Flathead Shelter Friends Inc., a support group for the Flathead County Animal Shelter, invites the public to celebrate the season from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, at a Holiday Tail Wagger.

Located at the shelter at 225 Cemetery Road south of Kalispell, the party provides an opportunity to say thank you for public support with treats and a “meet and greet” with the many dogs and cats who need homes for the holidays.

Shelter staffers have several special stories to share of happy animal adoptions, such as that of Tabitha, who was found at a local park.

A sweet but frightened 7- to 10-year-old beagle, Tabitha was abandoned with a bleeding mammary tumor. A shelter volunteer took her to a local veterinarian who removed the tumor.

When Tabitha successfully recovered under the care of the volunteer, a ad for a new family was placed. A woman responded who took the beagle to California to her elderly parents who had lost their dog to illness.

According to an e-mail received by the volunteer, “They love this little throw-away dog and she loves them in return.”

Another favorite 2010 story involves Otto, a German wirehaired pointer who help Shelter Director Cliff Bennett win an appreciation award from the German Wiredhaired Pointer Club of America.

 Otto was found running at large and came to the shelter on June 28. Dirty, unkempt and quite thin, the dog had watery eyes indicating a condition called entropian in which the eyelids are inverted and irritating the eyes.

Bennett took an immediate liking to the dirty, bewildered and pitiful-looking beast. After the three-day hold period, the dog was named Otto and scheduled for neutering. The shelter’s veterinarian also evaluated and then repaired his painful eyelid condition.

After his eye fix, Otto became a new dog, described as engaging, eager and mischievous. But for whatever reason, no one took him home so Bennett explored rescue groups for German wirehaired pointers.

When Otto’s picture got posted by Diana Turner on the rescue website, Jim Fisher of Missoula saw him. After seven years of trying to convince his spouse to get another dog, Fisher knew he had found the dog that would make the difference.

Otto now has his own couch in their home where he spends his time when not with Fisher in his woodworking shop.

“What a sweet dog. We spend all our days together. He is especially fond of our hikes in Rattlesnake Creek — yes “in” the creek. You’ve never seen a happier dog (or a happier old man.)”

Otto’s story was told by Turner at the awards banquet of the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America’s awards banquet as she announced Bennett as the recipient of an appreciation award.

Just before his story, Turner told a different tale of a volunteer who barely saved another dog named Alex in Tennessee where a shelter director determined that Alex would not survive a minute beyond his designated time. Turner contrasted the two shelters and “how having a special, caring person at the helm makes all the difference to the dogs.”

The low-kill policy at Flathead County Animal Shelter has saved countless dogs and cats but also presents challenges such as the current overpopulation crisis at the shelter. It got so bad recently that staff had to say no to owners needing to find new homes for their cats.

Bennett, the shelter staff and volunteer ask the public drop by Thursday to celebrate successful adoptions and consider brightening their lives like the people in these stories by giving a dog or cat a new home for the holidays.

For more information, call 752-1310 or visit the website flathead.mt.gov/animal.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.