THE PASCO PAWPRINT PASCO UPDATES

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1 THE PASCO PAWPRINT PASCO UPDATES Wow, it's been quite awhile since the last edition of The Pasco Pawprint! There are so many new and exciting things happening that it's hard to decide where to begin. The inmates spending longer days at the shelter is the biggest, most exciting news here at PCAS. The inmates staying longer means more playtime for our building C dogs (among other things). This is a great benefit to both the shelter and the animals. WoofStock 2016 came and went again this year. We ended up with over 40 rescues and vendors. The music was wonderful with bands such as 7th Isle, Flapjack Collective and Christine and Willie; everybody had a great time. The event was held at The Florida Estates Winery and we raised over $3000 for the sick and injured cats and dogs that come into the shelter. We really appreciated the support and participation of so many county employees this year. We'd also like to thank all of the vendors who participated, The Florida Estates Winery and the bands who donated their time. A huge shout out to Sit Means Sit, Muscle Hound, and GTE for sponsoring the WoofStock. Without all of them, there wouldn't be an event. Pasco County Animal services is very excited to announce that we have a new trainer/behaviorist on board! Not only is Lisa Morrisay using her dog training talents for our shelter dogs while they are residing with us, she is offering her service once they go home too. Six weeks of training only costs $75. You can't beat that price anywhere.

2 The shelter is also thrilled about the new spree yard being built so more dogs get playtime. New outdoor kennels are also being added to make cleaning time much easier and more efficient for staff. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK WOW! Check this deal out!! Looking for somebody to spend the long weekend with? How about a beach buddy for the summer? Pasco County Animal Services has your new best friend waiting for you right here at Dogpatch Lane, Land O'Lakes, FL We are overloaded with some of the cutest, sweetest pets around. Adoption fees are only $4 in honor of the 4th of July. This great deal starts today and ends the 9th. SUMMER OF SECOND CHANCES Pasco County Animal Services is starting the summer with a whole 3 months of HOT summer deals. To kickoff a Summer of Second Chances, PCAS held an adoption event which resulted in many cats and dogs finding their forever homes. Looking for a sweet older companion? Come see us on Vintage Tuesday's where adoption fees on all animals over 5 years old are waived. Thinking about adopting a cat or kitten? $5 Feline Friday's are purr-fect for you. Everyday of the week is something new and different so come out to see us. With so many wonderful, adoptable animals at PCAS, you are sure to find the size, temperament and personality that you are looking for

3 you are looking for ON THE ROAD AGAIN! The Tail Wagon is on the road again this month! The bus is starting the month on July 7th. It will be heading out to Petco in Odessa from 3:00-5:30PM.. July 9th will be a great day out in Wesley Chapel. We will be bringing our cats and dogs to the Petco out there for their annual mega adoptathon from 11:00AM-2:00PM.. We are really putting the miles on the bus this month! On July 16, we are driving out to Zephyrhills Library from 10:00-12:00. Our cats and dogs love going out there. On July 23 we are giving the bus a break and staying at the shelter. Come out and celebrate our Summer of Second Chances with a Summer Spectacular Adoption Event! The event will be from 12:00-4:00pm. Everybody is invited! We will be closing out the month at LameCon at Land O'Lakes Library on Sunday, July 31st. LOL Library always has great events. Mark your calendar, this one is a lot of fun!. If you are unable to make it out to a July event, keep your eyes open for us next month! These events are ALWAYS a lot of fun and our Pasco Pets are ALWAYS happy to see you. Hope to see you soon! Why License Your Pet? Keeping your pet healthy and staying up to date on his/her vaccinations is an important part of being a responsible pet owner. Another important responsibility for pet

