Gumby_Behind the Scenes 1
Gumby The Hound
I love the story of the Charleston Animal Society’s Gumby the Hound! Read their press release regarding the little troublemaker below:
“Gumby the Hound is a one-of-a-kind dog who has won the hearts of Charleston Animal Society staff – and will soon appear in the 2017 Firefighter Calendar! 11 times, families tried to adopt this sweet, loving hound, but 11 times, he would hop a fence, or open a latch, and somehow, come running back to Charleston Animal Society.
“The staff unanimously decided that Gumby wanted to live here, so we officially adopted him as our live-in Charleston Animal Society ambassador in January,” said Charleston Animal Society CEO, Joe Elmore. Since he settled into his new digs in the “300 section” of Charleston Animal Society, Gumby has displayed some amazing talents. The behavior team discovered that Gumby was a natural “greeter dog” for playgroups, so each day, he is the leader of the pack when it comes to training the new guys on becoming friendly, social, playful pets.
Gumby also donates blood for serum that is used to treat the eyes of kittens who are impacted by upper respiratory infections. One blood draw from a large dog could produce enough serum to treat 10 to 15 kittens! “Many people ask why we don't use adult cats and the reason is that we don't have a full history on the cats that come in and using serum from them could spread disease,” Dr. Angele Bice with Charleston Animal Society said. “A blood draw for a cat is very stressful on them and would only produce enough to treat one kitten.” That's when Gumby stepped in. “He is very easy to handle and is so happy-go-lucky, that he became the perfect candidate,” Bice added.
In March, the staff started a Gumby fundraiser to get him a spot in the firefighter calendar and his modeling days were launched! “Gumby is posing with North Charleston Firefighter Adam Craft,” said Firefighter Calendar Executive Producer Caroline Toepperwein. “Gumby's sweetness shines through in his photos, it was hard to pick the best one.”
Charleston Animal Society is taking pre-orders now for their 2017 Calendars online at www.CharlestonFirefighterCalendar.com. Autographed and personalized 2017 Firefighter Calendars are also available but for a limited time, only through September 15th.”
