March/April 2023 Newsletter
It’s Time to Let the Dogs Out!
After visiting over one hundred shelters, one thing we’ve realized is that too often people aren’t aware of what’s happening in their community’s shelter and sometimes they aren’t aware there is a shelter in their community.
This is a recent message we received on Facebook:
“…just wanted to let you know that thanks to your visit and post, folks are now aware of the shelter and are trying to help if they can. Thanks so much for all you’re doing for our rural shelters down here in the south.”
Receiving that message was validating – it’s exactly why Nancy and I created Who Will Let the Dogs Out!
People can’t help if they don’t know there IS a problem. I didn’t know the extent of the homeless dog crisis until Nancy and I started visiting shelters and documenting what we saw in writing and pictures.
One new way we’re trying to reach more people with our message is through our relaunched Who Will Let the Dogs Out Spotify podcasts with “Dog Pounds in this Day and Age” by Who Will Let the Dogs Out. In the most recent episode, you will join me on my first visit to a dog pound. It is in the city of Huntingdon in Carroll County, located in Western Tennessee, and run by dog catchers. You’ll want to share it.
In this newsletter, we’ll share other ways WWLDO is working to let the dogs out:
- We awarded our FIRST Insta-Grant to Tyrrell County Animal Shelter in Columbia, NC, one of the shelters we visited in January.
- We started a new video series “Foster Tales” on our YouTube channel as a way to inspire more people to foster dogs.
- Our Shelter Liaison team is growing!
And the most important WWLDO news…Nancy and I leave on our next shelter tour on April 10!
Though we stay with friends whenever we can and pack our food as much as possible, these tours are WWLDO’s biggest expense. We donate supplies to every shelter we visit, checking with each organization beforehand so we can bring the items they need the most. We would appreciate your help with this tour by buying items for the shelters on our Amazon Wishlist and by donating to WWLDO here 2023 Spring Shelter Tour Donation.
I look forward to sharing with you what we learn on this upcoming tour and how you can continue to help us solve the homeless dog crisis. I also look forward to shining a light on the work being done and inviting local communities to get involved with the shelters that are working to save their animals.
Until Each One Has A Home,
Cara Achterberg (and Nancy Slattery)
Announcing Our First Insta-Grant!
In January 2023, Cara and Nancy traveled through North Carolina visiting shelters and rescues. North Carolina is named one of the top five states in killing dogs by the Best Friends organization, a leader in no-kill advocacy. During these visits, Cara and Nancy toured the buildings, met with staff and volunteers, and brought donated food and supplies. They found out what help the shelters need and how their local communities can get involved, and then they shared that information through writing and photography on social media, the WWLDO website, and in the local press.
One of the shelters they visited on this North Carolina trip was the Tyrrell County Animal Shelter in Columbia, NC.
At the time of this visit, the dogs were sleeping and lounging on concrete. The shelter didn’t have off-the-ground or elevated dog beds. After Cara and Nancy witnessed the work of the shelter’s remarkable people (Animal Control Officer Cecil and volunteers Denise and Kirstin) and their challenges in taking care of the shelter’s dogs, WWLDO gave its FIRST Insta-Grant to Tyrrell County Animal Shelter by purchasing 10 Kuranda elevated dog beds The beds were delivered and in use by March 1. The shelter dogs won’t have to lie on the concrete anymore!
WWLDO Insta-Grants are made possible through a “grant-to-regrant” from the ASPCA and generous donations of individuals who support WWLDO’s work. WWLDO gives Insta-Grants to shelters they have visited. These $200-$2,000 Insta-Grants allow WWLDO to provide direct and immediate help that impacts a shelter’s ability to save lives.
Like Tyrrell County Animal Shelter, many of the shelters WWLDO visits are small, municipal shelters or struggling local rescues who pull dogs from county dog pounds. These shelters and rescues are stretched thin financially and even more so in terms of volunteers and other resources. Even with WWLDO’s help, many of these organizations don’t have the time and/or the ability to research or write grants. They are too busy saving lives.
