Medical

We recently heard from The Bohnetts - Joe, Stephanie, Jack (10), and Owen (5), who adopted a dog named Levi. Here is what they had to say:

Join us over on Facebook and join our group for SafeHaven alumni to share their special adoption stories and special updates.

Head on over to Facebook and search "SafeHaven Humane Society Proud Alumni and Parents" to get your daily dose of sweet.

Annie was brought to SafeHaven during the 4th of July weekend after she and her littermates were found in a field. While her littermates all seemed to be doing okay, Annie did not have the ability to use her back legs. We soon learned that one leg was broken in multiple spots and she only had the ability to drag her back legs along. She also needed assistance with going to the bathroom, which just confirmed that she had endured lots of trauma before she was found. Unfortunately, her prognosis was not looking good in the beginning.

Annie then had surgery to try to repair her leg and has been in a foster home that has been helping her do small physical therapy exercises every day. She still has a lot of nerve damage that we are hoping with time will heal, but she is now up and moving some! She started putting more pressure on her legs and regained the ability to go to the bathroom on her own.

More recently, after Annie had the surgery she needed, her treatment now involves getting acupuncture once a week with Dr. Arnold Wittstein and she is making huge improvements! She is beginning to use the litter box on her own and is able to be much more active. Check out these photos of her treatment with Dr. Wittstein, located in Philomath. Acupuncture has never looked

We are actively looking for more volunteers to help in our medical department! Medical volunteers must be 18 years old, have completed a dog handling class, and have at least 20 hours of shelter volunteer service. A background in the veterinary field is not required. For more information, or to sign up to become a medical volunteer, please email us at

Did you know there are many positions to help SafeHaven that are outside of the shelter? If walking dogs and cleaning kennels isn't your thing, no problem! Check out loyal volunteer, Peggy Kowal (R)and Volunteer Coordinator, Tia Daversa (L) at the Mennonite Village's 75th Anniversary Event in August.

Peggy has been instrumental to SafeHaven's Community programs for the last few years and has helped us at many different community events and also with office tasks on a weekly basis. She has set an amazing example of what it means to volunteer with us in many different programs within SafeHaven!

There are a few things you can count on during the summer at SafeHaven. First, there will be lots of kittens available for adoption. Second, we will find out which dogs like to play in the little pools in the yards. Third is that summer camps are back, of course, and, boy, was it a good year to be a kid at camp!

In July, we saw some exciting additions to our summer camp programs. We partnered with Linn Benton Community College to host camps on their Albany campus each week for youth in middle and high school. Each camp was either in the morning or afternoon and ran Monday-Thursday. These camps focused on information about the animal welfare world, careers with animals, how to become involved in and support your community, and building healthy and strong relationships with the animals in our lives. Camp attendees got to meet and socialize with adoptable animals each day, as well as take part in fun activities such as making cat toys, practicing clicker training techniques, playing animal body language bingo, and participating in a button making contest. Our camps were full every week, averaging 22 participants per camp. We also had a good amount of the college staff sneak in to say hi to our adoptable animals. We are excited to continue this new partnership next year!

August felt a little more familiar, but no less exciting. We were so pleased to bring back our Animal Adventure Camp opportunities for kids entering kindergarten through 5th grade. These camps were single-day experiences, each with a different theme. The education room was full to the brim with laughter, animal fur, paint, and more than a little glitter. Our themes this year were Vet Day, Art with Animals, Feline Fine, Crazy Canines, and All About SafeHaven. The kids had a blast! Each day brought new friends (of the people and animal variety), new crafts and activities, and the opportunity to make a difference. I can’t convey how honored I feel getting to work with the kiddos of our community, and the volunteers that have made it their mission to support them and our animals. Months from now, when I am cleaning the education room and still finding glitter, I know I will smile fondly because of the memories made during this summer’s camps and in anticipation of next year’s. Until then, I will be content knowing that classroom presentations and field trips are around the corner. I love SafeHaven the most when it is full of animals and people who just know something wonderful is around the corner.