Humane Society of Fairfax County Dedicated to Rescuing, Housing and Adopting Homeless Animals

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1 HSFC STATE OF THE ARK NEWSLETTER Humane Society of Fairfax County Dedicated to Rescuing, Housing and Adopting Homeless Animals WINTER 2006 ADOPTIONS 2005 was a great year for adoptions for the Humane Society 384 in total. The Humane Society placed: 324 cats 46 dogs 5 rabbits 3 Horses 2 Birds 4 Guinea Pigs A special thanks to all of our foster homes, home visit volunteers, socializers, outreach program volunteers and adoption placement volunteers. We have many wonderful animals currently in our care awaiting new homes. Our hopes are to make 2006 an even better year for adoptions. HELPING THE COMMUNITY Since inception, the HSFC has been there to help with abused and abandoned animals whether we took the animals into our care or helped with vet bills for those who could not afford the care, but did not want to give up their animal. Beginning in 2004, we began to track the latter those community members that we have helped with pets that they did not want to give up.in 2005, we provided financial assistance for approximately 24 animals to receive the medical care they needed. PAGE 1

2 As you know, the HSFC instituted a new feral TNR (Trap, Neuter & Return) program in late In 2005, the feral outreach program trapped, neutered and released (TNR d) 353 cats and kittens. In 2005, we responded to 6,642 phone calls and 6,567 s. Some examples of calls received include referrals of 158 low cost spay/neuter calls, 98 wildlife assistance calls, 179 calls were referred to the county shelter, and 42 calls were individuals requesting vet referrals. FUNDRAISING 2005 was a great year for the Humane Society in its attendance at area fundraising events. These events included our participation at the Fairfax City Festival, Fairfax High School Crafts Show, PetsMart Adopt-A-Thon, Fairfax Corner Pet Photos, Cayennes for Canines event, and holiday gift-wrapping at local Borders stores. Thanks to the many volunteers who helped make these events such a huge success. SECOND CHANCE 1 AND 2 GREAT SALES Our two thrift stores had great sales for way to go!!!! We hope revenues continue to climb in Our thanks to all of you at both Second Chance 1 and VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD GOES TO JEANNE TAYLOR Jeanne Taylor started volunteering with HSFC in early 2003, initially to re-do the organization s website. But all it took was a trip to Pleasant Valley Kennel, where our dogs were boarded at the time, to take new pictures for the website and meeting Twister for the first time and she was hooked! Jeanne started taking weekend trips to the farm to socialize with the dogs and then the visits became twice weekly, which continue to this day. It s such a part of my regular schedule now, I actually plan my client work around my farm trips. Fortunately, Jeanne is self-employed and can arrange her schedule so she can visit the farm during the week. In addition to operating a freelance consortium for graphic, web and event planning projects (JT2 Design), she also works as a freelance Title Insurance Agent supporting a number of local title companies. I know that most people have employment-related commitments that keep them from volunteering during the week so that s when I try to go I know there will be plenty of visits and attention from other volunteers on the weekends. She still visits Twister every week and helps baby sit him on-and-off when his new mom, Katie, travels. Jeanne and her husband, John, live in Fairfax with their three spoiled Catahoula Leopard Dogs aged 13, 10 and 7, all of whom are in excellent health and have come to appreciate the farm trips. Sometimes John accompanies her to volunteer and sometimes, weather permitting, the dogs even ride along to see what all the fuss is about. We thank Jeannie for her commitment to the organization and the animals in the past and in the years to come. She is a truly valuable member to the team and we could not do it without her. PAGE 2

