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A Matter of trust: Rescue dogs in Marion respond to power of love

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Author: Kendra Meinert
Title: A Matter of trust: Rescue dogs in marion respond to power of love
Source: The Green Bay Press Gazette

Aug. 8, 2009

Some had collars that had grown into their necks. Others were emaciated. Many had feces- and urine-soaked straw matted to their coats.

But mostly, the 49 dogs that came to Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary near Marion were scared — scared of something as everyday as the sound of a vacuum, scared to come out of their crates, scared to be touched.

So to see them now — three months later, generous with sloppy kisses and falling all over one another for attention — is a heart-tugging testimonial not only to the healing power of human love but to the unconditional affection of animals when given a second chance.

"Oh my gosh, yes. It's unbelievable to see how far they've come,'' said Amanda Reitz, president of Happily Ever After. "It's amazing that they can bond again. They're all just awesome dogs.''

The dogs are among more than 300 seized in May from the Thyme and Sage Ranch in rural Cazenovia. The owner and founder of the animal shelter in the southwestern part of the state faces multiple counts of animal cruelty, after the Dane County Humane Society found dogs without access to food and water and with severely matted fur and inadequate bedding in unheated buildings, among other poor conditions and injuries.

Animal welfare groups across the state stepped up to take in the dogs, including Happily Ever After, which already was at capacity with 40 dogs and 150 cats in its care. In the months since, Reitz and a staff of volunteers have worked tirelessly to socialize the dogs and teach them to trust, from adjusting to the simple household sounds of a washing machine to learning to walk on a leash to the utter joy of playtime.

They've mastered that latter one, especially the larger male dogs who remind Reitz of "a bunch of boys on the playground roughhousing.''

"See all the stuffing,'' Reitz said, pointing to the puffs of white that once belonged to maybe a stuffed Kermit or Shamu and now dot the grass surrounding the large fenced-in play area outside. "We go through quite a few toys. They have a good time.

"They love to play. It doesn't matter who they're playing with as long as they get to play. It's fun to watch them, because that's when they're truly themselves. They're just so happy. You can see it on their faces.''

The Thyme and Sage dogs brought to Happily Ever After range from 10-week-old puppies to adults thought to be 7 or 8 years old. There are smaller Shih Tzu and Pomeranian mixes all the way up to a Labradoodle and a Saint Bernard/Great Pyrenees mix. Some came with names; the ones without were immediately given one.

"That's the first thing we do,'' Reitz said. "Naming them gives them an identity, and they start to develop a personality from there.''

Snickers is known for his smile, and Ford is a talker. Scruffy looks, well, scruffy.

"We have Oscar, because he looks like a big grouch. He just hasn't come out of his shell yet,'' Reitz said. "And we have Lucifer. He fits that very well!''

It's a decidedly more low-key, spa-like scene in the girls' outdoor play area at the other end of the shelter, where you're likely to find Penny chilling in the wading pool or Lucy, a border collie and Australian shepherd mix, flashing her baby blues to visiting children and women (she's still leery of men). Sally, a pitbull used for repeated breeding, is all lover.

"Everybody says, 'But she's a pitbull.' But look at her,'' Reitz said, as she sits in the kennel with Sally flopped on top of her. "As long as somebody is in here, Sally is right here. She doesn't move.''

Of the 49 dogs from Thyme and Sage, Happily Ever After has adopted 12 out, including a Labradoodle named Eleanor, once emaciated with terrible skin, and all of the poodle-mix puppies. Because the animal cruelty case is still pending, 78 of the dogs remain under court custody, including 24 at Happily Ever After.

Until they are released by the court, Reitz cannot spay or neuter them or alter their appearance. She had hoped the dogs would've been released last month, but now the next court date has been pushed back to October. Most people who have expressed an interest in adopting one of those dogs have said they're willing to wait, Reitz said.

In the meantime, the additional dogs have stretched the budgets, space and volunteer hours of the nonprofit group. The training room inside the refurbished barn is now filled with kennels for the smaller dogs. Volunteers make sure all dogs get out three times a day as well as for playtime. It takes three 40-pound bags of dry food daily to keep everybody fed.

But it never crossed Reitz's mind to say no when the call came to take in the dogs.

"I don't know where they'd be right now,'' she said. "I'm pretty sure many of the small dogs you see would've been euthanized. … They wouldn't have passed a temperament test in a shelter.''

Reitz looks forward to the day when all of the dogs are cleared to be put up for adoption to start the new "lifetime of happiness and love that they deserve. We can do what we can here, but nothing beats a family.''

View a slideshow produced by Corey Wilson of the Green Bay Press Gazette »