Humanely Speaking Bangor Humane Society Newsletter

Transcription

1 Humanely Speaking Bangor Humane Society Newsletter Spring 2012 Features A Community Challenge to Save Lives 101 Lives Saved in 12 Hours A Temporary Home In Every Issue From the Director Ask the Vet Paws for Thought Shelter Highlights/Events Austin s Corner Our Guiding Principles Our Mission The Bangor Humane Society champions the humane treatment and adoption of companion animals, provides quality care for homeless pets, and promotes animal welfare through education and advocacy. Bangor Humane Society 693 Mt. Hope Ave. Bangor, ME Visit us on Facebook! BHS is proud to feed our pets Hill s Science Diet food! A Community Challenge to Save Lives By: Renee Ordway There s a lot of excitement around the Bangor Humane Society these days. Great things are happening inside the shelter and out. The staff and volunteers are as geared up and as committed as they have ever been, as we prepare for the ASPCA/ Rachael Ray $100,000 Challenge. The Bangor Humane Society is the only Maine animal shelter entered into the challenge this year. The contest is one of the biggest challenges we have ever faced. But, after we saw the type of support we received from the entire community during the Mega- Match-a-thon in March - adopting out 100 animals in 12 hours and emptying the shelter for the first time in our 164-year history - we knew we were up for it. And, we believe you are too. This is the third year for the contest, which challenges shelters across the nation to commit to the work involved in increasing their adoption rates. This year, BHS and our supporters worked hard to ensure its place as one of the 50 shelters entered into the challenge. T he Bangor Humane Society had to first pass through an application and interview round. Then, we competed with 103 other shelters nationwide to encourage the community to vote us into the contest online over a ten day period. Dozens of posters were hung and hundreds of s and flyers distributed. We reached out to all our media outlets and community partnerships to get out the vote. Our daily Facebook status was devoted to the vote; and amazing volunteers, like Bangor Roller Derby, who hit the streets on their rollerblades, helped spread the word. When the voting ended, Bangor Humane Society ranked fourth in the Northeast Division and twelfth nationally. Now the real work begins. Staff is busy planning and training for the challenge that runs from August through October. The goal is for shelters to increase their adoption rates during that three-month period by at least 300 more animals than the previous year during the same timeframe. Those that do will win a $5,000 grant. The shelter that achieves the largest numerical adoption increase, during those three months, will be awarded the $100,000 prize. During that span last year, we adopted out 892 cats and dogs, which means our projected goal is to adopt out at least 1,192 animals this year. The contest is divided by region; BHS competes in the northeast division. The shelters with the top adoption numbers in each division will be awarded a $20,000 grant. Last year, Lewiston s Greater Androscoggin Humane Society won its region, beating out much larger shelters in major cities across the northeast. The prize money and the can-do momentum that resulted from the challenge has resulted in major changes for the Lewiston-based shelter, and as a result, more animals are being adopted than ever before. Hence more lives are being saved Roller Derby members helped get out the vote! Continued on page 8

