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| NorCal Collie Rescue Winter NewsletterDecember 2024 |
| | | Editor’s Note Winter Greetings NorCal Collie Rescue supporters! As the holiday season unfolds, we take a moment to reflect on the joy and companionship that our beloved Collies bring into our lives. It’s a time to celebrate our furry friends and the incredible community that supports them.
We are filled with gratitude for your dedication and support, which has helped many Collies find loving forever homes. Your contributions, whether through donations, fostering, volunteer hours, or simply spreading the word, have made a lasting impact.
This edition of the newsletter contains uplifting “Happy Tails” updates on some of the recent adoptions, a recap of “Collie Fun Day,” a memorial to a beloved volunteer, an update on the Mercer County hoarding case, and “Blue’s Reviews.” We hope you enjoy.
~ Linda Ephraim and NCR Collie, Blue |
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| | Huge Thank You to Our Donors in 2024!
As the year draws to a close, we’d like to send a huge THANK YOU to those who have donated so far this year. Linda Humber Ken and Karen O’Brien John Finch Jill Pfeiffer - Angel Fund Joan Brewer - in memory of Wiley Ephraim William and Laurie Leiffer Patrick Demasco Debra and John Giannopulous Emmaleigh Schoen - Angel Fund - in memory of Jenny and Charles Couling PG&E Corp through Your Cause CAFE PRESS Scott Ludwig through Benevity De
Tierra Vineyards Rita Hernandez - in memory of Guinevere/Cassia adopted by Susie and Lou Reisch on 3-5-2010 Philip Reese - for Linda Renaud's work with Collies PETFOOD EXPRESS Shaofen Chen - in memory of Lorene Wong PayPal Giving Fund Andrea Moss Judith Ingols - in loving memory of Kathleen Smith Sally Ketley - in memory of Kathleen Smith Gerry O’Hara - in memory of Kathleen Smith Kathryn Goheen - in memory of Lulu on Collie Fun Day Andrew and Charlotte Bear Jeanette Bell - in honor of Kathleen Smith Lucie Hock - thank you for helping Mavis Geri Goldman - in appreciation of your good work Linda Wilson Mary and Tom Callaham Your Cause, Price Waterhouse Corporation Jamye Weseloh Becky and Michael LaSpina - Cathy Toft Memorial FundMitch Telson Hal Feeney Jan Herbert Linda and Jason Ephraim Many Anonymous Donors who left cash in our donation box on Collie Fun Day 9-28-24
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| | NorCal Collie is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, so all donations are tax deductible. For those of you who wish to donate, please feel free to use this link to make a payment via PayPal: https://www.calcollierescue.org/help.html#donate OR You can mail a check to:
NorCal Collie Rescue 274 Redwood Shores Pkwy, PMB #210 Redwood City, CA 94065
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| | | | | Collie Fun Day was held on September 28, 2024, and was once again a huge success! In attendance were over 100 people and almost 70 dogs (all Collies except for a few Shelties) throughout the day. The amazing thing about Collies is that they all seem to recognize each other and get along! While the best part of the day was watching all the happy Collies romping freely on this beautiful estate and getting caught up with friends, there were also Collie games and relay races and lots of great stuff to buy. All Collie-related of course!
Our silent auction was hugely popular, with almost every item sold at over starting price. Most of these items were donated or crafted by our volunteers and patrons and this served as an excellent fund-raiser for our rescue. Our refreshment stand with sandwiches, snacks, and even some home-made lemonade was a hit with the people. And the dog treats were greatly appreciated as well by the canine component!
To top off the day, every family went home with a custom-labeled bottle of red wine, donated by Barbie Liebeck, Owner of Shangra la de da Winery and a discount coupon for Pet Food Express.
This is an event t
hat our NCR family looks forward to every year. Unfortunately, we missed the last few years due to COVID, so we were especially excited for this year's extravaganza. Many kudos to Lisa McKenna and her event committee in pulling this off!
We took a lot of photos and videos! Please check them out! |
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rganization depends on people like YOU! We always welcome volunteers in any capacity - and there are a lot of ways to help, including serving as a foster for an incoming Collie or as an area coordinator or assisting with transport or home checks. If this is of interest to you, we encourage you to use the links below to fill out a volunteer or foster application.
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| | | |  | | Tribute to Kathleen Smith
June 18, 1962 to August 14, 2024
On August 14, 2024 NCR received the sad news that our very own Kathleen Smith had lost her long battle with cancer. She was a treasured, hard-working volunteer for NorCal Collie Rescue for many years, which included fostering dogs and holding the position of Area Coordinator for Santa Cruz County. She was also a multiple-dog adopter herself. In addition to donating her time for NCR, she worked with other dog rescues and raised awareness for the disease that eventually took her life. She was far too young and she will be missed by all who knew her.
Kathleen is pictured above with Cassidy & Sundance |
| | Happy Tails - Echo!
Echo is a sweet sable boy who found his new forever family on Collie Fun Day. From his new family: “Echo is a mellow boy and a BIG love bug. He adores his furry brother and sister and is as sweet as can be. We couldn't be happier adding Echo to our family! Thanks NCR!” |
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Happy Tails - Gabby!
Gabby, now named Abby, was adopted by this couple in November. Gabby previously lived with a young family and was afraid of the young children, choosing to spend all her time outside to avoid them. She may have been an outside dog previously, but she is quickly learning to love hanging out in the house with her new family. They couldn't be happier with this sweet little girl! Now she just wants to sit on your feet and get lots and lots
of love.
