With Christmas less than a week away, Seehafer Broadcasting is encouraging everyone to get in the giving spirit by supporting our Good Gog Giving Tree.
Donations this year will go to the Circle of Souls Pet Rescue, which aims to find canines involved in traumatic situations their forever home.
Tara Johanek, the President and Founder of Circle of Souls, stopped into the studio this week and explained that Circle of Souls is an in-home-based foster care program, which is different from your typical pet rescue.
“We do a little bit above and beyond just your regular care,” she explained. “Part of the full circle is we try to help out the community and try to help people keep their dogs or, you know, work with them if they need to surrender them. So that’s our main mission.”
Tara brought with her a special girl named Zoe.
The very spry 9-year-old dog was rescued from a hoarding situation in Texas, where she lost one of her front legs, among other medical issues.
Tara Johanek
This includes, “No teeth, broken ribs, she’s got some good scars on her and some bumps…and she currently has to see a chiropractor and make the way of care for her spine to keep it aligned.”
As one may expect, a canine who went through such a situation requires a unique brand of foster care.
Tara tells us the best way to help the dog is by what she calls “decompression time.”
“It can be weeks (or) a couple of months,” Tara noted. “Allow them to understand that they’re in a safe space. Teach them the space, and if there are other dogs in the home, you want to keep them separate and do slow introductions. Especially when you’re adopting a dog or fostering a dog that’s coming from a traumatic experience, such as Zoe.”
There are, however, situations where people were abusing the animal, leaving them with a distrust of humans.
Tara says that requires a different approach, like another dog, Circle of Souls is working with named Zelda.
“She’s still in a decompression phase, and she’s been here for several months,” she explained. “I advise people to go very slowly and expose them to things to build their confidence.”
It is also important to remember that dogs like Zelda may show signs of what many call “aggression”, when in reality, it is a defense mechanism telling you to take a step back and slow things down.
Tara is very appreciative of the donations already made, saying, “I’m just overwhelmed with the support.”
You can contribute to the Good Dog Giving Tree by stopping into the Seehafer Broadcasting Studios on Mangin Street in Manitowoc.
A list of needed items can be found at WOMTRadio.com, or you can learn more about what they need by visiting CircleOfSoulsWI.com.
