Not long ago, a young girl had her 10th birthday party at a somewhat unconventional place - the Humane Society of the Black Hills.

A limousine carried the birthday girl and her guests to the animal shelter, where gifts such as cat and dog food, toys and chews were given to the animals, and walking the dogs replaced traditional party games.

After the party, the girl's mother thanked shelter Executive Director Phil Olson for hosting the event, telling him the experience had given her daughter new insight.

"She told me that, before that day, her daughter thought of the shelter as a place where animals came to die," Olson said.

The animal shelter, a nonprofit organization dependent upon donations, takes in every animal brought to its door. Olson admitted working at the shelter is a physically, as well as emotionally, demanding job, and it often can be overwhelming.

Is the Humane Society of the Black Hills a sad place for the staff of 22 who work there and the animals that make it their temporary homes?

"Sometimes," Olson said with a smile. "But we celebrate the wins, focus on the good. We seem to be able to find the pearl."

The process

According to Olson, an animal comes to the shelter in one of two ways, either as an "owner-surrender" or a stray.

Owner-surrenders can go straight into adoption, but strays must be kept a minimum of 72 hours before adoption can take place. All animals undergo a brief physical exam, receive routine shots such as distemper and parvo, get dewormed, and are given a "temperament evaluation."

Olson said once the animals are there, the challenge for the staff is to "make life interesting for them." He said dogs receive "clicker training," which involves a click and treat every time a command is obeyed. Common commands are "heel," "sit," "keep four-on-the-floor" (to discourage them from jumping up) and to stop barking.

"It is in nobody's best interest for us to adopt out dogs with temperament issues," Olson said. "Sometimes they just need a little chill time before they can go into a home."

The average stay of dogs at the shelter is a week or two, and homes are found for almost all except those with medical or temperamental issues. Puppies and small dogs typically get homes sooner than large ones, and 80- to 100-pound black dogs are the hardest to adopt.

"We run specials on big black dogs from time to time," he said.

The fate of cats is much different. The shelter takes in an average of 10-12 cats a day, and the capacity for cats is 200. If a cat comes to the shelter, it has a one-in-three chance of being adopted.

Foster parents

For orphaned kittens, or dogs needing a little extra care before they can be successfully placed in homes, the shelter has about 20 "foster homes" that mentor the animals to make them more appealing to potential owners.

One such foster parent is Billee Schaible, who with her husband, Scott, and daughter, Crystal Meyer, have successfully fostered 22 dogs and kittens in the past two years.

Schaible said she finds great satisfaction in being a foster parent to animals.

"Every one that I can help to find a home is one less that will die," she said. "My mission is to get them adopted, to make each one a joy to their new people."

Currently, Schaible is fostering a terrier/shepherd-cross called Annie, who came to her two months ago "not at all socialized," and "needing a dose of confidence." Annie also had some medical issues that are almost resolved, making her now nearly ready to go into a permanent home.

"I cry every time they get adopted," Schaible said, "but if you don't love them and shed tears, I don't think you're doing your job."

Schaible emphasized that, without her husband, daughter and her own dogs, she would not be able to foster animals the way she does. She remembers one particular dog with fondness, a shepherd-cross named Sheba.

A plaque hangs on the wall in the Humane Society of the Black Hills. It is dedicated to Sheba, a dog adopted by Schaible in 2000. Sheba battled infection and a fever, but grew into a strong, healthy dog until 2005, when she was diagnosed with cancer. Her right leg and clavicle were surgically amputated in December 2005, but she went on to live another year and a half. In January 2006, Schaible and her family began fostering dogs for the Humane Society and, according to she and Phil Olson, Sheba was a great mentor, even to an orphaned kitten.

"We got Suri (a kitten) from the Humane Society when he was about a week old; a lady had found him on the highway. I brought him home and fed him with a doll bottle. During the month we had him, Sheba and Suri bonded. After Suri would eat, he would go to Sheba's pillow and cuddle up with her. Sheba would lick Suri's little face and tidy him up a bit after his supper. I don't think Suri knew how little he was, or how big Sheba was. All he knew was that Sheba was his friend."

"We could learn a lot from our animal friends," Schaible added. "Animals look after each other; they get along. People are sometimes less kind."