Change the Lives of Troubled Youth & Shelter Dogs

We have had a busy summer at Project POOCH, with many projects taking place inside and outside the kennel. We currently have five youth and five dogs in the program, with the youth teaching the dogs their basic cues, including sit, stay, down, and walk on a loose leash. We continue to manage through the challenges of COVID, which have limited the number of youth and dogs we can have in the program. Despite these limitations, we strive to make a BIG impact on everyone we come in contact with—youth participants, POOCH pups, and our community. We want to thank you for believing in and supporting our mission and being an integral part of our POOCH community. Here's a quick update on a few things we have been up to over the last few months.

Outdoor Enclosures

Our youth were overjoyed to see a delivery truck arrive with our new outdoor enclosures on a warm summer morning in mid-July. The youth quickly sprung into action, unboxing the enclosures and assembling them in the main yard. These outdoor enclosures are a critical part of the process of caring for the dogs. When the youth arrive at the kennel, each indoor/outdoor dog run needs to be cleaned and sanitized in the morning. This process requires that the dog are removed from their kennel. Over the winter, two of our outdoor enclosures were damaged in heavy storms, and we were down to one outdoor space. By replacing the two damaged enclosures, we again had three outdoor spaces for the dogs to hang out while their indoor/outdoor runs were cleaned. Once the enclosures were assembled, the youth wasted no time sharing the new spaces with the pups. Residents Faith and Cali were the first two to give them a test run and gave them an enthusiastic "paws-up!"

Faith

Faith came to Project POOCH as a stray from another local shelter. Faith is approximately 3 years old and has clearly never experienced being on a leash. When the youth tried to get her leashed up to go on a walk, she expressed her displeasure in every way she could, leading to a very frustrating experience for her and the youth. We tried a flat collar, a Gentle Leader, and a harness to no avail. We brought in a different dog trainer to assess the situation to see if they could come up with a different approach. The new trainer had a one-on-one session with Faith and her handler and decided to try using a clicker in Faith's training. Faith and her handler immediately took to this method, and we have seen a dramatic improvement over the past month! Faith is now walking on a flat collar, and she and her handler are enjoying their walks. Training is not one-size-fits-all—what works for one dog may not work for another. We are committed to working with our pups to find the approach that "clicks" for them to help set every one of them up for success.

Dog Wash

On August 13, we hosted one of our favorite events of the year—our Annual Dog Wash! From NOON to 4 p.m. at Stickmen Brewing in Tualatin we scrubbed pups of all sizes while their pawrents enjoyed pizza and pints. From tiny chihuahuas to newfies, our volunteers were hard at work, and we saw some former POOCH pups come through the lineup. One of our former youth, who left MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in 2019, volunteered his time to help with setup and greeting attendees. He was excited to give back to the program that had helped him develop responsibility, patience, and compassion during his time at MacLaren. He's hoping to come back to MacLaren in a few years as a visitor to help recruit youth into the program by sharing his story.

Agility Center

Our Agility Center flooring has been in dire need of replacement. The old flooring was interlocking green foam pieces, and the foam was breaking down and turning the pups—and EVERYTHING that came in contact with it—Wicked Witch of the West Green! We spent the month of August cleaning the Agility Center, removing the old flooring, and giving everything a good scrub to make way for the new rubber flooring. The flooring was delivered last week, and the installation will take place in September.

Links:

• Adoptable Dogs
• Facebook Link