Amanda rescues Bear

When Amanda heard about a lost, lonely dog at Evans Creek campground in Washington state, she and her friend Dylan decided to do the unthinkable.

The two girls — now being hailed heroes — posted photos illustrating the great lengths they went to in order to rescue the frightened, emaciated dog known as “Bear,” who wouldn't let any humans get close.

For an hour, Amanda and Dylan tried to lure the dog with food, but it didn't work. The next day when they went back, the dog was in the same spot. Again, they tried to coax him with food, but to no avail. That’s when they got creative. Very creative.

Pretending she was injured and in need of help, Amanda laid down in fetal position on the gravel and started crawling backward toward the dog. In fact, she spent the next hour slowly inching closer and closer to Bear. When he voiced his discomfort, she’d start whimpering and yawning, which is a calming signal, and continued to inch closer until she rested directly on his side!

For two hours, Amanda and Bear cuddled, until he finally let her slip a lead around his neck. Bear was finally safe. Like the police officer who got out of his car and comforted two dogs wandering on the side of the highway, there are good people in the world.

Bear is on the road to recovery thanks to these two incredible heroes. Because of his eventual friendliness, they think he got lost from his family. They’re trying to find the dog’s owners, but if no one claims him, a local rescue group will help find him a loving home.

[via facebook]

Humane Society West?

Hawaiian Humane Society officials estimate at least half of the roughly 27,000 animals that enter its Moiliili facility annually could instead make their way to a new West Oahu site expected to be open in about two years.

D.R. Horton — Schuler Division, developer of the 11,750-home Hoo­pili project between Kapo­lei and Ewa, announced Tuesday that it is giving the Humane Society a 4-acre site for a second facility to accommodate animals in need.

The parcel is on undeveloped land near Fort Weaver and Old Fort Weaver roads, about a half-mile from the Queen's Medical Center-West Oahu.

Besides animal services such as sheltering for stray and lost animals, spaying and neutering, adoptions, lost and found, dog training classes and youth education, the Humane Society will operate a dog park, which will encompass about half the property and be open to the public, said Pamela Burns, the group's president and CEO.

Burns said her organization has sought a West Oahu site since 1999. When the new site opens, at least half of the 27,000 animals that now enter the Moiliili shelter each year will instead go to the new site, she said.

"What we don't know is how many more will need sheltering from West Oahu that are not being transported to our Moiliili shelter," Burns said.

A recent survey showed that while just over half of Oahu households have a pet, about 74 percent of West Oahu households own pets, Humane Society officials said.

Burns said she and Horton-Schuler have been discussing the gift for several years, although it wasn't finalized until last week.

"Now that we've gotten the gift of land, we will begin our planning process as soon as possible," Burns said. "So we are working as quickly as possible to make this happen."

The dog park will be about 2.5 acres, significantly larger than the one the Humane Society opened at its Moiliili location in 1999.

The society is in the end stages of an $18 million capital improvements funding drive, and about half that money is slated for development of a new West Oahu campus, society board Chairman Richard Zwern said.

Burns said she expects about 25 new paid employees to work out of the West Oahu campus. She said the society also has 600 active volunteers, and "we know by opening a campus in West Oahu, we will attract many more volunteers from West Oahu to join our forces."

The Moiliili facility currently has about 85 full-time staff members.

If the society chooses to ask for additional help from the city, it might not get a warm reception from the Caldwell administration.

The organization has a current operating budget of $7.3 million, which includes $2.3 million from a contract with the city for animal services.

When it asked for additional funding in 2013 to meet the scope of its work, city officials balked. The two sides agreed to allow the group to reduce its field services.

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So what's the difference between the Hawaiian Humane Society and the Oahu SPCA which is in Kapolei?  It's a no-kill facility.