UPCOMING EVENTS. Wed-Fri, Feb 24 th 26 th : APHE National Conference. Sat, Feb 27 th : Shallow Water Fishing Expo. Omar Shrine Temple, 9am-6pm.

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1 UPCOMING EVENTS Wed-Fri, Feb 24 th 26 th : APHE National Conference News, Events & Happy Stories for Staff & Volunteers of Charleston Animal Society Sat, Feb 27 th : Shallow Water Fishing Expo. Omar Shrine Temple, 9am-6pm. Sat, Mar 5 th : By: Mary Beth Dew February is the month when we all think about love. At Charleston Animal Society, there are some who recently found their new homes and some who are still looking for that love. A dog named Blue that came into the shelter was placed in foster care as an Adoption Ambassador for a little help with his socialization skills. Blue was very timid, would flinch to the human touch, and would run away from movement. However, his foster parents have experience with some of the hardest rescue cases. They even adopted two of their former foster dogs who act as mentors to all of the fearful newcomers they meet. It was this combination that was of benefit to Blue and just days before his looking for love interview, Blue found his very own family. What is an interviewer to do at the last minute? Improvise of course so I present to you, Charleston Animal Society s feline Adoption Ambassador, Henrietta. Henrietta entered the care of the shelter on October 2, It was determined she not only had an upper respiratory infection (URI), was missing most of her teeth, was underweight and infested with various parasites, but she is also FIV+. She spent a number of weeks in the URI Pod and while she struggled to get well, she did show signs of improvement and gained almost three pounds. The veterinarians and staff determined she needed to be placed in foster care for medical reasons. On November 22, she came to live in our home. Vinyl Countdown Rockin Pet Adoption Event. King Street, 12-4pm. Sat, Mar 12 th : St. Paddy s Pawlooza. Wannamaker Park. Sat-Sun, Mar 19 th 20 th : Pet Fest. Palmetto Islands County Park. Sat, Mar 26 th : Jim Rawlings Memorial Golf Tournament. Shadowmoss Golf Club, 12:30-2:30pm. Sat, Mar 26 th : Kimbrell Furniture Adoption Event. 208A St. James Ave, Goose Creek, 1-5pm. Issue Page 1 of 7

2 Henrietta (aka Henri) has been a pleasure to foster. Originally thought to be 10+ years of age, she has continued to improve in her health and her ability to play for hours. These signs are reasons to believe that she could actually be much younger. Henri is an extremely social cat who likes to greet all visitors who rings the doorbell, enjoys playing with every human she sees, and will sit beside you on the couch when you are reading or watching TV. She sleeps in bed with me at night, but gets up through the night to bring me presents upon my wakening each morning. Her favorite items to deliver are her pom-poms she uses in her daily games of fetch. Henri is laid back whenever she isn t playing, sleeping, or entertaining us. Henrietta was spayed in early January and returned to us as an Adoption Ambassador. She is now looking for love of her own. We would like to adopt this wonderful cat ourselves, but remain confident that fostering is the role we are meant to do. If anyone is interested in adopting Henri, they can contact the adoption team and we can arrange a meet and greet in my home to see if your search for love is a match for this sweet gal. COME ADOPT HENRI TODAY! By: Mary Beth Dew This story began when two feral kittens arrived at Charleston Animal Society and were placed in the foster care program. Not only were these kittens feral, but they were both thought to be completely blind. They were gently cared for and provided the love needed to gain trust in humans. Once a little older, they learned to play with one of the pet cats in their foster home. This is the adoption story of one of those kittens. Calliope, her foster name, was spayed at the age of four to five months after which she returned to her foster home as an Adoption Ambassador. Her foster parent wished Calliope to have as few changes as possible to maintain her trust in humans and learned the adoption process from the shelter staff. It didn t take long for interested adopters to come forward once her photo and description appeared on the website. The couple who adopted Calliope had been searching for several weeks for a special needs cat to welcome into their lives and be a playmate for their cat. Issue Page 2 of 7

