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1 PAWS NEWSLETTER May 2017 Contact Us: Office: Fax: GarlandAnimalServices.org Our Staff: Animal Services Manager Uriel Villalpando, MBA Veterinarian Dr. Robert E. Osborne D.V.M. Shelter Supervisor/ Rescue Coordinator Hugo Espinoza Animal Services Leads Adrian Olivarez Jose Martinez Justin Craft Department Coordinator Gracie Morales Animal Service Officers Arsenio Araiza Brad Vanover Brandon Williams Chad Miller David Hernandez Diego Ortiz Emmanuel Vargas Joseph Dineen Rudy Mancilla Stephen Bernal Trent Miller Shelter Technician Randy McNair Feral cats, also called community cats, are members of the domestic cat species just like pet cats, but are not socialized to people, nor are they adoptable. They typically live in groups called colonies and have strong social bonds with their colony members. The City of Garland has an active Trap Neuter Return (TNR) program to help with the rising unwanted feral cat Balancing New Technology population. Feral cats are humanely trapped and brought to the shelter. TNR picks up the cat, performs a spay or neuter, and releases the sterilized animal back in the area from which it came. Please remember to notify the officer picking up the cat that you want to participate in the TNR program. To call for a pickup, call , option 1. Let the dispatcher know that you have a trapped cat for the TNR program.. Trap: Humanely trap all of the cats in a colony (a group of cats living outdoors together). Neuter: Take the cats in their traps to a veterinarian or clinic to be neutered, vaccinated, and ear tipped (a universal symbol indicating they have been neutered). Return: Return the cats to their original outdoor home. Animal Shelter & Adoption Center 600 Tower St. Garland, TX Mon. - Fri. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m Pet Adoption Center 813 Main St. Garland, TX Mon.-Wed. 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Thu. 10 am. - 7:30 p.m. Fri. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

2 Adoptions By Lead Animal Officer Justin Craft Adopting a new pet is such a gratifying experience. When you adopt a pet, not only do they become a loyal companion, they also become lifelong commitments. Adopting a pet is not as easy as it may seem; often times people are eager to adopt a pet but they later realize they may have taken on more than they can handle. Here are some things to think about: Do you have the patience to house train a pet? Do you know how to house train a pet? Who will care for your pet while you are away? Are you willing to clean up after your pet? Can you afford the basic health-care costs? Does your budget allow for necessities such as quality food, collars, leashes, bowls, carriers, toys, etc.? What if the personality or size of the pet (as an adult pet) is not what you wanted or expected? Are you or any of your family members allergic to dogs or cats? Do you have time in your day to devote to your pet and its needs? Can you commit to exercising with your pet at least once a day? And most importantly, is everyone in your household on the same page with the idea of having a pet? Adopting a pet is a major commitment, so when you decide to adopt, please make sure that you are adequately prepared for a lifelong commitment to this animal. It is up to you to ensure that the animal gets the love and support that they need in order for the adoption to be successful. If you have any questions or concerns, don t hesitate to contact the Animal Shelter where you adopted your pet from. If necessary, invest in a good, positive obedience class. 2

3 Wildlife Tips By Lead Animal Officer Adrian Olivarez This time of the year we generally spend more time outdoors, whether working on the lawn or family activities, spending more time outdoors will increase the chance of seeing a bobcat or coyote, this is common in the city of Garland but some people may find it to be a nuisance. If you want to deter them, one of the best methods you can use is called hazing. Hazing is used to spook the animal away, you can yell at it, wave your arms or a stick, and make noise with an object or yell and wave. It is very rare that a coyote or bobcat will come in contact with a human and if you see one more than likely they are just passing by. You can take several precautions to discourage visits and protect pets: Protect Your Yard Keep pet food and water inside. Keep garbage securely stored. Keep pets inside, confined securely in a kennel or covered exercise yard, or within the close presence of an adult. Walk pets on a leash and accompany them outside, especially at night. Do not feed wildlife on the ground; keep wild bird seed in feeders designed for birds elevated or hanging above ground, and clean up spilled seed from the ground; coyotes can either be drawn directly to the seed, or to the rodents drawn to the seed. Keep fruit trees fenced or pick up fruit that falls to the ground. Do not feed birds or other wildlife, which might attract bobcats and coyotes. 3

