STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Mater first came to Mountain Humane, brimming with energy that spilled over into somewhat destructive behavior.

On Sunday the two-year-old chocolate lab returned to the animal welfare campus in Hailey in a police car. Not as a dog in need of lockup but as a VIP alum who now rides around in a flashy blue and yellow police car as a member of the Garden City K9 force.

“He’s one of our adoption success stories. We learned how to redirect his high energy and in July 2024 he was adopted by the Garden City Police Department as a narcotic-detecting canine. And he’s very good at his job,” said Kelly Mitchell, senior director of Shelter Operations and Outreach.

With that introduction, Mater’s handler released the dog, who ran through a crowd that had assembled for Mountain Humane’s annual Paws Up Fundraiser. Mater quickly found a bag of narcotics planted on the patio, and the officer rewarded the dog by throwing a ball for him to find in the sagebrush surrounding the animal welfare campus.

“It’s amazing to think that dogs from here are being rescued and serving communities far beyond the Wood River Valley,” said one supporter as she nibbled on a salmon and beef strip dinner catered by Steve and Becky Ludwig.

Mountain Humane volunteers covered the patio outside the campus with a myriad of tents small and large to shield supporters from the hot evening sun. And those in attendance milled around, comfortably sipping on non-alcoholic “Neutered Dogs” made of ginger beer, blackberry shrub and mint and “Dog Gone Good” Watermelon Margaritas as they checked out the silent auction items.

Those items included dog portraits etched in Rockitecture stone, a wine tasting staycation in Walla Walla, Scottevest gift certificates and even throw toys shaped like wine bottles. Also available was jewelry made by local jewelers Lisa Horton, Ezmeralda Gordon and Cristina Healy, paintings by Brandis Sarich and Miriam Esther and even a Randimals game.

Fifteen happy pet owners and families sponsored Furever Friends Pet Portraits that greeted diners inside the big dining tent that Co-Chairs Sally Onetto and Maggie Sturdevant had set up.

Among them, Bandit, a Siberian husky-mix that Rosemary Aquilante adopted from Mountain Humane in 2002 after seeing his picture in a local paper.

“He had been in and out of the shelter for two years. He had severe separation anxiety and he was very destructive, chewing things like seatbelts,” she recounted.

Fran Jewell helped her train him, and then Aquilante returned the favor by volunteering with other dogs at the shelter. She is currently working with Zuko, who was out of control when he came to the shelter.

“Bandit started my whole journey volunteering with Mountain Humane. It does more for me than it does for the dog,” Aquilante said. “Every day I work with Zuko, rewarding him when he exhibits the behavior I want. And, when he looks at me, my heart melts. I think a lot of the behavioral issues we see stem from being in the shelter—these dogs just want to be in a family environment.”

Mountain Humane’s Executive Director Christine Ferguson reminded the audience that seven years ago the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley was rebranded Mountain Humane in anticipation of the facility becoming so much more than a shelter.

“And we achieved that. Our 34 employees served 9,000 animals in some capacity last year. And your support allows us to do that,” she said.

Board President Christine Brumback said that Mountain Humane goes beyond facilitating adoptions to providing foster care, microchipping, lost and found services, veterinary services, behavioral training and pet food to enable people to retain their pets.

Volunteers provided 37,000 hours of time this past year--the equivalent of 17 fulltime staff. And the facility even has a Real Life Room for animals who have never been inside a home where they learn how to behave in a living room and, even, on a couch in preparation for going to a forever home.

Jen Hall, who moved to the valley to provide veterinary services for Mountain Humane last summer, said 95 percent of the work she does is for community members and their pets.

“Pets here are a lot calmer than they are in Boulder, Colo., probably because they get out more and they’re not in the frenetic city,” she said. “But they get more intestinal parasites because they’re able to be out where there’s a wild animal population.”

Live auction lots included a Kenya Safari provided by Paul Swart’s Natural Migrations and a Taste of Argentina dinner for 24 prepared by local chef Andrew Dunning. The latter was snapped up for $24,000 the second it was offered on the auction block.

Four people ponied up $2,000 each to have their dogs’ pictures emblazoned on a Ford Transit outreach van underwritten by Lyn and David Andrson. It will travel the region providing spay and neuter surgeries, vaccinations, behavioral counseling and pet food. And this year, cat fans got an opportunity to have a smaller outreach van for cats wrapped with pictures of their kitties.

“I love that there’s a fundraiser for animals. They need welfare and help, just like people,”  said one attendee.

If anyone needed any more reason to give, it was there in the form of Erik, another VIP alum. Mountain Humane volunteer Carol Brown adopted the stray black and white border collie mix in late 2019. And, in three short years, he earned two Master Agility titles in the highest level of agility competition.

Erik also helps teach dog training classes at Mountain Humane.

“Because of Mountain Humane, Erik got a second chance,” said Brown. “He’s taking the summer off because it’s so hot, but we’ll start up again in fall. And, always, we’re looking for a barn we can work the dogs in. Right now, we have to go all the way to Meridian during winter!”

DID YOU KNOW?

Several couples were honored as Mountain Human Endowment Fund Champions: Lyn and Davi Anderson, Micki and Dan Chapin, Bety and Peter Gray, Sally and Marc Onetto Linda and Bill Potter, Maggie and David Sturdevant and Elizabeth and Tom Tierney.

Mountain Humane is now looking for $5,000 to purchase six shade sheds for outdoor play yards to keep doggies comfortable during their daily outdoor playtime. Also, $35,000 to convert an adoption meeting nook to a new kitten room.