3 Originally the adopter had met one of the adoptable cats at the shelter, but it didn t feel like the right match for their lives. That s when the adopter saw Calliope s photos on Charleston Animal Society s website and pursued the adoption of a kitten instead. Calliope was adopted and renamed Dora the Explorer since she went into her new home with her nose to the ground and immediately began exploring and settling in. Dora s transition has been a good one and she enjoys climbing her six-foot tall cat tree, sleeping in bed with her pet parents, and being a lap cat. Dora s new mom who was a vet technician, once owned a one-eyed cat, and was searching for a cat that would be less likely to find a home quickly from the adoption floor. She was happy to have found Dora because she believes this is a perfect match for her and her husband. Dora is continuing her young life filled with love and continuing to trust with a family who understands her blindness and will care for her for many years to come. Congratulations to a successful foster, adoption search, and new family of both the two- and four-legged kind! IN THE NEWS By Heather Thomas Animal Cruelty Injustice On Saturday, January 30 th at 6pm, Charleston Animal Society staff and community members gathered together to honor the nine Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that lost their lives in August of The animals died when they were left in a car for about 3 hours on a hot summer day by their owner, Charles Allen Bickerstaff. Initially, he faced nine felony counts of ill treatment of animals. Unfortunately, Mr. Bickerstaff made a plea bargain with the Solicitors Office that left animal advocates extremely dissatisfied with the legal system. He was charged a $500 fine on a single misdemeanor count of abandonment of animals. For Charleston Animal Society and the community this was a clear indication that the legal system failed these dogs. After the charges were announced, over 100 concerned animal advocates gathered in front of Charleston Animal Society for a Candlelight Vigil to remember the lives lost. Lucinda, Money, Drayton, Madeline, Shelby, Katie, Butler, Freddie, and Willis lost their lives, but we will never forget them. Nor will Charleston Animal Society and animal advocates stop fighting to seek justice for all animals. Although it was a devastating and unfair outcome, this injustice should push us to work even harder to ensure that our already weak animal cruelty laws are fairly and effectively enforced. In the midst of candlelight and moments of silence, the community showed up to honor these innocent dogs and have their voices heard. Issue Page 3 of 7

4 By Helen Mitternight Meet Courtney Gumienny As director of adoptions, Courtney Gumienny has seen thousands of animals come through Charleston Animal Society in search of new homes, so you might think she d be a bit jaded. But Gumienny says she is happy to come to work every day and today, in particular, she is happy that the very first pup she fostered has found a home. Franklin, a poodle mix, was reported as being a bit aggressive. But Gumienny worked with Franklin and says he s ready for his new home. It s a triumph she adds to the many under her tenure, including coming off a record year of adoptions about 5,500 shelter dogs, cats, and other animals found homes in Gumienny started working with animals at Doc William SPCA in Moncks Corner as part of a high school internship. She took another internship class and served that second internship at Doc Williams as well, and, by senior year, the shelter had decided to hire her. By the time one of her supervisors moved to Charleston Animal Society and recruited Gumienny to join her, she had worked her way from intern to adoption manager. Despite the large number of animals needing homes at Charleston Animal Society, Courtney says that she is more concerned with finding homes for the animals than worrying about the people who turn the animals in. Anything else takes you away from the purpose. I take everything pretty lightly, Gumienny says. I try not to be judgmental and try to be open-minded. If you take an animal home and it doesn t work out; I would rather you bring it back here so we can find a home that will work. She admits that she does get frustrated sometimes with the high rate of heartworm among the animals she sees. Maybe it s living in the south where there are mosquitoes year round, and maybe people aren t educated or can t afford heartworm treatment once a month, but you do see a lot of heartworm positive animals come through, she says. It seems half of the animals are heartworm positive. The good news is that we treat them all, and if someone adopts them, they can bring them here for treatment at our cost. She says that little dogs and puppies are easiest to place but the bully breeds, adults, and large dogs are harder for us to get out of the door. Still, the shelter redoubles efforts to place these dogs, either sending them out as ambassadors or taking them to the media, and animals are seldom at the shelter more than six months. I love coming to work every day, Gumienny says. Every day is different. You don t know who will walk through the door. It could be the President, it could be a neighbor. I like seeing people leave happy. Issue Page 4 of 7

