Our Mission P.E.T.S. Place. Educate. Teach. Shelter. CBHS is passionate to: Place animals in life-long, loving homes. Educate on the issues of humane care. Teach responsible pet ownership. Shelter the stray, neglected, and unwanted.
The Cedar Bend Humane Society has an unusual amount of animals with EMERGENCY medical needs. Thank you to those who have responded to our medical plea. So far we have received $760. We could not take care of these pets without your help! Thank you to the following donors:
We need your help to continue to provide humane care for these animals and more. Medical expenses have reached $3,500 and growing. These medical costs are accumulating and ongoing. Every dollar will make a difference. Please make a life-saving donation on-line today! Click here to donate.
Gibson came to us extremely malnourished.
Thomas had a leg injury and needed immediate medical care.
Grant is heartworm positive and is receiving treatment.
Pierre had cherry eye that was corrected with surgery.
Bruno needed life saving surgery to remove multiple intestinal blockages.
If you’ve ever visited the Adoption Center at the Cedar Bend Humane Society, you probably already know that you can hear our adoptable dogs before you can see them. “Just follow the barks,” our adoption counselors will say cheerfully, as folks walk in asking to see the dogs we have available for adoption.
While barking is a healthy, normal part of being a dog, it can also be a sign of stress. Even the best shelters can be stressful environments, especially for new dog residents. There are many sights, sounds, and smells to get used to, and a whole new routine. Sometimes a bark can simply mean, “Hello! I’m so glad to meet you!” But other times it can mean, “I’m scared and don’t understand why I’m here!”
Here at Cedar Bend, we employ many techniques to help keep our pet residents at ease, many of which involve the help of volunteers and service groups. Kennel enrichment, treat puzzles, chew toys, rawhides, and plenty of trips outside are a good start…but what about the noise?
One of the most effective ways we’ve found to combat stress barking is music.
Classical music is widely known among animal behaviorists to be calming to the canine ear. Low, slow sounds are less harsh to their ears than other kinds of music, and offer a soothing, relaxing effect.
Many shelters who practice “music therapy” with their adoptable pets find that, as a result, adoptions are on the rise. A quiet, relaxed dog is more inviting than one who is barking and bouncing off the walls from stress. A potential adopter will equate an animal’s behavior at a shelter with its behavior in their home. When soothing, classical music is playing, the cats are less “catty,” and the dogs bark and howl less. As a result, shelter visitors want to stay longer, ultimately resulting in more adoptions.
Even if you aren’t able to adopt a pet from Cedar Bend yourself, you can still help them get adopted by helping reduce their stress.
Monetary donations may be made here to help us fund our animal enrichment efforts. Or, pay a visit to our Amazon Wishlist, found here and send the gift of relaxing stress relief right to our shelter! You’ll see–making a difference in the life of a homeless pet, and helping one find its way home, is as easy as a song .
References:
http://dogtime.com“Music Therapy for Dogs & Cats,” Michelle C. Hollow, March 5, 2015
http://throughadogsear.com“The Influence of Auditory Stimulation on the Behavior of Dogs Housed in a Rescue Shelter.” Wells, D. L., et al. 2002
As colder weather approaches, we need cozy, pet-pampering beds more than ever! Kuranda beds are durable, chew-proof, and offer the orthopedic support pets need, plus they’re elevated, and offer pets a cozy alternative to the floor.
Our friends at Kuranda.com have made it quick and easy to donate beds to the Cedar Bend Humane Society with one click. Beds donated through Kuranda.com are specially discounted for donation, and ship directly to us! Click here to send us a Kuranda bed that will keep our homeless shelter pets warm and cozy during their stay with us.
Additionally, you may donate Kuranda beds and other shelter items via our Amazon.com wishlist, found here, or by adding us as your desired charity through Amazon Smile, here. Amazon smile donates 0.5% of your everyday Amazon purchases to CBHS when you choose us as your designated charitable organization. Cool, right? Please help if you can, the animals will thank you for it!
Earlier this month, Quincy, a Pit Bull/Shepherd mix and her three-week-old puppy, Daisy, were brought to the Cedar Bend Humane Society. They had been rescued by the ASPCA from a hoarding situation in Alabama. Daisy is the only one of Quincy’s puppies to survive the conditions they were in.
Here at the shelter, Quincy was instantly loving and affectionate to everyone she met. A testament to an animal’s ability to truly understand that they have been rescued, which makes Quincy’s story that much more heartbreaking: she tested positive for heartworms, a deadly, parasitic disease caused by the bite of an infected mosquito.
Quincy will begin the lengthy treatment for her heartworms as soon as Daisy is fully weaned from nursing. Daisy will begin her own heartworm prevention regimen as soon as she is 8 weeks old.
Treatment for heartworms can be hard on an animal’s body, which is why we are so grateful to the Kauten family for agreeing to foster both dogs while Quincy undergoes treatment. “My husband and I love animals,” says Sydney Kauten, “and fostering feels like a great way to help animals [outside of] the shelter.”
Heartworms are difficult and costly to cure. Once infected, larvae grow into adult heartworms and lodge themselves into the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Then they begin to reproduce. The safest way to treat heartworms includes an extensive pre-treatment workup, including X-rays, blood work, and all the tests needed to establish how serious the infection is. Then, injections are given to eliminate the living heartworms. With all the prep work, costs can exceed $1,000.
In addition to seeking loving families, like the Kautens, to join our foster program, monetary donations to off-set the costs of treating these animals is always needed and appreciated. Quincy is the fourth dog in 6 months to come to CBHS in need of heartworm treatment. The costs are substantial and add up quickly, but with donations from supporters like you, we can give dogs like Quincy and Daisy the fighting chance they deserve. Please, if you are willing or able in any way, help us help these animals.
UPDATE: As of August 12, we are happy to announce that the ASCPA granted CBHS the funding needed to cover the costs of Quincy’s and Daisy’s heartworm treatment! Thank you, friends of ASCPA, for all that you did for these dogs, and continue to do for voiceless, abused animals.
Thank you to Bridget Gabriel for choosing to donate to us in memory of a family friend, Drew Scott.
Drew would have turned 26 on January 16th. However, he passed away after a vehicle accident on April 5, 2009.
Below are portions of a letter shared with us describing more about “Gifts From Drew.”
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“Drew’s sister, Mallory, is my best friend. The Scott family became my second family many, many years ago. This year for Drew’s birthday the Scott family decided to do an awesome ‘act of kindness’ day!
I chose the animal shelter as my act of kindness because I believe it should go to a place where they made a difference in my life. Six years ago, my family adopted my partner in crime, my dog Hud. Hud brings so much joy and happiness in my life.
Drew was a happy-go-lucky guy. Always joking around and having fun. He loved animals, and would love that we are continuing to remember him on his 26th birthday by doing an act of kindness.
The Scott family is doing 26 acts of kindness and asked his friends to do the same. I ask you to spread the joy!”
#GiftsFromDrew
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Thank you, Bridget, for including us in your act of kindness in memory of Drew!
This blog is affiliated with the Cedar Bend Humane Society in Waterloo, Iowa to share pet-friendly resources, adoption stories, and CBHS events. 