WWLDO is proud to award Tyrrell County Animal Shelter the FIRST Insta-Grant of 10 Kuranda beds and looks forward to helping other life-saving shelters and rescues with future Insta-Grants. To learn more about the Insta-Grant Program, email info@WhoWillLetTheDogsOut.org.
New Feature: Foster Tales
Too many dogs are dying in shelters simply because there is nowhere for them to go. WWLDO believes one of the solutions that will save many dogs is fostering. Foster parents fulfill a critical need in this life-saving work by increasing the number of animals that can be helped, which is even more important during this current overcrowding in shelters and rescue. They temporarily bring shelter and rescue animals into their homes to better prepare them for adoption. It can be a challenging but also a very rewarding experience to give love and care to a needy animal, increasing the chance at a happier and healthier life. Depending on the animal’s needs and the foster parent’s preferences, the fostering time period can last from overnight to several months. Some organizations furnish all the supplies one needs for a foster pet, including food, litter, bedding, toys, enrichment items, and medical care.
Some examples of animals that need foster care:
- Medium to large adult dogs
- Moms with nursing kittens or puppies
- Orphaned bottle babies or animals too young to be adopted
- Animals who are overwhelmed by the daily stressors of shelter life
- Pets recovering from illness or injury
- Animals who have been at the shelter for a long time
WWLDO wants to highlight these unsung heroes who play such an important role in saving lives! In our new YouTube video series “Foster Tales”, we will interview people who have knowledge and experience fostering dogs with the hope that it will inspire more people to foster. In the video below, Cara interviews Chris, who assisted and mentored Cara during her initial fostering experience. Chris is a single parent working full-time who shares how fostering impacts her life and that of her daughter.
If you foster dogs for a rescue or shelter and would be willing to join us for an upcoming Foster Tale, please email info@WhoWillLetTheDogsOut.org.
You CAN be a part of the solution!
One person can make a difference. You don’t need to have millions of dollars or hours of free time to help save homeless dogs’ lives. Below are just a few ideas of how you can support and help WWLDO, shelters and rescues, and homeless dogs:
- Adopt a shelter dog and/or encourage others to adopt
- Foster a dog (or cat!)
- Comment/share/follow people and organizations working to solve the homeless dog problem
- Question your local politicians about their knowledge and support of your shelter’s work. Let them know it will influence how you vote
- Shop and share WWLDO’s and/or a shelter’s Amazon or Chewy list
- Lead a drive to collect resources for a shelter or rescue organization
- Hold a birthday fundraiser in person or on social media
- Contact your shelter and ask, “How can I help?”
- Send a thank-you card to a shelter/rescue to encourage the staff and volunteers to continue their work
Pet Parents Need Training Too
Starting with this newsletter, we will be offering training tips and other educational information for pet parents in this section. We’d love to hear what you want to know: Email us at info@WhoWillLetTheDogsOut.org
Retractable leashes – what they are and why you shouldn’t use them
(Credit: Heartland Animal Rescue Team https://hartpets.org/10-reasons-not-to-use-a-retractable-leash/)
A retractable leash is a length of thin cord wound around a spring-loaded device housed inside a plastic handle. The handles of most retractable leashes are designed to fit comfortably in a human hand. A button on the handle controls how much of the cord is extended. They are popular primarily because they aren’t as confining as regular leashes, allowing dogs more freedom to sniff and poke around on walks. But unfortunately, there are many downsides to this type of leash.
1: The length of retractable leashes, some of which can extend up to 26 feet, allows dogs to get far enough away from their humans that a situation can quickly turn dangerous. A dog on a retractable leash is often able to run into the middle of the street, for example, or make uninvited contact with other dogs or people.
2: In the above scenario, or one in which your pet is being approached by an aggressive dog, it is nearly impossible to get control of the situation if the need arises. It’s much easier to regain control of—or protect — a dog at the end of a six-foot standard flat leash than it is if he’s 20 or so feet away at the end of what amounts to a thin string.
