PARK COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER Wags and Whiskers September 2013 PCAS Board Update New Faces, Same Ambitions By Ken Markert, Board President It takes a lot of resources to run an organized, efficient, nokill shelter where animals receive excellent care and find good homes. PCAS also promotes responsible pet guardianship and works to end the pet overpopulation. To do these things, it takes a serviceable shelter building, a dedicated, caring staff and a committed, supportive membership. PCAS is fortunate to have these tremendous resources. Fulfilling our organization s mission also requires a board of directors that sets policy direction, supports the staff and volunteers, and is effective in meeting its fiduciary responsibilities. As board president, I believe we have such a board at present. Many of the good things that have happened at the shelter are often, at least in part, supported by the efforts of the board members. The board or individual board members have made a big difference in: improving the integrity of our financial management; hiring our shelter manager; upgrading and repairing the shelter; carrying out public relations efforts; and fundraising. We have several board members who have served as officers or directors since the summer of 2011. That was when seven new board members joined two existing members in the wake of the embezzlement discovered the prior winter. Bettye Dominick, Jan Riley (treasurer) and me (current president) all joined the board with the 2011 election. Mary Schock and Jerri Sperry were on the board prior to 2011. The board now includes more recent additions: retired Cody City administrator Andy Whiteman (secretary) and former county commissioner Dave Burke (vice president). You may recall PCAS held board elections last spring. The president, treasurer and secretary were unopposed and were reelected. Dave Burke was the only candidate to run for vice president and he was elected. The election was also for three open board seats. Board members Bettye and Jerri ran again as did former shelter manager Stacy McIntosh and Joyce Cicco. Bettye, Stacy and Jerri were the top vote getters. After the ballot was mailed out, but before the election was concluded, an excellent board member, Sam Welch, resigned. Due to that timing, his seat was not on the ballot. However, following the election, the board voted to appoint Joyce to Sam s seat, giving us a complete board of nine members. (With the 2013 election, the membership also approved two Bylaw amendments. One changed our organization s name to Park County Animal Shelter and the other specified that officer and director terms start July 1 of each year). While the board s composition has changed somewhat since 2011, the board has remained focused on bettering the lives of animals in our care. To that end, in July 2012, the board established a list of major tasks to achieve in the next two years. Some tasks have been completed, including: building an outdoor area for cats; getting a new insurance policy; setting a feral cat policy; instituting a computerized database (PetPoint) for tracking the shelter s animals; revising the Bylaws; improving our membership database; and establishing a consistent and competitive salary and wage policy for our employees. We still have notable tasks to accomplish. These include addressing the problem of housing felines in small cages for extended periods; establishing a major donors program; establishing an endowment fund; and continuing to improve our overall financial situation. While not on the 2012 list, we also know we need to improve our PCAS website and address certain building problems and substandard features at the shelter facility. Continued on page 3
Page 2 CALENDAR OF EVENTS & PAST FUNDRAISERS WE ARE COMBINING THE MEMBERSHIP AND BOARD MEETINGS ON THE THIRD THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH. Membership meeting starts at 5:30 pm. For the present time we will be meeting in the Grizzly Room at the Library. CHECK OUT THE DOG AND CAT BANKS THAT ARE LOCATED IN 30 LOCAL BUSINESSES! We collected $460 in July and $663 in August. Thanks for your donations to the banks. If you would like a bank for your business, contact Gerry Patterson at 587-6436. Fall Garage Sale at the Sage Creek CC September 7th from 7 am 2 pm Dawn Day will be taking items for donation NO CLOTHING PELEASE. For more information call Dawn at 899-3852. Encore Gently Used Clothing Sale September 14th at 726 Allen Avenue 9-5 (One Day Only) Call Linda Sparrow at 587-5676 for info. A portion of the sales will benefit PCAS Lemonade for a Cause Sell it for the Paws Summer fundraiser through Sept. 18th Contact Stacey at 254-3856 or the Shelter for more info. Membership Meeting September 19th at 5:30 pm Grizzly Room at the Cody Library E-mail Ken at k.r.markert@gmail.com if you want to be on the