Dog shelters in Jackson County are at max capacity, highlighting dire situation for Southern Oregon animal nonprofits

By Kayla Heffner for Ashland.news

Over the weekend, on Sunday, Oct. 5, the city of Ashland held its third annual block party in the Railroad District with a portion of proceeds benefiting animal nonprofits in Southern Oregon.

From food vendors, to beer and brats, art, and music, there was something for everyone at this event.

Animal welfare groups join forces

Among animal lover attendees, one of the booths set up there was NLR Explore Dog Training, a business specializing in affordable service dogs.

“I’ve been training for 10 years starting my own company because I think there’s a really big mess in the United States when it comes to how we view dog training. We view it as only when things get really bad do you go seek a dog trainer. I get the phone calls, ‘It’s me or the dog or the dog is going back to the shelter,'” said Teagan Coleman, founder of NLR Explore Dog Training. 

Coleman talked about the  perpetual cycle for animals ending up at shelters and her goal is to change the idea from crisis intervention to prevention so people and their pets get the proper training needed to let dogs stay with their owners. 

Coleman noticed out here a lot of older dogs ending up at shelters with completely preventable problems like dog bites. Coleman said most of the time these issues aren’t the dogs fault and wants there to be a shift in animal culture which is why she began her work. Coleman lives a few streets up from the Railroad District and wants a neighborhood where dogs can sit while people have a beer at Growler Guys and be a part of the community, because pets are a part of our families, she says. 

After being diagnosed with a heart condition in her early 20’s, Coleman started researching getting a service dog and quickly found out it would cost between $20-30,000. Since Coleman couldn’t afford these price,s she began looking into training her own dog. Coleman’s business is named after her three dogs, Nikki, Leia, and Rey. “It’s to honor the dogs that I’ve trained, the dogs that have come before, and the dogs that will come after them,” Coleman said. Coleman said it’s an important cause providing the same access for others who may be in need of a service animal.

Coleman’s mission is to make training accessible for any person. “Every dog is different and every goal is different,” Coleman said. Coleman works within people’s budgets. Instead of going to another training service which could cost $30-40,000 for a disabled veteran, someone with diabetes, or a seizure disorder, Coleman can cater her lessons to each individual’s needs, lessening the financial burdens which prevent some people from seeking these types of services. 

Currently, Coleman has 18 active service dogs in the U.S. and a few working for law enforcement as well. Instead of paying top dollar for top dogs, Coleman’s basic training and puppy classes cost around $250 and for service animals the most she will charge is around $10,000. One of the coolest dogs Coleman has trained works with a Southwest Airlines flight attendant. Coleman creates relationships with owners and continues training these dogs for the rest of their lives. Coleman started her business two years ago and is looking to lease a commercial space in Ashland. 

It’s obvious this line of work is near and dear to Coleman’s heart. “I tear up every time. When I was diagnosed with my heart condition at 20 years old it changes your whole life being diagnosed with a chronic illness,” Coleman said. She was also diagnosed with endometriosis around the same time and said it became a struggle to even go outside and leave her house until she got her dog Leia. “She is the reason that I kept going. People say their dogs saved them and a lot of times it felt like there was an artery going from my arm through the leash straight into hers,” Coleman said.

Being trusted to care for somebody’s pet is one of the biggest honors for Coleman. “If I can just be a piece of their life as a guardian in what I do, then I’ve done everything I could be doing right in my life,” Coleman said. 

While Coleman helps play a part in dogs not ending up in shelters, there were other animal welfare groups at the block party providing care for the ones that do.

Friends of the Animals (FOTAS) provides volunteers for the Jackson County Animal Shelter, helping improve the quality of animals’ lives while they’re waiting to get adopted. Margaret Gleason, one of the volunteer staff, said,  “Anything that turns a spotlight on adoptable dogs, Friends of the Animals wants to be there to share our volunteer opportunities, our foster program and introduce people to adoptable dogs. There are so many animals in need of care and love.”

FOTAS helps the county animal shelter, offers spay and neuter clinics, low-cost vaccines and microchips for cats and dogs in the Rogue Valley. 

Donations and funding are crucial for these types of services to continue. There is a huge surplus of dogs in the community that need adoptions, Gleason said. These animals need food, water, bowls, harnesses, leashes, training, tons of poop bags used every week — hundreds of pets across shelters — all are in need. 

The Jackson county shelter over the summer had over 50 dogs and five-to-10 more in foster care with FOTAS. “When you combine that with SO Humane and all the other fostering programs, it’s easily a couple hundred at any time and new dogs coming in almost every day,” Gleason said.

In Ashland and the surrounding communities, there’s a pressing need for staff to care for cats and dogs. According to Gleason, the county shelter stopped taking in cats because of the number of dogs coming into the shelter right now. 

“It’s definitely urgent here and everywhere; the more people who can volunteer and help out the better,” Gleason said. FOTAS provides multiple onboarding training sessions for anyone interested in being part of their organization. 

