Oregon Humane Society's End Petlessness Campaign

Late last night, a volunteer rescue team from the Oregon Humane Society assembled to rescue a dog trapped in the fish ladder in Little North Santiam River in Lyons, Oregon. The dog, a pug mix named Jezebel, was swimming in the creek with her family when she was caught in the current and was swept into the covered fish ladder.

Marion County Emergency Dispatch contacted OHSTAR last night at 7 pm to request their assistance. Elkhorn Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the scene. The Oregon Humane Society Technical Animal Rescue team (OHSTAR) deployed five members to the scene in response to the emergency dispatch.

Jezebel was swept into the covered fish ladder, going through churning water and openings meant for fish until reaching a calmer section of the ladder. The pug mix managed to secure herself against the ladder, hanging onto the rungs and crying for her family.

The Elkhorn Fire Department tried to rescue Jezebel but welcomed the assistance of OHSTAR members, who are trained in animal rescue. Elkhorn firefighters waited at the station until OHSTAR members arrived and escorted them to the trailhead, where they hiked 5-10 minutes to the fish ladder.

"OHSTAR trains year round to assist in emergencies involving animals," said Rene Pizzo, OHSTAR team lead.

OHSTAR team member Ulli Neitch entered the fish ladder, secured by a safety harness and belay line. Neitch was able to catch the dog and secure her with a rescue harness. Jezebel was passed back to Pizzo and lifted to safety by additional OHSTAR team members.

Owner Shardell Bodda says that Jezebel is doing well, but is very tired from her ordeal.  “Jezebel is one lucky pug mix,” said Pizzo. OHSTAR team member Angela Modzelewski will be available for interviews at the Oregon Humane Society this afternoon from 3 to 4 pm.

OHSTAR receives no tax dollars and is supported entirely through private donations to the nonprofit Oregon Humane Society.

An Estacada woman whose emaciated horses were seized by the Oregon Humane Society has been sentenced to 16 days in jail for animal neglect.

The ten rescued horses, many of them underweight by several hundred pounds and one with a halter embedded in its skin, were seized in March 2012 by OHS and Clackamas County sheriff’s deputies from a rural property on SE Randall Road in Estacada. Read the story here. The horses were seized under a search warrant signed by a Clackamas County Judge after efforts to persuade the owner to provide needed food and medical care were unsuccessful.

“We’re pleased to see this long legal battle come to end with a jail sentence for the offender and the horses regaining their health,” said OHS Executive Director Sharon Harmon. “In Oregon, letting your horse starve and suffer is against the law.”

Sentencing Includes Jail Time for Convicted Offender

The owner of the horses, Edith Mae Karlin, 65, was convicted last month of eight counts of second-degree animal neglect. She was sentenced on Aug. 2 in Clackamas County Circuit Court to 48 hours of jail time for each count of neglect (a total of 16 days), plus 60 months of supervised probation on each count. Monetary restitution is to be determined later. Karlin was also barred from owning horses or livestock for five years.

Clackamas County Deputy District Attorney Rose Gibson successfully argued that each neglected horse was a separate victim of neglect and that consecutive penalties for each conviction were warranted.

Since the 10 horses were seized last year, seven have been adopted, one was humanely euthanized because of unresolvable health issues, and two more horses are still seeking homes.

Links:

• Amazing before and after photos here