Tender touches transform feral pack into family pets

The event had all the earmarks of a summer picnic: Cousins romping in the grass, beaming adults exchanging "My, how they've grown," each arrival warmly welcomed into the circle.

What set this family reunion apart was the fact the offspring were from a pack of feral dogs rescued in Antelope Valley less than six months ago by the Douglas County Animal Care Services.

Within days of their arrival at the shelter, Dorothy Morrison and 19 other volunteers began the painstaking process of socializing the dogs and finding them homes.

If the term "feral" conjures up a vision of snarling, salivating Cujo, Morrison is out to set the record straight.

"Hardly anybody takes the time to work with feral dogs," Morrison said. "They are very, very shy and don't like to be touched. They are not aggressive."

Morrison and her volunteers came every day for weeks to work with "Dorothy's dogs" grouped into puppies and adults.

"We thought the dogs were going to be alligators," said Kay Atchison of Carson City.

The dogs appear to be Rottweiler/shepherd mix.

"They were the sweetest, softest things," Atchison said.

Animal Control Supervisor Janet Duzan said the shelter was called in February to do a welfare check on the dogs. Their owner lived in a trailer on a large piece of property in south Douglas County.

"The dogs were in good shape, but there were just too many of them," she said. "He did not neglect them, he just lost control."

The owner voluntarily surrendered two litters of puppies and seven adult dogs.

The youngest puppies hadn't developed the characteristics of the older, feral dogs and didn't require the same socialization, Morrison explained.

The older animals were another matter.

For weeks, Morrison and her team sat outside the dogs' kennels talking, reading aloud - and sometimes singing - so the animals could get used to their humans.

"We went 78 hours in one month working with the (older) puppies," said volunteer Sue Albers. "It was two weeks before we could touch them. We made hands with gloves on sticks so they could get used to being petted. And they ate lots of Babybel cheese.

"We went there every single day. If you skipped a day, you had to start over again. If you weren't there, they missed you."

Part of their socialization included getting used to everyday noises inside a home, learning to ride in a car and walk on a leash.

"We would just walk them around the shelter where they could get used to the sound of a toilet flushing or feel the difference between carpet and concrete flooring. Before they came to us, they'd never heard a dishwasher running or a television," said Ursula Stoll of Johnson Lane, who used to volunteer at the San Francisco Zoo.

On Aug. 8, the dogs and their owners got together at Johnson Lane Park for a photo shoot.

Some of the owners see each other regularly at Guy Yeamans dog training sessions, but for others it was a joyous reunion, especially for the volunteers.

A few of the dogs had new names and all had thrived.

"We were very particular where they went," Albers said. "We were careful two of them didn't go to the same home. They'd form a pack and the owner would be left out."

Other animals at the shelter were helpful in teaching the Antelope Valley pack to be dogs.

"They didn't know a lot of 'dog stuff,' like picking up a toy or playing with another animal," Morrison said. "That's why they would be good in families with another dog."

The owners who gathered in Johnson Lane were enthusiastic about their new family members.

"Mandy may have been born under a trailer, but she knows where my bed is," said Kathy Johnson, whose 11-year-old granddaughter Sarah adopted one of the dogs.

Johnson said she wasn't concerned at all about Sarah taking on the puppy.

"Sarah has two guinea pigs, plus Mandy. She's very responsible and Mandy absolutely adores her," Johnson said.

Debby Rice adopted Jazz after she was returned from her first placement. That family had a 16-month-old and the combination didn't work out.

"She's just amazing," said Rice, who was looking for a companion for her older dog.

"He just loves Jazz and hangs out at home with her. They are in love," Rice said.

From those early baby steps, to seeing the dogs happy and healthy in their new home stirred up a mix of emotions for the volunteers.

"It makes you feel good but at first it was heart-wrenching when they left," Atchison said. "It was an amazing adventure. Our gift was to give them the good stuff."

Four of the Antelope Valley dogs remain at the shelter preparing for new homes. Ellie is ready to be adopted, but the other three are still works-in-progress.

"It took a lot of people and a lot of work," Albers said. "I don't think they will ever forget us."

DETAILS

Four of the dogs rescued in February from Antelope Valley remain at the Douglas County Animal Shelter being prepared for new homes. Information, 782-9061.