ASHLAND — A Nova man drove into Ashland in his SUV on Monday. It was full of around 40 bags of dog food and a couple of blankets. In his pocket he had some cash. His destination? The Ashland County Dog Shelter.
Ross Oehling’s brother, Robert Marcus “Mark” Oehling, died in February. He was 82. His obituary’s last paragraph encouraged people to keep their flowers and cards.
“Just go and help someone who is in real need. At Christmas time, decorate the outside of your home with tons of lights and crazy decorations. Go hunting and fishing and make up big lies and exaggerate everything that happened.”
So, in a sense, that’s what Ross Oehling did.
“My brother liked dogs,” he said. “And they’re in trouble over there so I thought, ‘Why not get some food for the dogs?’”
On Saturday, the family hosted a celebration of life for Mark Oehling. Ross Oehling, of Nova, 81, encouraged everyone to bring dog food to donate to the shelter.
“They were really pleased with it,” Ross Oehling said of the dog shelter. “They said they really need it.”
Ross then gave them the $52 of cash in his pocket and encouraged them to buy leashes or other smaller items for the strays.
“But they told me, ‘Oh no, we’ll buy more food. The dogs need to eat,’” he said.
Dog shelter troubles
The Ashland County Dog Shelter has been in the news lately for its financial issues. In May, the county commissioners transferred a larger-than-usual sum to keep the shelter operational. A few days later, the dog warden resigned and now the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office could be in charge.
Commissioners have pointed to higher utility bills and wages and un-renewed dog licenses for the shelter’s financial woes.
“It’s financially painful right now,” said county Commissioner Jim Justice.
The shelter relies on two nonprofits, No Pawz Left Behind and Homeward Bound, to provide for items such as medical supplies, food and other related items like blankets and toys. No Pawz, established in 2015, provides medical supplies.
Homeward Bound, established in 2019, provides funding for food, toys and other related items that are not medical, according to county Commissioner Denny Bittle.
“Homeward Bound, when we started, was just to fundraise for the building,” Bittle said, adding that the organization set up an endowment fund that helps provide financial assistance. He said that’s a first-time endeavor.
‘A great gesture’
Ross Oehling said he and his brother were close. They, along with two other siblings, grew up in Nova playing flag football, softball and other sports. They both joined the Ruggles-Troy Volunteer Fire Department as teens.
“We’d be in school and the siren would go off and we’d get to get out of school,” he said, laughing. Robert Oehling went on to serve as a firefighter in Dillon, Montana. He worked as a firefighter for 26 years.
The brothers adopted a dog from the old Ashland County Dog Shelter around 20 years ago.
“So I thought this would be a great gesture to do for him,” Ross Oehling said.