Bailey Porter had just certified her new nonprofit, Knotty Creek Animal Rescue, out of Sweet Home in January, but she wasn’t expecting to have nine new dogs under her care so soon.
Yet, that’s just what happened after someone reported a dog and her eight pups found in the middle of a forest near the very rural unincorporated community of Willard, Wash.
Unable to catch the dogs, the person who spotted them took a photo and posted it to Facebook. Two dog rescue volunteers in Gresham saw the post and drove all night to Washington to search for the canines. According to Porter, it took the pair three or four hours to catch them all, after which time they communicated with I Paw’d It Forward, a nonprofit organization in Vancouver, Wash., about what to do with the dogs. Since Paw’d Forward was already taking in a dog that had been shot, it was determined Knotty Creek should handle the pack.
So, early on Saturday, March 30, Porter received the rescued pack and has since been busy managing the kennel and fielding multiple interviews as the news spread through media outlets in Oregon and Washington.
“We think it was probably over a week that they were out there because they were skin and bones, and so was mom, and they started fighting over food and it was a complete mess,” Porter said. “Now they don’t fight over food.”
She estimates the puppies are nine to 13 weeks old. Porter expected the dogs to be a Labrador-Pyrenees mix, but it became evident pretty quickly that that was not the case. The all-white dogs are large and look much like a Central Asian shepherd or akbash breed, both of which are not common in the United States.
A scanner was used to search for a microchip, but none was located. Howdy Ranch in Roseburg offered to do DNA testing, and results are expected within a month or so. Faithful Friends Animal Clinic in Lebanon offered to test the dogs for parasites. Porter said two puppies in particular were not doing well, but a special diet has improved their demeanor.
The dam has swelling on her front leg, which seems to be getting better, Porter said. Faithful Friends will take x-rays to help determine what the cause for swelling is. One of the puppies, who displayed a more feral and aggressive nature, was moved to a different foster home that can better handle the behavior.
The dogs are expected to be available for adoption in a week or two, after testing has been completed and any necessary treatments begun.
Porter originally planned to operate her rescue to help re-home public dogs, but said she is reconsidering that idea.
“I don’t want to support irresponsible pet ownership,” she said.
Instead, she would like to eventually start doing kill shelter runs. Porter explained that there are shelters in Southern California and Texas that euthanize surrendered dogs after three to seven days. These types of shelters are often referred to as kill shelters.
“No soul born deserves to be put down,” Porter said. “We want to focus on saving dogs in high risk situations like that.”
But for now, aside from the white pack taking up her time, Knotty Creek’s main program is what she calls “Stop K9 Starvation,” a dog food resource through her Grizzly Bag Program.
“Grizzly was one of our first rescues that we got through a foster,” Porter explained. “He was a homeless man’s dog and you could count every bone in his body. It took 24 days of consistent feeding (until) he was obese and we could rehome him. That really hit home with me.”
She fills large bags with dog food to distribute to dog owners in need throughout Oregon.
“We just help people, whether they’re low-income or having an emergency, but mostly homeless people’s animals.”
Anyone interested in making a contribution to help with the cost of care for the dogs and/or Grizzly bags, may donate through Porter’s website at KnottyCreekAnimalRescue.org/donate.
Jessie Cardin, a friend who owns Sun Lane Stones in Lebanon, is launching a fundraiser for Porter on Monday, April 8. Anyone who donates money, food or supplies for Knotty Creek through Sun Lane Stones or Faithful Friends will be entered into a drawing for a gift card at her store, which includes shops from different vendors. Watch for more information at Facebook.com/sunlanestones.
“She’s just starting with the rescue,” Cardin said. “This is a big opportunity for her. I want to help her as much as I can.”