3 AND IT S A TIE FOR 2005 HONOR- ABLE MENTION VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR: SYLVIA JONES & MIMI DAILEY Sylvia Jones grew up in Prince Edward Island, Canada (Anne of Green Gables country). She lived on a farm and had a large variety of pets to pass the time. Her parents always stressed that animals had feelings, just like people, and set a good example to treat them well. She first came to the HSFC about 10 years ago. She returned full-time to work at Second Chance 1 after her retirement from United Airlines in She especially enjoys the contact with the customers and the challenge of "identifying" some of the donations to the thrift shop - especially, items that are "unique" and likely to be more valuable to the shop. Her daughter assisted a wildlife agent in high school and Sylvia caught some of the "overflow" chores. One job was to transport injured or baby birds to a wonderful lady, Meg Hickman, in downstate Virginia. Sylvia was inspired by Ms. Hickman, who rehabilitated and released thousands of birds, to become more active herself in animal welfare work. Her present pets include an 8-year-old feisty cairn terrier, Jessie, and a much-spoiled chocolate lab, named Hershey. Hersh had a difficult life, having been rescued twice before finding the Jones family. Adopting Hershey has made Sylvia appreciate the many benefits of taking in an "older" dog. Hersh and Jessie keep Sylvia's husband, Bob, healthy by demanding two long walks a day. Sylvia is a proud first time grandmother and delights in 8-month-old granddaughter, Audrey. She also volunteers in the Fairfax INOVA Hospital System. Mimi Dailey grew up in Copenhagen, Denmark, and because she lived in an apartment, was not allowed to have any pets. Beginning at the age of 10, she worked every summer on a farm helping to take care of the chickens, cows and horses. In return, she received free room and board. It was paradise for the city slicker. She came to the HSFC in 1995 after we moved to our new building on Chain Bridge Road and were looking for volunteers. Her first choice was to work with the animals but she was needed in the Thrift Store. So other than some cat socializing and feeding when needed, she spent most of her time in the store and continues to do so today. With her business background, she was well prepared and really enjoys working in the store and dealing with the customers. As Mimi told us, the real reason she is happy is because she is helping provide welfare for the animals. Mimi's household has included 2 cats, 3 dogs and 2 birds but is now down to 1 beloved cat, Minky who is spoiled rotten. Two days a week she is nanny for her 2 grand-daughters in her home. She is also active in several clubs and often travels with her husband, Jack, on business trips. A special thanks to Sylvia and Mimi from all of us at the HSFC especially the animals. They are true assets to the organization and we can t thank them enough. PET PHOTOS WITH SANTA AT FAIRFAX CORNER If you happened by Fairfax Corner over the Christmas holiday weekend of December 10th, it probably wasn t sleigh bells you heard jingling but rather dogs barking. That s right; dogs in every shape, size, and breed were getting into the Christmas spirit. And many were decked out in their holiday finest for a photo op with jolly old St. Nick himself. WASH-FM presided over the event and Wylie Wagg provided treats for the pets. For the artistically inclined, Color Me Mine offered framed Paw Prints. And because all of the proceeds from the photo fee were donated to the Humane Society of Fairfax County, we made sure we were well represented includ- PAGE 3

4 ing our adorable adoptables, Elvis, Krypto, and Fritz. We d like to extend a warm thank you: to the attendees, shoppers and Fairfax Corner business community for their generous support to our volunteers who made this event such a fun event and adoption success (that s right, Fritz, one of our adorables found a forever home as a result of the event) and to WASH and to Kathy Smith at Peterson Mgmt for orchestrating this event. So the next time you are in Wylie Wagg, drop your spare change in our HSFC donation jar and if you happen to be in the Fairfax Corner area, keep an eye out for a Dog Day Afternoon in the spring or summer. LOOK WHO FOUND A HOME!!!! Bubba was a stray found by a concerned citizen in October 1998 and took him to one of our vets. In turn, our vet contacted us with his sad story, and being the softies that we are, we took him in right away. Bubba was first in line for the early morning feeding. He must have remembered how it felt to be hungry. Sometimes he would try to be "king of the hill", but he usually liked nothing better than a scratch under his chin. He didn't always greet potential adopters and was therefore often overlooked. We thought we would have the pleasure of his company for a long time. But after seven years with us, Bubba got a wonderful new home just before Christmas. His new family says he's doing fine and loves all of his new toys he got from Santa Claws. Tom, like Bubba, had been at HSFC for some time. He was also a stray that was brought to us, and as a result, we didn't know exactly how old he was. We had him for many years and thought we d have him for many more due to his age. He was always very dignified looking and well behaved. We thought of him as our senior statesman. He loved treats, and would occasionally sit up for one, but only for a second. He could usually be found lounging on a pillow in the sun. Right around the beginning of the holiday season, an adopter came in looking for a quiet older cat. Tom was just what she wanted, and it was an excellent match. We hope he will have many happy hours lounging on a pillow in the sun in his new home. Kricket, a beautiful silky black Dutch rabbit was adopted on Christmas Eve. He wasn't always this way. Kricket was caught in the Katrina AND the Rita hurricanes and was luckily rescued by HSFC volunteers who had gone to New Orleans to help with animal rescue after the hurricanes. He was filthy; flea and tick infested and had small bites on his body. He was painfully thin, a little scared, but liked to be held. Within just a few weeks of carrots, lettuce, hay and of course, lots of love, he was a new rabbit. He is thankful for being rescued and even more for a new home. KENNEL UPDATES We ve broken ground on our new dog kennel and have created a mudslide! The weather hasn t been too cooperative, but at this point, we re just glad we ve started the project. Since this is a prefab building, things should start to roll along quickly, if we can ever get the actual building permit issued from the county! We ve got our construction permit, however, this only lets us go so far. Hopefully, by the PAGE 4

