1 of 5 11/27/2016 1:15 PM S BLUE EARTH NICOLLET COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY August 2015 Crazy Days It s crazy but with so many cats in need of forever homes, the friendliest felines seem to get adopted quickly while the shy, fearful, wary kitties get overlooked. But this past July our Priceless Cats promotion, which focused on placing some of the shelter s long-term feline residents, allowed 24 previously overlooked cats into their forever homes. In addition, 54 other cats and dogs were also adopted in July. That s a new record for placements in a single month. But even though July was a month crazy with adoption action, our kennels and condos are not empty and we have no shortage of adorable, adoptable pets. We took in 105 new animals, including 55 kittens in July. This is the second month in a row that we have saved more 100 cats and dogs, puppies and kittens. Can we set a new record in August? NEW - Dog Walker Orientation Last November BENCHS set a goal for all shelter dogs to be walked only by Certified Dog Walkers. To be certified, a volunteer is required to complete a training class and pass a certification test. A group of volunteers have now earned their BENCHS In This Issue Crazy Days Dog Walker Orientation Painless Giving - WoofTrax How Much Does It Cost to Run The Shelter? Happy Tails Upcoming Events Facebook Update Past Events Painless Giving Volunteer Donate Upcoming Events Barnes & Noble Book Fair
2 of 5 11/27/2016 1:15 PM Certified Dog Walker lanyard, but the group needs more members. Right now there are not enough Certified Dog Walkers to ensure all of our dogs get the exercise they need. To temporarily fill the gap, we are requiring all non-certified Dog Walkers to attend a short Pre-Training Orientation session. This brief meeting gives volunteer walkers the basic rules that BENCHS enforces to keep walkers, our shelter dogs, and other trail users safe. An opportunity to sign up for a training class and certification test will be available at this orientation session. The first Pre-Training Orientation sessions will be Sept. 8, 9 or 13 at 3 pm in the Apollo Room at the shelter. No registration is required. Apply to Volunteer. Shannon Lloyd, of the Key City Kennel Club, will be instructing the BENCHS Certified Dog Walkers classes once a month. These 90-minute classes are limited to 10 people and include leash handling, proper harness fitting harnesses, and the dos and don ts of dog walking. After the initial training, trainees will be invited to complete the testing portion to become a Certified Dog Walker for BENCHS. Volunteers who have signed up for dog walking will receive an email invitation for this training. The next class is Sunday, Sept. 27. We are looking for volunteers who will commit to dog walking twice a week or more. Why not make it a part of your weekly routine and gain the benefits of giving companionship and exercise to our homeless dogs? Painless Giving - Woof Trax Do you know you can make some money for BENCHS simply by walking your dog? All you need is a SmartPhone and the free WoofTrax app available at GooglePlay or the AppStore. Personalize the app for you and your dog and select Blue Earth Nicollet County Humane Society to receive your donation. Use the app each time you grab for the leash. You can even earn donation money by walking the homeless dogs at our shelter (after becoming a Certified Dog Walker, of course). It s healthy for you, the dogs, and BENCHS. Every walk counts, whether it's a walk around the block or a three-mile hike. Magnify your impact by sharing the app with friends and family. The more people actively walking with the app, the greater the benefit will be to BENCHS Aug. 29, 30, & 31 Support BENCHS by shopping at Barnes & Noble from Aug 29-31. As you check out, mention that you would like to participate in the bookfair. Up to 15% of your purchases will be donated to BENCHS by Barnes & Noble. Enter to win a drawing for several prizes on Saturday and Sunday Enjoy Balloon Art from 12:00 3:00 and a BENCHS Story Hour from 1:00 2:00 on Saturday & Sunday Unable to attend? Visit BarnesandNoble.com to support us online from 08/29/15 to 09/05/15 by entering Bookfair ID 11670460 at checkout. Great ArfWalk Festival September 26 Saturday, September 26 will be the 12th annual Great ArfWalk Festival! 12 years of people bringing their family and their dogs to this outdoor event. Land of Memories is the location and fun is the order of the day!. We are planning to open the event with a pledge walk. Your opportunity to say I support BENCHS mission! We have games and demonstrations planned for your enjoyment and a treasure hunt to wrap up the day! More tantalizing details to come! Mark your calendar. Dog Walker Training September 27 Invitations to register for the class will be emailed to volunteers who have signed up online to be dog walkers.
of 5 11/27/2016 1:15 PM As of Aug. 23, BENCHS supporters have walked 1,181.6 miles. For more information, go to www.wooftrax.com. Don t just take your dog for a walk Take your Walk for a Dog! Not signed up? Click below Apply to Volunteer Become a Student Volunteer Dog walkers are required to be age 18 or older. How Much Does it Cost to Run the Shelter? This past July we set a record with adoption fees of just over $10,000. During that same month, direct animal care costs (staff, food, litter, vet care, and supplies) totaled just over $30,000. In other words, adoption fees cover only one-third of what it costs to care for the animals in our shelter. We work hard to economize wherever possible. Dedicated volunteers keep staffing costs low and solar panels on the building s roof cut utility costs. Still, the cost to run BENCHS in the first seven months of 2015 averaged $850 per day while adoption fees averaged only $283. As our BENCHS treasurer points out, we need to raise $567 PER DAY every day through fund-raising events, donations, and memorials. Thank you to everyone who has supported us with their direct donations, attended our events, dropped spare change in our donation boxes at Zanz, Casey s, Mongolian Grill, Nicollet Veterinary Clinic, and Mom & Pop s Ice Cream, added cans to our recycling bin, shopped through AmazonSmile, turned on WoofTrax app when walking their dog, and volunteered their time. Let s keep the momentum going! Do You "Like" Us? Have you seen the updated BENCHS Facebook page? (Riverside Regional Pet Shelter - Friends of BENCHS) Terri Hanson, a shelter volunteer, took over the management of the page this month. She s adding daily posts with photos and videos of our newest additions and adoptions, updates on events, and Happy Tails about pets that are enjoying life with a new family. To stay up to date on what s happening at the shelter, Like us. Terri s goal is to have 3,000 Likes by September 1. If we reach our goal, Raleigh will be able to enjoy a swimming session at The Paw. Please help. Photo by Minnesota River Valley Photography Happy Tails Raleigh: "Please help me get to the pool. "Like" our Facebook page. We're sharing our Happy Tails in pictures this month. Here are a few of our August adoptions. Past Events Bark in the Park Launch-a-Ball $273
4 of 5 Painless Giving Amazon Smiles WoofTrax Apply to Volunteer Dog Walkers Front Desk Receptionist Adopt-a-Cat-Condo Volunteers Great ArfWalk Festival (sign up for EVENTS) Donate Become a Member of BENCHS Membership - $35 individual/family Kibble Klub Sustaining Membership Sustaining members begin at $10 per month Special Funds Sponsor a Pet Spay/Neuter Fund Vet & Vaccine Fund Check our more pictures of adoptions and pets available for adoption on our Facebook page SOS - Save our Smiles Riverside Regional Pet Shelter/Friends of BENCHS Help cover the cost of dental care for our animals Make a Contribution Support the shelter with a donation or memorial 11/27/2016 1:15 PM
5 of 5 11/27/2016 1:15 PM Blue Earth Nicollet County Humane Society Happily at home at 1250 North River Drive, Mankato, MN 507.625.6373 https://smile.amazon.com/