ULSTER COUNTY HOMES FOR HOUNDS
Ulster County Canines helps shelter dogs find their place
At Ulster County Canines, a lot of effort is put into helping dogs with behavioral issues that might not do well in traditional shelters.
Founder and director Jamie Stech said she started Ulster County Canines in October 2018 but it was a concept she had been developing for quite a few years. She said Ulster County Canines cares for up to 40 dogs at a time and has been responsible for more than 100 canine adoptions since opening its doors.
“The concept of Ulster County Canines was to kind of help those dogs that environmentally don’t do well in traditional shelters,” Stech said. She said some high-population or high-intake shelters euthanize dogs after five-day stray holds, though that is less common in the local area. But there are a lot of long-term canine residents in shelters that may not need to be there, Stech said.
Stech said dogs may remain in a shelter long-term because they don’t like strangers or other dogs, or have some other behavioral issue.
“And that’s kind of what we test out here,” Stech said. “We expose them to what could be, or what is showing, as triggers. And we try to work through those behaviors. And we give each dog a significant amount of time. Not just a week. Not just a month.”
She said each dog is evaluated after a week at Ulster County Canines, and then
again after 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, and then six months. After that the decision will be made whether a dog is safe for adoption or not.
Stech said some dogs can be rehabilitated, while some behaviors will never go away and need to be managed.
“And that’s when you’re looking for the home that is ideal and the people are willing to work with the dog and their behavior,” Stech said.
In addition to adoption services, the non-profit Ulster County Canines provides private training, overnight boarding, and a day-boarding program with small play packs. The fees paid for the boarding services at the state Route 32 facility go toward supporting the organization’s adoption work. And the facility will also board dogs with behavioral issues.
Those dogs visit the facility a few times before the actual boarding so they get comfortable, Stech said. She said when they are boarded at Ulster County Canines, their behaviors are understood.
Stech added that Ulster County Canines no longer accepts private surrenders of dogs. Instead, they seek out dogs with behavioral issues in other shelters that they might be able to help or canines in shelters that might be more prone to euthanize even if there are no behavioral issues. And they have taken dogs from a shelter in Louisiana, she said.
One such dog was Kona, a 2-year-old male who came from a shelter in Shreveport, Stech said.
Recently, a young couple met Kona and ended up taking him home. During that first meeting, Kona ran around the room, wagging his tail and greeting everyone in sight. At one point, he was upside down in Stech’s lap, having his belly rubbed.
Stech said Ulster County Canines also works with the non-profit Animal Farm Foundation, which has several programs that benefit dogs. She said her organization has already placed two dogs with Animal Farm Foundation’s K9 detection program and has a third candidate in mind.
The first dog placed with Animal Farm Foundation was a purebred Rottweiler who was surrendered to a shelter and eventually came to Ulster County Canines, Stech said.
“He was incredibly intelligent and just showed us that he wanted to work,” Stech said. She said they tested him and he was accepted into the detection dog grant program through Animal Farm Foundation. Stech said the other dog accepted to the program was a mixed breed who was picked up as a stray in Accord.
“Some dogs just need a job,” Stech said.
Ulster County Canines co-founder Adam Saunders said Animal Farm Foundation also has programs that provide service dogs. He said the foundation’s programs provide another outlet for shelter dogs.
Stech did an internship for Animal Farm Foundation so she is familiar with their work. She said when evaluating a dog for the detection program she first looks for a willingness and eagerness for the canine to get direction from their handler.
“And then when they’re tested with the tennis balls you’re looking for determination, a seeking, and using their nose to search for the ball after its hidden,” Stech said. “Essentially that test is testing for drive, working drive.”
Henry, a dog Ulster County Canines took from a shelter in Yonkers, is the third dog that may end up with Animal Farm Foundation, Stech said. She said Henry had been at the Yonkers shelter for more than a year and had a failed adoption during that period.
During an evaluation in the yard at Ulster County Canines, Saunders held Henry on a leash while Stech walked around pretending to hide a tennis ball. Once it was actually hidden, Henry was released to seek it out. On one attempt, Henry picked up two other tennis balls that had been in plain sight in the yard and quickly discarded each after recognizing that it was not the one he was searching for. Once he found the one he wanted, Henry was praised and allowed to carry his prize around.
For more information, visit https://ulstercountycanines.com.