By Sharon Harmon | President & CEO
As I walk around the Oregon Humane Society campus and see the faces of the animals in our care, I am reminded of the profound impact of your support. Your generosity allows us to embrace animals who need our help—even when they bring unexpected challenges with them. You give OHS the ability to enrich lives at both ends of the leash, animals and humans alike. We are better together.
One animal who really touched our hearts this year was Biscuit, a joyful rottweiler/husky mix. He was surrendered to OHS by his previous owner and received lots of love and attention as he was brought into our care. However, after a few days, our animal care staff and volunteers noticed that Biscuit was limping. An exam by our medical staff confirmed he had an injury to a ligament in his knee.
Caring for shelter pets means taking on the responsibility to act as their advocate. When our staff saw that this young dog’s mobility would be limited without medical intervention, they wanted to do what could be done to ensure Biscuit could start his new chapter without pain.
Your support ensured that we could provide Biscuit with the best care possible—the same level of care your own beloved pet would receive.
Biscuit’s knee required a specialized procedure, one that needed the skills of an outside surgeon. We also needed to identify a calm and supportive foster home that could help Biscuit during his long recovery.
When Evan first met Biscuit, he felt an instant connection. He immediately wanted to give this sweet dog a home outside the shelter and provide the extra care, attention, and patience Biscuit would need during this challenging time.
You helped set Evan up for success. OHS was able to give Evan all the guidance, supplies, and support he’d need as a new foster volunteer. He received food, medicine, and more toys than he’d ever expected—including special puzzle toys to keep Biscuit engaged while his heavily bandaged, immobile knee recovered.
During his recovery, however, Biscuit and Evan’s journey took an unexpected turn. At Biscuit’s second post-surgery check-up, it was discovered that he needed the same surgery on his other
knee. This setback would mean another two months of waiting and rehabilitation. But, thanks to your support, Evan had everything he needed to navigate this news and extend Biscuit’s care.
After a total of seven months, two surgeries, and a surprise infection, Biscuit was cleared for adoption. By this point, their bond was inseparable, and Evan made the commitment from foster home to adopted home.
These days, Biscuit and Evan enjoy hitting the trails in Forest Park, meeting new dog friends, and,
during the final days of summer, swimming their hearts out! And thanks to your support through the ups and downs, Evan and Biscuit ended up together and are better for it.
Every day, our staff and volunteers work hard to provide the highest level of care for the
animals, and we couldn’t do it without you. OHS is better because of your generous support and advocacy.
As we reflect on the joy of giving this season, I invite you to continue your support for OHS programs and services that help pets and people in our communities.
Let’s work together to create a more compassionate, respectful and kind world for pets and people like Biscuit and Evan in 2025. Your support makes all the difference!
For the animals,
Sharon Harmon
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