2 From the Director Last newsletter, I shared with you my goals for the agency this upcoming year. I am happy to report that we are steadily moving forward with enthusiasm and perseverance in attaining those goals. These are exciting times for us here at the Bangor Humane Society. By the time you read this, we will have completed our sixth monthly in-house spay/neuter clinic hosted by local veterinarians. We are thrilled to be able to offer a public feline spay/neuter clinic for low-income individuals, in an effort to reduce the significant number of unwanted cats and kittens that come to us each year. We also gave out over $20,000 in vouchers to support low income spay/neuter surgeries for dog and cat owners in our community. We thank all the veterinarians throughout our area who have supported these initiatives. We have also made a concerted effort to increase our adoption rate and save more lives. At the end of March, we celebrated the success of our first mega-adoption event sponsored by the ASPCA. With the help of staff, volunteers, and the community, over 100 animals were adopted in twelve hours- emptying the shelter of every adoptable pet for the first time in our history. The event filled myself, and everyone who participated, with pride that the Bangor community, literally, lined up outside our doors and filled our lobby to support pet adoption and give our animals second chances. Almost two months later, when I think back on that experience, I am immediately brought back to the moment I walked through our empty kennels and did not hear one stressed bark, meow, whine or whimper. Knowing that we accomplished such an incredible goal, in which every animal was in a warm and loving home instead of in a shelter kennel, continues to fill me with overwhelming pride, humility, and an immensity of eclectic emotions that are indescribable. It touched me profoundly and is something I will never forget. It motivates me to have that experience again and again where adopters line out the door regularly, waiting to give every one of our animals a home. Our experience with the Mega Match-a-thon has given us the confidence to embark on our next endeavor to save even more lives. After a competitive application process, we are one of fifty shelters from across the nation to compete in the third ASPCA $100K Challenge event, during August through October of this year. Our goal is to not only vie for the ultimate prize of $100,000 dollars for the shelter, but to save more lives. We hope to shift the community from viewing us as a shelter where you bring your animal when you no longer can care for it, to the first place you go to add a new furry friend to your family. We want every individual to visit us and see that our animals are not broken, sad, or to blame for their circumstance. Rather, they are loving, happy and deserving of a loving, forever home. To achieve our challenge goals, we can t do it alone. We need our dedicated staff, our committed volunteers and our supportive community to embrace these goals as well, so we can save more lives and grant more second chances. Thank you for your continued support of our mission and I whole-heartedly hope you will join us in accomplishing our goals and celebrating our successes! Best regards, Hours of Operation Monday Friday: 12:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Saturday 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Board of Directors Steve Thomas, President Emily McIntosh, Vice-President Robert Shuman, Treasurer Amy Faircloth, Secretary Anne Marie Storey, Past President David Cloutier, DVM Louise Cross Lani Naihe Renee Ordway John Kenney Lanni Moffatt Matt Nye Jeff Russell Our Staff Executive Director Suzan Bell Shelter Operations Manager Chris Young Office Manager Amy Gentle Volunteer & Public Relations Manager Stacey R. Coventry Adoption Counselors Sonia, Brittney, Kristian, Brittany, Lisa, Carol, Josh Animal Technicians Sadie, Charmaine, Sarah, Tasha, Laura, Kimberly, and Jill Veterinary Technician Alayne Newton Foster Care Program Kimberly Patterson 2

3 3 Your Donor Dollars Matter Lives Saved in 12 Hours By: Stacey R. Coventry Over 100 animals were adopted in 12 hours, during the BHS first mega adoption event, emptying the shelter kennels for the first time in its 164 year history. O n March 30 th and March 31 st, 101 animals were adopted into loving homes in twelve hours, during the agency s first Mega Match-a-thon that was sponsored but the American Society for the Prevention of Animals (ASPCA). The event took two months of planning and was scheduled to run through April 1 st. But, by noon on the second day of the event, the facility was emptied of every adoptable pet 48 cats, 15 dogs, 30 puppies and 8 small animals. The Bangor Humane Society was one of 55 shelters around the nation to receive a $10,000 grant from the ASPCA to participate. The grant allowed BHS to lower adoption fees and streamline the process so potential adoptees were matched with pets more quickly. The grant money from the ASPCA helped BHS spay/ neuter every adoptable animal before the adoption event, provide each animal with microchip, ID tag and collar, and distribute a strong, positive marketing message to the masses. The Bangor Humane Society also partnered with the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society, who also participated in the event, to transfer over 90 puppies to Maine from Shelby Humane Society in Alabama, where they are regularly overwhelmed by dog overpopulation. Thirty of those puppies made their way to Bangor on a 38-hour trip in a transfer van. They arrived vaccinated, spayed/ neutered and ready for a new family. By 8 a.m., one hour before the Mega Match-a-thon doors opened, a line of hundreds of potential adopters wrapped around the building out to the parking lot waiting in wintery temperatures in hopes of finding a new furry friend for their family. Adopter demographics ranged from college students to senior citizens to families and war veterans. Despite months of planning every detail, staff could not anticipate the overwhelming crowd that filled the lobby that Friday morning, which resembled the anxious shoppers at the mall on Black Friday. With the exception of the puppies, these wonderful shelter pets are here every day, but because we created this mega-event to encourage adoption, we experienced massive crowds, says Jill Benson, a Humane Society Animal Technician. We hope this event will show people that these pets deserve that same kind of crowd every- Continued on page 6 BHS staff pose in the empty kennels after all the dogs were adopted, during the Mega Match-a-thon event. BHS partnered with Greater Androscoggin Humane Society to transport 30 puppies from Shelby Humane Society in Alabama for the Mega Match-a-thon.

