Second Chance: What Next at Angel Ridge?

09 Oct Second Chance: What Next at Angel Ridge?

Biscotti the Scottie

Tuesday, October 15, marks the two-year anniversary of Second Chance Humane Society operating from Angel Ridge Ranch. Although we have only scratched the surface of the potential the property holds for our organization’s mission, we have settled in like a cold lost kitten does on a warm lap.

I have heard stories of the “old shelter” of the pre-October 2011 era, where all the cats were cramped together in one miniature room while the dogs walked right by our kennels all day long and slept beneath us all night. It makes me shudder to just think of it. Now we have entire rooms to roam about in morning and in the afternoon, we get to meander about the entire ranch house and play and jump and be cats. And we have been watching with excitement as an outdoor enclosure is being built so that we can also safely venture out, get fresh air and listen to the birds!

I hear  dogs are still sulky about their tight quarters in the barn  they have been restricted to since Second Chance relocated them there two years ago, but I have also been seeing a great deal of large construction equipment going up the driveway. All the constraints are going away  real soon. I would say a barn is a step up from the basement they used to sleep in but even dogs deserve better.

And once the dogs get into the new building being built just for them, I hear the space the dogs are using in the barn will be transformed into a medical facility. Yes, Second Chance will finally get to pursue more of its stated mission and hold spay/neuter clinics for the region!

And once the dogs are out of the barn, I am hoping the other half of the barn will start to be used for horses.That was the original idea. And with luck, Second Chance can also develop some other great programs that bring more people and more pets together in unique ways.

Come by Angel Ridge Ranch and take a look at all the improvements already completed and in progress since Second Chance moved out here..It is because of our supportive community that so many animals are able to find a very comfortable and very low stress temporary home out here.

For updates on the new dog facility project  Second Chance is now raising funds to realize, visit their website at adoptmountainpets.org.

Fuentes:

My name is Fuentes.  I came here just a few weeks ago after being lost and alone for awhile.  At first I was not so sure about this place, but I quickly befriended the “upstairs staff” that do a lot of work on computers and taught them how to keep their laps nice and flat for me. I even showed them how to type like this with their paws: iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiooooooooooooooo…

I have led an adventurous life in my few short years, but I am now ready to chill out in nice quiet loving forever home. I enjoy reading the New York Times, sipping cognac and putting my feet up (literally). I like to lie with my feet up in the air so that whoever happens to be passing will stop and rub my belly.

Please come meet me today.

Biscotti:

And I am the featured dog of the week.

My name is Biscotti the Scottie and I am an ideal candidate for you and your family. In fact, as a one-year- old neutered male who is crate trained, house trained, current on shots, and micro-chipped, I am like an adopter’s dream. I also get along really well with other small dogs, but do find large dogs a bit intimidating. I love to be outside and am good on the leash. Inside, I am low-maintenance and enjoy cuddling or just hanging on my own. My serious appearance is a bluff . I am just a silly little puppy at heart.

Fuentes

Editor’s note: It’s no secret. The Telluride region is dog heaven. Well, pet heaven. Unless you are one of our furry friends who gets caught in the maw of neglect and abuse. Then heaven is on hold until Second Chance Humane Society comes to the rescue. Second Chance is the region’s nonprofit dedicated to saving animals’ lives and promoting responsible pet parenting and human-animal bond. In her weekly blog, executive director Kelly Goodin profiles at least one, generally two of the many animals now living at the no-kill shelter, Angel Ridge Shelter, a dog and a cat, hoping to find them loving permanent homes. The column is sponsored by Ted Hoff of  Cottonwood Ranch & Kennel, who from time to time exercises his skills as a dog whisperer, partnering with Kelly and her staff to help train a particularly challenging animal.

By the by, there is no better place to park your pup than Cottonwood whenever you head out of town (for locals) or are heading to town and staying somewhere that does not allow pets. Consider joining Ted’s Very Important Dog (VID) Club for added benies. (Details on Ted’s website.)

Second Chance Humane Society Animal Resource Center and Thrift Shop are both located in Ridgway, but service San Miguel, Ouray & Montrose Counties. Call the SCHS Helpline at 626-2273 to report a lost pet, learn about adopting a homeless pet, or about the SCHS Spay/Neuter, Volunteer, Feral Cat, or other Programs. View the shelter pets and services online:www.adoptmountainpets.org.