Pet News Winter 2003

Alaska STOP THE OVERPOPULATION OF PETS Pet News Winter 2003 The newsletter for those who love their pets. Official publication of STOP the Overpopulation of Pets, Inc., a nonprofit corporation. STOP S MISSION: STOP the Overpopulation of Pets is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to paying for spaying and neutering dogs and cats in order to eliminate the killing of excess animals in Alaska s animal control shelters. Our secondary mission is to educate pet owners and potential pet owners about pet care, petrelated issues, training, and concerns in order to better the lives of pet owners, pets, and the community. WHO ARE WE? We are an all-volunteer organization. All of our time and money is devoted to reducing the pet overpopulation problem. All funds are spent on spaying and neutering companion pets and producing and distributing educational materials. We are a caring, dedicated group of individuals who are determined to reduce or eliminate the number of unwanted pets through a low and no-cost spay and neuter program HOW CAN I HELP? We are hoping that you can help Alaska s dogs and cats by donating to STOP. All donations are tax deductible. GREAT NEWS! STOP has sent out 51 vendor coupons for spaying and neutering to Valley pet owners in just 2 months! Our goal is to assist in paying to spay and neuter at least 500 Valley pets in 2 years and therefore to save many lives! SPAY/ NEUTER ASSISTANCE APPLICATION ENCLOSED! Alaska Pet News, P.O. Box 4083, Palmer, AK 99645-4083 phone: (907) 745-5674; fax: 745-5677; E-mail: petnews@alaska.net

STOP Receives Grants to Help Pay for Spaying and Neutering Costs The following article ran in the Frontiersman. STOP the Overpopulation of Pets, a nonprofit corporation based in Palmer and staffed by a few animal-loving volunteers, has received two grants to help pay for spaying and neutering of pets in the Valley. Our reason for forming was the conditions at animal control and the numbers of adoptable, healthy dogs and cats and puppies and kittens killed there, said Lori Jo Oswald, director of STOP. Every time pets are killed there, it is an unnecessary tragedy. Unfortunately, many people can t or won t do the simple thing that will stop this problem spay their female dogs and cats and neuter their male dogs and cats. Now, with this money, we can help them do that. Dr. Oswald turned her attention to the Valley pet overpopulation problem about 4 years ago. She arranged for the SPCA mobile spay clinic s first visit to the Valley. Since then, the SPCA has rented a space at the corner of Trunk Road and the Wasilla-Palmer Highway to perform low-cost spay and neuter surgeries. The grants include $5,000 from PETsMART Charities, a Phoenix, Arizona-based non-profit organization, and an agreement by the DJ&T Foundation to refund spaying and neutering costs up to an additional $5,000, as long as pet owners attempt to contribute something to the surgery costs. In addition, MTA has agreed to provide phone service for 4 months for the organization; the new phone number is 746- SPAY (7729). (continued on p. 7) What Are Spaying & Neutering? Spaying and neutering are routine surgical procedures that sterilize pets. The Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) defines the procedure as follows: Female dogs and cats are spayed by removing their reproductive organs, and male dogs and cats are neutered by removing their testicles. The lack of pet neutering and spaying is largely to blame for the pet overpopulation problem, both locally and nationally. The Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF) found that 55 percent of surrendered dogs and 47 percent of surrendered cats had not been sterilized. An employee at the Mat-Su Borough Animal Shelter reports that the percentage of surrendered dogs and cats that are not sterilized is much higher in the Valley than the DDAF statistics indicate. She states that the majority of the cats and dogs euthanized locally have not been altered. Every day in the United States, tens of thousands of puppies and kittens are born. Compare this to the 11,000 human births each day, and you can see that there can never be enough homes for all these pets. TO REACH US: STOP the Overpopulation of Pets PO Box 4083, Palmer, AK 99645 Phone: 746-SPAY Fax: 745-5677 E-mail: petnews@alaska.net Web site: www.alaska.net/ ~petnews

