KokomoHumane.org Four Paws Press Fall 2017 Spring, 2016 On June 20, the Kokomo Humane Society broke ground on our new $2.4 million facility at the corner of Hoffer St. and Home Ave. It was a fantastic turnout for the ceremony and a proud day for us to be able to share this historic event with the public, including past, present future supporters. Best inandshow We were thrilled to have representation from across Howard County sharing kind words and inspirational thoughts about this project and our community. Those speakers included Mayor Greg Goodnight, Best Friends County commissioner Paul Wyman, Development director and board of directors secretary, Karen Peelle, board president Dave Kitchell and Executive Director Karen Wolfe. Humane Society is certain to engage the community in a way the old facility never could. Expected is an increase in animal adoptions as well as more returns of lost pets to their families. We are confident this easy to find location and new structure will produce more volunteers they being the backbone of our organization. We are excited to see how much more we can accomplish with a larger, better prepared team. Construction began the second week of July and the Tail Waggers move into the new building is expected in late spring of 2018. It is exciting to watch the progress of the building and the surrounding street work by city employees which will include diagonal on street parking near the shelter. Being in such a central and visible location the new Groundbreaking Ceremony
BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Dave Kitchell Vice President Brent Dechert Secretary Karen Peelle Treasurer Dr. William Humphrey Directors Melissa Ellis Ann Harrigan Dr. Corey Swart Mark McCann Dr. Adam Vernengo Monica Harp, Terri King Larry Rolland Candy Hodge Barbara Alexander STAFF Karen Wolfe Executive Director Jackie Koontz Shelter Administrator Jeana Watson, C.E.T Shelter Manager Jackie Vore, C.E.T Adoption Manager Eddie Dietzen, C.E.T Outreach Coordinator Deb Whitfield Volunteer Coordinator Rafaela Wright Marketing Technician Megan Hiss Animal Control Officer Ray Brown Animal Control Officer Animal Care Specialists Candi Rork, C.E.T. Rachel Sitts, C.E.T. Breanna Larrick, C.E.T. Marissa Shoffner Chelsie Frazier Rachel Porter Maintenance Technician Bill Reel Improving the lives of animals The motley crew of Mickey, Minnie and Pluto was brought to our shelter as strays. All were horribly overgrown with long, matted hair and the smelliest of smells that many of us had experienced in our time working at the Kokomo Humane Society. Even with these issues all three were friendly, happy and seemed thrilled to have been found and brought to us. It was, however, difficult to gauge anything about these dogs in terms of health or Mickey body condition. After they were groomed, we were able to determine that all were in good physical health and ranged in age from seven to eleven years old. Sadly, all had dental issues with Minnie and Mickey being the worst, and Mickey was missing an eye that we hadn t noticed until after he was groomed. Minnie The likelihood of someone adopting a senior dog (let alone three) and immediately, if ever, taking on the expense of a doggie dental procedure is low. It can be an expensive endeavor. The reality is however, that a dental for a dog has the ability to not only improve its quality of life, but also extend it. Having this in mind we quickly began a campaign to get these dogs some dental help. With prominent Facebook posts and funding by extremely generous donors we were able to quickly set up dental appointments for all three dogs. In the meantime, those who brought the animals to us were unable to get this trio off their minds and contacted us about adopting them all. It was fantastic to be able to send all three home together where they will be able to happily spend their golden years. We continue to be eternally grateful to our public and private supporters. All God s Creatures grooming salon was wonderful to take on grooming these three dogs and we had a handful of extremely generous donors that made it possible to get each dog a fresh smile. Call it just another happy outcome at the Kokomo Humane Society. Thanks to all who helped. Preventing cruelty through education Former shelter dog now works as therapy dog Finn joins other certified pets at library for Paws to Read events October 14, 2017 One lucky dog has gone from behind bars at the Kokomo Humane Society to the laps of area youth as they learn to read. Finn, a former Kokomo Humane Society dog, recently became a certified therapy dog and started Pluto working at Paws to Read events at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, which allow struggling or reluctant readers to read to dogs and cats. His owner, Karen Wolfe, who s also the executive director of the Kokomo Humane Society, said that while she believed he d be great as a therapy dog, he surpassed her expectations. At Finn s first Paws to Read session, she said he gave it his all.