4 4 Ask the Vet Paws for Thought Dr. Benson, Broadway Vet WARM WEATHER PET TIPS Talk with your veterinarian on what preventatives he/ she recommends to protect your pet against fleas, ticks, heartworm, and Lyme disease. Limit the amount of exercise your pet engages in during warmer temperatures to prevent heat stroke. Never leave your pet in the car on warm weather days! It s Kitten Season! Imagine this One unspayed female cat who produces three litters of 4.5 kittens in one year, where each kitten follows the same reproduction pattern equals 91,511,383 cats in 7 years! Love Them Longer: A closer look at obesity in pets Just like us humans, our pets need to maintain a healthy body weight to ensure a long, healthy and high quality of life. Dogs and cats that are consistently and significantly overweight can experience the same issues that we as humans can. Diseases like cancer and diabetes, along with other health issues, like cardiac and respiratory problems, and early onset of arthritis can all be triggered by obesity in pets. Studies show that 40-70% of the pet population is overweight or obese. If you are unsure whether or not your pet is overweight for its size, breed, and age, check with your vet. Or, visit this website, bodycondition.aspx as a reference guide for healthy body conditions in cats and dogs. Essentially, you should be able to see a defined waistline in your pet as well as feel their ribs with little fat coverage when you gently press your fingers against your pet s body. Cats should not have a lot of fat near their hips. Most cats do have a fat pouch in their lower abdomen, which is normal, as long as it doesn't become too large. If your pet is overweight, it is essential to get them on a customized weight-loss program. Do not put your pets on a crash diet to drive fast weight-loss, as that can cause health issues as well. Instead, get them on a slow and steady regime that includes exercise and calorie restriction. Talk with your vet to see how many calories your pet should consume to facilitate weight loss without sacrificing the important nutritional needs of your pet. Start with minimal exercise, like short walks down the road and build up to longer, more strenuous activities like jogging long distances or swimming in the lake. For cats, you can use toys and low-calorie treats to engage them in play activities like toss and chase to help them burn excess calories. You and your pet can both enjoy the benefits of exercise together. You can work out and get fresh air together, while enjoying great opportunities for additional obedience training. Engaging in games of fetch or chase are fun and burn calories as well. Signs that the activities are too strenuous for your pet are labored breathing, extreme fatigue, soreness, and open mouthed breathing in cats. There are lots of weight-loss foods and low-calorie treats on the market, so ask your veterinarian what he/she recommends for your pet. Don t feed your pet excess treats and table scraps. Say no and mean it! Set healthy rules and boundaries around eating, be consistent, and follow through with positive feedback. Also, remember to cut back on treats and calories especially during the winter when pets get less exercise. Weight gain can catch up with them and their weight will become harder to maintain over the long-term. As pets get older, their metabolism slows and it becomes harder for them to shed the extra pounds. Remember to schedule your pet for an annual checkup. Regular vet visits can help avoid many expensive visits to the emergency clinic and save your pet from needless suffering. The sooner your vet diagnoses and treats potential problems, the better the prognosis. Many people over-feed their pets or reward them with table scraps as a gesture of love and affection. When their pets gain weight, they feel often there is more of them to love. But, if you keep your pet at a healthy weight, you will be able to love them a whole lot longer.

