4 millionth adoption coming soon. New Grant Programs Reflect the PetSmart Charities Goal of Saving Lives Through High-Impact Spay/Neuter Programs

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1 Fall 2009 New Grant Programs Reflect the PetSmart Charities Goal of Saving Lives Through High-Impact Spay/Neuter Programs Cat enthusiasts gathered in Chicago for our national conference, Feline Forum: Practices and New Perspectives, September Thank you to everyone who was able to attend! Nearly 600 people took part in the feline-focused conference, which included six primary tracks: free roaming cats; adoptions; shelter issues; keeping cats in the home; social issues; and saving cats now and in the future. For those who attended, we hope the conference provided useful tips and information to save and improve the lives of homeless and unwanted cats across North America. Photos from Feline Forum, as well as copies of the speakers presentations, are now available online! Together We Save Lives Adoptions through PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers as of October 7, ,924,815 PetSmart Charities in September announced new grant-funding guidelines for two U.S. programs targeted spay/neuter and free-roaming cat spay/neuter. The new guidelines reflect PetSmart Charities desire to support programs that will make a significant, measurable impact in reducing the birth of homeless and unwanted pets. The new approach not only aligns with animal-welfare and grantmaking best practices nationwide, but also helps save even more lives and provides an opportunity for grantees to improve the effectiveness of their efforts. While applications for the 2009 cycle for these grant programs were due October 15, we will re-open the application process in Please visit our Web site at for updated information. PetSmart Charities anticipates reaching a new pinnacle in our adoption program very soon: lifelong, loving homes for 4 million pets! As of press time, we had reached 3.9 million adoptions, meaning the 4-million mark is fast approaching. This achievement comes just two years after we achieved the 3-millionth adoption now, we re asking our Adoption Partners to be ready because the 4-millionth adoption could be one of YOURS! We celebrated the 1-millionth adoption in June 2001, with Elsie, a retriever mix, from the Lexington Humane Society in Lexington, Ky. With our new guidelines in place, we will consider applications in the range of $10,000 to $100,000, with the possibility of a two-year commitment, explained Monica Neal, director of grants and programs. In addition, grantees will benefit from more support and mentorship during the course of a funded project. The guidelines and application processes for our other programs in-store adoptions, emergency relief, spay/neuter clinic equipment grants, the Rescue Waggin program and conference support remain unchanged, and our popular webinar program also remains free and easily accessible via the internet. Canadian grants also are unaffected by this change. (Continued on page 3) Potentially thousands of free-roaming cats, like this one in California, will be sterilized with grants for free-roaming cat programs 4 millionth adoption coming soon By October 2004, we hit the 2-million mark in O Fallon, Ill., with Louie Armstrong, a beagle mix, from the Metro East Humane Society. In June 2007, Winchester, a Border collie mix from the Colorado Humane Society, joined the Aukamp family of Denver, making him our 3-millionth pet adopted. Be on the lookout for that 4-millionth adoption, and keep up the great work! View our Annual Partnering for Life Report A n n u a l R e p o r t for fiscal year 2008 at page From left to right: Elsie, Louie Armstrong, and Winchester

2 Bones of the Business: Tips for Working Smarter Creative ways to re-think a specific element of the important work you do. If your organization is stronger, you can do more for the animals! This quarter s topic is applying for a grant from PetSmart Charities. Challenge: PetSmart Charities has announced some changes to our grant structure. You re wondering how the adjusted application process will impact your agency. Solution: Don t panic! Our team is ready to answer your questions and provide you with helpful resources! We ve also prepared a helpful, 20-minute recorded webinar on our Web site that will walk you through the changes and the process. Simply go to highimpactgrants to view it. And, we have detailed information on our Web site at To get you started, here s a handy overview of how-tos for applying. 