STOP Needs Your Help! Our goal STOP the Overpopulation of Pets is dedicated to saving lives by preventing births. Therefore, we pay half the cost of spaying and neutering surgeries through the SPCA Mobile Spay Clinic. For those who cannot afford the cost of half the surgery, we will pay full cost. Our success In just 2.5 months, we have sent out 50 vouchers to pay for spaying and neutering costs. Our goal is to spay and neuter at least 500 dogs and cats in the Valley in 2 years and thereby sharply reduce the number of pets killed at the Borough animal control center. How to receive an application? Pick up your application at the Borough animal control shelter, request one via e-mail (petnews@alaska.net), get one from our web site (www.alaska.net/~petnews, then follow link to STOP) or call and leave the requested information on our voice mail (746-SPAY). We will then send you a voucher to help cover half the cost of the surgery. Can you help us? We need your help to continue our program! If you can send funds to help cover spay/neuter costs, all donations are tax deductible! We are an allvolunteer, nonprofit corporation. We need other donations as well, as listed below. Needs: Donations to help pay for spaying and neutering costs, printing donations for educational flyers and for the cost of I would like to make a donation to STOP. Amount enclosed:. Mail to: STOP the Overpopulation of Pets P.O. Box 4083 Palmer, AK 99645 Thank you for helping save dogs and cats! printing our newsletter, paper, office supplies, printer cartridges, a copy machine and supplies, donations for our telephone line, volunteers to help distribute educational materials, someone to update Web site, businesses to distribute our educational materials, and advertising space in newspapers and other publications. We also need veterinarians to join our program, so please ask your vet to call us! Health Benefits of Spaying and Neutering Due to health and behavioral benefits, spayed and neutered dogs and cats live an average of twice as long as their unaltered counterparts. The health benefits of spaying and neutering are listed below: Spaying and neutering helps pets live longer, healthier lives. Spaying and neutering eliminates the need for homes required for any offspring. Spaying eliminates false pregnancies and the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer. Neutering eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease. Neutering greatly reduces the risk of hernias and infections. SPCA Mobile Spay Clinic Valley If you don t need STOP s financial help, you can still prevent pet overpopulation by spaying and neutering your pet. Call your veterinarian or the SPCA to make an appointment today! To reach the SPCA Mobile Spay Clinic, call 1-888-409-SPAY to make an appointment. Costs are $60 female dog, $50 male dog and female cat, $30 male cat.

JOIN STOP TODAY AND HELP SAVE LIVES By donating to STOP, you can truly make a difference in the lives of dogs and cats in our community. $25 1-YEAR MEMBERSHIP $15 SENIOR AND JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP ADDITIONAL DONATION AMOUNT. Amount enclosed:. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A GIFT DONATION, AS NOTED BELOW. I HAVE A BUSINESS AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT RECEIVING FREE ADVERTISING IN YOUR NEWSLETTER FOR DONOR COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS (FREE BUSINESS-CARD-AD FOR EVERY $25 DONATION; MINIMUM $100 DONATION) NAME: ADDRESS: DATE: ADDITIONAL GIFT MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION (WE WILL SEND A CARD WITH YOUR DONATION INFORMATION TO THE RECEIVER): NAME AND ADDRESS OF GIVER: NAME AND ADDRESS OF RECEIVER: IN MEMORY OF: Mail checks to: STOP the Overpopulation of Pets, P.O. Box 4083, Palmer, AK 99645 Thank you for helping save dogs and cats! Mat-Su Animal Control Statistics 1997 Of the 2,963 animals brought in, 74 percent, or 2,211 pets, were killed (euthanized). Thirteen percent were adopted, and 12 percent were claimed. 1998 2,650 animals were brought in, 1,980 were euthanized (74 percent) and 13 percent were adopted. 1999 Of the 3,134 pets brought in to animal control, 2,256, or 71 percent, were euthanized, while 15 percent were adopted and 12 percent were claimed. 2000 Of the 3,273 animals brought in, 1,902 (58 percent) were euthanized, 750 (22 percent) were adopted, and 495 (15 percent) were claimed. An additional 126 pets (3 percent) were rescued by volunteers searching for homes for them. Pet Facts 66.2 million cats and 58 million dogs live in U.S. households. Cats are in 31.5 million households (2.1 cats average per household). Dogs live in 36.4 million households (1.6 per household). Number of U.S. animal shelters: 4,000 to 6,000. Number of animals entering shelters: 8 to 12 million annually. Percentage adopted: 25 to 35 percent. Percentage reclaimed by owners: 4 percent of cats; 14 percent of dogs. Percentage euthanized: 30 to 60 percent, depending upon geographic region. Purebred dogs in shelters: 25 percent. Households with pets outnumber households with children by almost two to one.