e-mail list for the meetings. Craft Fair at the Cody Auditorium November 23rd Mary Whitmore is collecting donated items for sale and raffle. For more information call Mary at 578-8902 or email her at emwhitwy@yahoo.com PAST FUNDRAISERS Encore Sale donated $1,500 Spring Garage Sale at Sage Creek Community Club raised $1,208 thanks to Dawn and her many helpers Bandana Sale raised $844 thanks to Joyce Cicco (who organized it), Mary Whitmore, Jerri Sperry, and Becky Kincade. Tails and Trails 5k Run/Walk was held on August 17th. This was the 4th annual event. Thanks go to Dick Smith from WPH for his efforts. The Riverside Cemetery Board donated a large riding lawn mower which was sold for $3,000. Thanks to Jerri Sperry for her efforts and a BIG thank you to the Cemetery Board. LEMONADE FOR A CAUSE SELL IT FOR THE PAWS All kids are invited to make a difference in the lives of homeless pets in the Park County by entering in the Lemonade for Paws contest (ends on September 18th). Collect your earnings and donate them to the PCAS. Booths must be on private property to comply with city ordinances. Prizes will be awarded. Make sure to take photos of your booth. For more information, contact the Shelter or Stacey at 254-3856. Adoptions Dogs/Puppies Cats/Kittens April 8 14 May 12 17 June 12 14 July 4 15 August 8 17 Currently in the Shelter: 11 Dogs/Puppies 25 Cats/Kittens 4 cats & 6 dogs are in foster care
Page 3 PCAS STAFF Brittany Vaughn Shelter Manager Polly Churma Vet Tech Patrick Caldwell Jen Dowell Angie Edwards Kayla Pooler Nan Santos PCAS BOARD MEMBERS Ken Markert Pres. David Burke, VP Andy Whiteman, Sec. Jan Riley, Treasurer Bettye Dominick Jerri Sperry Mary Schock Joyce Cicco Stacy McIntosh PCAS Board Update New Faces, Same Ambitions Continued from page 1 The issues related to the shelter facility are complex and are likely to be costly and timeconsuming to solve. We have on-going problems with heating and cooling as well as troublesome deterioration of the indoor dog kennels. We also lack medical-related space including a truly isolated room for animals with infectious diseases. We also would like to level our parking lot to make it safer for visitors and staff. The routine housing of cats in 24 x 24 cages due to lack of other housing options is verging on inhumane according to Association of Shelter Veterinarians recommendations. The board recently established a building construction committee. The committee meets monthly for the purpose of planning future facility improvement. We hope that within two years, we can start construction on major shelter improvements. We hope this update on the board helps you better understand your organization. Because we have a terrific staff and very supportive membership helping us every step of the way, the PCAS board has been able to accomplish a lot in the last two years. We still have some major tasks ahead. But I have confidence that PCAS will succeed with each one. 2013 ELECTION RESULTS Ken Markert (President): 134 votes Dave Burke (Vice President): 135 votes Andy Whiteman (Secretary): 132 votes Jan Riley (Treasurer): 133 votes Joyce Cicco (Board Member): 85 votes Bettye Dominick (Board Member): 115 votes Stacy McIntosh (Board Member): 97 votes Jerri Sperry (Board Member): 91 votes By-Laws Approval (For): 120 votes By-Laws Approval (Against): 4 votes Jim Shapple Recognition Day On July 13th, the PCAS staff and board gathered at the Shelter with other PCAS members to thank Jim Shapple for his generous donation of the new outdoor cat area. The cat area was officially opened that day, although our cats have been using it for some time. Jim recognized that our felines would benefit from access to the outdoors as they spend many months confined to small indoor spaces. Jim made a substantial contribution that allowed us to afford the construction of this area. Thanks to Jim, the cats in our care will have healthier, more enjoyable stays at the shelter. Spay-cation at PCAS Friday July 12 was an exciting and crazy day. Veterinarian Diana Scollard of Absarokee came to the shelter on a spaycation. Dr. Scollard and her staff came into the shelter to spay and neuter all of the kittens that were old enough. Within 20 minutes of being here, they had turned our small exam room into an operating room, had a table set up with all of the equipment needed to prepare them for the procedure, and a table for them to recover. These women had this spay-cation down to such a science; we couldn t help but be impressed! It was like an assembly line for kittens, and it was incredible to be a part of. We want to thank Dr. Scollard and her assistants: because of their willingness to spay and neuter THIRTY kittens in one afternoon, we were able to find many of them great homes much faster than we would have otherwise! We do still have a handful of these kittens left that are looking for homes. Thank you!
