Coast Chronicles: Cats and kittens (and dogs) oh my

Published 12:12 pm Monday, August 15, 2022

“Transcendental Hesitation”

Too much dogma

Not enough catma.

—Cate Gable

Far be it for me to discount doggies, but after last week’s “Dog Days” I felt I needed to give some equal time to the cats. So I called our South Pacific County Humane Shelter, Long Beach, and found out that, yes, they have a lot of cats and kitties right now who need homes (beachpets.com). I spoke with Sarah Tokarz, who’s been shelter director for six years; and I caught up with several dedicated shelter volunteers to get more of the story.

Volunteers make the wheels go ‘round

I arrived just at 3 p.m. last Saturday and greeted a whole slew of volunteers just closing up. In fact, it was volunteer Lisa Halsey’s very first day. I was curious what led her to support this oh-so-worthwhile organization. “My husband and I retired in April and moved to the Peninsula and I’ve been taking my time deciding what I wanted to do next. I worked for a construction union in substance abuse. Finally, I just thought, ‘OK, time to do something else.’ We just lost our elder kitty a couple weeks ago — but we still have our kitty Daisy — so we’re definitely a family of animal lovers.”

Lisa was getting an on-the-job orientation from humane shelter board president Patti Lee. Patti, on the grants committee, remarked that they have a robust system for grant writing, deadlines, and tracking. “Bev Arnoldy, keeps a running spreadsheet for our grants — she’s amazing. And also on our grants committee is our immediate past president Sandy Clancy, and new member Constance Curtin. We also get tons of help from Greg Holmes who identifies what projects we’ll need to fund going forward.”

Greg and Daneka, a BOLD move

So of course my next call was to Greg to find out more about his shelter support. Greg and wife Daneka Ewert purchased Jean Nitzel’s Picture Attic in March 2020. As Greg says, “Daneka and I were part-timers on the Peninsula and our long-term plan was to move sometime in the future. But when covid hit we came to the Peninsula to get away where there was fresh air. And just at that same time Jean was ready to sell her business and building.”

“Sometimes you walk through life and when a door opens you just have to decide whether to step through it. We decided on the spot and called our friend, a real estate agent, and said, ‘You’d better put our Utah home on the market — we’re not coming back.’ We just stayed on. We made an overnight decision.” After much building renovation, Greg and Daneka created BOLD Coffee Art & Framing — a beautiful and charming additional to Peninsula culture, coming up on its second anniversary (boldatthebeach.com). They have also woven themselves into community life in a variety of ways.

“We have two golden retrievers — Franklin and Theodore, we call them the Roosevelts! — and we’re passionate about helping the humane shelter.” Greg has been instrumental in identifying facility fixes that get handed off to the grants committee for fund raising. “I’m not a carpenter but I’m good with my hands. We did all the BOLD renovations ourselves. At the shelter, we replaced the boiler which was on its last legs with a new heat pump.” Interior painting, a new commercial laundry set-up, covers for outdoor kennels, fencing, and new signage were all recent projects.

As Patti says, “We go to foundations like Templin, Corder, and Wyss for costs like these because many foundations won’t fund major capital projects. There are other grant sources we can tap for spay and neuter events and medical costs for neglected or abused animals.”

Director Sarah

Sarah begins our conversation by praising the “forward thinking and committed board. We’re always trying to improve and create best practices for our systems.” When I ask about the kitties, she agrees, “Yes, we have a lot of kitties and cats right now. We just had a lot of kitten litters and pregnant moms all at one time. Right now we’re nearing our capacity. We have 63 cats or kittens — mostly in our shelter, but some are being fostered because they’re not ready for adoption.” She checks her computer: “Joyce has a litter of five.” [Thanks Joyce!] “We also have eight senior cats — some are deaf and blind. Those are in foster homes where they’re getting special care.”

This leads us into a conversation about a tricky topic — how to provide for dogs and cats in the event of an owner’s death. “Sometimes family members come in to talk to us about that. We can’t always take animals if we’re nearing our capacity, but we encourage everyone to do planning for a beloved pet, whether you’re an elder or not. “ Sarah, decades younger than I, says “I have a plan for mine.” When I looked surprised she says, “But you could die in a car accident tomorrow. You never know.” (OK, everyone knock on wood.)

“Just recently a woman who has four cats came in to talk to us. She’d just lost her husband and was doing some thinking. I guess you can’t call it estate planning but it should be included.” When I ask what Sarah recommends, she says, “Talk to your family members or your neighbors. Some people put funds in their will for their animals, and that certainly helps — it’s expensive to take proper care of a pet. We even have a question about this in our pet application form — what provisions will you make?”

Shelter support

Sarah says the best way to support the shelter is to “get your pet spayed or neutered. We have a special $15 spay/neutering program right now” — funds provided by Washington Federation of Animal Care and Control from “We Love Our Pets” license plate fees. “And, of course, we always need more volunteers, dog walkers or people for cat cuddling. Financial donations, paper products, cat and dog food are always welcome.” I didn’t know that our shelter has dog and cat food for any family or individual who needs it. Just walk in and ask. They also donate animal food to both the Ilwaco and Ocean Park food banks.

Near the end of our conversation, Sarah tells me the story of Link, a rottweiler/German shepherd mix whose family needed to give him away because they couldn’t afford his medical care. The shelter paid several thousand dollars for his bilateral knee repair and are hoping they can get a few donations for reimbursement. Link — a smart, beautiful and lively one and a half year-old 90-pounder — is now looking for his forever home. He needs a family or owner who can match his energy and provide him consistent training. Sarah brought him out for a photo, and he started paying more attention when the treats appeared. What a gorgeous dog!

Then there was Lucy, a black and white pitbull. Sarah says, “Pits are hard to place, but Lucy ruled the place. Everybody loved her and finally we found her a home — now she lays on the couch with her owner while they watch TV.”

As Greg says, “Every dog [and every cat] has a story.” They’re as individual as we are. Fortunately there are people on the Peninsula who know that. “It’s one of the things Daneka and I love about living here. We know that when we ask for donations for the shelter, people always step up.”

The shelter volunteers don’t always shine a spotlight on their work — but they are there every day making a difference. Go in and play with the kitties, if you can, or stop by and drop off a check. The four-leggeds thank you.

•••

Sad note: We lost a beloved Peninsula treasure when Barbara Poulshock died peacefully Friday morning. She’s no doubt already directing a choir of angels. Her memorial will take place Thursday 10 a.m. at the Methodist Church in Ocean Park.