Ann Curfman Koch, 1942-2023
Ann Curfman Koch passed away in June 2023. The article below from the Mendocino County Observer recounts her work as CEO of Mountain Dog Rescue, a non-profit agency devoted to the rescue and rehab of Dobermans. Published December 26, 2022, the article was written by Carole Brodsky of the Observer.
“Dog Mountain Rescue in Mendocino County Rehoming Dobermans for 15 years”
“I’ve had Dobermans all my adult life,” says Ann Koch, owner of Dog Mountain Rescue.
Doberman Pinchers have a storied history. The breed, over 100 years old, was created by Luis Dobermann in the 1870s to accompany him while he collected taxes. In the early 1900s, Dobermans made it to America where they became one of the most cherished family dogs – the second-most popular breed in the country. But, like the Pit Bull, ebullient, loyal Dobermans have received a bad rap, particularly when unscrupulous owners force the dogs to become aggressive or fearsome.
“During World War II, a lot of people donated Dobies to the U.S. Army,” notes Koch (pictured at left). “They went to the Pacific Theater to protect soldiers as they slept in foxholes.” Dobermans, notes Koch, do not possess a “mean” temperament. “Like Pit Bulls, Dobermans are misunderstood. There couldn’t be a nicer dog.”
When Koch got her first two Dobies, little did she know that their love and companionship would permanently change her life. “I hadn’t been raised with them. The first two I had were from a very high-class line. I believe their father was an almost-Westminster winner.” Koch tried her hand at showing her dogs, but though she enjoyed being an observer, the dog show lifestyle wasn’t for her, “though I still enjoy attending the Doberman National every year,” she smiles.
Koch became aware there were very few Doberman rescue organizations – locally and regionally – and became a volunteer with the Mendocino County Animal Shelter. “Sage Mountainfire was the adoption coordinator at that time. It was Christmas Eve, and she asked if I would foster two dogs for the holidays: Crystal and Kazoo. They weren’t Dobies, but they both ended getting homes, and from there, I was hooked. I immediately knew rescue was what I wanted to do.”
Koch incorporated her non-profit organization, Dog Mountain Rescue. In the past 15 years, she estimates she has adopted between 700 to 800 dogs, mostly Dobermans.
“Sage needed help, so we brought in more dogs. She did a great job of placing dogs – reading potential owners, reading the dogs and being willing to say no if the situation was not favorable,” says Koch. Today, she receives notifications of adoptable Dobermans from a variety of sources and occasionally accepts other dogs that need fostering and rehoming. “We’ve adopted a great number of dogs over the years, and I will not put them down unless they are extremely sick or critically injured.”
Koch works closely with large shelters in San Francisco and Martinez. “All dogs are carefully vetted before they arrive here – everything from their behavior to their medical health. We get really good dogs with really good backgrounds. Working with them has helped us really learn to understand the breed and fully enter the world of adoptions.”
The organization also works with foster families.
“Fosters can give us a really good idea of what and who a dog is. We get people from Oregon and Washington asking for dogs, which is a long way to come, so a fostered dog helps us understand everything about the dog. There’s a huge rescue organization in Southern California which does a fantastic job because they have a huge problem down there. Dobermans are often bred to make money,” she continues.
The need for Doberman rescue groups is astounding.
“There are Dobie breeders in Oregon, but no Doberman rescues. There’s a growing, new foster rescue in Seattle, but other than that, there are no rescue groups in either state.”
“When we receive a dog, we like to give them a week or two to mellow out,” says Melissa Miller, who works at Dog Mountain Rescue, along with her children. “Then we try to find out if they have any triggers. We don’t accept any dogs that have a recorded bite. Usually, dogs have no triggers, other than they just want to be on your lap. We have one dog now that would crawl inside your skin if you’d let her,” Miller smiles.
Miller and Koch get to know the dogs well, to determine which dogs would make a good match for a listing on the county’s adoption website, or others that are better suited for experienced Doberman owners.
Like Pit bulls, some illegal cannabis farmers have used Dobermans to guard their illicit gardens.
“Dobermans are more people oriented than guard oriented. We’ve been involved with situations where the pot grower got busted and their dogs got left behind. We helped get all their shots, transported them and did everything we could to help.”
When individuals or families are interested in adoption, Koch encourages them to visit the organization’s website, take a look at the available dogs and fill out an application.
“We vet potential owners very carefully. We virtually insist that owners enroll the dog in a group obedience course. That’s where they’ll learn how their dog will do around other dogs and people. We don’t adopt dogs to families with children under 10 unless they have had Dobermans before.” Though Koch will take back a dog that doesn’t work out, in the15 years she’s been running the organization they’ve only taken back three animals.
“Once we accept applications, we insist prospective owners come here and bring the family and any other dogs they have, so we have a good idea of how things will work out. We’re not a ‘window shopping’ place, because this is my home,” she continues.
Right now, Dog Mountain’s population is high, and Koch would like to see some “forever homes” emerge for the deserving dogs. Currently, Koch is fostering young and old, male and female Dobermans, in many colors. Some had their ears cut prior to arriving at Dog Mountain – something Koch would never do – andothers retain their floppy ears.
Like every non-profit, Dog Mountain Rescue gratefully accepts cash donations. “One simple thing to do would be to make a payment to JD Redhouse, which would act as a donation for our dogfood bills. We believe in supporting local business and only supplying the highest quality food to our animals.”
She also encourages people to donate to another organization – Special Needs Dobermans. “They provide financial assistance for rescue animals that need serious medical assistance. They’ve been very helpful to us,” she explains.
The organization does not need on-site volunteers, but Koch is always interested in maintaining a roster of people who can help find homes or would be willing to learn how to foster a Doberman.
“I’d also like to connect with people who would be willing to help evacuate animals during fires. We’re pretty well protected here. Our kennels have concrete floors, steel roofs and misters. But this is something I think is very important. I hope we can hook people up to be available for future emergencies.”
“Doberman people all know about us. If the rest of the community can help us get our numbers down, we can help even more dogs,” Koch concludes.
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According to the website at https://dogmountainrescue.org, the agency now closed.