4 owners is to make sure that their pets are registered/licensed through the county. It's the LAW!! In Pasco County it is mandatory for all dog owners to have their pets licensed annually. Getting caught without one can lead to a hefty fine. It could be your pets ticket home! Your cat or dogs license can increase the chance that your wandering animal gets back to you. The information linked to the identifying number on the tag can easily be looked up if your dog or cat ends up at the shelter. This makes it easier to get your pet back home to you. It is proof that your pet is up to date on rabies shots! This is important if your cat/dog gets loose and bites somebody. Plus, a good Samaritan is more likely to help your lost pet if he/she is current on their vaccines. Licensing your pet help homeless Pasco Pets at the shelter. Pet registration/licensing fees is the shelters main revenue and pays for the many programs supported by the shelter. The fees also help to care for the homeless residents here at PCAS. Registering your pet is the responsible thing to do. Not only is it mandatory in Pasco County but the cost of the license is far less expensive than the penalty for getting caught without one. License cost is as follows: $5 for cats $10 for spay/neutered dogs $35 for intact pets A county license can be obtained by stopping by the shelter's administration office M-Fri from 8AM to 5PM with your pets rabies certificate and proof of spay/neuter or you can mail a check/money order made out to Pasco County Board of County Commissioners. Most veterinarians sell the county license and Hudson Library has started selling the tag too. The shelter is located at: Dogpatch Lane Land O'Lakes, FL Please call with any questions. Ophelia Ophelia (A ) is a beautiful and sweet 6 year old girl. Ophelia is a friendly girl who would like a home of her own. She knows basic commands such as sit-stay and

5 12:00 own. She knows basic commands such as sit-stay and come. She walks very politely on a leash. Ophelia participates in playgroups and is very dog social but a meet and greet is recommended if other dogs reside in the home. If you would like to meet Ophelia, she is at Pasco County Animal Services and she's ready to go home. We are closed today but will be open tomorrow at petango/pascocountyanimalservices.com Vinnie Vinnie (A ) is a 12 year old white and grey domestic medium cat. He can be a little timid at first but once he gets to know you and trust you he wants all your attention and heaps of pats! Vinnie has many fun and purr filled years ahead of him. Come out to meet him at Pasco County Animal Services where EVERY Friday is $5 Feline Friday petango/pascocountyanimalservices.com A Heartwarming Story It's funny, whenever I tell people where I work I always hear, "I could never work there, it's so sad". Sometimes walking through the shelter and seeing all of those homeless cats and dogs staring at you with big, hopeful eyes is sad but the Happy Tails or adoptions make up for the sadness. It's such a great feeling knowing that the cats and dogs are going to loving homes. Recently I was in the adoption center when I saw one of our dedicated volunteers sitting with a family waiting to adopt one of our dogs Marco. I went up and talked to them a little bit and they told me that Marco (now Oben) picked them. I later found out the rest of the story and have gotten permission to put it in this newsletter. Noelene and her son Neil came into the shelter during a busy Saturday to "just look" at dogs. Her son Neil was still mourning over the sudden and unexpected loss of his 5 year old American Bulldog, Tank. He was adamant that he did not want to replace Tank and he was only there to look with his mom. He connected with many of the dogs at the shelter but when he saw Marco, it was love at first sight. He asked if he could take Marco into one of the show rooms. Marco immediately cuddled up to Neil and would not pay attention to anybody else. It was almost like he knew Neil was hurting. Neil finally broke down and said that he didn't want to replace Tank but he couldn't leave Marco behind. He decided to adopt Marco in Tank's