4 Bobby, Just Your Friendly Neighborhood Bobcat By Lead Animal Officer Jose Martinez Bobcats are rarely seen in neighborhoods because of their shy, solitary and reclusive nature, but, they occasionally take a stroll through a residential neighborhood. People often mistake bobcats for either a domestic cat or a mountain lion, but they actually look quite distinct. Bobcats are two times larger than a typical domestic cat and or sometimes larger but smaller than a mountain lion. The bobcat s coat tends to be a light brownish-blonde, with dark spots on its legs, backsides and sides. Other distinguishing features include pointed ears with hair tuft tips; a mountain lion has a long tail to where a bob cat has a short, bobbed tail (4-6 inches in length); and rear legs which are disproportionately longer than front legs. Bobcats tend to prefer small mice, rats, squirrels, chickens, wild birds, feral cats and wild rabbits as a main delicacy. With the expansion of our city and the destruction or their natural habitat causing a shortage of their natural food supply, it is the reason they can sometimes be seen lurking through your local neighborhoods. It is very possible that small dogs left outside unattended might be considered as prey as well, so be vigilant and try to keep them on a leash and or try not to leave unattended when they are outside. Recommended solutions and precautions to take to create an inhospitable atmosphere and to not encourage Bobcats from staying or visiting you property would be: Do not leave pet food outside, pick up any fallen fruit from trees, don t leave pets to roam outdoors unattended, not leaving bird seed on the ground, and try to minimize leaving wood piles or dense vegetation that would provide a hiding places for bobcats to lurk awaiting for prey. Urban wildlife can be considered opportunistic, meaning they will eat about anything readily available and will take food that is the easiest to get. When coming across a bobcat try not to make eye contact and or stare at it for long periods of time. This would also include not taking the time to take a photo. The less interaction one has with the bobcat the less likely it is to feel comfortable around humans. The best solution would be to show dominance and a show of force. Either shouting, using blow horns or whistles; pretty much using any source of a loud noise to scare it away. While trying to set a trap to try and trap a bobcat may seem like the more suitable solution; the belief that the solution is to trap and remove and relocate animals is like assuming that if you moved out of your home, no one would move in; it s inconceivable and illogical. 4

5 Pet Adoption Center 813 Main St. Garland, TX Mon.-Wed. 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Thu. 10 am. - 7:30 p.m. Fri. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Donations Needed We are always in need of volunteers to help staff the Pet Adoption Center (PAC) at 813 Main Street in downtown Garland. The PAC is staffed entirely by volunteers - so if you can spare some time to help us out - we'd greatly appreciate it. Our volunteer activities are scheduled on the website Meet Up. Right now we are actively recruiting volunteers to help us out at our Saturday adoption events. Click here for more information and to sign up. If you would like to donate items, check out our wish list on Amazon. We have an abundance of some items such as collars and leashes so check out our list or contact us if you'd like to donate any food or supplies not on our wish list. Click Here to Visit Our Amazon Wish list! We are so grateful for your support in helping us care for these animals. 5

6 Just When You Think You Have Seen it All By Shelter Supervisor Hugo Espinoza A few months ago, I wrote an article explaining the different things that Garland Animal Services handles. More than just dog catchers. Well, just when you think we had seen it all, you get a call for an owl stuck in a tree, and a dog stuck in a tree. Go figure. I thought I had seen it all when I loaded a pot belly pig running at large into my truck, and responded to a llama at large call. While this was a few years ago, our animal control responds to some of the oddest calls sometimes. Officer Brandon Williams was called out for an owl stuck in a tree. A what? Yes, and as odd as that sounds, the owl was actually tangled in a branch near one of our creeks here in Garland. Officer Williams quickly sprung to action. He first thought of how to get the owl down from the branch, as he could see that the owl was tangled enough on some fishing line that it couldn t fly. Well, he tied his pocket knife to a long stick and cut the line, while the citizen who called in held a branch for the owl to stand on. They safely brought the owl down to the ground and then the real action continued. Officer Williams carefully, and within safe distance, began to untangle the fishing line from the owl s wing. He was safely able to 6

7 untangle the line, and the owl was taken to be checked out by the citizen who had contacts with rescues and rehabilitators. Thanks to the citizen reporting this incident, and Officer William s quick actions, this owl remained safe. Now while we never really think that a bird would get stuck in a tree, it can happen, with a little carelessness of someone littering. More odd, would be to say that a German Shepherd was stuck in a tree, but that too happened and once again, an odd call strikes. We now take you to a call that left many of us puzzled, a call with a reported German Shepherd stuck in a tree. Sounds like a tall tale, but in fact Officer Rudy Mancilla and Officer Brandon Williams arrived at an address that indeed had a German Shepherd stuck in a tree. Thinking there was no way this could be, it truly happened. Now of course, I m sure the Fire Department thought the same thing as the old cliché about a stuck cat in a tree must come to mind. The fire fighters graciously let our officers use their ladder to get this dog down, as at some point the dog must have realized he had actually climbed a tree but now couldn t come back down. I m sure the dog amazed itself as it did us, and possible any squirrels in the area. We all love our job and are dedicated to ensuring we can assist both citizens and our animal friends, but even we get taken back with some strange calls for service. We are more than simply dog catchers, and this is just a sample of some of the odd calls that come in sometimes. 7