5 time you read this, we will be back in action and closer to having our dream kennel. It will be great to finally have lots of space for our dogs and add to the number of dogs we can accommodate. Our temporary shelters have been nice, and we will certainly use them in the future for our long-term dogs, however we are counting the days till our state of the art kennel is complete. NEW FACES AND LONG NOSES IN THE BARN Our barn is filled to capacity with happy horses. We recently took in two new horses to add to our barn of 7 other equines. Black Jack was given to us from a family who could no longer house him. Because of several medical issues, he can no longer be ridden, but his great personality makes him a very placeable horse. Tess, our little oneeyed mare, came to us through our horse veterinarian. Her owner works with them and had seen our beautiful farm many times. When it became a financial burden for her to care for Tess, she asked for our help. Our two new faces have bonded quickly with our other horses and are patiently waiting with them for forever homes. RECORD DOG ADOPTIONS! This past November and December were banner months. We placed 20 dogs into loving homes during those two months. These lucky pups were finally home for Christmas. A huge thanks to all the farm volunteers who helped make these adoptions possible. Socializers spend hours rehabilitating the shy guys and we depend on their efforts to help get our dogs ready for new homes. Some dogs just need that extra time and lovin and our volunteers are there to give it to them. AN OLDIE, BUT A GOODIE! A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?" "This is Heaven, sir," the man answered. "Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked. "Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up." The man gestured, and the gate began to open. "Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked. "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets." The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another steep hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. "Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?" "Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in." "How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog. "There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a PAGE 5

6 bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree. "What do you call this place?" the traveler asked. "This is Heaven," he answered. "Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too." "Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell." "Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?" "No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind." SOME OF OUR FAVORITE ANIMAL QUOTES Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. -Roger Caras Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein The average dog is a nicer person than the average person. -Andy Rooney If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. -Will Rogers There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. -Ben Williams A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. -Josh Billings PLANTS TOXIC TO CATS & DOGS Below is a short list of plants known to be toxic to cats and dogs. For a more complete listing, please visit th=/public/livingwithyourpets/poisonpreventi on/ txt Aloe Vera Amarylillis Apple (seeds) Apricot (pit) Asparagus Fern Azalea Baby s Breath Caladium Calla Lily Cherry (seeds and wilting leaves) Daffodil Devil s Ivy Dieffenbachia Easter Lily (especially cats) Elephant Ears English Ivy Geranium Mother-in-Law s Tongue Narcissus Onion Oriental Lily (especially cats) Lily of the Valley Peace Lily Poinsettia (low toxicity) Primrose Rhododendron Tiger Lily (especially cats) Tomato Plant (green fruit, stem and leaves) FUTURE ISSUES OF STATE OF THE ARK Anyone wishing to include an article in the next issue of State of the Ark should submit content in writing to the Administrative Office, Attention, Mary Kendall, by March 31. In addition, anyone interested in helping put the newsletter together, please contact Mary as well. HUMANE SOCIETY MISSION The Humane Society of Fairfax County, Inc. (HSFC) is a non-profit, private organization established in The mission of the Humane Society of Fairfax County, Inc. is to PAGE 6

7 promote humane education; to prevent all forms of cruelty to animals, both domestic and wild, by every legitimate means; and to assist the community with all matters pertaining to the welfare of animals. HOURS & INFORMATION HSFC Administrative Office 4057 Chain Bridge Rd. Fairfax PETS Hours of operation: Monday - Friday 10-5 Saturday 10-4; Sunday - Closed Cat and Small Mammal Adoptions- Administrative offices Chain Bridge Rd. Fairfax PETS Adoption hours: Monday - Friday 10-4 Saturday 10-3; Sunday - Closed Second Chance 1 - Thrift Store 4057 Chain Bridge Rd. Fairfax Hours of operation: Monday - Friday 10-4 Saturday 10-3; Sunday - Closed Second Chance 2 - Thrift Store 929 W. Broad St. Falls Church Hours of operation: Monday - Friday 10-4 Saturday 10-4; Sunday - Closed HSFC Farm Lee Highway Centreville All visitors must call ahead Dog and Horse adoptions -by appointment only South Paws Emergency Clinic 8500 Arlington Blvd., Fairfax, VA Emergency Vet Clinic of Northern Virginia 416 Maple Ave., West, Vienna, VA Prince William Emergency Vet Clinic 8610 Centreville Rd, Manassas, VA Springfield Emergency Vet Clinic 6651-F Backlick Rd, Springfield, VA VA/MD Vet Emergency Services 2660 Duke St., Alexandria, VA Fairfax County Animal Shelter (Warden) Wildlife Assistance Hotline Chief Administrative Personnel Co-Office Managers: Marlene Hammer & Shannon Pederson Full-time Thrift Store Manager: Elisa Botera Full-time Animal/Farm Caretaker: Cara Donato Board of Directors President: Vicki Kirby Vice President / Treasurer: Mary Kendall Corresponding Secretary: Marlene Hammer Recording Secretary: Lynne Mayo HSFC Outreach Cat Program Cat Adoptions held at area PetsMart and Wylie Wagg stores- check our website " for dates and times or call PETS United Way Campaign #9142 Emergency Services PAGE 7