6 Tank but he couldn't leave Marco behind. He decided to adopt Marco in Tank's honor...it was a match made in heaven. Neil took Marco home and renamed him Oben. The pair couldn't be happier that they found each other. Neil suffers from PTSD from serving in the military and Oben gives him a reason to get out of bed every morning. Sometimes by saving an animal from the shelter, they end up saving us. Cute Little Story about Trixie written by one of our dedicated volunteers The administration building at PCAS often fosters dogs. One of our favorites is Trixie. She has been with us since July 6, She is also a volunteer favorite. Trixie is a sweetheart and has the best personality. One of our volunteers wrote this about Trixie. Maybe it will help her find a forever home :). Let me tell you a cute little story about Trixie a Brindle Pit who just can't seem to get adopted I believe it is because of her color. She has been "rooming" at the shelter for almost a year. Everyone here knows Trixie. Today I had some extra time, so I took Trixie out for a walk this morning. One of the gals who works in the office came up to me and ask me to bring Trixie to the office after her walk instead of taking her back to her kennel. The gal said Trixie likes to hang out in the office and everyone loves her so,sure, that is where I took her after playing fetch in the play yard. As soon as we went into the office door, I unleashed Trixie. She reared back and took off behind the counter, "banked" her turn to the right and "Lickety Split " she ran down the hall in hopes that Mike the Shelter Director was in his office. Trixie LOOOVES him and was glad to see him there.. Mike is really good with animals and Trixie was all wiggles when he reached down to greet her. That made her day. I have heard some bad things being said about this shelter, and you can see from this story, these people have a lot of compassion for the animals. So, don't judge a place or a person from a comment someone has made. Know the real facts. As for Trixie, this is home for her. She likes it here with all of her friends,but we still have to find a FOREVER HOME for her. She deserves it.

7 HOME for her. She deserves it. Trixie does love our director Mike but her most favorite person in this world is Deb Snyder, PCAS's Administrative Assistant. Trixie loves to take her afternoon naps in Deb's office and loves it when they get to have playtime in the spree yard. Volunteer Spotlight Our volunteers are the heart of the shelter. We are so lucky to have such dedicated people who care so much about the homeless pets in Pasco. Karen Rafferty is a relatively new volunteer, but in the short time that she has been with us, she has shown so much compassion and love for the animals that we just had to focus the volunteer spotlight on her this month: Karen Rafferty I have only been a volunteer at the Pasco Shelter since the first of March A good friend of mine Heath Bodden kept after me to volunteer. Well, I had to think long and hard,because I can really get involved with animals. If it was left up to me, I wou ld have all of the critters at the shelter at my house. As it is,i have a horse, dog and chickens which I have adopted over time and added to my collection of critters. When I finally decided to go to an Orientation at the shelter for being a Volunteer,I couldn't believe what I was observing with everyone concerned with the animals out there. Everyone without exception have a LOT of Compassion for these animals and put their all into whatever it takes to get homes for them. The Staff, Veterinarians, even the Inmates have a lot of love for the animals. That did it for me,so from that day on, I try to be out there at least two days a week to walk a row of dogs each day. I am getting some age on me,so two hours a day is about all my body can take,especially in the heat. I would like to do more walking and I do sometimes. My time is limited,because I have too much to take care of at home,but find time for walking these guys. I really wish more people would volunteer to do this,especially during the week. They really need walkers and the dogs really look forward to this every day. And, you would be surprised how gratifying it is. It really is a lot of fun,meeting all the different personalities of the dogs. Of course we all have favorites and it breaks my heart when one comes back after being adopted. We can only do so much and the rest is up to

8 back after being adopted. We can only do so much and the rest is up to the dog or cat and the new owner. Sometimes it isn't the animals fault but the new owner lacking knowledge or patience to give them a chance to adjust. Not much we can do about that,but just keep our fingers crossed things work out for the best. Well, I am very happy to be part of this Great Group and hope to be there for a long while. Thinking about becoming a Volunteer? We have volunteers 16 years old and up. The shelter always needs the help of caring, reliable animal lovers. From photography, dog walking, and cat socialization to helping with offsite and onsite events, there is something for everybody. If you are thinking about volunteering, please visit to fill out an application. We have so many dogs and cats needing your help, what are you waiting for? PASCO COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES/19640 DOGPATCH LANE, LAND O'LAKES, FL 34638/(813) STAY CONNECTED: Pasco County Animal Services, Dogpatch Ln, Land O'Lakes, FL 34638

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