Saved from cruel abandonment or from euthanasia, dogs at Hamlin’s no-kill shelter go to caring homes
Dena was on a table in an animal shelter in Ohio about to be euthanized. Then the technicians found she was pregnant. The Labrador mixed breed was flown to this area by Pilots for Paws who looked for a dog rescue organization that would accept her. Being turned away at several places, it was the no-kill Hamlin Dog Shelter that took her in.
“We took on quite a project,” said Dave Maynard, Hamlin’s dog control officer. “There were a lot of doubters who said it was not going to work and we would lose the puppies.” Dave went on, “We gave 150% to make sure these dogs were healthy, and guess what, we did it, we did it.”
What Dave and many other volunteers have done is to help Dena give birth to 13 puppies. And, through well-organized care and feeding to assist Dena’s nursing, the puppies are all healthy and ready to go to adopting families on October 17.
The success of the puppy project illustrates the support and organization that has made the Hamlin Dog Shelter, in just a year and a half of its existence, a benchmark program for New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets. It provides a model for other towns which have been calling to learn more about its operations and performance. It has a committed volunteer base, a well-developed facility, and the inspired leadership of Dave Maynard.
The rescue and adoption outreach to townships
All adoptions are done through Facebook. “We have 5,100 followers on Facebook and that number is growing daily,” Dave said. “We adopted out 30 dogs last month, including to homes in Middleport, Medina, Canandaigua and, most recently, Victor. We provide a west side service left open when Lollypop West left Brockport.”
The shelter also serves Parma, Hilton, Gates, Wheatland and Henrietta.
The adoption process for 13 puppies – fast and thorough
Dena and her 13 puppies were adopted in just two days after Dave put up a reserve list on Facebook. He received 30 messages in just one hour. “When the puppies were two weeks old, we called in each family interested and interviewed them one by one,” Dave said. “When chosen, the families completed all the paper work and paid the adoption costs.” The total fee is $120, including $50 for adoption, $35 rabies shot, and $35 deposit for neuter or spaying (returned when the dog has surgery). “We provide a place for the middle class who can’t go out and pay three-to-four-hundred dollars for a dog.”
Some very special dogs
Among the eleven dogs in the shelter that day were two very special cases. Cheyenne was a pit bull who had been abandoned, attached to a pole in a roadside ditch with a bag of dog food. “She is the sweetest dog. She wants to give kisses and hugs,” Dave said, as he stuck his fingers through the cage and she licked them.
In another kennel was McKinley, an eleven week old mixed breed who could walk using only her front legs, dragging her paralyzed back legs behind her. She is a MIA Foundation dog. As an alternative to euthanizing dogs born with disabilities, the MIA Foundation provides surgery and prosthetic devices so these dogs can live a healthy and happy life when adopted out. McKinley will receive two wheels to support her rear legs, and is about to be adopted by a young couple. The MIA Foundation in Hilton was founded by Sue Rogers whose Chihuahua, Mia, was born with a cleft palate. The Hamlin Dog Shelter works closely with the Foundation. And, Sue Rogers was present the night the puppies were born, giving assistance.
The dog shelter facility
Dave became the Hamlin Dog Control officer in 2012, at the urging of town board member Craig A. Goodrich. He had previously been the assistant control officer. Dave agreed to take this new job on the condition that he be allowed to establish a quality dog shelter in an abandoned building used by the town at 80 Railroad Avenue. That was granted but no money was available to renovate the building. With donations of drywall, insulation and wiring, Dave solicited from 84 Lumber, and workers from the Town Highway Department installing the drywall and wiring, the shelter took shape.
The only volunteer Dave had at that time was Austin Mann, 16, a Brockport High school student. “He spent night after night with me painting, cleaning, tearing stuff apart,” Dave said. “The kid was incredible.” Austin worked through the entire three-month renovation, and continued volunteering for about a year after the shelter opened in April 2013.
A new addition was completed in May 2013, with 10 additional kennels and a bath, which doubled the capacity. Building materials were donated by Home Depot, and Quality First Heating and Cooling is donating a furnace at cost, installed free. The shelter and the addition were supported by Craig Goodrich, who passed away in 2013, and for whom the shelter is named. Craig had been a liaison between Dave and the town board, and provided much encouragement. A 150 square foot outside dog run was also added, using Craig’s funeral memorial funds. “Craig wanted the dogs to be free, not always cooped up in the building,” Dave said.
Volunteers give daily care with Dave’s leadership
There is an extensive volunteer base that attends to the dogs and maintains the kennel seven days a week, mornings and afternoons. The puppy project requires eight separate volunteers. The puppies are in quarantine to protect them from disease. These volunteers come in a back door to avoid contact with other dogs, and wash their hands before handling the puppies.
Dave calls Marlene Smith his “lead volunteer.” She comes in Monday through Friday to feed and water the dogs, let them outside, give them medicines and “give them love,” Marlene says. When someone asked what her job pays, she answered, “I have had some good paying jobs in the past, but, as a volunteer, this is the best paying job I ever had. It really is.”
Dave himself spends many hours each day of the week volunteering at the shelter. He receives a salary only as Hamlin’s dog control officer. He attributes his ability to run the shelter to his 23 years of working with 40 employees. Dave is manager of Austro Mold, a plastics company in Rochester. He has a wife, two boys, and four dogs at home in Hamlin. “I put in a tremendous amount of time,” Dave said. “But, the thing is, you put this time in at the start and it’s going to run itself eventually.” He spoke of the shelter succeeding into the future to keep Craig Goodrich’s memory alive. “I want this place to be the best shelter in New York State,” he said. “For being open just a year and a half, we have done much, but you haven’t seen anything yet.”
For other informationwww.facebook.com/HamlinNYDogControl.HamlinDogShelter
Contributions can be mailed to: Craig A. Goodrich Dog Shelter, 1658 Lake Road, Hamlin, NY 14464.
For information on the MIA Foundation see web sitewww.themiafoundation.com.
