S P E C I A L S E C T I O N. Celebrating the Grand Opening

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1 S P E C I A L S E C T I O N Raise the Woof to celebrate Foothills Animal Shelter Pet lovers will have two opportunities to tour the recently opened Foothills Animal Shelter. The Raise the Woof events will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, and conclude that evening. The shelter, which officially opened Aug. 11, and Foothills Animal Foundation will host two grand opening events one designed to get the community excited about the new facility and one to fundraise for homeless animals. The morning event is free. People are encouraged to bring their families to tour the shelter from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the new location on the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 580 McIntyre St. Attendees can explore the facility on interactive tours, and learn about the features of the building that make it an efficient and less stressful place for animals to live. There will be live music by the Mellow Johnnies and Come August Trio, as well as face painting for children. Jose O Shea s Café and Cantina will provide food, and there will be giveaways and a raffle. Colorado s Celtic Steps School of Irish Dance will provide entertainment, and Animals i View will demonstrate canine massage on adoptable dogs. In addition, people will have the opportunity to visit with hundreds of adoptable animals ready to find a loving home. After the community celebration, a special VIPP (Very Important People for Pets) Gala will be 5 to 8 p.m. at The Mathews Collection event center in Arvada, 5889 Lamar St. People will listen to music provided by the Wild Ivories Dueling Piano Saloon and sample food from nearly 20 local restaurants and chefs. The Mathews Collection features a car collection on the showroom floor so people can also view the variety of cars while celebrating. Silent and live auctions offering vacations, art, pet products and other items will take place throughout the night. Tickets for the VIPP Gala are $150, and can be purchased online or over the phone. The proceeds from ticket sales and the auctions will go directly to the shelter. For information about both grand opening events, visit foothillsanimalshelter.org. IF YOU GO: What: Community event When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 What: Gala When: 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 For more information, visit: FoothillsAnimalShelter.org Surgery suite to soothe animals nerves at new facility Decreased animal stress will lead to greater efficiency Going into surgery can be nerveracking, but for the animals at Foothills Animal Shelter, it doesn t have to be. A new surgery suite was constructed to ensure the least amount of stress and discomfort for any animal needing care within Moving into this building is going to enable us to improve the level of care that we can provide for our animals. Cindy Hill Veterinarian the facility. Technical equipment fills the calming, sea-foam-green-colored suite, which, according to shelter veterinarian Cindy Hill, is a huge improvement from the old facility. Moving into this building is going to enable us to improve the level of care that we can provide for our animals, she said. The surgery suite is one important component of this upgrade. Instead of a cramped space where accommodating one surgeon and all the necessary equipment was a struggle, Hill will now have ample room to perform a wide range of procedures, from simple vaccinations to life-saving operations. The suite s layout will also help keep temperatures controlled, airflow regulated and noise levels down. All of this will ensure that animals are calmer when they come in for surgery, which makes operations quicker and smoother. Although the surgery suite has changed since the move from Table Mountain Animal Center, many of the services provided at the shelter are the same. Low-cost services such as spaying and neutering, micro-chipping and vaccinations will still be available to the community. Spays and neuters will take place four days a week. However, the shelter will not provide full-service veterinary services, so pet owners are encouraged to maintain a relationship with a veterinarian or clinic. For more information, call or visit foothillsanimalshelter.org.

2 PAGE 2 > AUGUST 19, 2010 > MILE HIGH NEWSPAPERS More space will allow better environment for animals TMAC changes name, location When the Foothills Animal Shelter was founded, it had a smaller role and a different name. The Jefferson Animal Center was founded in 1976 as an impound facility for dogs. The original building was small and meant strictly for stray canines. Twenty years later, increased demand and the need to save other animals led the shelter to change its name to Table Mountain Animal Center (TMAC). With a large number of animals, center staff felt a strain in the small space. Now, more than 30 years since its founding, the shelter has undergone another name change and moved from its original location to Jefferson County Fairgrounds. It is now called the Foothills Animal Shelter. The new facility is beautiful, said Heather Cameron, executive director. It has a great location and a striking design that will raise our visibility and allow us to serve our community at a whole new level. Cameron said one of the facility s advantages is its size. At 30,000 square feet, the new building is twice as big as TMAC. This allows for larger holding areas and better ventilation. While the shelter offers space for education, training and public gatherings, the focus remains on We re known for having staff and volunteers who are passionate about providing life-saving care for the animals and pets we shelter. making sure the animals are safe, healthy and happy. The shelter is one of the largest in the Denver metro area, serving nearly 10,000 animals per year, according to its website. The new building allows the shelter to house a lot of animals while also offering low-cost services to the public, including spay and neutering, vaccinations and micro-chip implantation. There also will be ample opportunities for adoption, as the shelter will remain an open-admissions facility, never turning an animal away. Cameron is confident that the caring people who work at the shelter will make it a better place for animals to temporarily live. We re known for having staff and volunteers who are passionate about providing life-saving care for the animals and pets we shelter, she said. The new Foothills Animal Shelter will showcase their work and our mission to serve animals and people with care and compassion." S P E C I A L S E C T I O N Heather Cameron Executive director Reilly and Kathy Godson, with kitten Betty. Volunteers valued at shelter Godson family enjoys fostering kittens The volunteers at Foothills Animal Shelter are essential in helping provide quality care to animals and excellent services to the public. Kathy and Reilly Godson are two wonderful volunteers who have gone above and beyond all expectations to help the shelter. The Godson family started fostering kittens in 2008 and has fostered 28 kittens so far. I love animals, and I wanted to do more than just care for my own. So we decided that we could foster kittens, said 12-year-old Reilly. Foster families provide temporary homes for animals that have special needs or are too young to be adopted. In 2009, 1,100 animals were sent into foster care. Godson family members open their hearts and home to the kittens when they are very young, by Photo Submitted giving them a comfortable and loving place to stay until they are old enough to be adopted into their forever homes. Reilly and my husband would keep every single kitten if they could. We all cry a little every time they leave, Kathy said. Kathy and Reilly don t stop with helping the shelter. Reilly is currently working on a cookbook with a friend that she will sell at the grand opening of the new Foothills Animal Shelter. All the proceeds will go to the shelter. This is an incredibly generous gesture, especially since Reilly is only 12. A huge thank-you goes to the Godson family for extraordinary kindness and to all the volunteers who help make the services and animal care provided by Foothills Animal Shelter possible. Story submitted by Foothills Animal Shelter. **Good for first time customers only. Coupon bears no cash value. Not available in FL locations. Offer expires 11/25/10. Cannot be combined with any other coupon or offer. *First Night Free applies to first night of boarding for first time boarding pets only. Good for one free night of boarding per pet in total. First Night Free policy may not be combined with any other promotional boarding offer. Visit for details. Not valid at FL locations.