1. Discard all old blank PetSmart Charities grant applications you might have floating around fresh start! The programs addressed by this new process are spay/neuter for free-roaming cats and targeted spay/neuter for owned pets. The new instructions, guidelines and starting information for grants are on We will no longer accept any of the old grant applications. Read the instructions on the Web site, and complete the brief on-line qualification questionnaire. If you qualify through that questionnaire, you ll be provided with the appropriate application. Follow the directions on the application. All applications will require that you provide some pre-project data to confirm the need for the project. Emphasis is on measurable impact and sustainability. The result: even more lives saved across North America. 2. Plan ahead. The deadline for the first wave of these grants was October 15, Start planning now for the 2010 funding deadline, which will be in early Please check our Web site at for updated information about deadlines. If you have a current approved grant with PetSmart Charities, you will need to wait to apply for a new grant, until your current project is complete and your grant follow-up has been submitted. 3. Equipment grants for spay/neuter clinics have their own application process and will be accepted throughout the year. Visit for detailed information. You can also your questions about this particular application process to: clinics@petsmartcharities.org for information (U.S. only). 4. Emergency Relief grants and Canadian grants are not affected by any of these changes. Emergency Relief grants are available throughout the year. You can find information about this program on our Web site at animal-welfare/emergency-relief. You can find information about Canadian grants at Second Chance for Love Fall National Adoption Event A Super Success! On September 11-13, thousands of pets got a Second Chance for Love during our Fall National Adoption event in all U.S. and Canadian PetSmart stores. In fact, 18,150 pets found lifelong, loving homes. That s a 31 percent increase over the fall adoption event in 2008! More than 2,000 animal-welfare agencies in North America participated and showcased adoptable pets at every PetSmart Charities in-store adoption center. Hill s Science Diet Brand was the proud sponsor of the PetSmart Charities Second Chance for Love Fall National Adoption weekend and donated $100,000 to help save the lives of homeless pets. We were extremely proud and excited to be a part of this event, said Neil Thompson, Hill s president and CEO. Hill s is committed to helping homeless cats and dogs find loving, caring homes to enjoy for the rest of their lives. To that end, we donated to PetSmart Charities $10 per pet for the first 10,000 adoptions. In addition, 66 PetSmart stores held larger-scale parking lot events to help even more pets find homes. The next national adoption event takes place November 13-15, We look forward to partnering with you to help thousands more pets find the loving homes they deserve for the holidays and all year long. Special thanks to Purina ProPlan for helping several of our Adoption Partners find loving homes for dogs during baseball season. Purina ProPlan teamed up with Fox Sports Midwest, the St. Louis Cardinals and PetSmart Charities so that six of our Adoption Partners had the chance to showcase adoptable dogs during games at Busch stadium. Pictured at right, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Brad Thompson helps Nicholas, a lovable Australian shepherd from Partners4Pets Humane Society in Troy, Ill., find a new family during the game on August 12. Friendly feline Smoke captured the heart of cat lover Phyllis VanNostrand in Wesley Chapel, Fla. Smoke is among the 18,150 pets adopted during the Second Chance for Love Adoption Event. He melts my heart every time I look at his sweet face, Phyllis said of Smoke. He certainly loves me because he sleeps tucked under my chin every night. A Home Run for Homeless Pets 2

