Dogs in Good Hands

08/14/2026

Unfortunately, we need to be aware of this scam.

🚨 **SCAM ALERT: PLEASE READ & SHARE** 🚨

We want to make our community aware of a very convincing scam currently targeting pet owners and yesterday, it involved someone impersonating Bend Animal Emergency & Specialty Center.

A pet owner came to our hospital after receiving a phone call that appeared to come from our clinic’s phone number. The caller told him that his missing cat had suffered a traumatic event, had been brought to our hospital, and was currently undergoing emergency surgery.

The scammers then transferred him to another person and demanded immediate payment through Zelle in order to continue treatment.

What made this even more convincing and frightening was that they sent him an AI-generated image of his cat “in surgery.” The image looked remarkably like his missing cat, including his markings.

Thankfully, he became suspicious when they requested payment through Zelle. He hung up and came directly to our hospital, where we were able to confirm that his cat was not at our facility and the call had not come from our team.

His cat had previously been posted online as missing, which may be how the scammers obtained a photo and information to make their story so convincing.

⚠️ **PLEASE KNOW:**
Bend Animal Emergency & Specialty Center will NEVER request payment through Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, or similar peer-to-peer payment services.

We also have established protocols for stray or lost animals brought to us in critical condition by Good Samaritans. We will never pressure someone into immediately sending money through a third-party payment app in order for us to provide emergency care.

If you ever receive a call claiming to be from our hospital and something does not feel right, hang up and call us directly using our publicly listed phone number. Even if the incoming call appears to show our number, caller ID can be spoofed.

Please share this with other pet owners , particularly anyone who currently has a missing pet posted online. These scammers are using an incredibly vulnerable and frightening situation to target people, and AI-generated images can make the story feel very real.

If you have a missing pet, please also be cautious about how much personal information you share publicly.

The image attached to this post is the AI-generated image the scammer sent to the pet owner. It is NOT an actual patient or procedure at our hospital.

07/25/2026

06/06/2026

Be careful using online forecasts to decide if it will be safe to leave your dog in your car. Forecasts have been underestimating the temperature a considerable amount. 63 is usually safe for most dogs and a dog would have been at risk of heat exhaustion in my vehicle in Seabright this afternoon. By the end of our session walking, I had sweat rolling down the side of my face and the dog I was with was choosing to walk in the shade. Check walking surfaces including sand by holding your hand against them, too.

05/10/2026

Calvin has a message for the dog moms out there ☺️

05/06/2026

Strike a pose!

03/27/2026

Santa Cruz County Animal Shelterput out a call for soft dog training treats, so I took some down and OF COURSE spent time with Bruno, the adoptable border collie estimated about 4-years-old who has vision impairment from cataracts. He looks like he gets around very well--he was not especially hesitant and was good about testing things out so he didn't bump into them hard. He was actually surrendered for killing chickens and livestock nipping, so he'll probably do best without chickens and cats. He was very amenable to training and seemed to already know Sit, Down, and Shake. He seemed pretty easy on leash. Might need some help getting used to indoor living--that is more to do with getting used to the sounds and navigating an indoor environment. People often think that affects potty training, but it really doesn't because the dog is used to going to the bathroom outside. I'd expect to need to do some remedial housetraining with any new dog, in any new house. He should probably also learn Leave It for when he is tempted by preylike animals, like most dogs would need to learn, and to Wait in case he is going toward danger he can't see. Most importantly, he was very happy to greet me and several other people in the lobby :)

02/24/2026

02/14/2026

Searching is one of my favorite things to teach! We do informal searches for confidence building in new environments, desensitizing to stressors, building engagement, and work. Here, Calvin was finding my key I tossed in the field and legitimately could not find without him.

12/22/2025