Why spay and neuter is important

Rogue Valley Street Dogs (RVSD) is another group that works closely with animals and prevent overpopulation of strays in Southern Oregon. RVSD is the only resource for low-cost spay and neuters for dogs in Jackson County. 

• 70% of pets living in poverty will never see a veterinarian
• 88% of pets living in poverty are unaltered (not spayed of neutered)
• 1 female dog can produce over 67,000 in 6 years
• 1 female cat can produce over 370,000 in only 7 years
• In 2022 RVSD spayed and neutered 128 dogs and cats
• In 2023 RVSD spayed and neutered 320 dogs and cats
• In 2024 RVSD spayed and neutered 510 dogs and cats
• In 2025 to date spayed and neutered 495 dogs and cats

Their group primarily focuses on spaying and neutering pets living in poverty. RVSD needs help raising funds to meet their goal of spaying and neutering 660 pets this year. There aren’t enough veterinarians in the area to meet demands and prices for these services have been increasing significantly over the years. These donations will help put a dent in overpopulation and the suffering of animals living on the streets. 

In the first nine months of 2025, RVSD partnered with other agencies to assist in the costs of 118 urgent vet visits. Laurie Cuddy is the board president of RVSD and co-lead of the Street Dogs Coalition Rogue Valley team. Cuddy said both organizations collaborate together to help pets in need. “We’re hoping that more people can learn about how dire the situation is for so many pets in our community as well as across the country,” Cuddy said. 

There’re more than 20 million pets living with people in poverty in the U.S., according to Cuddy.

“When you’re talking about the over-population problem and not enough people to adopt animals at our shelters, these are the animals contributing to it the most,” Cuddy said. It’s not anyone’s fault, per se, Cuddy says, because people simply can’t afford the rising costs in vet bills. 

Cuddy said people can’t rescue their way out of this situation. Cuddy herself volunteered with FOTAS for 10 years before joining RVSD and all her pets are rescues, but there simply are too many animals in need of saving. 

This is why RVSD’s primary purpose is providing free or low-cost spay and neuters for cats and dogs. Spay/Neuter Your Pet (SNYP) offers spay and neuters for pets as well, yet many people can’t even afford SNYP, Cuddy said. Comparatively, Cuddy says at a vet’s office people will pay $600-1,200 to spay a large dog. “Unfortunately, what we’re seeing more and more now, people will call us and desperately want to get their animal fixed, but can’t afford it,” Cuddy said.

Not only will people have one dog, they will have that dog’s parents and that dog’s children because they haven’t been able to stop the cycle and then it snowballs from there. Cuddy said she doesn’t judge anyone, she wants to help the animals not suffer and help cut down on the numbers of animals not wanted. 

“Every single shelter and rescue is beyond maxed out, it’s a pretty dire situation” Cuddy said. None of the animal groups in the Rogue Valley can keep up with the high demand; even social media pages like Facebook where people are trying to rehome pets can’t find people who can take in animals. 

Karen Evans, executive director of the Southern Oregon Humane Society (SoHumane), said the Rogue Valley and the U.S. face a serious situation.

“Across our valley and throughout the country, animal shelters are facing an unprecedented crisis,” Evans said in an email.

“SoHumane is beyond capacity for both dogs and cats and every day we receive more requests to take in stray and surrendered animals than we can possibly accommodate. Families are being forced to give up pets they love because they can no longer afford food, housing, and veterinary care. The need for community support has never been greater; every donation, adoption, and act of compassion helps us provide medical treatment, nourishment, and safety to animals who have nowhere else to turn.”

Prevention, education, funding and donations

People can help prevent this problem by educating pet owners about the need to spay and neuter, and by making donations and supporting fundraising efforts benefitting groups like RVSD, along with other animal nonprofits like the ones featured at the Ashland block party.

The Street Dog Coalition is a national and international organization that sponsors free veterinary pop-up clinics. Volunteer vets, vet techs, and vet assistants, hold clinics once a month for folks living in poverty, Cuddy said. RVSD partners with this group once a month which helps with rabies vaccines, microchips, and assist with spay and neuter costs. Cuddy says she has devoted most of her life to animal welfare. 

Donations help pets in need by providing free spay and neuter surgeries, dog and cat food, transportation for vet appointments, gear and accessories, flea/tick work medication, and vaccine vouchers. 

Southern Oregon Humane Society (SOHumane) was at the block party too. SOHumane is a local nonprofit helping adopt cats and dogs while also pulling animals from kill shelters. SOHumane also has a pet pantry providing food or jackets for pets in the winter. Estrella Cervantes is one of the staff members and had her pug Steve on her lap while handing out info flyers to people. 

“We do a lot of education programs for schools in the area. We have a huge overpopulation problem where pets need to be spayed or neutered. A lot of pain and suffering for animals could be removed if they were fixed. Learning how to take care of a pet as a child makes them responsible pet owners as adults,” Cervantes said. Cervantes was born and raised in Ashland and has worked with SOHumane for the last decade.

Kids as young as the age of 12 can volunteer with SOHumane if they’re interested, along with their parents. 