Page 4 Managers Corner Pets Have Purpose By Brittany Vaughn, Shelter Manager The bond between a person and their pets has always been an important one. If you re not an animal person you may not understand. But for the rest of us we know exactly what it is to feel like your pets are more than pets; they are family, they are your companion, they are your best friend. Not only do animals offer companionship, but they can also be therapeutic and beneficial to your health. One way that animals are beneficial is to incorporate them in therapy for children who have a parent deployed to active military duty. Research says that children feel more comfortable when they are in the presence of animals because they are nonjudgmental and love unconditionally. It has also been suggested that heart attack patients who owned pets lived longer than those who didn t, and that petting your dog could lower blood pressure. Even in the past 20 years there has been a drastic increase in the number of animals that are an integral part of therapy. Animals can often be found in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, schools and other facilities. We may not even notice how beneficial our animals are to our emotional health. Many of us take our four-legged friends for granted, but just take a second to stop and think. How different would your life be without your pet? We need animals, and animals need us! SHELTER HAPPENINGS Furniture has been added to the outdoor cat area; cat poles for them to climb on and under and a canvas for shade have been donated by Ed and Mary Whitmore; and new toys have been selected for cats to play with. Ed and Mary have also donated an indoor bathtub for a dog washing station. The Shelter is still working on the details for plumbing, and where to install the tub. Donations would be appreciated to help with this project. Our name change from Humane Society of Park County to Park County Animal Shelter has been approved by the Secretary of State and the trade name has also been accepted. The filing with the IRS has been sent, and soon we should be known as the PCAS by all government facilities. The PCAS name is a better fit for what we do run the largest animal shelter in Park County! Big Horn Horticulture has sprayed the weeds in front and around the Shelter this Spring and Fall at no cost to the Shelter. We thank Dan Sell and his crew for their generosity. Welcome New Board Member Stacy McIntosh Stacy is a busy mother of three little girls, and a former Manager of the PCAS Shelter. She understands how much hard work and heart is required to run a Shelter on a daily basis, and believes her personal insight into shelter operations will be an asset to the board. She has been an active member and volunteer at the Shelter for many years, and is very passionate about helping to fulfill the mission of the PCAS. She has adopted many pets from the Shelter which live with her family in Powell WY. Stacy is a passionate advocate of a successful Shelter and is excited to get back to work doing exactly what she loves! A committee is preparing the surfaces of the Shelter for painting. Eric Berg, a Shelter Volunteer, is heading up this project. The small shed that is used for storage is also receiving a coat of paint. Anyone that would like to paint would be welcome. Contact the Shelter for more information. Our Spay and Neuter Clinics continue to reduce unwanted pets in Park County. On August 23rd, 74 dogs and 116 cats were scheduled for surgeries. The program also includes rabies and distemper vaccines. We sincerely thank our sponsors and donors for their support in improving the lives of dogs and cats in our community. Donations towards these clinics can be sent to the Spay and Neuter Fund, PO Box 203, Cody, WY 82414.
