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BACK ISSUES

POOCH Ambassador: TOM STEINHOFF

TOM STEINHOFF with GOLIATH.

by Harriet Vanderbilt

TOM STEINHOFF has loved big dogs ever since he was a child growing up with a Bouvier Des Flanders (a really big sheepdog). When a friend told him about the volunteer opportunities at Project POOCH, Tom said “I knew it was a perfect fit, ” because he had experience working with dogs at a kennel and also with youth at a juvenile hall in California.

Tom takes POOCH dogs to home visits where the dogs may stay overnight or for a weekend. He also chauffers dogs to veterinary appointments and returns them to the kennels. When he is visiting potential adopters, he checks the home and yard for problems, especially for holes in fences.

When dogs are unable to return to the MacLaren kennels due to late appointments, he is willing to put them up at Tom’s Bed and Biscuit —the kennel in the yard at his home. Frequently these POOCH dogs are 11th hour dogs, two years or older and often a step away from euthanasia when they are paired with the young men at MacLaren who retrain them for adoption.

At the Outreach Office, Tom is ready to do “anything they want,” from mailings and event planning to construction projects or fixing the window blinds. He was very involved in last year’s POOCH IN THE PARK and took photos for this year’s POOCH IN THE PUB fundraiser.

Tom moved to the Portland area four years ago to attend Lewis and Clark Law School. He graduated and passed the Bar exam. He shares his home with his Pitbull/Labrador mix and a Chow/Lab plus mix. Both dogs were adopted, while he lived in Santa Cruz, one from the SPCA and one from a client at the kennel where he worked. He also owns and operates an independent record label.

Project POOCH thanks Tom for his work. We hope he will continue to volunteer for a long time to come.