People need to reach out with kindness to help stray animals

The staff at Adams County Pet Rescue has seen a lot of unusual things with some of the dogs that come to them.

Recently, a dog was brought in by a local farmer who found it in his yard. Oddly enough, the husky had bright orange targets painted on his sides.

“I was hoping it was part of a Halloween costume,” Alonso Mariscal, ACPR crew member, said. “Unfortunately, no.”

The dog, which they named Target, is about 2 years old and follows basic commands, such as shake and sit. Alonso is hoping Target finds a good home.

“I don’t know why people can’t be kinder to stray animals,” he said. “Even by just giving them a bowl of food, some water and an old blanket.”

Kyya Grant, ACPR director, said Target seems well taken care of and his story raised interest with the Spokane TV stations. She said people should teach their kids to be nicer to animals.

Recently, they put to sleep a dog that was found in a trailer park. It was emaciated and no one stopped to help it until it was too late. They also got in a dog that had so many porcupine quills in its face they had to remove an eye.

These are just some of the horror stories the staff deals with almost every day. And it’s those stories that attracted Mariscal to the job. He has been working at the shelter for about a year after moving to the area from Los Angeles, California.

Like many of the new staff members, Mariscal had to learn how to deal with shelter animals when he first started.

“I can catch any dog now,” he said. “You can tell if they like you or not.”

Mariscal always has a foster dog of his own and teaches them basic manners. He was surprised that Target was a stray.

“He looks like the pick of the litter,” Mariscal said. “But if someone cared enough, they would have called by now.”

Target is not very social with the other animals. The man who found him had to keep him in a separate kennel, away from his other dogs. Mariscal always has suggestions for those who are thinking of adopting a shelter pet.

“Before you adopt, get to know the breed,” he said. “Shelter dogs can have some issues, but there are some nice dogs here.”

He said if people are unable to foster or adopt but still want to help, the shelter can always use volunteers to watch and groom the dogs or take them for a fun walk. And they always appreciate donations of food.

Many of the dogs and cats have their pictures posted on the shelter’s Facebook page. That, Mariscal said, has brought people from as far away as Spokane and even Ohio.

As for Target, the crew is afraid it will be difficult to get him adopted out with the targets painted on his sides. The paint can’t be removed so the targets will be there until he sheds his winter coat.

“He’s a good-looking dog who ran into some bad people,” Mariscal said. “He’s full of energy so he needs a home with room to run and exercise.”

Adams County Pet Rescue is located at 1961 Bench Road east of the fairgrounds. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The facility is closed Mondays and Thursdays for cleaning. To contact ACPR, call (509) 488-5514 or email adopt@AdamsCountyPetRescue. Be sure to visit the website at www.adamscountypetrescue.com and like their Facebook page.