Yerington Animal Shelter provides refuge and new homes for some Gabbs dogs.
By Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends Staff 
The town of Yerington, Nevada may be small, but it harbors some people with big hearts. When a call was issued by Best Friends Animal Society requesting assistance in finding animal welfare organizations willing to take some of 145 dogs in desperate need of homes, representatives from the Yerington Animal Shelter were among the first to step up. The dogs’ caregiver passed away, leaving their futures uncertain, particularly since many of them had never received much interaction with humans.
Kris Brown, volunteer for Yerington Animal Shelter, traveled two hours to remote Gabbs, Nevada in November, along with Carol Fuller, the President of
Yerington Animal Protection Society (Y.A.P.S.). Brown’s original intent was to find the most adoptable dogs and pull them; however, things did not work out as originally planned. When Rachel Ann, a smaller and younger dog was selected, her kennelmate
Baby would have been left alone. Despite the fact that the 10 year old shepherd mix “looked like a coyote with bad teeth, I didn’t have the heart to leave him alone.” Thus began the selection of dogs by group, so that they were already familiar with one another, easing in their transition. Brown says, “It was a dog rodeo” as they attempted to capture and crate the frightened animals for transport back to the shelter.
That first day, Brown pulled thirteen dogs; half are now adopted. Those remaining, plus an additional three dogs recently selected, are still in need of forever or foster homes with an understanding of their special needs.
Available for AdoptionWhen Brown first saw
Nelda, a female Norwegian Elkhound mix, she realized there would be some difficulty in socializing her. “The more you would pet her, the smaller she got.” In an effort to speed up the process, Brown decided to foster her personally, hoping her own dogs would show Nelda how to act around people. Initially Nelda fought the leash, but after only one day began to adjust. In fact, now Nelda comes running to the gate with the rest of the pack, tail wagging, when Brown comes home. She still backs away once the gate is opened; however, she does eventually work her way up to the front for some affection. While still timid, her progress has been remarkable.
Brown believes that
Ruby Delilah should be the poster child for this rescue effort. As a pup, one of her ears had been chewed off, leaving her with a facial scar that pulls one of her eyes up. That does not affect her health or personality in any way; in fact, it makes her all the more endearing. Ruby was found running loose on the property, not in a dog run, and unlike most of the other dogs, she is “friendly, bubbly, and wants to play.” Unfortunately, Brown fears that it is Ruby’s appearance that has prevented her from finding a home. “To me she’s just special looking, but we all love her so.”
Other Gabbs dogs that were taken in by the Yerington Animal Shelter are
Baby,
Bobby,
Major,
Louisiana, and the three newest arrivals; Sadie, Tina Louise, and Shirley. Each of these dogs is available for adoption, although they would need to go to the right person who has the patience and love to help them come out of their shells and learn that people can be trusted. Brown states, “I think it will take several months with a lot of these dogs before they are tuned in with human beings.”
Loving homes are out thereMindy (formerly named Elsie) is one of the Gabbs dogs who have found her forever home. Holly Tollefson explains “We’ve been kind of casually looking for a dog for about a year now.” The right dog needed to fit her criteria; gender, age, size, breed, and disposition. After reading a local article about the Gabbs dogs, she found Mindy online. One phone call and trip to the shelter later and Mindy became the newest member of the Tollefson family.
The Tollefson house is in all likelihood the first real home Mindy has ever known. When she first arrived, she jumped up on the sofa and lay there, studying everything. In fact, they called her “Puppy Investigator” for her curiosity and need to inspect items from all angles. In the weeks since Thanksgiving, Mindy has grown more relaxed in her new environment. “She’s really getting more comfortable,” says Tollefson. “She is blossoming.” The family’s older dog, Lucky, has grown protective of her younger friend, who has now taken to joining in a dance in anticipation of their morning walks.
Say Tollefson, “She was just the right dog and we knew it. We’re willing to work with her. You have to have a little patience at the beginning, but it will really pay off in time.”
The little shelter that could
It was only a few years ago that some concerned citizens learned that the Yerington Animal Shelter was only open about nine hours a week and euthanized regularly. They decided to act and took over the management of the shelter. Since then, due to the volunteer efforts of eight individuals (yes, only eight), the shelter is now open for adoptions six days a week and homes are found for around 15-20 dogs per month. However, that is not all that they have done for the homeless canines of Yerington.
Bev Beaman, the volunteer who runs the shelter, says “As shelter volunteers, we all realized real quick that the city did not provide many things the dogs needed.” Thus about 1 ½ years ago these same individuals created BARK (Build a Rescue Kennel), a non-profit organization formed to provide items for the shelter animals that the city would not supply. Their first order of business was to construct another kennel so the shelter had additional room to hold more dogs. Fundraising events such as garage sales, barbeques, and raffles earned them enough money to build five additional runs. Beaman’s husband Larry has also built 10 additional exercise yards for the dogs. Though 72 years old, Beaman states, “We’ve never worked harder in our lives and enjoyed it more. We love it.”
Despite the added space, with the addition of the Gabbs dogs, the shelter is now full to capacity and adoptions are needed so they may continue to save more. Even with the crowded conditions, when talking of saving dogs Beaman comments, “We love what we do, every one of us.”
How you can help:• Adopt a
Yerington Animal Shelter dog. Every dog that finds a new home opens kennel space, creating an opportunity to save another animal. Additional foster homes also free up room at the shelter so that more Gabbs dogs can be saved.
• Donations of dog food, houses and blankets are currently needed for BARK:
Build a Rescue Kennel
PO Box 374
Yerington, Nevada 89447
• Volunteer to help at the shelter, or at Gabbs, helping to socialize the dogs to give them a better chance at finding a loving home.
For more information: •
Yerington Animal Shelter217 Trowbridge
Yerington, Nevada 89447
Phone: 775-463-6578
Hours: Monday – Saturday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Closed Sundays and holidays
•
Mason Valley News: B.A.R.K. lists update on homeless Gabbs dogs Photo credits: provided courtesy of Holly Tollefson, Kris Brown, Petfinder, and Yerington Animal Shelter
Lead Photo: Mindy snuggling on a couch with Matt Tollefson.
Photo #2: Baby would love to have a home to call his own.
Photo #3: Nelda discovers the simple joy of a squeaky toy in her foster home.
Photo #4: Ruby Delilah is still at the shelter in need of a home.
Photo #5: Mindy has already become close friends with Lucky.
Photos #6 & 7: Bobby and Major are in need of a home or Golden Retriever rescue organization together.