Page 5 The Shelter is open to the public from 12:00-5:30 pm everyday except Sundays. 587-5110 Website parkcountyanimalshelter.com E-Mail manager@parkcountyanimalshelter.com We are also on Facebook SEND MAIL TO: PO BOX 203 CODY, WY 82414 Adopting a Pet There are many loving pets available at the Shelter. They have been neutered or spayed (if age appropriate). And have received their first series of shots. A free veterinarian visit is included with participating vets. Adoption Fees are: $35 for a Cat $50 for a Dog over 5 years old $75 for a Dog under 5 years old You don t have to be a Park County resident to adopt a pet. Stop by the Shelter at 5537 Greybull Hwy. We are open everyday from 12:00 5:30 pm, except Sundays. Volunteers Needed To all animal lovers, young and old. We are in need of volunteers to help with - Dog Walking and Socializing Cleaning the Shelter Petting the dogs, cats and kittens If you are interested or have questions or concerns please call the Shelter and talk to Brittany. Thank you for all your help with our critters! PCAS WISH LIST: Walmart cat litter Pedigree canned dog food Purina dry kitten chow Dog and cat treats (rawhide chews, KONG dog toys) Bleach Liquid HE laundry soap (perfume free) Paper Towels Hand Sanitizer Hand Lotion 30 gallon heavy duty black garbage bags Disinfecting wipes Duct tape Dishwashing gloves Liquid hand soap 13 gallon white garbage bags Shelter Manager Brittany can be heard every Thursday on the Eagle Radio Station with Bobby Rock at 8:40 am. Tune in! We Appreciate our Volunteers and Sponsors! Alex Mitchell Linda Sparrow Terry Sparrow Jim Shapple Connie Moore Taminie Wagner Mary Keffer Shannon Smith Holly Moen Mary Whitmore Gerry Patterson Doug Blough Dawn Day Mary Jo Hardy Linda Kolak Becky Ransom Jessica Cross Kelsey Brown Carla Fortunato Connie Lockwood Jean Crutchfield Shana White Leigh Dvarkshkis Eric Berg Jane Zubia Frank Mallon Todd Currier Hudson Schledewitz Adelle Ostrom
Page 6 J A C K S S A LV AT I O N by Doug Blough I immediately knew this handsome Akita was where he wanted and needed to be. He appeared to be smiling, and old Jack had good reason to smile. Two months ago, he was on the end of a short chain in a 4 x4 dirt pit when Sue and Jay stumbled upon him at an unadvertised yard sale. Sue spotted this dirty, smelly but friendly dog in the back, hidden from easy sight and human contact. Boredom holes dotted his tiny, dirt home among upturned bowls. Knowing the family was moving, Sue asked their plans for this dog. They said they really hadn t given it much thought. Sue hoped these lonely conditions might just be temporary, so they began doing what any true animal-lover hopefully does: driving by daily to check on Jack. There he d be, day or night; rain or shine. One wet evening, Jack had stretched the choke chain embedded into his neck to a small parcel of the alley away from the mud. Early Sunday morning, they snuck food to Jack, then returned to ask again about Jack s future. The owners still weren t sure about that old dog, so Jay asked if they could take him home. The yes was quick and certain basically Hit the road, Jack, and don t come back no more Sue & Jay weren t in the market for a dog particularly a large one, with their two spoiled Pomeranians in charge of the house. But like any sincere animal-lover should, they removed Jack from harm and would cross that bridge when they came to it. Jack cleaned up nicely, but had hip issues and vet Scott Moore detected malnourishment, worms, and ear & skin infections. Soon Dirty Jack transformed into the well-coifed, beautiful stud I met. Knowing I had recently lost my big dog Trinity, Sue thought I might want a new friend for my little widow Trina. That s something I d already decided against, as with Trina s declining age and eyesight, she deserves 100% of my undivided, doting attention. I wanted to meet Jack though, and arriving to see Sue leading him towards me, I hesitated to reach for Jack, who might be overlyprotective of his new home, but Sue assured me Jack doesn t have an aggressive