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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2014)
4 community bulletin board december18 2014 Indigo Ranch: Where Caring for Dogs is a Passion shelter environment. Using a network of foster homes they have developed, Indigo Rescue helps rehabilitate animals before helping them find permanent placement. In addition, through sheer determination and persistence, Indigo Rescue has helped develop spay and neuter programs in local animal shelters. Heather Hines is the Founder and Director of Indigo Rescue. Hines says Indigo Rescue, through their foster and adoption programs, has probably saved the lives of almost 2,000 cats and 2,000 dogs. These were animals who had run out of time at the shelter and were scheduled to be euthanized. These days Indigo Rescue most- ly focuses on saving dogs. Rescuing dogs scheduled to be killed is hard and Vernonia Weather November 2014 DATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 HIGH 54 52 54 57 60 59 57 61 54 55 46 41 37 43 42 49 50 45 50 48 50 50 51 51 58 56 54 54 37 38 LOW 39 40 50 47 49 44 35 33 41 29 27 26 27 15 14 14 18 18 30 35 36 32 32 41 50 47 49 37 19 17 PRECIP .50 .25 .41 .20 .15 .90 T 0 .15 0 0 T .05 0 0 0 0 0 .02 T .50 .29 .32 .07 .17 T .13 .98 .11 0 Ave/Tot 50.4 33.0 5.20 Weather data is collected at the U.S. Weather station at the Vernonia Water Plant often heartbreaking work, says Hines. “I am often pounding the pavement looking for foster homes, because it’s really the only way out for some of these dogs,” says Hines, who has made animal rescue her life’s work. “The truth of the mat- ter is that managing a network of foster homes and finding new fosters is hard work. It’s hard on the foster families, it’s hard on our volunteers and it’s hard on me.” Hines notes that Indigo Rescue often ends up with the most challenging cases, including dogs with disabilities or behavioral or health issues. Through their foster program they have helped dogs that are blind, deaf, missing limbs, and elderly, along with dogs that are scared, aggressive or have other issues. “As a result, sometimes the adoptions are slow, some of them take years,” says Hines. “Nobody else will give those dogs a chance.” In 2007, Hines and Indigo Res- cue purchased sixteen acres outside of Vernonia and converted the small farm on the site into Indigo Ranch with the idea that it would help fund the rescue. The boarding and day care facility pro- vides dogs with a fun, safe and loving place to stay while their family is away. The conversion of the property into a dog boarding facility happened slowly. Just after they moved in, the property, the house and a barn, were flooded in December 2007. Following the flood cleanup they constructed a planned building that now serves as two Columbia Humane Society featured Pet Meet Pumpkin Spice. On Nwvember 28th she was hit by a car in a rain stwrm. She hwwever wasn't fwund until 2 days after that. She was fwund laying beside the rwad with a hurt paw but nwt a hurt spirit. This girl was brwught tw the Humane Swciety, where she was taken tw the vet, it was fwund she had a dislwcated wrist and a lacera- tiwn wn her frwnt paw. Her wrist was put back intw place, and the laceratiwn was sewn back twgether. She is currently awaiting her new fwrever hwme at the Shelter. Her adwpter will need tw understand there is gwing tw be a little rehab wwrk fwr the next cwuple wf weeks, but she is expected tw make a full recwvery. We think she is abwut 4-5 years wld. Seems tw lwve cats and wther dwgs. She alsw has an eye cwnditiwn that requires she has medicine in her eyes tww times a day. This little girl is bwund tw make swmewne very happy fwr the hwlidays, perhaps that swmewne is ywu. Her adwptiwn fee is $165.00, that will include her spay and all her vaccines as well as her micrwchip. Please nwte we currently have wver $500.00 in medical bills fwr her. Dwnatiwns fwr her care can be made in perswn at the shelter wr wnline at www.cwlumbiahumane.wrg wr mailed tw Bwx 845, St. Helens, Oregwn, 97051 continued from front page dormitory rooms. Hines says that Indigo Ranch is just now beginning to show a profit. Indigo Ranch offers day camp services for people who don’t want to leave their dogs alone during the day. They also provide boarding for dogs that need a place to stay overnight. All prof- its go towards funding the work of the Indigo Rescue non-profit. Currently Indigo Ranch em- ploys four local Vernonia residents. Laura Wright has been working at In- digo Ranch for over two years and is the resident, on-site manager. Wright lives in the home on the property and is with the animals overnight. Wright says she gets the animals up in the morning, lets them out and feeds them and also takes them out at night before getting them situated to sleep—seven days a week. “There is always someone here with the dogs, every day,” says Wright. Angela Bettencourt works with the dogs during the day on weekdays and has been employed at Indigo Ranch for four months. Two other employees, Bree Eckertson and Alexis LaBelle are at the ranch on weekends. Wright and Bettencourt say they pride themselves on the attention the dogs at Indigo Ranch receive and con- sider themselves ‘den mothers’ to their 2084 Oregon Street Email: animalwelfare@columbiahumane.org St. Helens, OR 97051 Phone: 503-397-4353 Web: www.columbiahumane.org HOW TO SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Vernonia’s Voice welcomes and requests your thoughts, opinions and ideas. Please include your name, address and phone number, limit your letters to 300 words or less. Vernonia’s Voice reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted. We will print letters space permitting. Deadline is the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. Email: scott@vernoniasvoice.com or mail to: Letters, PO Box 55, Vernonia, OR 97064. Wishing You Safe and Happy Holidays! Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District continued on page 21 Need Help? Call for meeting times and locations Columbia Community Mental Health Call 503-397-5211 -or- 1-800-294-5211 For after hours Crisis call: 1-866-866-1426 http://www.ccmh1.com/ crisis.html Narcotics Anonymous NW Region 503-345-9839 http://portlandna.com/ Alcohol Anonymous NW Region 503-366-0667 http://www.pdxaa.com/
