UPDATE 10/15/03
Statement by AWCA President Jean Levitt
*Permission to crosspost*
We had only 2 Shelties at Camp Collie, but you would have thought we had 50. The Shetland Sheepdog people were strongly behind us from the beginning. They sent donations of supplies and funds, volunteers came to Camp Collie, and even now Sheltie people are fostering some of the emotional special-needs Collies for us. It was my pleasure to write a letter of recommendation to Sheriff Matoon on behalf of Sheltie Rescue in order for Connie Schnackenberg, of Flathead Valley Sheltie Rescue, the Montana representative of Sheltie Rescue, to take charge of the two Shelties after the second trial. Acting on the authority of Dorothy Christiansen, the ASSA Sheltie Rescue Coordinator, Connie offered to reimburse AWCA for every cent we spent on the two little Shelties during the 9 months they were in custody. Fortunately, thanks to all of you who donated so generously, it was not necessary to accept this very gracious offer.
I offer my personal respects, and on behalf of AWCA and the entire Collie community, I thank the Sheltie community for standing behind us through the entire Montana Collie rescue. And now we present...
There are things that happen in a person’s life that can change them forever. I had been involved in Sheltie Rescue for years, and had heard of numerous animal cruelty cases over the years, but I never in my wildest dreams thought something of this magnitude would happen so close to my own back yard.
Oddly enough, even though I live in Montana, it was a friend from California that brought the story of the Harmans and their truckload of dogs to my attention. I started reading every article that came out, and of course, like most Montanans I know, I was thoroughly appalled that these people could put their animals through the ordeal they had been forced to endure.
Even though my specialty for the past decade has been Shelties, I have a great fondness for the larger cousins of my precious Shelties.
It wasn’t long after Camp Collie was established at Shelby, MT, when I started hearing rumors via Internet Sheltie lists that there were Shelties involved in the case.
I jumped in with both feet at that point, trying to find out any information I could. I first called the Cascade County Humane Society, who referred me to the Toole County Sheriff’s Department. Although everyone I talked to was very pleasant, no information was forthcoming. The animals were evidence, and the authorities weren’t giving out any information.
Thanksgiving found me visiting my folks in Great Falls, 80 miles south of Shelby. On the last day of my visit, as my Mom prepared breakfast, my Step-Dad and I shared the morning paper. Dean handed me a section to read, and there in living color was a picture of a beautiful little tri-color Sheltie. A volunteer at Camp Collie was trying to walk the dog, but the dog was so scared it would only roll over on its back.
From that point on, I operated on the knowledge that there was at least one Sheltie. I still couldn’t get any information from the authorities—I told them who I was and offered to foster any of the dogs if necessary. They politely took my name and phone number, and once again told me the dogs were evidence and would have to remain at Camp Collie. I left my name with virtually everyone I could think of—the Sheriff’s Department, the County Attorney, and the Cascade County Humane Society.
It eventually came to light that there were two Shelties who were rumored to be mother and daughter.
At the conclusion of the first trial (or should I say non-conclusion), I made a phone call to the Harman’s attorney, Scott Albers. The County Attorney, Merle Raph, hadn’t decided whether he would re-try the case, and in newspaper reports Ms. Harman had indicated that she was willing to place up to 70 of the animals. I had a nice long conversation with Mr. Albers, explaining that I was the Sheltie Rescue person in Montana, and that I would be more than happy to help Ms. Harman re-home the two Shelties. He seemed genuinely grateful that there was somebody willing to help.
He also tried to pin me down on my opinion of the case. I told him in no uncertain terms that I was on the phone with him because I wanted to help the dogs, and that I was not there to make judgments. I had not heard the testimony; I had not seen the dogs. Of course, I DID have an opinion, but at that point, my main concern was getting the dogs if I could, and I didn’t feel alienating him would be in the best interest of the dogs
When the second trial resulted in a guilty verdict, I started another barrage of phone calls to the Sheriff’s Department and the Cascade County Humane Society. Still, I had no response, other that that they’d put my name on the list of potential adopters.