5 SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ Dog Adoption Promotions were the big buzz on social media last month as Charleston Animal Society put out repeated calls for help due to being overwhelmed with adult dogs at the shelter. Our supporters responded, resulting in 276 overall dog adoptions in the month of January! (Actual adoption #s included 242 adult dogs and 34 puppies). Now that s lifesaving news worth sharing! Photo Left: Nero Photo Right: Davie AROUND TOWN Pup Bowl Adoption and Family Fun Day 2016 It wasn't your typical football game in Mount Pleasant Saturday morning, the day before the NFL Super Bowl all of the players of this particular game were of the four-legged variety. Charleston Animal Society hosted PupBowl 2016 in the parking lot of Belle Hall Shopping Center. The adoption event and family fun day featured puppies in need of homes, strutting their stuff down the turf field while spectators giggled and took in the cuteness. Vendors from Belle Hall Shopping Center set up booths and joined in the excitement, which included games, a bounce castle, balloon and face painting artists, live mascots, and food vendors. Issue Page 5 of 7

6 The hope was that all of the players would be drafted into new homes by the end of the 4 th quarter, said Elena Lawson, Director of Special Projects & Business Partnerships. Each of the (5) puppies were available for adoption through Charleston Animal Society, and adoption counselors were on sidelines to review applications and answer questions. Not only were game day goals met, but Trigger, an ambassador dog visiting the event with his foster family, also found a home. All in all, it was an amazing day for families; a time to get out and have fun together before enjoying Super Bowl Sunday. Thanks to this great success, plans are already underway to make the event even bigger and better next year. Above Right: Record Breaking Stat of the Day - Trigger is a 4yr male Lab mix who was being fostered through the Adoption Ambassador program. He came to Pup Bowl to show off his charm and found his adoptive family in just a ½ hour! By: Winkie Welborn Veterinary Science Initiative Humane Education has so many diverse programs. Veterinary Science Initiative is geared toward high school students and includes an in-school curriculum and a field trip to the shelter. During the field trip, the students participate in four 20-minute rotations; vet tech check-in, necropsy, dog behavior, and surgery; then there is lunch and discussions about the morning rotations. This particular group was a Science class from West Ashley High School. The first rotation was at vet tech check-in where the new animal received through intake was explained and demonstrated (thanks to a friendly dog and staff member). The animals are weighed; checked over for mange, ring-worm, or other skin problems; have their ears checked for infections or drainage; and then have blood taken for a heartworm test. We actually did a heartworm test and our friendly dog tested negative for heartworms (thankfully). Afterward, we took a turn through the incoming dog pod where dogs are held after their check-in. Next rotation was necropsy, which is actually an autopsy, but since it s an animal, it is called a necropsy. Our veterinarian had already performed the necropsy so students were quizzed about reasons to perform one. Then Issue Page 6 of 7

7 she wanted us all to move where we could see the dog when she removed the sheet draped on the body. All of the internal organs were identified and students even got to feel the organs if they wanted. Next up, we returned to the Education Room for the dog behavior sequence. Topics included how to approach a strange dog, the basics of training, and a multitude of safety lessons. Lessons like these are important, especially for students who may not have firsthand experience with animals or have any pets at home. The last session of the day took us to the clinic. We were off to witness spay/neuter surgeries with Dr. Lucy and two tiny kittens that were scheduled to for surgery that day. There was a tiny kitten with its gas-mask, resembling a breathing mask with a hole for the breathing tube to pop right in. Dr. Lucy explained the procedure and asked questions of the students as we watched her perform the surgeries. At the completion of the spay/neuters, we headed back to the Education Room for lunch and the afternoon session. The students seemed to really get into the rotations some more than others, but that s only to be expected. Education no matter the age is alive and well at Charleston Animal Society, and VSI is just one of the many ways we try to add value to the community. PETIQUETTE Sign up now for upcoming dog training classes at Charleston Animal Society s campus. The following classes are available for registration on our website. Classes are scheduled year round, so please check back frequently for updates at Advanced Manners & Obedience MAR 1 st Real Life Basics MAR 17 th Puppy Kindergarten APR 6 th Puppy Club EVERY SAT. In-home Private Training is also available. NOTE: If you re interested in writing for the newsletter, please Jamie Healy at jhealy@charlestonanimalsociety.org Issue Page 7 of 7