How You Can Help a Pet Today Dogs and cats are so easy to please, and it only takes a few minutes to make their day! Try cuddling and petting your cat, walking your dog, giving your dog an ear rub, throwing a ball! Here are some other ideas that will have long-term effects and just may save lives: If your dog or cat isn t spayed or neutered, you can make an appointment today with a local veterinarian or the SPCA Mobile Spay Clinic (1-888-409-SPAY) to have the procedure done. Make sure your pets vaccinations are current and that you have current tags in case they are lost. If you have room in your home and your heart and can be a friend to a pet for its life, consider going to Mat-Su Borough Animal Care and Regulation (animal control) to adopt a pet. Donate to an organization such as STOP that helps animals, whether it be money, supplies, or time. Our Mission Send for your spay/neuter voucher today! STOP the Overpopulation of Pets is an Alaskabased nonprofit corporation dedicated to: 1. Paying for spaying and neutering of pets to reduce the number of pets killed at animal control centers 2. Educating the public on pet overpopulation and pet care topics We hope you enjoy our newsletter. Please join us in our goal to end the necessity of killing dogs and cats in Alaska just because there aren t enough homes. JOIN STOP THE OVERPOPULATION OF PETS TODAY! Your membership will help pay for the spaying and neutering of Valley pets. We cover all costs of spaying and neutering for those who request it, but we need your help to meet the high demand for our services. Please join us today. All donations are tax deductible. Membership: $25 Individual $35 Family $15 Senior Citizen or Student Additional Donation National Animal Shelter Statistics Send your name and address with your donation to STOP, PO Box 4083, Palmer, AK 99645. Thank you! by Claire Buza Although estimates vary greatly on the exact number of animals killed each year, consider the following statistics from the Doris Day Animal Foundation: An estimated 4 to 6 million cats and dogs are killed in shelters each year. Millions more are abandoned, only to suffer from illness or injury before dying on the streets. It costs U.S. taxpayers an estimated $2 billion each year to round up, house, euthanize, and dispose of homeless animals. Over 56 percent of dogs and puppies, and approximately 71 percent of cats and kittens are killed in shelters each year, based on reports from over 1,055 facilities across America. Thank You! from STOP For giving donations to help fund our spay program: Susan Lane, Evelyn Groomer, PETsMART Charities, DJ&T Foundation, and Gloria Stone. Wordsworth Writing, Editing, and Publication Designing Services for donating the design of this newsletter. Claire Buza for her researching and writing skills, and Sarah Kirton for her proofreading skills.

Looking for Love? Save a Stray! Consider rescuing a pet from animal control or a humane society. Save a life! Remember that dogs and cats are not held very long before they are killed at animal control centers due to the pet overpopulation problem and budget concerns. So keep checking! Mat-Su Animal Control, 1200 49th State Street, Mile 3 Palmer-Wasilla Hwy., 746-5500. Anchorage Animal Control Center, 4711 S. Bragaw Street, Anchorage, AK 99507, 343-8122 SPCA, Anchorage, AK 344-3622. Alaska Humane Society, Anchorage, AK, 344-8808. No-kill cat shelter. Friends of Pets, PO Box 240981, Anchorage, 99524, 562-2535; Pet Adoption Hotline: 561-3677. Mat-Su Puppies, http://matvalleypuppies.tripod.com/ STOP Receives Grants to Help Pay for Spaying and Neutering Costs (continued from p. 2) Those interested in receiving partial funding to pay for their pets to be altered should call STOP at 746- SPAY and leave their name, address, phone number, and information on the pets that need to be spayed or neutered. STOP will cover half of the cost of spaying and neutering through the SPCA Mobile Spay Clinic where prices will be $30 for a male cat, $50 for a male dog or female cat, and $60 for a female dog as of September 1. STOP s goal is to pay for the spaying and neutering of at least 500 Valley pets in the next 2 years. Although this would cost at least $25,000, these grants will help the organization begin helping Valley residents and pet owners right away. We are always in need of additional help, Dr. Oswald said. We have written to all Valley veterinarians asking them to participate in our program by lowering prices, and we hope some of them will contact us about this. We are also in need of printing or copying services for our flyers, brochures, spay/neuter applications and vouchers, and newsletter. Funds for postage, a small office somewhere, office supplies and equipment, some dedicated office volunteers, places to put our flyers and newsletter all of these would be of great benefit to the pets and to STOP. Dr. Oswald says that spaying and neutering are a way of saving lives by preventing births of dogs and cats. The truth is, there are just too many dogs and cats for homes in the Valley. If you have any questions about whether to breed your pet, go visit animal control first. I hope you will change your mind. And we are here to help make a difference. Thanks to these donations, we can actually pay to spay and neuter at least 100 to 200 pets right away, depending on the price of the surgeries and the amount of additional donations we receive. ADOPT A PET TODAY FROM ANIMAL CON- TROL. AND DON T FORGET TO SPAY! Claire Buza, the organization s vice-president, said, STOP understands that spaying and neutering dogs and cats is costly. Indeed, with SPCA prices set to increase September 1, even more pet owners might be unable to afford the surgery. That s why we are so happy about this grant money because it will enable STOP to pay 50 percent of spay/ neuter costs (possibly 100 percent in extreme hardship cases). Not only will pet owners be getting a great deal, they will be helping to reduce the pet overpopulation here in the Valley. This is a win-win situation for the pets, their owners, and the community; I couldn t be happier! If you would like to donate money, supplies, or volunteer time to the life-saving efforts of STOP, please call 746-7729; STOP s mailing address is P.O. Box 4083, Palmer, AK 99645. Editing, writing, and publication designing. Publication writing and design donated by Wordsworth Writing, Editing, and Researching Services, 745-5674.