8 Donations April Statistics We would like to thank the public for donating food, pet supplies and monetary donations. Your generous donations mean the world to our animals and to all of us. Agnes Khan Jeanne Phillips Beverly Stracener Johnice Ansel Billie Kelly Lana Davis Cynthia Eggert Lela Eakins David Elliott Luis Espinoza Family Johnson Animal Services Reminder The Animal Services Officers want to remind residents that you do need to have control of your dog at all times on or off leash. Remember NO dogs are allowed at to be running at large at any Garland Parks. Also if your dog does defecate please pick it up be a responsible pet owner. Carry baggies with you. 128 ANIMALS WERE ADOPTED BY RESCUE GROUPS 30 PETS WERE ADOPTED BY GARLAND PAWSIBILITIES & PET ADOPTION CENTER 99 ANIMALS WERE ADOPTED BY GARLAND ANIMAL SERVICES SHELTER 108 PETS WERE RECLAIMED BY THEIR OWNERS 1 PETS WERE SPONSORED 846 STRAY ANIMAL CALLS RECEIVED 98 PETS WERE STERILIZED BY CITY VETERINARIAN 1800 VISITORS 8

9 May 6, Saturday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Garland Pawsibilities - Adoption Event Oak Park School 2402 Firewheel Pkwy, Garland, TX May 4, 11, 17, a.m p.m. Low-Cost Vaccinations (Walk In) Garland Pet Adoption Center 813 Main Street, Garland, TX For Additional Information and Sterilization Scheduling call May 5, Saturday, 5-8 p.m. Intrinsic Smokehouse and Brewery 509 West State Street, Garland, TX Kick-off your Cinco de Mayo weekend festivities with your family, friends, and furr-buddies! Join us as we demonstrate our support for Garland s own Pet Adoption Center (PAC). Hosted by the volunteers of Pawsibilities, head to Downtown Garland for a fun evening at Intrinsic Smokehouse and Brewery on their pet (and kid)- friendly patio! Registration includes a double-insulated event tumbler that will include 3 drink tokens with your donation. May 11 & 25, Thursdays 5:15 p.m. Garland Pawsibilities - Volunteer Training Pet Adoption Center 813 Main St Garland, TX Training is required to volunteer at the Pet Adoption Center and to volunteer with Garland Pawsibilities at their events. Discussion will include volunteer responsibilities, policies and procedures, cleaning, feeding, animal handling, animal behavior, etc. Age Requirements: 14 years old and up. Younger volunteers can participate with parental/adult supervision on a one on one basis. Parents and adults will need to attend volunteer training also. A waiver will need to be signed by all volunteers and they will be given out at this training session. Ask for Charlotte when you arrive. We will see you there! Volunteers are encouraged to sign up at 9

10 Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) Donation I wish to support the Trap, Neuter, Return program by making a contribution to the animal shelter to help spay and neuter TNR cats. Enclosed is my check for $ Please mail this form and check to: Garland Animal Services TNR Program P.O. Box Garland, TX payable to the Garland Animal Services - TNR **Please call Gracie Morales at if you would like to make your donation by credit card. *** Name: Street: City: State Zip All donations are tax deductible and we will mail you a receipt Garland Animal Shelter Adoption Sponsorship Program I wish to support adoption of hard to place: (check one of the following) ( ) dogs ( ) cats ( ) dogs and cats by making a contribution to the animal shelter to help prepay the $105 or $60 adoption fee. Enclosed is my check for $ payable to the City of Garland Animal Adoption Sponsorship. Please mail this form and check to: Garland Animal Services P.O. Box Garland, TX **Please call Gracie Morales at if you would like to make your donation by credit card. ** Name: Street: City: State Zip address: NOTE: Your contribution toward Garland s Adoption Sponsorship program will be used to prepay the adoption fee of an animal that would otherwise likely not be adopted. We put a prepaid sign on the animal s cage at the shelter, and those looking for a pet will be much more likely to adopt a prepaid animal. Your contribution is tax deductible, and we will mail you a receipt. For contributions of at least $80, we will you the photo of the dog(s) and/ or cat(s) you sponsored when they are adopted if you would like to receive the photo. We will also include your name as a sponsor on the prepaid sign on the cage if you would so desire. I would like to get an photo: ( ) Yes ( ) No I would like to include my name on the prepaid sign: ( ) Yes ( ) No If you have any questions about this program, please contact Hugo Espinoza at (972)