When the American Working Collie Association put out word that potential adopters needed vet references, background checks and the like, I immediately contacted several vets that I’ve worked closely with over the years. Each and every one of them gave me a glowing letter of reference. I sent the information for the background check to the Toole County Sheriff’s Department, knowing that I didn’t have any skeletons in my closet to hide.
Still, I wasn’t sure whether I had my foot in the door. It was very frustrating, to say the least.
One day, I came home from work to a message on my voice-mail from Jean Levitt, the president of AWCA. She had been in the Toole County Sheriff’s Department when I had called, and had been pleased that Sheltie Rescue was trying to take a hand in this rescue. I immediately called her back!
We discussed several things that were going on with the rescue process that were of concern to both of us. I agreed whole-heartedly with her concerns and with her goals for all the dogs of Camp Collie.
When arrangements were being made to spay/neuter the dogs, I made a phone call to Sheriff Donna Matoon, explaining that I was Montana’s Sheltie Rescue person, and that if it would meet with her approval, I would come to Great Falls, pick up the two Shelties, bring them back to my own vet for spays and dentals, then return them to Great Falls two weeks later to be placed in their new “forever home.” The Sheriff said she didn’t have any objection, but that she wanted to consult with Deputy Mike Lamey, who had been in charge of the case.
I still hadn’t heard back from the Sheriff on the morning I was set to leave for Great Falls. I called the office, and was told that she was off for the weekend, as was Deputy Lamey. My heart dropped. I left for Great Falls, still unsure whether I would be able to bring the Shelties home with me.
In any case, I was determined to put in some time volunteering at Camp Collie, which had been moved to a warehouse in Great Falls. I had talked to the powers that be, and they had asked me to be at Camp Collie at 8:00 Saturday morning, even though they didn’t let most volunteers in until 11:00, after going through an orientation process. I don’t know whether it was because they so desperately needed the help, or that I was very experienced with dogs—or both—but I was there at 8:00 a.m.
I spent the next several hours feeding, watering, cleaning kennels, picking up soiled newspapers and bedding and giving love to each and every dog I could. Camp Collie was indescribable. It’s so easy to say the dogs were housed in this huge warehouse in rows and rows of kennels. It’s quite another thing to describe the sound when you walked into the building. To say it was loud with 180 animals barking would be like saying the Grand Canyon is a little hole in the ground. You had to be there to experience it. The gal in charge had to take me by the arm a couple of times and drag me outside to give me directions because I couldn’t hear her even when she was shouting at the top of her lungs.
It was an odd experience. You would go about your business of picking up soiled papers and bedding, petting the dogs that would allow themselves to be petted, with this deafening din going on. The dogs would gradually quiet down until it was nearly silent—but you wouldn’t really realize it until something set them off again. It was an experience that I will never forget.
And the experience showed me in no uncertain terms that Athena Lethcoe-Harman’s claim that she took nearly 180 animals out of the back of that semi trailer twice a day was a bald-faced lie. It took multiple volunteers at Camp Collie nearly four hours to feed, water and clean the kennels. Four hours for probably a dozen people to do the work that Athena Lethcoe-Harman claimed she did more or less alone twice a day.
I took time throughout the day to go outside to the X-pen where they kept the Shelties during the day. I was told their names were Sugar and Spice. Sugar, evidently the mother, was the little tri I had seen in the paper. She was extremely shy. Spice, a shaded sable, was more outgoing, but still shy. I could tell that of the two, she would come around a lot faster than Sugar.
One of the Core Volunteers came out and sat with me, and we struck up a friendship. I still keep in touch with her via email. This woman sat on the ground with the Shelties and me, and cried—both in sorrow that the Shelties would be leaving and in joy that they were going to be taken care of.