3 PetSmart Charities, Inc. Funds New Pediatric Spay/Neuter Video There is currently an unprecedented demand for skilled veterinarians to perform highquality, high-volume spay and neuter surgeries to prevent unwanted litters and reduce the overpopulation of homeless pets in shelters and on the streets. However, as anyone who has ever worked in a shelter or with a rescue group can attest, it is crucial for that surgery not only to occur, but also to occur as safely as possible for puppies and kittens. To help increase veterinary participation in, and comfort with, pediatric spay/neuter, PetSmart Charities funded a DVD by and for veterinarians. The DVD, which will provide the veterinary practitioner with information and techniques to spay and neuter young pets safely and humanely, will be available for distribution within the next three months. The methods recommended in this video are those used by the National Spay Neuter Response Team of Humane Alliance, and are being taught at several veterinary colleges including the University of Tennessee, Mississippi State University and the University of Florida. In addition to the DVD, there will be accompanying webinars and on site training with CEU credit available for both veterinary practitioners and veterinary students at the Humane Alliance National Training Center in Asheville, N.C. Why it is so important Pediatric, early-age or pre-pubertal sterilization which is supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association refers to the surgical sterilization of patients between the ages of six and 16 weeks. Because cats can experience estrus as early as four to five months of age, delaying spaying of juvenile female kittens results in a significant number of unintentional litters. In fact, many cats who are spayed following sexual maturity are allowed to have one or more litters prior to being spayed. Although dogs are not quite as precocious as cats, the same holds true for them when surgery is delayed until after puberty. Yet, most owned pet cats and dogs are neutered in private veterinary practices where many veterinarians recommend spay/neuter surgery at six to nine months of age. It is not uncommon for private-practice veterinarians never to have spayed or neutered a pediatric animal even though the surgery can be easier and recovery times faster. We hope this video provides information that veterinary practitioners need so they can begin performing more pediatric spay/neuter procedures, said Susana Della Maddalena, executive director of PetSmart Charities, Inc. This procedure is key to preventing literally millions of juvenile puppies and kittens from ever reproducing, and that is crucial to ending the overpopulation of homeless pets. For more information, visit: Holiday Planning Reminder: Santa Claws Is Coming to Town Holidays in October? It s not too early for adoption partners to plan for the upcoming winter holidays including the Santa Claws photo program in PetSmart stores. This promotion provides a great source for donations to your organization and great holiday fun for customers. But don t delay participating organizations will be finalized by November 3. How it works: Customers and their pets can pose for a holiday photo with Santa Claws. Pet Parents will receive one, 4x6 digital photograph in a holiday-themed frame, and $5 of the purchase price will go to the local animal-welfare organization participating that day. Last year, adoption partners sold more than 175,000 photo packages! Dates for the 2009 Santa Claws promotion are December 5-6, and Event times for all days are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. To participate, your organization must provide a minimum of three volunteers: one person aged 18 or older to play the part of Santa ; one photographer; and one individual to print the photographs. Please remember, contract photographers are not allowed. PetSmart will provide everything else including the Santa suit, a digital camera and accessories, and the backdrop. Because we are now using digital photography, volunteers should be up to speed on how to use the equipment that is provided and familiarize themselves with the instructions. We ho-ho-hope you are as excited about this opportunity as we are! If you would like to be a part of the Santa Claws promotion or have additional questions, contact the PetSmart store manager at the location(s) where you would like to participate. This opportunity is extended to multiple adoption partners, so store managers must know if you are interested as soon as possible. Remember: Participating organizations will be finalized by November 3. We look forward to working with you! Saving Lives Through High-Impact Spay/Neuter Programs (continued from cover) What is a targeted spay/neuter program? PetSmart Charities will provide funding to organizations that identify a segment of population that has a critical need for spay/neuter services and can build sustainable programs that have a measurable impact on the segment of the population that was identified (the target population). What is a target population? It could be geographic, such as pets in a specific ZIP code or neighborhood that generates significant shelter intake or has a disproportionate number of strays; It could be a specific