3 MILE HIGH NEWSPAPERS > AUGUST 19, 2010 > PAGE 3 S P E C I A L S E C T I O N Charlie, a domestic shorthair, relaxes on the step ladder inside Foothills Animal Shelter on Aug. 9. Photo by JUSTIN SAGARSEE Small animals to benefit from new holding rooms Special considerations included for cats, birds and reptiles Visitors to the Foothills Animal Shelter may notice purrs of contentment coming from the shelter s area designed exclusively for cats. The front of the shelter was designed to hold cat colonies away from other animals. These separate areas will help make life more pleasant for the cats at the shelter, said Heather Dulcy, customer care and foster manager. Stress levels will decrease with the fabulous new cat area, she said. Cats can jump and play on structures in the area reserved for them. The room is large enough for each animal to have his or her own space. Soundproof walls also guarantee that cats won t be disturbed by the loud and sometimes stressful sound of dogs barking. The large windows let in natural light and allow cats to get a glimpse of the outside world. All of these components com- bined will result in less stress for cats, which managers think will make them more adoptable. Patrons will get the joy of truly visiting with the cats in a calm environment, Dulcy said. (It s) a luxury that would not have been possible at the outdated Table Mountain Animal Center facility. Cats at the old center were sometimes held in kennels next to dogs, and most animals were kenneled in the same room. The new shelter will be an improvement for other small animals too. Reptiles, birds, small rodents and other non-traditional pets will be kept in separate holding areas, each featuring temperature control and soundproofing. We ll be able to keep our reptiles at the warmer temperatures they need while still keeping the rodents and birds happy in their holding places, said Jennifer Strickland, community relations manager. Strickland and Dulcy agree that the features of the new building will keep all animals, not just dogs, happy and healthy. DAY EVENT: Raise the Woof, Foothills Animal Shelter grand opening When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 Where: 580 McIntyre St., near 6th Avenue and Colfax Street in Golden on the Jefferson County Fairgrounds Info: The event is free; interactive shelter tours, live music, face painting, adoptable animals, food, demonstrations and giveaways. GALA EVENT: VIPP (Very Important People for Pets) Gala When: 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 Where: The Mathews Collection, 5889 Lamar St. in Arvada. Info: Tickets are $150 per person and are limited. Gala features a tasting dinner, entertainment, and extensive silent and live auctions. Call to reserve tickets.

4 PAGE 4 > AUGUST 19, 2010 > MILE HIGH NEWSPAPERS S P E C I A L S E C T I O N ON THE MOVE TOP LEFT: Cindy Cooper, one of 100 people helping transfer animals from Table Mountain Animal Center to Foothills Animal Shelter, guides Steve into the back of a Jefferson County Sheriff s Office vehicle for transport on Aug. 9. All photos by JUSTIN SAGARSEE Animal Care Manager Caleb Mondragon, left, works with volunteers to remove dogs from kennels at Table Mountain Animal Center. ABOVE: Caleb Mondragon, center, and Mary McKenna, right, give Romo some affection before walking him out to a transport vehicle at Table Mountain Animal Center. Chana Guy, supervisor with Jefferson County Animal Control, waits for room to be made in a transport vehicle outside of Table Mountain Animal Center.

5 MILE HIGH NEWSPAPERS > AUGUST 19, 2010 > PAGE 5 S P E C I A L S E C T I O N TOP LEFT: Steve, a 10-month-old yellow Labrador retriever, waits for the door to close before being transferred to Foothills Animal Shelter. BOTTOM LEFT: Diane Redmond, volunteer at Table Mountain Animal Center, removes name and information plates from old kennels after dogs had been transported to the new Foothills Animal Shelter. Ric Romano escorts Steve into the new Foothills Animal Shelter on Aug. 9. Volunteers, staff members and officers with local animal control agencies worked diligently to transfer 247 animals from Table Mountain Animal Center into their new home at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Thank you to our Grand Opening Event sponsors!

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