said. Heather Dalby, ofce manager and adoption counselor at PAWS, explained how important it is to nd the right match for each animal. Shelter dogs have a higher propensity for separation anxiety, she said. We try to educate [potential adopters] about crate training and positive reinforcement and that it takes a while two weeks to several months to adjust. Anyone adopting a PAWS animal completes a three-page application. What would raise red ags? If they have outdoor dogs; we dont adopt out animals to be outdoor dogs. PAWS Director Monica Dangler said PAWS staff works hard to nd the best match for dogs and people. She also said with the holidays upon us, pets can be given as gifts, but everyone involved must have resaonable expectations. If youre buying or adopting a dog for your six-year-old, you should make sure you are prepared to care for that animal because the six- year-old probably will not be the primary caretaker, she said in a recent phone interview.

A walk through the shelter elicited excited barks from most of the dogs in both the large and small kennel buildings. On a sheet of paper on the front of each cage are known facts about each dog, including how they ended up at PAWS, age, breed/mix and more. Everybody has a story, Wallace said.