5 A Temporary Home The BHS Foster Program By: Stacey R. Coventry Volunteer Spotlight 5 A foster parent bottle feeds a newborn kitten without a mom. Over 5,000 animals find refuge at the Bangor Humane Society every year; two-thirds which are cats and kittens. The majority of the animals that find their way to the shelter, either as strays or through owner-surrender, are not spayed and neutered. Often, cats arrive pregnant or with vulnerable litters of kittens. Many times, litters of underage kittens arrive without a mom to nurse their development and healthy growth. In addition to the thousands of cats and kittens that BHS cares for annually, there are also dozens of dogs that arrive needing additional surgical care and rehabilitation for ailments like broken legs or severe hip dysplasia. On the rare occasion, some dogs come pregnant or with newborn pups needing additional care. At these times, Kimberly Patterson, BHS foster care coordinator reaches out to her growing network of foster parents, who continuously rise to the occasion to provide much needed tender, love and care to these vulnerable animals. Patterson, a regular foster parent herself, who has fostered almost 100 animals, took over the foster program last spring and helped bring 20 new families into the BHS network. The Bangor Humane Society s foster care program started over 15 years ago when the large variety of special needs cases of animals skyrocketed, and has since, shown no signs of diminishing. Kitten season (spring through fall) has become an annual reality and ongoing reminder of the many homeless animals in the our community, while emphasizing the necessity for a local sustainable spay/neuter program. Our foster program couldn t exist without It is something that brings us both so much joy. these wonderful volunteers, says Kimberly. I m so proud of each foster, who has helped make the program a success. I appreciate the honest and genuine relationship I have with each of my foster parents, so we can utilize their strengths and support their limitations. Our foster families understand that they play a vital role in giving these animals a second chance, while allowing the BHS staff to care for the thousands of other lessvulnerable animals coming through the shelter. They know that their calm, loving and disease-free home environment gives these defenseless animals a better head start in finding their way home. The foster program began with just two compassionate families and now, 15 years later, has grown to over 40 caring homes. Last year, these community volunteers fostered Continued on page 7 Austin s Corner It has been busy around here the past few months. Did you hear about how successful our Mega-Match-a-thon was? It was crazy with people lined up in our lobby all day. The staff decided it would be better if I laid low, so they kept me safe and sound in an office with a window looking out to the lobby, so I could watch it all unfold. I watched 100 of my fellow fur-mates get adopted into loving homes, all within 12 hours. Imagine that! That night was pretty quiet as I trotted through the empty shelter. It was a nice feeling knowing that the shelter was empty for the first time in 164 years. But, don t you worry, we are filled back up again and the organized chaos that is the world I live in is back to normal. I ll be honest with you. This is not Austin s favorite time of year. It s kitten season. We ve got kittens everywhere and well, you know how moms can be around their little ones. I tend to keep a low profile. We recently had a kitten shower and many of you brought some great gifts. I m in charge of watching over all of that loot and I take my job very seriously. For all those kittens and their mommas we need small pet beds for nursing, KMR - that s kitten milk replacement - for the poor little ones who either don t have a momma or can t nurse properly - it s important stuff. We also always need toys, both for our cats and our dogs. Our dogs are lucky to have great staff and volunteers who make sure they get out for plenty of exercise and fun, but toys in their kennels keep them busy and less stressed all day long. The kennel floors can be cold and hard, so it s nice if the doggies have comfy beds to curl up in, so if you are so inclined, you might consider dropping off a nice big dog bed. We can always use them. So please stop by anytime and drop off a little donation. I ll be the handsome orange tiger and I ll make sure that your generous donation gets to exactly the right cat or dog. And, perhaps, if I m in the mood, I ll nuzzle your ankles. Austin

6 101 Lives Saved continued from page 3 BHS staff take a team photo, celebrating the success of their first mega adoption event. 6 day. The adoption event featured kid-friendly activities and delicious whoopie pies donated by Governor s Restaurant to keep potential adopters busy while they waited to visit with a furry friend. The transfer puppies were all adopted by 11 a.m. and all adult dogs were adopted by 5 p.m on Friday. Additionally, the event provided an opportunity for some of the long-term residents to finally find their match. Like, Lexi, the six-year- old extremely shy Australian Cattledog, who needed a patient and quiet home. Or, Otis, the handsome one-year-old Doberman/Boxer mix, who needed an experienced home willing to train. And, Buddy, the four-year-old Hound mix who needed a committed and active home. Then, there was Abbey, a two-year-old Torti who had been awaiting adoption off-site at PetQuarters for over three months. The event not only resulted in over 100 animals finding new homes, but in also finding their perfect match that would help ensure the adoption s long-term success. The success of the event triggered an outpouring of support from within the local community and nationwide. Shelters and animal welfare advocates from across the globe have called, ed and posted messages of congratulations on the agency s Facebook page, along with just as many, how did you do its to can we transfer some of our adoptable pets now that you have room? The secret to the success of this event is no secret at all. It took a lot of planning, a team of twenty hardworking and passionate staff and local veterinarians, twenty-five motivated and enthusiastic volunteers, in addition to some grant dollars to help fund the veterinary and marketing costs for promoting the event. Most importantly, it took a community who showed up at 8 a.m. on March 30 th to open their minds and hearts to pet adoption. For staff, the highlight of the event occurred at 12:30 p.m. on March 31 st, when the last animal was adopted. Staff each took a moment to walk through the empty shelter (the first time in the 164- year history) to hear the silence and feel the pride of knowing that every animal was in a warm and loving home. This event far exceeded our expectations, says Suzan Bell, Executive Director. I just want to thank the community for their support. Personally, I am overwhelmed. March 31, 2012 was the best day in the history of the Bangor Humane Society, as far as I m concerned. BHS staff members, Sonia Boissonneault and Kimberly Patterson pose with the adoption countdown board, after the 101 st adoption was completed.