breed or color of dog or cat that is disproportionately impounded and euthanized (pit bulls, black cats, big brown dogs); It could be a specific human demographic that needs assistance to spay/neuter their own pets (senior citizens, low-income). What is a free-roaming cat spay/neuter program? PetSmart Charities will provide funding and strategic planning for organizations to develop comprehensive trap-neuter-return With targeted spay/ neuter grant funding, specific breeds such as pit bulls can be sterilized in greater numbers. (TNR) programs for free-roaming cats; this assistance will enable funded agencies to build sustainable programs that reduce feral and stray-cat populations in their communities. 3

4 Meet the Newest Members of the PetSmart Charities, Inc. Team We are pleased to announce the addition of five staff members to the PetSmart Charities team: Dan Tisch, Karin Bishop, Gina Ewert, Julie White and Vanessa Mosher. Dan, Karin, Gina, Julie and Vanessa each bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise in their respective fields, said Susana Della Maddalena, executive director of PetSmart Charities, Inc. We are very happy to have them on board and know they will effectively contribute to the achievement of our vision of a lifelong, loving home for every pet. Dan with Mickey and Louie Karin and Kitty Julie and Teddy Gina and Sedona Vanessa and Duncan Dan Tisch has been named Director of Adoptions and Emergency Relief. He joins us from PetSmart, Inc., where he started in January He has held various positions with PetSmart, Inc. across the United States, most recently as the Director of Services at the corporate office in Phoenix. Tisch is the Pet Parent of two dogs, a fat-tailed gecko and one guinea pig. Karin Bishop has taken the role of Senior Program Manager for Field Capacity Building, Planning and Evaluation and Grants Management. Bishop comes to PetSmart Charities from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, the largest private foundation in Maricopa County, where she had served as grants manager since Bishop is a Pet Parent to two cats. Julie White is a new Program Manager for the spay/neuter team. Previously, White was the Executive Director of the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project in the Seattle area, which is the country s first high-volume spay/neuter clinic focused on feral cats. White is a Pet Parent to three cats. As the Program Manager for Adoptions, Gina Ewert brings 15 years of experience working at PetSmart, Inc., where she most recently worked as a Project Manager for Store Learning. She also worked with PetSmart Charities as a program coordinator from 1997 to1999. Ewert is a Pet Parent to one dog and numerous horses, donkeys, pigs, chickens, goats, cows and llamas. Joining the team as the Electronic Communications Manager is Vanessa Mosher, who comes to PetSmart Charities from PetSmart, Inc., where she worked since 2004 both in Marketing and Information Systems. Her pet family includes seven cats, five horses, two dogs, two chinchillas, one Flemish giant rabbit, one degu, one guinea pig, one parrot and fish. Susana Della Maddalena / Executive Director sdellamaddalena@petsmartcharities.org Susan Gulig / Director of Financial Operations sgulig@petsmartcharities.org Bryan Harding / Director of Brand Strategy and Marketing bharding@petsmartcharities.org Monica Neal / Director of Grants and Programs mneal@petsmartcharities.org Dan Tisch / Director of Adoptions and Emergency Relief dtisch@petsmartcharities.org For newsletter information: Kim Noetzel / Communication Manager knoetzel@petsmartcharities.org For spay/neuter grants: Julie White / Program Manager juwhite@petsmartcharities.org Jeannine Alexander / Program Manager jalexander@petsmartcharities.org For spay/neuter capacity-building grants: Aimee St. Arnaud (U.S.) / Program Manager astarnaud@petsmartcharities.org For emergency relief: Barbara Fought / Manager of Emergency Grants bafought@petsmartcharities.org For conference sponsorships, agency program coaching and Canadian grants: Kit Jenkins / Program Manager kjenkins@petsmartcharities.org For grants administration: Karin Bishop / Senior Program Manager kbishop@petsmartcharities.org Brenda Najera / Administrative Assistant bnajera@petsmartcharities.org For webinar information: Robin Mason / Technology and Education Manager rmason@petsmartcharities.org Suzy Hayton / Administrative Assistant shayton@petsmartcharities.org For the in-store adoptions program: Julie Schmaltz / Senior Program Manager jschmaltz@ssg.petsmart.com Gina Ewert / Program Manager (In-store) glewert@petsmartcharities.org Anita Garcia / Adoptions Manager agarcia@ssg.petsmart.com Mindy Sather / Adoptions Facilitator msather@ssg.petsmart.com For adoption rewards & grant follow-up reports: Patricia Lerma / Administrative Assistant plerma@petsmartcharities.org For Rescue Waggin program information: Carol Moulton / Senior Program Manager cmoulton@petsmartcharities.org 4