I took a break about noon to go out to my vehicle for a snack. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the number to check my voice-mail. There was a message from Deputy Lamey saying he would be at Camp Collie at 2:00 to release the Shelties to me. I was elated! Deputy Lamey actually arrived about 1:00 and we got the paperwork signed. Because I was planning on returning to Camp Collie to volunteer for a while on Sunday, Deputy Lamey said he preferred that the Shelties remain at Camp Collie until I was ready to leave for home. Although I would have loved to take them out of that place on Saturday afternoon, I was determined to do things by the book.
Sunday morning found me back at Camp Collie to help feed the dogs. I wanted to get an early start home because we had a long drive ahead of us, so about 10:00 or so, I pulled my vehicle through the gates of Camp Collie and we loaded Sugar and Spice into crates for the journey home. The temperature was in the upper 90’s that day, so before we put the dogs in my Blazer, I let it run with the air conditioning on full blast for a while, giving the Camp Collie volunteers a chance to say goodbye to the little girls. Virtually every volunteer had grown very fond of “the little Sheltie Girls.”
We rolled out of Great Falls about 11:30 or so. I didn’t hear a peep out of them the entire time, although we stopped a couple of times for the girls to relieve themselves.
We arrived safely home, and I introduced the girls to my own Shelties. They all got along great, and it wasn’t long before Sugar and Spice were romping and playing in the yard. I don’t think they’d ever had a yard to play in.
Unfortunately, it was also nearing Independence Day. Both of the girls were terrified of the fireworks, and eventually got to the point that they were afraid to go outside.
In the house, both girls stayed fairly close to me, although Sugar was much more timid than Spice. In fact, it didn’t take Spice very long to decide the recliner was just the perfect spot to be!
My two weeks with the Shelties went very fast. My vet did their surgeries and dentals on July 3rd, so that I would have the long weekend to keep a close eye on them. My vet estimated that Sugar was four years old, and that Spice was three. Sugar had to have NINE teeth removed. Spice didn’t have any teeth removed, but there were some that needed to be watched. We also removed Spice’s rear dewclaws, which were very loose and floppy. I was very glad that we’d managed to stop the mass spay/neuter clinic because Spice had a difficult recovery. I don’t know if she would have survived the mass clinic.
Several days later, it was time to take the bandages off Spice’s rear legs. She wouldn’t hold still for me to take them off, so she got to go to work with me. Once she settled in, she sopped up all the attention she got from the people in my office, plus the gals from the office next door.
Sugar got her turn at the office as well. When the two weeks were up, I planned to leave the office early so I could get to Great Falls before dark. Both Sugar and Spice went to work with me. It’s a good thing I have a great boss!
Once we reached Shelby, I couldn’t help but think about the last trip these two little girls had made down that stretch of road. I can only imagine how scared they were. This time, I talked to them constantly, letting them know that they were almost to their “forever home,” and assuring them that they had a bright future ahead of them.
On the appointed day, I was back at Camp Collie with the girls. Jean Levitt was there, and it was such a pleasure to meet this woman who had put so much work into rescuing all these animals. Between the two of us, we decided these Shelties would NEVER cross through the gate of Camp Collie again. We opened up the back of my vehicle so the girls could get some air (it was HOT again), and waited for their new Mom to show up. We didn’t wait long.
I knew immediately when their adoptive Mom pulled in—she came to a sliding halt in the gravel parking lot and barely shut the car off before she was literally BOUNDING towards us. We talked and talked and talked…And hugged the two girls and shared tears of joy that they would now have a loving home where they would be well cared for. And I have to say it—I don’t think these girls could have found a better home. The Toole County Sheriff’s Department representative was there to sign the dogs over to her, and they went home to live out the rest of their days in love and comfort. Their names were changed to Hallie and Mindy. Of course, I retained visiting rights!
In my conversation with Jean Levitt, I told her that if she needed me to foster any of the Collies, I could probably handle a couple of them.
