By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Volunteer Dogs are mans’ best friends.  Their love is unconditional, their loyalty is unquestionable and their sense of smell is unthinkably rich and amazing. A dog’s sense of smell is so sensitive that when he smells another dog, he can determine that dog’s gender, health, disposition, where the dog has been and what he has eaten. A dog can sniff a tree and know what other animals are in the neighborhood.  Smelling a human’s pant leg can tell him where that person lives and if he has dogs.......

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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Volunteer We go for a walk and take in our beautiful mountain surroundings.  Our dog focuses on the ground and it’s smells. We get home and smell chili cooking in the slow cooker.  Our dog smells meat, tomatoes, onions, peppers and spices, each separate ingredient. How we humans take in the world through the sense of smell differs greatly from that of our furry friends. The canine nose is far more powerful than ours. Depending on the breed, dogs have up 100 million or more scent receptors in......

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In early January Ark-Valley Humane Society was called to assist with some animals in dire need in Salida. After a small house fire broke out in a home, first responders noticed that the cats living there were not in great health. 2 deceased cats were found with 9 living. They were in extremely sub-par conditions, many with months of feces still attached to their fur. Three AVHS staff members arrived to help get the cats into a safer place. Unfortunately these cats were extremely under-socialized and fearful (understandably so), but after hours......

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Record pet adoptions was the first surprising trend that came out of the initial stay-at-home orders enacted across the nation last spring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  As many of you remember, for the first time in Ark-Valley Humane Society’s history, every kennel in our shelter building was emptied as cats and dogs found adoptive or foster homes at record rates.  With bated breath, our staff, board, and volunteers wondered if this trend would reverse and shelters, including ours, would eventually begin to fill up with returned animals or newly......

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