Whether running with dogs, performing daring rescues with OHSTAR, or staying up until 1:30 am to get Second Chance transfer pets settled in, Cecil-Reniche Smith is a superstar OHS volunteer. She is also one of our top Doggie Dash fundraisers and the captain of one of the top teams so far this year, Highway to Home.
Sleep-Deprived Monday
From a recent Facebook post by Cecil:
Cecil and Rosco, a recent Second Chance arrival from Sacramento.
Today is Sleep-Deprived Monday. “Why is that?” you ask. Because last night I was at the shelter until 1:30 am screening and vaccinating 24 dogs and puppies that came to us from California as part of the Oregon Humane Society‘s Second Chance program.
Did you know that there is no time limit on how long an animal will stay at OHS before we find a forever home for him/her? Sadly, that is not true for many other shelters, so our Second Chance program saves the lives of dogs and cats that might otherwise be euthanized. With the help of transfer partners, we load the pets onto transport vehicles and bring them here to Portland. We volunteers unload them, check them in and get them ready for their new life with a loving family. It’s totally worth losing sleep.
A donation from you to my Doggie Dash page will make it even more worth it, and will help pay for all those vaccines that go into all those puppies! Click on the link and follow the easy instructions to donate. You can also feel free to share this post on your page, so your animal loving friends can join in the fun.
Now I am going back to bed!
Why We Doggie Dash
Second Chance is a strong motivator for Cecil as a top Doggie Dash fundraiser and captain of team Highway to Home. This team consists mostly of Second Chance volunteers like Cecil.
Here’s the inside scoop from Captain Cecil:
Mogwai, a Second Chance dog who caught Cecil’s heart and was adopted into her family.
The Second Chance volunteers are a close-knit group, so it seemed only natural that we would have our own team. There’s something about staying up all night pulling crates out of a truck and then coaxing dogs out of the crates that creates an unbreakable bond.
As a team we are trying to come up with creative fundraisers, all of which—at least so far—have involved food. Must be all the late-night Second Chance snacking.
I personally got involved with Second Chance after adopting my pup Mogwai, a Second Chance terrier mix from Los Angeles. He was 11 years old and had serious heart disease, but he was also the most magical pup in the world. How could I not start working in the program that brought him to me?
Mogwai passed away in June 2016, and in August I adopted another Second Chance pup, an American pit bull/bulldog mix from Madera who I named Polly Jean Pibble. Last week, we welcomed a new Second Chance graduate into the family: Ramona the Brave, a kitten who came from Palm Springs.
For my first 18 months, I mostly washed crates. It was literally a dirty job that somebody had to do! Now I am a screening assistant, taking notes as the vet students screen the dogs and sometimes screening the dogs myself on those nights we don’t have the vet students to help us.
More Doggie Dash Inspiration from Highway to Home
Photos shown include some of the pets who’ve inspired Cecil and her team, and also events they’ve put together to benefit Doggie Dash and OHS. You can see why Highway to Home is currently one of the top Doggie Dash teams! You can also see more photos and stories of the pets who inspire them on their personal Dash pages.
Cecil doing one of the glamorous jobs of Second Chance intake: crate cleaning!
Cecil and Rosco, a recent Second Chance arrival from Sacramento.
Cecil and Eros, another Second Chance transfer.
Proceeds from this Burgerville benefit go towards team Highway to Home & OHS Doggie Dash!
Another benefit lunch event that Highway to Home helped put on, earlier this year.
Mogwai, a Second Chance dog who caught Cecil’s heart and was adopted into her family.
Cecil and Mogwai.
Polly Jean, also adopted by Cecil from OHS.
A cuddle pile at home, with Cecil and Second Chance graduates Pyewacket and Polly Jean.
Moon, one of the dogs Cecil took running prior to his adoption in 2016.
Willow, a very recent running buddy, with Cecil. Just adopted to another volunteer!
OHS Second Chance (and Highway to Home) logo.
Cecil, Polly Jean and new family member Ramona the Brave (kitten), another recent Second Chance arrival.