WHY SPAY? These are photos of pets were killed at an Alaska animal control center. Why Spay? As these heartbreaking photos of doomed dogs at animal control show, there are many good reasons. Make it your priority this month to save lives tell your friends to spay and neuter their pets and to adopt from animal shelters if they are looking for a pet. Low-cost spay programs: STOP the Overpopulation of Pets 746- SPAY (7729) Alaska SPCA 562-2999; 1-888-409- SPAY (7729) Friends of Pets (50% off): 562-2535 Adoption Numbers: Mat-Su Animal Control 746-5500 Anchorage Animal Control 343-8122 Friends of Pets 561-3677 Alaska SPCA 344-3622 Alaska Humane Society 344-8808 TO VETERINARIANS Please call STOP at 746-7729 if you are interested in working with STOP to provide special low-cost spaying and neutering to meet our goal of spaying 500 dogs and cats in 2002-2004. Do you need financial help paying for spaying and neutering your pet(s)? Send this voucher to STOP the Overpopulation of Pets, PO Box 4083, Palmer, AK 99645, or call us at 746-SPAY, and we will arrange to pay. Name: Address: Home Phone: Work Phone: List number of dogs and cats and sex and approximate size (or breed): Join STOP the Overpopulation of Pets today and help pay for spaying and neutering of pets. Send your tax-deductible donations to STOP at PO Box 4083, Palmer, AK 99645. Name:_ Address: Donation amount:

APPLICATION FOR SPAY/NEUTER ASSISTANCE STOP the Overpopulation of Pets, Inc. MAIL OR FAX TO: P.O. Box 4083, Palmer, AK 99645 (907) 746-SPAY (7729); fax (907) 745-5677 E-mail: petnews@alaska.net APPLICATION FOR A SPAY-NEUTER VOUCHER (Fill out one form for each pet and mail to STOP at P.O. Box 4083, Palmer, AK 99645 or fax to us at 745-5677). Only fill out what is applicable; do not worry if you cannot fill out all the blanks. Pet Owner Name: Pet Owner Address: Pet Owner Phone Number: Home Work (or Cell) Animal Name: Cat Dog Breed: Color:_ Sex (circle): M / F Weight: Pregnant (circle): Y/N Identification: License #: Exp. Date: City/Borough: Rabies Current Y/N (Note: You will be responsible for paying for your pet s rabies shot at the time or before the spaying/ neutering surgery if not current.) If you can, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope with your request. STOP the Overpopulation of Pets is dedicated to saving lives by preventing births of unwanted dogs and cats in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Alaska. We will pay 50% of all spay/neuter requests; you will make your own appointment at the SPCA spay clinic. After we receive this form, we will send you a voucher that will cover 50% of the spay/neuter costs for each pet. You will need to bring your voucher with you to the SPCA. If you cannot afford anything toward the cost of spaying or neutering at this time, we will pay for the surgery in full, but we do ask that you help us to continue to help others by contributing if at all possible. Thank you, and congratulations for making the right choice in getting your pet spayed or neutered. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING STOP, PLEASE USE THE FORM BELOW. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO JOIN TO RECEIVE SPAY/NEUTER ASSISTANCE. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION TO STOP Type of membership (annual fees): $15 Student or Senior Citizen $25 Regular $35 Family For larger donations, list amount of donation here: All donations are tax deductible. Membership is not required to receive a spay/neuter voucher.