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Wednesday, March 29, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Nonprofit is unchaining dogs, one at a tibe
By Jodi Schneider McNamee
Correspondent
It all started with a dog
named Chopper, who had
been unhappily chained up
in his owner’s backyard in
Portland for six long years.
A group of volunteers led
by Kelly Peterson, Senior
Vice President of State Affairs
for The Humane Society of
the United States, noticed the
chained dog.
Chopper’s luck changed in
a single afternoon.
Peterson and another vol-
unteer approached Chopper’s
owner with an unusual offer:
A group of volunteers, she
told him, would come in for
four hours on a Saturday and
build a fence for Chopper.
He agreed and the first-ever
project for “Fences For Fido,”
founded by Peterson, was
born.
Fences For Fido changes
the life of dogs and fami-
lies by removing chains and
building fences. The nonprofit
volunteer organization builds
fences free of charge for fami-
lies who keep their dogs on
chains, tethers, and in small
enclosures.
The group also provides a
new insulated dog house for
each dog, spay/neuter and
vaccinations for the animal if
needed. All free of charge.
La Donna Sullivan, vol-
unteer director of the Central
Oregon Crew, began her jour-
ney with Fences For Fido
almost at its conception in
Portland nearly eight years
ago.
“A friend of mine told me
about the organization and
said I’d really like it, know-
ing my passion for animals,”
Sullivan said. “We drove to
Salem and built a fence which
freed a chained dog. I fell in
love with the whole idea of
improving the quality of life
for dogs, and never looked
back.”
Fences For Fido began in
Portland, expanded to Salem,
Southwest Washington, the
coastal area and Central
Oregon. Sullivan, co-chair on
the board of directors, moved
to Bend three years ago to
kick-start the Central Oregon
group for the organization.
Anyone can request
a fence, for yourself or
for anyone you see that
has a chained dog. ...
Everything is confidential.
— La Donna Sullivan
“We saw a need for Fences
For Fido in Central Oregon.
Several of us would drive over
here and build fences for those
dogs in need of them. And in
October 2013 I moved over
here and we started our crew,”
Sullivan said.
Sullivan participates in
outreach, works on the crew,
and serves as the lead for the
builds. She also organizes
spay/ neuter appointments for
the dogs.
The organization’s big-
gest question is how to know
where all the chained dogs
are.
“People are finding out
about our organization,”
Sullivan explained. “And
when someone spies a chained
dog, they go to our web-
site and put in a request for
a fence. Anyone can request
a fence, for yourself or for
anyone you see that has a
chained dog. All we need is
the address. Everything is
confidential. You could be
a real estate agent, a police
officer, or a mail carrier. Our
policy is that we don’t judge
the families.
“Our volunteer outreach
coordinators actually knock
on the person’s door who has
a chained dog. Then we talk
directly to the owners about
providing a fence.”
The outreach coordina-
tors do a walkthrough for the
dog’s family to see where the
dog lives outside. Fences For
Fido sets up a post-build and a
fence-build.
The volunteer outreach
coordinators always return
to see how the dog is doing.
They check on the fence and
follow up with the families.
Each month Fences For
Fido meets up with Bend
Spay & Neuter Project, Furry
Friends Foundation, and a few
of the shelters in the area.
“As a group we are trying
to better the community by
partnering with each other,”
PHOTO BY JODI SCHNEIDER MCNAMEE
A fence can get a dog off a tether.
Sullivan said.
Fences For Fido is now
committed to putting four
portable fences up per month
with insulated dog houses
for Warm Springs Indian
Reservation.
The reservation is an area
of over 1,000 square miles in
north-central Oregon.
“They don’t have a shelter
system, so we are partnering
up with Bend Spay & Neuter
and two shelters to help with
the overpopulation of dogs,”
Sullivan added.
Bend Spay & Neuter part-
ners with Fences For Fido
when they have a need for
spay/neuter during a fence
build in Central Oregon.
Kiki Dolson, founder of
Furry Friends Foundation in
Sisters, met with Sullivan at
one of the monthly meetings.
“It happens too often, a
dog wanders, and with fenc-
ing not affordable, owners
feel they have no choice but to
chain their dog,” Dolson said.
“That’s where Fences For
Fido steps in, and that fence
becomes a reality. The great
thing is anyone can report a
need. You see a chained or
tied dog, notify Fences For
Fido and it’s all confidential.
“The first thing I noticed
about volunteer director
La Donna Sullivan was her
approachable and positive
personality. She is a person
that follows through and gets
things done. I am so pleased
with our new partnership,
and want to thank Fences For
Fido for their recent donation
of much-needed food to the
Furry Friends pet-food bank.
“By aiding pets one fam-
ily at a time, our combined
services will leave more in the
family budget for other neces-
sities, thus improving the
quality of life for both family
and pet.
“I am really looking for-
ward to hearing about the
first build in the Sisters area,”
Dolson added.
For more information visit
www.fencesforfido.org.
The Garden Angel
541-549-2882
• Custom
Turf Care
• Aeration
• De-thatching
• Fertilizing
UN-CHAINED…one dog at a time
Fences for Fido is an award-winning, nonprofi t that
builds fences free of charge for families who keep
their dogs on chains, tethers, or in small enclosures.
LCB#9352
PAIN?
We also provide:
• A warm, insulated dog house
• Spay/neuter services
I CAN HELP!
DON’T MISS OUT
on this week’s inserts in the Nugget:
Deschutes Public Library:
Check out the April/May events
coming up at the Sisters Library.
And read about the 2017 Novel Idea
program, featuring Yaa Gyasi’s
“Homegoing” and her presentation
in Bend on May 7. Tickets are free!
Ray’s Food Place: It’s Ray’s 61st
Birthday Bash! Check out the full
page of coupons for great deals!
Taya Newton
Massage Therapist
#22458
Effective massage for acute & chronic
pain, sport injuries, and relaxation.
541-550-0257
New Client Special!
1-HOUR MASSAGE - $55
To volunteer or request a
fence visit our website.
Anyone can confi dentially
request a fence for a dog.
hair | massage | nails | facials | makeup
161-C N. Elm St., Sisters
WWW.FENCESFORFIDO.ORG