Thank you to Area Coordinator, Wendy Graves, for making this success story possible. |
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| | Happy Tails - Amigo!
From his adopter, Wendy: “Amigo came to us because life circumstances had changed for his previous owners. He was clearly loved and cared for. They loved him enough to know NorCal Collie Rescue was the best option for a forever home! He loves our family and is smitten with our grand daughter! He enjoys people and other dogs, is so gentle with our old girl! We are very happy and proud to be his forever home!” |
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Loving Them Enough to Find the Right Home By Linda Renaud, Board Member and Area Coordinator for NorCal Collie Rescue NCR received a call, in mid-August, from a family with three dogs they loved very much. Their circumstances had changed, and they were downsizing from a house with a yard to an apartment. In addition, the new landlords required a deposit of $500 per dog. We reassured them that we inspect all adoptive homes and interview potential adopters to find the best match for both the dog and human characteristics. The dogs were healthy, social with humans, and used to having a young child around. Due to the time constraints of the family’s work and childcare schedules, the dogs had mostly played together in the back yard and rarely been walked out in the neighborhood on-leash.
We arranged to pick up the two dogs and Honey came home with me. I had an applicant in mind who had a love and knowledge of Collies, and already had a large gentleman collie in the house to be a big brother. Sandra had been on our waiting list for several months. She and her dog Knight came to visit to confirm the compatibility of the two dogs and to discuss that Honey would transfer on a Foster-to-Adopt contract and NCR would pay for vaccinations, grooming and spay surgery.
Honey’s official “Adoption Day” was delayed a few months as she was found to be in hea
t when her first spay appointment came around. But I am pleased to report she has now officially been adopted! I went to visit the family, to complete the paperwork, and to see how both dogs were interacting together. Side-by-side harmony of a perfect match, was what I found. I pulled over on my way home to update Honey’s first family and was told that they had just hung Christmas ornaments with the dogs’ pictures on and had been talking about them. I think we both choked up a little. We’re all in this together, for the good of the dogs, but I’ve found that there’s a human side to Rescue as well.
Honey, a 2 1/2 year old Mahogany Sable female Collie, is pictured below.
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UPDATE ON MERCER COUNTY HOARDING CASE: KAREN PLAMBECK SENTENCED
Many of you may recall from our prior newsletters that NorCal Collie Rescue assisted with the rescue of five Collies involved in a seizure of nearly 200 Collies from a property in Sherrard, Illinois belonging to Karen Plambeck in August of 2022.
On March 6, 2024, Karen Plambeck was found guilty of eleven felony counts of intentional animal cruelty.
On November 7, 2024, Plambeck was sentenced to a total of 270 days for three counts. For each count, she was also ordered to serve 24 months of probation, and that time will be served consecutively, or one sentence after another. As one probation term is concluded, another will start.
Plambeck also must obtain a mental health evaluation and cannot own animals while she is on probation. Additionally, she must pay restitution in the amount of $196,000 and must serve 18 months concurrent discharge, which will be served at the same time as the probation terms.
We are grateful to all of the wonderful volunteers and rescue organizations who collaborated to rescue these dogs from this horrific situation. NorCal Collie Rescue is happy to have found wonderful homes for the “Mercer Five” entrusted in our care.
Laddie, Blue, and Lucky (three of the Mercer Five) are pictured above … living safe, happy, and carefree lives in their forever homes. |
| | | “Blue’s Reviews”
Looking for a fun day trip? Blue, the adventurous canine companion, is here to share his dog-friendly adventures!
Carmel-by-the-Sea Gets a Paws’ Up From Me!
Carmel-by-the-sea is a charming coastal town that is super dog friendly! With the mild and sunny climate, it is an excellent choice for the winter months. You can start your day with a sunrise walk along Scenic Drive, taking in all the great sniffs as you make your way to Carmel Beach. Not only is this beach stunning, but dogs are permitted to be off leash so you can do all the zoomies you want! During my visit, I even was lucky enough to run into a few Shelties and other Collies! After a fun romp on the beach with your human, head up Ocean Avenue, which has lots of shops and art boutiques your human will enjoy (and you will too, because many of the shop owners hand out dog treats!). If your human enjoys wine tasting, you will be happy to know that many tasting rooms, such as De Tierra Vineyards, welcome dogs. If microbrews are more your human’s thing, Alvarado Street Brewery has a lovely patio to share with your human. Feeling a bit hungry? You are in luck! Many of the restaurants are not only dog friendly, but also have dog menus featuring meals such as chicken and rice. During our visit, we enjoyed some sushi at Toro, some steak at Grasing’s, and some enchiladas at Nicolas Cocina de Herencia. Hope this inspires you to enjoy some seaside adventures with your humans this winter!
All views expressed are Blue’s own, and not an official endorsement by NCR
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Karen Cavallo, President Wendy Graves, Vice President Andrea Moss, Treasurer Lisa McKenna, Secretary Linda Renaud, Director
AREA COORDINATORS Wendy Graves - Amador, Placer, Sacramento, and El Dorado Counties Karen Cavallo - Moduc, Siskiyou, Lassen, and Shasta Counties Karen Cavallo - Contra Costa, Solano, and Yolo Counties Karen Cavallo - Sonoma and Napa Counties Lisa McKenna - Monterey and San Benito Counties Vivian Stiassny - San Mateo County Sonia Villalta - San Francisco and Marin Counties Lisa McKenna - Central Valley and Alameda Counties Linda Renaud - Santa Clara County
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