5 Lifesaving Volunteers Chuck Austin Chuck Austin No More Homeless Pets in Utah Salt Lake City, Utah Chuck Austin has been a very active volunteer for No More Homeless Pets in Utah since Because Chuck is willing to jump in and do almost anything, he is a valuable asset to the shelter. Maranda Hawkes, the agency s volunteer coordinator, is a big fan of Chuck. He is always a delight to have as a volunteer, she says. Sometimes I will get turned down when I am seeking volunteers for the less glamorous assignments. However, we can count on Chuck for even the most challenging tasks, such as keeping the kennels clean for all the dogs. Chuck always does a great job, and it is evident that he really cares about our animals. Danielle Slaughter, the fundraising and event director, says, We can always rely on Chuck to help out at our bi-annual Super-Adoption events at the Salt Lake City PetSmart store. Without any arm twisting, Chuck always volunteers to fill the dreaded early morning gatekeeper position, and he makes sure that no dog gets loose from the adoption area throughout the event. Chuck has been the caretaker for the dogs at the shelter s kennel for more than a year. He enjoys keeping the kennels clean and giving the dogs the extra attention they crave until they find a home of their own, because he believes the dogs really appreciate it. Amber Randall, an adoptions staff member, sums it all up by saying, Chuck is very dedicated to the dogs and gives them love and affection. His efforts make the dogs more comfortable and he gives them lots of enrichment. He is very valued and much appreciated, and best of all, the dogs love him! Ann Scott SPCA Eastern Shores Onley, Va. Ann Scott has been a volunteer at the SPCA Eastern Shores since the shelter was built in Her husband, Stewart, an animal control officer, was well aware of her love of animals and so he introduced her to the shelter soon after she retired. Ann Scott Sure enough, Ann decided to volunteer. Twenty years later, she is still helping the SPCA Eastern Shores and is one of their outstanding volunteers! For a number of years, Ann handled the spay/neuter program, a daunting task since awareness of the impact of uncontrolled breeding was seemingly low. Ann managed the administration of the program, raised money, arranged veterinary appointments and encouraged the public to spay and neuter their pets. In 2006, the kennel manager, Rodger Crockett, mentioned to Ann that it was very hard on the dogs to sleep on the cold, concrete floors of the kennels. Taking matters into her own hands, Ann began a fundraising campaign to finance beds for the dogs. Today, thanks to Ann, each kennel is equipped with its own pipe-framed dog bed, which makes the dogs much more comfortable during their stay. Says Maureen Lawrence, president of the board of directors, Ann is amazing. She seems to know everyone in our community. She has managed so many of the SPCA programs over the years that her insight on what works here and what doesn t is invaluable. Every Tuesday, you ll find Ann working in the office at the SPCA writing the thank-you notes for donations and memorial gifts. Seven office dogs gather around her as soon as she sits down at her desk, and each one gets a special treat and lots of love. Sheila Crockett, the shelter manager, comments, Ann Scott has been making a difference in the lives of our animals as we look for their forever homes for years. She is a very valued part of our SPCA team and I don t know what we would do without her. Spay/Neuter Clinic Directors Learn from Each Other In August, 32 directors of high-volume spay/neuter clinics met for a day-and-a-half of learning and networking. It was the first time for many of them to meet one other, yet they were linked by the common thread of running their unique and never dull breed of clinic. Energy filled the room as directors shared stories of the amazing, unlikely and downright wacky things they experience just about every day. Topics included marketing their clinics to the public, budgeting for sustainability and surviving the first year. Discussions centered on the how-to s of dealing with no-shows, strengthening transport programs and the role of veterinarians and clinic directors. One fact was clear: 32 clinic directors from across the nation are dealing with the same, basic issues regardless of where they re located. In fact, a common, serious and recurring theme was managing humanresources issues. Because so many clinics are struggling with human resource challenges, PetSmart Charities, Inc. has provided the Humane Alliance with funding to collaborate with a human resources professional and develop a manual of best practices, policies and procedures. The manual can be used as the framework for fashioning an agency s own manual and is expected to be available early next year. A series of in-depth webinars will follow so watch your inboxes for details! 5