move in his repertoire. Inside, I met the pampered Poms that had given Jack their delayed wag of approval. In between visiting, Jack slid in and out an open window to the shady backyard, which must seem like the Garden of Eden after his former filthy digs. I m not even sure they would have given Jack to me; they already loved him and took joy in writing his Cinderella script. Those endings are rare since so many of us feel terrible for animals in dire situations, but look the other way and welcome the out of sight, out of mind relief. Only the special, courageous ones will be unable to sleep well until the neglect/abuse is rectified. Welcome to your new, loving home, Jack. God bless you for giving it to him, Sue and Jay. This fundraiser was held during the July 3rd and 4th parades in Cody. Board Member Joyce Cicco designed the screen-printed red dog bandana which sold for $10. DOG BANDANA FUNDRAISER The profit on sales of the 100 bandanas, after expenses, was $734.33 (with 3 bandanas donated back for resale by Jerri). Another $110 was donated, bringing the total to $844! Sales were held along the parade route at tables set up under the big trees next to the mini golf site. Mary Whitmore and Jerri Sperry assisted with sales, and Shelter Manager Brittany Vaughn brought one of the Shelter s dogs to show off the bandana. All of the bandanas were sold by the end of the parade on the 4th. A water bistro was provided for passing dogs, and our volunteers gave out packets of biscuits with special PCAS fundraising cards. Donation containers were also available. Thanks to super-saleswoman Mary Whitmore, able assistant Jerri Sperry and manager Brittany Vaughn for their help with the booth. Thanks also to Becky Kinkade for waiving the $50 booth fee during the parades, and to Paul Luthy of Chuck s signs for donating the 2x3 ft. white vinyl banner with the PCAS name printed in big red letters. Our volunteers and donors make it happen!
Pick Me! Pick Me! Page 7 Athena is a very sweet girl! She loves to go for walks and does very well on them. She never had much training, so she would need a little bit of work but she learns very quickly. Fern is a beautiful Red Nose Pit Bull. This sweet girl was found tied up in Wind River Canyon, and we can t fathom how anyone could part with her! She is very loving and affectionate. She is great with children, but would be best in a single dog household. Check out our Website: Schroeder is one of our loving kittens looking for a great home that is already spayed or neutered! for the most current list of adoptable animals, to make a donation through PayPal, to become a PCAS member. Meet New Board Member Joyce Cicco When I was chosen to fill Sam Welch s unexpired term during the Park County Animal Shelter board meeting in May, I was pleased to become a member of such a dedicated group. Dogs and cats depend on us humans to provide them with happy homes, and they give us so much in return. I consider it a privilege to be working with the PCAS board to ensure that we provide a facility that is clean and safe, a place where we can shelter lost or abandoned animals in good health until they can be returned to their owners or placed in loving homes. I hold a Business Management Associate Degree from Northwest College, and I serve as Webmaster for Meadowlark Audubon Society in addition to having been a founding board member of that organization. My husband and I arrived in Wyoming in 1955 and have made our home in Cody since 1991. Our household includes my husband Lou, a rescued Brittany spaniel named Sandy, and two cats, Lucky and Little Kitty, who adopted us.
5537 Greybull Highway P.O. Box 203 Cody, WY 82414 (307) 587-5110 Open to the Public: 12:00-5:30 pm everyday, except Sundays Website: www.parkcountyanimalshelter.com E-mail: manager@parkcountyanimalshelter.com Next Membership Meeting- Thursday, Sept. 19th at 5:30 pm Grizzly Room at the Cody Library Like us on Facebook! We post pictures of all strays that come to the Shelter. It s a great way to see if we have your missing critter. 527-6929