7 Temporary Home Continued from page 5 40 cats, 269 kittens, 9 dogs, 8 puppies and 11 rabbits. That s 337 more lives saved! Kathy and Bruce Black were one of the very first BHS foster families and have become an integral part of the BHS team. Fostering is our way of helping the many homeless animals while supporting the BHS mission and the tireless work of the BHS staff, say Kathy and Bruce. We have been so blessed to love hundreds of animals in our home, and we don t even have to pay their rent! W hile these volunteers provide much needed offsite support, they are not alone. After a brief application process, which includes an orientation and home visit, they receive ongoing advice and support from BHS staff. All expenses, including supplies and veterinary care, are provided by BHS. The foster parents then add a quiet environment with a lot of love and nurturing. Diane Paine and her husband became foster parents over a year ago when a friend at work told her that BHS desperately needed foster homes for dozens of kittens. I asked my friend more questions and by the end of the week I had an interview appointment to become a foster parent, says Diane. We had our first two foster kittens within the week. We have found fostering to be one of the most rewarding things we have ever done. It is something that brings both of us so much joy. Summer is always a challenging time of year, as we struggle to manage the huge influx of animals that look to BHS for help. Without our dedicated and compassionate volunteers, we would not be able to celebrate all of the Shelter Highlights & Events Rollie, a three- year-old Pitbull, receiving physical therapy for his knee in foster care. 7 successes that occur daily at BHS. Each of our foster parents have become a core part of our BHS team. Each year, they are right there with us to witness firsthand how their support helps us bear the burden of the many animals in need that come to us. Last summer s challenges were compounded by additional stressors; including Upper Respitory Infection, Kennel Cough, Coccidia, Heartworm, Ringworm, and Failure to Thrive, to name a few. But our fosters met these challenges once again with their fierce dedication and compassion. Foster care certainly saves lives. With the help of our volunteer foster family, we were able to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds once again. This year, we look optimistically ahead to the summer with goals to find more foster homes for our special needs dogs and increase kitten adoptions directly from our foster homes to help eliminate their exposure to shelter stress. Lastly, we seek to expand our growing foster family, so together, we can save more lives. With heartfelt gratitude, we thank our current foster families for helping us save more lives. To learn more about fostering, visit our website for qualifications and details on the application process. Facebook for a Cause The community showered our BHS cats and kittens with lots of donated kitten food, litter, toys, and other much needed kitten season supplies, at our third annual Kitten Shower Event on May 5 th. Margaritas Restaurant in Orono is donating 5% of their dining proceeds to BHS during their Full Moon Madness specials scheduled on April 6th, May 3rd, and June 4th! Gracias Margaritas! We have spayed/neutered over 240 cats in our first six monthly feline clinics for low-income owners! And, our low-income voucher program helped fix over 120 dogs and over 135 cats! In a Downeast Dog News Reader s poll, BHS was voted Best Maine Shelter! A big, thank you to Quirk Subaru who raised $1,139 to go towards pet food, during their 40-day Facebook campaign. They donated $1 to the Bangor Humane Society for every new Facebook like on their Quirk Subaru page. (From left to right: Tim Morin, Suzan Bell, Jack Quirk, Stacey Coventry, and Steve Thomas)

8 Community Challenge Continued from page 1 regularly. That is exactly why we entered. That is our goal every single day at BHS: to show compassion for the pets that end up here, to care for them and find them new, loving and forever homes. Executive Director Suzan Bell says if we are fortunate enough to win, the money would be used to develop and strengthen community outreach programs, expand off-site adoption opportunities, grow our foster care family, and increase our collaborative partnerships with community organizations to increase adoption opportunities for our pets. All things that better What You Can Do to Help Volunteer: We need individuals who are available regularly to train as shelter volunteers or adoption counselors. Spread the Word: Tell everyone you know what we are doing and encourage them to visit and adopt! Adopt: If you are looking to bring a new furry friend into the family, consider adopting from BHS first! Donate: We ll need lots of resources, so make a monetary donation or by donate items from our wish list, available on our website. the lives of our pet population and give them better opportunities to find homes. We have a dedicated and determined team of staff and volunteers ready to win the challenge. But we can t do it alone. We need you, the community, to join us. The challenge itself saves lives, and that is something that resonates long after the challenge is over. It has the ability to help place BHS as the premier adoption facility in the community. In 2010, competing shelters increased saved lives by 7,362 over Last year, there were 8,977 additional lives saved over Our Guiding Principles Treat all animals and people with respect, dignity, and integrity. Work diligently to end companion animal overpopulation by increasing awareness of spay and neuter programs. Promote adoption of physically and mentally healthy companion animals. Educate and train caretakers to develop fulfilling and lifelong relationships with their companion animals. Serve as responsible stewards of our resources. Hold ourselves to the highest standards of safety, care, and cleanliness. Raise public awareness with regard to the humane treatment of animals. Use euthanasia only as a last humane option in the best interest of the animal. 8 Cruz thanks you for your support!