Critter Geek

Our local newspaper has an article about one of my favoritie critter geeks, Mariah Moutanos, Dog rescuer:

In her hometown of Ukiah, 15-year-old Mariah Mountanos has built a reputation as an animal-loving girl on a mission. And it’s a reputation growing far beyond the borders of Northern California.

A volunteer at the Mendocino County animal shelter since age 11, Mountanos has developed a passion for big, hard to adopt dogs, especially breeds that visitors might shy away from.

She is often seen in the company of Mister Youwho, a blind and deaf Staffordshire/heeler mix that became her favorite canine after she rescued it.

Mister Youwho also provides inspiration for others, thanks to a Web site the teen built herself four years ago, called Pawstoadopt.com. Mountanos, an intense only-child who was home-schooled near the rows of grapes in her parents’ vineyard, maintains the site, photographing adoptable dogs and writing endearing descriptions that capture the dogs’ imagined thoughts about a future life walking alongside a human caretaker.

We met this remarkably self-possessed teen when we were looking for a dog ourselves. After some email conversations, we visited the shelter in Ukiah and came home from that trip with Laika (it’s a little hard not to be emotional seeing those kennels in the video!).

Mountanos is doing more than volunteering at the shelter. She’s becoming an expert at working with blind and deaf dogs, and her web site is becoming a well-respected resource on the issue. Don’t miss the video of Mountanos with Mister Youwho…it may change your notion of what a blind and deaf dog is like!