6 These in-store opportunities benefit PetSmart Charities and PetSmart Charities of Canada. Funds raised support key programs and services, as well as PetSmart Charities support of animal-welfare groups across North America. Nestlé Purina Show Some Heart October in Canadian stores only When you purchase Purina Pro Plan dry dog and cat food, $1 will be donated to PetSmart Charities of Canada, Inc. Plus, 25 from the purchase of any other Purina pet food will be donated, to a maximum of $25, North 27 th Ave., Phoenix, AZ NON PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID PHOENIX, AZ PERMIT #804 Holiday National Adoption Event November 13-15th in all PetSmart stores, sponsored by Purina Pro Plan Luv-A-Pet Holiday Programs November and December in US and Canadian stores Luv-a-Pet Cash Giving Program at the registers (formerly known as Wish Tree ) US: All donations go to PetSmart Charities to help save homeless pets. Canada: All donations go to PetSmart Charities of Canada to help save homeless pets through local adoption partners in Canada. Collectable Ornaments Sponsored by PetSmart, Inc. 25 percent of the sale price of each ornament goes to PetSmart Charities and PetSmart Charities of Canada to help save homeless pets. Collectable Plush Dog Toy Chance, sponsored by PetSmart, Inc. 10 percent of the sales price of each dog toy goes to PetSmart Charities and PetSmart Charities of Canada to help save homeless pets. Chance, the Collectable Plush Dog Toy Conferences PetSmart Charities believes in professionalizing the field of animal welfare. In the next few months, we re sponsoring training events at: Association of Animal Welfare Administrators of Ontario Niagara Falls, ON, Canada 10/23 Shelter Medicine Conference Gainesville, Fla. 10/23-24 Best Friends No More Homeless Pets conference Las Vegas, Nev. 10/23-10/25 Central Arizona Animal Cruelty Taskforce: Animal Hoarding seminar Phoenix, Ariz. 10/29 PetSmart Charities, Inc. is an independent, 501(c)(3) organization, and PetSmart Charities of Canada, Inc. is a registered charity of Canada. Your donations to both organizations are deductible to the fullest extent of the law. How Do You Use Webinars? Texas Animal Control Association (TACA) training conference Corpus Christi, Texas 11/8-11/11 Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA) national conference Austin, Texas 11/15-11/17 Michigan Animal Welfare conference Lansing, Mich. 12/11 There are a number of different ways that your agency can utilize webinar training. Jen Huber, assistant director, Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter in Louisiana, sent the following describing how her agency makes the most of PetSmart Charities webinars: I am in charge of creating training programs for all members of my staff of 50 (clerical, kennel, rescue coordinators, animal control officers and management), and I am the assistant director of an open admission government shelter that intakes approximately 20,000 animals a year in the New Orleans area. My staff was eager to get more training, but my budget for training was very small. After discovering the recorded webinars, I made different lists of required viewing for all the positions. I have received nothing but positive feedback from my staff, and I have received requests for copies of my required viewing lists from other groups in the area who have heard about the webinars from my staff members. I will discuss each webinar with my staff after they view it, and I constantly get feedback telling me how they can immediately put some of what they learned into action. These webinars are the best training l have found, and I can t wait to see more of them being developed. Do you have any interesting stories about how you use webinars or how they have impacted your organization? If so, please feel free to your story to pciprograms@petsmartcharities.org. Remember, you can access live and recorded webinars at PetSmart Charities, Inc. All rights reserved.