Yoga enthusiasts feel puppy love at Humane Society Fundraiser

“There wasn’t anyone who walked out of that class without a smile on their face,” said Suny Simon, board president of CGHS.

The class was taught by instructor and CGHS volunteer Lexi Stickel, who led participants through their movements while the four pups excitedly explored, played and did their best to grab the attention of everyone in the room.

“When everybody was doing standing postures, the puppies would come up and look up and … just be like ‘Look at me! Look at me!’ And then when everybody got down on the ground for postures on the floor, all chaos ensued. Those puppies were just all over everybody,” Empower Yoga Owner Angela Hanson said.

While fun for the participants, Simon also noted that the class time was just as beneficial to the puppies, as it gave them a chance to socialize with people outside of the shelter. “If they’re in a shelter environment with just people that work there, they really don’t get the exposure that they need,” she said.

As a fundraiser for CGHS, those who wanted to participate were asked to donate $20. According to Hanson, the sold-out class ultimately raised $675 for the humane society. Simon credits Stickel with the idea for the event.

“Lexi is a volunteer out at the shelter, and she actually suggested Puppy Yoga, and Angela was on board and very excited about it, so they did a very good job of promoting it,” Simon said.

A 501c3 nonprofit, CGHS took over for former shelter Home At Last Humane Society back in March after, as previously reported by Columbia Gorge News, former board members chose to step back from shelter operations. According to Simon, since taking over, operations — including location, employees and animals — remain largely unchanged.

“It was very friendly and mutually agreed upon, and was the best thing to do to keep a shelter in the region,” Simon said of the takeover from Home At Last, “we felt that we really needed a shelter in The Dalles … I think that losing that shelter would have been a huge loss for the city and the county.”

Serving both Wasco and Sherman counties as well as surrounding areas, one change CGHS is bringing is a low-cost spay and neuter voucher program, which will be held in collaboration with local veterinary clinics. According to Simon, starting this month, those who qualify financially can be eligible to receive a voucher to have their cat and/or dog spayed or neutered for free in return for licensing their pet.

“It’s a way for us to try and begin to control the overpopulation of animals in The Dalles and in the region,” Simon said. “People can’t afford to spay and neuter right now, they just can’t, it’s very expensive.”

As a 501c3, to provide services and keep their doors open, CGHS depends on fundraisers and local support such as volunteer work. Some of their upcoming fundraisers include a celebrity dog wash in July, and a pet supply garage sale in August. CGHS also regularly accepts bottle and can donations.

“We’re completely privately operated, and we rely on donations from the community to stay open,” Simon said.

As for Puppy Yoga, both Simon and Hanson agree there will be more classes in the future. “I think this is just the very beginning of a beautiful friendship between Empower Yoga and the Gorge Humane Society,” Hanson said, “I told Suny that anytime that they get a fresh batch of puppies in that we would be happy to do it again.”

Scarlett, Oscar, Ruby and Dobby, the yoga experts themselves, are currently up for adoption at CGHS. Anyone interested in learning about the adoption process, or about how to support the shelter through volunteering or private donation, can visit their website at columbiagorgehs.org or contact them at 541-296-5189.

Anyone interested in learning more about events and classes at Empower Yoga can visit their website, empoweryoga.biz.

Columbia Gorge Humane Society is located at 200 River Road in The Dalles.