3: The thin cord of a retractable leash can break – especially when a powerful dog is on the other end of it. If a strong, good-sized dog takes off at full speed, the cord can snap. Not only can that put the dog and whatever he may be chasing in danger, but also the cord can snap back and injure the human at the other end.
4: If a dog walker gets tangled up in the cord of a retractable leash, or grabs it in an attempt to reel in their dog, it can result in burns, cuts, and even amputation. In addition, many people have been pulled right off their feet by a dog that reaches the end of the leash and keeps going. This can result in bruises, “road rash,” broken bones, and worse.
5: Dogs have also received terrible injuries as a result of the sudden jerk on their neck that occurs when they run out the leash, including neck wounds, lacerated trachea, and injuries to the spine.
6: Retractable leashes allow dogs more freedom to pull at the end of them, which can look like aggression to another dog who may decide to “fight back.”
7: The handles of retractable leashes are bulky and can be easily pulled out of human hands, resulting in a runaway dog.
8: Along those same lines, many dogs – especially fearful ones – are terrorized by the sound of a dropped retractable leash handle and may take off running, which is dangerous enough. To make matters worse, the object of the poor dog’s fear is then “chasing” her, and if the leash is retracting as she runs, the handle is gaining ground on her – she can’t escape it. Even if this scenario ultimately ends without physical harm to the dog (or anyone else), it can create lingering fear in the dog not only of leashes, but also of being walked.
9: Retractable leashes, like most retractable devices, have a tendency to malfunction over time, either refusing to extend, refusing to retract, or unspooling.
10: Retractable leashes are an especially bad idea for dogs that haven’t been trained to walk politely on a regular leash. By their very nature, retractable leashes train dogs to pull while on leash, because they learn that pulling extends the lead.
More info: https://www.homewardtrails.org/resources/dog-behavior-training-health/#.Y3Y75nbMJPY
WWLDO Volunteers: Shelter Liaisons
Welcome to our Shelter Liaisons who joined WWLDO in early 2023!
| Rowa – Helping Animals without Shelter (HAWS), Madison County (Huntsville, AL), Humane Society of Chilton County (Clanton, AL) | |
| Grace – Animal Harbor, Franklin County (Winchester, TN), Humane Society of Blue Ridge, Fannin County (Blue Ridge, GA) | |
| Mia – A Second Chance Rescue, Palm Beach County (Royal Palm Beach, FL), Live Oak Animal Control, Suwannee County (Live Oak, FL) | |
| Michael – Forrest City Humane Society (Forrest City, AR), Mayflower City Animal Control (Mayflower, AR) | |
| Shannon – Bibb County Animal Control (Brent, AL), Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County Humane Society (Fitzgerald, GA) | |
| Vera – Butler County Animal Shelter (Morgantown, KY), Caldwell County Animal Shelter (Princeton, KY) | |
| Brianna – Camp Jean, Franklin County (Frankfort, KY), Pleasant Springs Farm Animal Rescue (Blaine, KY), Avery County Animal Support (Elk Park, NC), Bradley County SPCA (Cleveland, TN) | |
| Sage – Maury County Animal Shelter (Columbia, TN), Tyrrell County Animal Shelter (Columbia, NC) |
We are looking for more Shelter Liaisons to monitor our shelter partners via social media and share their news/ideas/needs with our organization. Shelter Liaisons act as advocates for the shelters they are assigned. Liaisons can choose to monitor one or more shelters. This virtual volunteer position can be performed from anywhere in the United States. Expectations: one hour per week minimum time commitment with additional volunteer hours available upon request; Internet access; access to Facebook account preferred, but not required. If you are interested, email SLCoordinator@whowillletthedogsout.org
Connect with & share WWLDO!
How to Support WWLDO
You can also mail a check to ‘Who Will Let the Dogs Out’ at 128 W. High St, Woodstock, VA 22664
Until Each One Has A Home