Lucky dogs

Bonnie Hodges of Whitefish couldn't get the image of animal shelter dogs sleeping on concrete out of her mind.

She said her obsession started after she attended a meeting last spring during the reorganization of the Flathead County Animal Shelter. A woman spoke up about how the dogs had nothing in their kennels.

"That just sort of planted itself in my brain," she said.

Thanks to Hodges, 33 dogs now have a chew-proof, nearly indestructible bed either on site or on order. But she needs a few more sponsors to make her goal of giving 40 dogs a comfy nest off the floor as they wait for adoption.

"I'm just going to get this done - one by one," she said.

A confirmed animal lover, Hodges shares her home with six cats and two dogs along with her human family. She also volunteers with the Flathead Spay & Neuter Task Force.

By telling her story to friends, Hodges began to find sponsors for the special, shelter-approved beds. With her volume discount, she purchases beds for $44.50 or $46.50, depending on the size.

Hodges was surprised how word of mouth helped her cause.

"I haven't done any advertising," she said. "I just talked to people."

As Hodges tells it, her thoughts continued to come back to the dogs after the meeting on the animal shelter. Eventually, she remembered the beds she saw while volunteering with her daughter three and a half years ago at Best Friends animal sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.

The beds resembled a small, rectangular trampoline. Through a phone call to the sanctuary, Hodges learned about Kuranda dog beds.

"They have 600 beds that were sponsored," she said.

Hodges was told that the Kuranda company works with shelters all over the United States. After reaching a company representative, she learned the details of how their bed sponsorship program works.

"I thought 'This is a no-brainer,'" Hodges said. "I can do this."

She began contacting people involved in the animal shelter, including Joe Russell, head of the county health department. Since reorganization, the shelter became a division of his department.

Russell gave Hodges the go-ahead for six sponsors to give the beds a try out. She started by sponsoring one herself, her family business Hodges Concrete Service paid for another and some friends wrote checks for the other four.

"They arrived at the shelter and were set up by a volunteer," she said.

Hodges said the beds were an instant hit with the dogs as well as the staff. Kirsten Holland, the shelter's new director, agreed.

"Most of the dogs get on them the minute they get in the kennel," Holland said. "It's a huge thing for the shelter."

The director said that, as a municipal shelter, the county facility doesn't have many of the amenities people see in Humane Society compounds. As an example, she said the indoor kennels don't have outdoor runs attached.

"The floor is concrete but it's heated," Holland said.

Her goal is to meet the community's expressed desire to make the municipal shelter as comfortable as possible for all the animals as they wait for adoption.

"We have people who sew fleece blankets for cats," Holland said.

She said the Kuranda dog beds proved an excellent fit with the shelter's new goal as well as its daily operation. Made of poly resin pipe with vinyl stretched across to hold the dog, the beds are easy to clean.

According to Holland, the shelter sanitizes the kennels daily and between pets. The staff must also wash bedding such as towels and blankets in hot water and bleach.

"We have many loads of laundry to do each day," she said.

Until the shelter obtains a high-volume commercial washer, the laundry backs up, at times leaving dogs without a cuddly place to sleep.

"That's why these beds are such a gift," Holland said.

Staff spray and wipe down the Kuranda beds while the dogs go out for their yard time. When the dogs come back in, the beds stand at the ready.

"They're warm and comfortable," Holland said.

It's just the response Hodges hoped for when she ordered the first six dog beds. She decided to seek another six sponsors in a step-by-step approach toward her 40-bed goal.

According to Hodges, she just printed some pictures of the dogs in the Kuranda beds off the company's Web site to show people. If they decided to sponsor a bed, she gave them the picture as a temporary receipt.

Once the shelter receives the bed, Holland provides official receipts for their donation.

"It's amazing the way they've responded," Hodges said. "I had a lady in Florida who just lives here part time take three beds."

Now at 33 beds, she needs just seven more to meet her commitment of sponsored beds. She asks anyone interested in helping to call her at 862-4678.

"I'd like to get 7 more to reach 40 by Christmas," Hodges said.

Although they won't receive the discount price, people can donate directly on line to Kuranda.com by clicking on "donate a bed," selecting Montana then Flathead County Animal Shelter. The site shows the two selected beds at the slightly higher cost of $52 and $54.

Hodges found deep satisfaction from contributing at a time when she sees the county animal shelter becoming more people friendly and accessible.

"They've made great changes," she said. "There are new volunteers and an ongoing process of improvement."

Hodges said that giving the animals more comfort makes them less stressed and more adoptable.

She credits the good hearts in the community and elsewhere for turning her obsession into better rest for dogs at the county shelter.

"People are so good," Hodges said. "They see where there's a need and they are pleased to help. It's making magic."

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com