Music and art add a little sparkle

Parents and kids showed up in support of this cause, as well enjoying the block party’s festive atmosphere. On a father-daughter outing, Jordan Rose brought his 8-year-old daughter, Inka, to the event. “We’re here to pet dogs and listen to some bluegrass music,” Jordan said. 

Inka could hardly contain her excitement. She was smiling ear-to-ear after getting her face painted bright blue at an art booth nearby.  “I love dogs because they’re fluffy and can just be your companion anywhere. I have a tiny little dog named Frankie,” Inka said. 

In between the craft vendors and food carts, Michelle Christian of Lucky Locks Hair Sparkles showed up to the block party to spread a little sparkle and joy with her glitter strands. She ties in silk hair sparkles with a hook and the strands stay in the hair until they fall out. Christian said it’s a fun way someone can elevate their look and spread some positive, good energy to others.

Christian has a brick and mortar space at Salon Juliet in Ashland and does a lot of community events like the block party. “It’s been a tremendous journey and a lot of fun. I got into this post-divorce so I was recovering from that and also got sober and was able to use sparkles as a vehicle to channel some crappy stuff into really good stuff,” Christian said. “It’s kept me sober, it’s kept me plugged into the community. I’ve met so many wonderful women that have gone through divorce or trauma, recovering from addiction, or domestic violence.  

“It’s ‘hairapy’ for women in a way. All of that kinda plays into what I’m doing so when I sit with my client they talk about things, there’s a little bit of a therapy aspect … It’s just a way for me to communicate with the person in my chair and share a little bit of my story and they can share theirs, then we can feel connected,” Christian said. Christian has been a part of the Ashland community since 1989 and is a mom of three kids she raised here.

Throughout the day local music was showcased as a main staple at the block party too.

Eight Dollar Mountain performed as folks and families milled about next to the beer garden hosted by Brickroom. Phil Johnson plays the mandolin in the group and said his bandmates have all lived in Ashland a long time.

Johnson has been in Ashland for 19 years. “I love A Street and work at the co-op down the street so it’s a nice little neighborhood event and we’re happy to be a part of it,” Johnson said. 

More info
Friends of the animals: fotas.org
SOHumane: sohumane.org
Rogue Valley Street Dogs: roguevalleystreetdogs.org
Eight Dollar Mountain: eightdollarmountain.net

Eight Dollar Mountain have been playing in a band together for 15 years. “It’s more important than ever to get together with your neighbors and remember the local beauty in Ashland. Music is a great way for me to relax my mind and music brings joy to people,” Johnson said. The band also features an upright bass, guitar, and banjo.

Johnson said bluegrass music in particular helps build community through open jam sessions and invites people who are learning to teach them new songs. “We’re always looking for the next generation to bring up and pass the music along to. My son here, Austin, is 15 and plays guitar so he’s learning some of these songs. Music in general is like that and it’s fun to share with people,” Johnson said. 

Eight Dollar Mountain has an upcoming show at Cedarwood Barn in Talent on Friday, Oct. 10.

Zoriya Blalöck set up a face painting station adding a little art and color at the block party.

Blalöck has lived in Southern Oregon for 14 years. She’s an artist and mom of three kids who has a deep appreciation for Ashland.

“I love my community and your community is wherever you are. That could be on the bus, the post office, it could be on A street, anywhere you are, you’re providing community and you need to show up and be the best version of yourself,” Blalöck said.

Blalöck said art influences community. “It creates conversation and inspiration. Frank Zappa said, ‘Art is supposed to calm the disturbed and disturb the calm,’ and it really does. For some people I think bringing out art gives them some substance and identity. Art is integral to the community and not everybody considers themself a visual artist, but we are all affected visually,” Blalöck said.  

“As an artist it’s my tool to express what can’t be expressed otherwise, it’s here to evoke something. I want to invigorate people, I create all the time, it’s my life,” Blalöck said.

Blalöck teaches art classes at libraries in the county and has a class coming up open to all ages with supplies included watercoloring at the Ashland Public Library on Nov. 5.

If this year’s “Hot Dogs & Cold Hops” block party success is any indication of good times to come ahead, one can only hope next year will bring more smiles, great company, good food and, of course cute dogs in costumes.

Remembering Matthew Mark “Oostburg” Vandersande

The Railroad District community also came together to celebrate the life and honor the memory of Matthew Mark “Oostburg” Vandersande, who was shot dead in his van on A Street early on Sunday, Sept. 7. (Note: Official records use the spelling Vandersande; family members prefer Vander Sande.)

At the corner of A and North Second streets, the site where Vandersande, 40, was shot several times while in his vehicle, residents created a healing mandala with sidewalk chalk.

The unsolved murder continues to weigh heavily on people’s minds.

Sharon Dvora, a former Ashland Middle School art teacher organized the project. Dvora’s daughter Kayla Goldfarb, who was a friend of Vandersande’s, gave her the idea. Goldfarb said she suggested the project to remind people that Vandersande was a loved member of the community.

Journalist Kayla Heffner lives in Ashland. Email her at kheffner1@gmail.com.