I had tickets to a concert at the Montana State Fair on July 27th. I called Jean Levitt at her hotel in Great Falls to tell her I was on my way to Great Falls, and asked if she would need me to foster. She emphatically said YES! So, I loaded up my two biggest crates, and headed back to Great Falls—via an alternate route. My usual route takes me through West Glacier, Montana, which was in the direct path of a terrible forest fire. I didn’t want to take the chance of taking that route, although the highway had remained open. The smoke was so thick that visibility was at a minimum.
Instead, I took the southern route, through the Swan Valley, a very scenic drive, but one that I had only traversed once, many years ago. I arrived in good time, and my folks and I took in the rodeo and the concert that evening.
The next morning, my Step-Dad accompanied me to Camp Collie. He had been by the facility, but had never been inside. I was amazed at the change. Now, there were crews taking down the kennels, and very few animals left.
Jean Levitt arrived, and told me there were only about 12 dogs left to place, and that quite a few of them were “special needs” dogs. It was heart breaking to see these precious dogs overlooked because they were so terribly shy or had nearly insurmountable health problems.
I spent some time walking a poor baby named Sammy. This dog was SO terrified of people that you couldn’t even look in his direction without him cringing and cowering. I was finally able to settle him down enough in his kennel to be able to pet him a bit, but he was still so terrified. Jean did some checking, and found that he was going to an animal behaviorist. I would have gladly taken him on, but I believe an experienced behaviorist is exactly where he needed to be.
So, I did the rounds, getting the stories on several of the other animals. There were two that caught my eye. One was a year old smooth sable Collie. He wasn’t exactly special needs, but his kennel mate had been adopted, and he was feeling very lonely. The other was a beautiful tri that had evidently been beaten. He wasn’t nearly as shy as Sammy, but he was still very wary of humans.
The tri didn’t like leaving his “security zone” which was the kennel. He would barely walk on leash because he was so afraid of new things.
Jean told me that he was not dog-aggressive, which was a concern for me because I have my Shelties. She couldn’t promise what he’d be like around my cats, but with a 20-pound male cat, I wasn’t too concerned. Jake the cat would set things straight in a hurry if necessary. My Shelties learned long ago that Jake is Alpha around my house, even if he isn’t a dog!
I felt that the younger smooth Collie would have a better chance at being adopted, so I settled on the tri. I told Jean that I wanted to spend a few months working with him before I would even consider placing him. She told me she was hoping that would be the case. So, we loaded up this terrified boy, and we headed home.
“Pal” settled right into my kennel run. In fact, it was all I could do to get him to come out of it. In the house, he’d head straight into a crate and wouldn’t come out. My goal was to expand his comfort zone, little by little. When I was home, I would take him out of the kennel and make him be out in the yard. It took a while, but he eventually started exploring the yard with my Shelties. In the house, I put up baby gates so that he couldn’t hide anywhere. He had to stay out with me.
And, to my surprise and pleasure, he didn’t bat an eye at the cats. In fact, something happened with one of the cats that still brings tears to my eyes. I have a little Seal Point Siamese that has always been the loner of the bunch. She cuddles with me, but doesn’t have anything to do with any other animal in the house. Within the first days, she was walking right up to Pal and bumping noses with him, and then she’d start purring and would rub up against his legs. It was like she was telling him that he was home, he was loved, and everything would be OK from here on out.
In the past month or so, we’ve made baby steps of progress. There haven’t been any great leaps, but I keep reminding myself of what he’s been through and that even the baby steps bring us closer to a happy, well-adjusted dog. He acts genuinely happy when I come home from work, running and barking with the Shelties. He tosses his toys in the air and plays with the Shelties. He runs and plays to his heart’s content, then sacks out in the lush green lawn for a nap, no longer worried that someone might try to hurt him.
Oh, and by the way…it didn’t take long to find a “forever home” for Pal.
Calmly,
Jean Levitt, President AWCA
and the Officers and Members of AWCA