Hello Canine Angels Friends,

Most of you have heard by now that, as Canine Angels enters its fourth year of operation, we've begun to evaluate and reorganize the tasks of our staff members in an effort to improve efficiency and growth potential of our program. I am beyond excited to be able to work with CAST in my new role as Executive Director. I'm so very proud to be part of such a special and dedicated group of staff, board members, volunteers and supporters.

I would like to thank our extraordinary staff members for the countless hours they've contributed to our mission of Helping Kids Achieve Independence. Sheila Kolby, our Puppy Raiser Coordinator, and Kerri Van Pelt, our Breeding Coordinator, are incredibly dedicated advocates of CAST, and I am fortunate to be able to work beside them and call them my friends.

Sandy Mays, who had been our Director, and will continue to be our board President and Head Trainer, has been an exceptional leader for Canine Angels, and a tremendous factor in how far we've gotten so quickly. I have learned so much from her, and am often amazed at how she is able to manage all of the aspects of her life with such energy and passion. I am honored to follow in her footsteps.

Canine Angels and I thank you all for your continued support!

Sincerely,
Kelly Stack
Executive Director

New Team Introduction - Cathy and Pumpkin

The Great Pumpkin (one of the Peanuts litter) is now working as a facility dog at Shriners Hospital for Children in Sacramento. Her duties include, but are not limited to: playing ball (with kids, families, staff, Shriners - she really doesn't discriminate), lying on beds with kids, impressing tour groups and other visitors and attending special events and fund raisers, walking scared patients to the operating room, sitting with anxious families waiting for their children to come out of surgery.....the list goes on.

Pumpkin (AKA Punkie) is always busy and on call. She is frequently asked to visit a child who is sad and missing a beloved pet - petting that soft curly hair is warm and comforting. Punkie is happy to go to the units and cuddle on the bed.

Since 30-40% of the inpatients at Shriners are Hispanic, and most of those do not speak English, Pumpkin is becoming bilingual. Kids come to the office asking for 'perrito' (cute little dog), and say that she is 'suave' (soft) and 'bonita' (pretty). She knows to bring the 'pelota' (ball) and put into 'los manos' (hands), 'una mas' means the game is almost over, and 'no mas' means that she might as well take a nap now.

However, most of what she does is in the universal language of dogs, understood by everyone. With her lovely brown eyes, soft curly hair, and fluffy wagging tail - when she makes eye contact and approaches, almost everyone responds with a smile. Petting her appears to be a stress reliever, and you can see both the petter and the pettee visibly relax. If they stop stroking, a cold wet nose encourages them to continue. The staff psychologist is an almost daily visitor, and claims that Punkie is better than any drug for reducing blood pressure.

All of the animals in the Pet Therapy program stop by the office to say hello when they visit - mostly dogs, but some bunnies and cats too. Pumpkin's glad to see them all!

The crisp cold winter days in Oregon have our advanced training dogs loving their new kennel building and covered play areas. Larger indoor doggie dormitories allow for more slumber parties with their buddies. Two to three dogs can now share each kennel space allowing for some extra play and snuggling time even when not out in the larger group play yards. The addition of a new heater got a two thumbs up from all as well.

Thanks to Vicki Holsworth, our newest staff member who joined us last summer, our dogs are enjoying some extra TLC. Vicki keeps our kennels spotless, dogs bathed and groomed regularly and is  learning dog behavior and training skills. A big thank you to Vicki, at right with Ozzy, for making my job easier and helping the kennel run smoothly.

As we move through our advanced training time the dogs often start making their career choices evident. Our first to try his wings is male goldendoodle, Snoopy. Many of you have met or even shared your home with this gentle, lovable guy. Known for his ability to make everyone love him and for his long list of nicknames (Mr. Wonderful, Super Dog, Snuffleupigus, Senior Wappo and on and on...) Snoopy has appropriately chosen a career as an Ambassador Dog for Canine Angels.

We have selected an excellent host family for Snoopy in Grants Pass, Oregon. His role for Canine Angels will be assisting at presentations and outreaching to the community to help share with others the type of dogs we can provide for special needs children. When not helping our staff, Snoopy can often be found greeting customers and spreading the word about Canine Angels at Gates Home Furnishings along with his new family Chris and Giff Gates. You can read more about Snoopy in the store newsletter at www.gatesfurniture.com.

Congratulations to the Gates Family and Snoopy, we are excited to have you on our team!