I ve had a lot of dogs, and he s the only one I ve ever had that would have been appropriate for this kind of thing, she said. My running tagline is everyone loves Finn, and it s true. He tends to love everybody, and he s just a real gentle dog with the kids and the adults. He s got an old soul and a calm nature. Finn now is a regular at the Paw to Read events, and he most recently is in the interviewing process to be a therapy dog at St. Vincent Kokomo where he will visit with patients if approved. Wolfe said she s always seen the value in therapy dogs, and she s excited that Finn now can be a part of that world. Finn, a therapy dog, sits with a participant at Paws Dogs are incredibly therapeutic. For some children to Read at KHCPL. reading is struggle. With the Paws to Read program I was pretty surprised. He did a lot better than I would they can read to a dog who is nonjudgmental, which is have thought for the first time. When he likes people, a great thing, she said. We re working to expand you know it. He s always friendly, but there are some that a little bit and go some other places too. Petting a therapy dog lowers blood pressure. It makes you people he ll really engage himself with and other calmer. There are all sorts of advantages to interacting people he ll tolerate. But it was not like that there. with an animal. Every person he made a real effort with, she said. In taking Finn out, she said it s also been a good way Finn and Wolfe were certified through an to share information about the shelter, as many of the organization called Pet Partners, which entailed online kids have asked about him he s a 5-year-old training and in-person testing in Chicago. wire-haired terrier mix and where he came from the Wolfe said she s always wanted to have a dog become a certified therapy dog, but she never owned Kokomo Humane Society. It gives Wolfe a chance to one with the right temperament. While working at the remind people that the shelter is there and has Humane Society, she saw Finn get surrendered to the countless pets that are in need of homes. shelter as a stray. She thought he was a unique dog, so when he was surrendered for the second time, she By Alyx Arnett Kokomo Perspective adopted him herself. Uniting Pets with Families
Humane Society Director receives award for Bright Ideas Wish lists Are you cleaning and decluttering your home? Trying to figure out what to do with all your old towels, blankets, sheets and more. You would be surprised what our animals can use from your everyday items. Check out our website to find out what our animals need! Go to: www.kokomohumane.org Kokomo Humane Society s Director, Karen Wolfe & Matt Pepper, MHS' President and CEO. Nov 5, 2017 BATTLE GROUND, Mich. The Kokomo Humane Society s Karen Wolfe was one of five Midwestern Executive Directors to be honored recently at the 2017 Great Lakes Animal Welfare Conference. Wolfe was a recipient of the Bright Ideas Award, which honors those who best showcased cutting edge projects, campaigns and facility improvements, allowing professionals to use them as industry models. Wolfe s winning entry was the Cat Café that will be a major part of the Kokomo Humane Society s $2.4 million facility currently under construction at the corners of Home Avenue and Hoffer Street. The 10,000 square foot building is expected to open in May. According to a press release, the Cat Café will serve hot and bottled beverages, local baked goods and packaged snacks. The café will be adjacent to a cat colony people can enter with their beverages and interact with the cats. It will help maintain low cost feline adoption fees, encourage community interaction and provide rental space for activities including club meetings and children s birthday parties. Additionally the café would offer a volunteer option for people who don t want to interact directly with the animals or those not currently looking to adopt, but would like to cuddle cats. This additional space will allow room to offer special events and continuing education. It was an honor to be selected as one of the five award recipients because there were so many outstanding entries, said Wolfe, who has served as Kokomo Humane s Executive Director for three years, in the press release. It was a wonderful opportunity to speak not only about the café, but also about the many life-saving changes we have made in recent years at our facility. We are no longer the dog pound, but rather an organization that works diligently every day finding forever homes for the 3,000-plus animals that come through our doors each year. By Cody NeuenschwanderKokomo Tribune Microchip Special Coupon 50% OFF You save 12.50! No appointments needed Cannot be combined with other offers One coupon per pet per household No cash value Must show valid photo ID & proof of ownership Offer Expires: 12/31/2017
New Building Progress Pictures Surgery Center West Side of Building Cat Café Adoptable Dogs Area We can t wait! East Side of Building Volunteer Spotlight Bio Marra & Ethan Shook Hello my name is Marra Shook. I am a freshman at Eastern High School and I have been volunteering for the Kokomo Humane Society for almost a year. My mother wanted my oldest brother, Dylan, to get involved in something bigger than himself and I tagged along. Dylan prefers cats, but I m a dog person. I m not old enough to drive to the shelter on my own, but my mother and I do our best to make it in every week to walk the dogs. We have also participated in adoption events at the Markland Mall, Petco, and Clear the Shelter Day. We joined in on the most recent event, Barktober Fest, at Foster Park. One of my favorite days involved Purdue University when we helped monitor and care for the dogs after surgery was performed by students studying to be veterinarians. It s not always easy assignment because it is difficult to see the animals in their cages. You want to just take them all home, but you can t. However, we can help make some of their time enjoyable and help prepare them for their forever homes by playing with them and walking them. The Humane Society calls it socialization, we call it fun with our furry friends. We also do our best to collect blankets, sheets, and towels for use at the shelter. We have taken several comforters and cut them down (each one can be turned into five or six dog blankets) and I can practice my sewing skills on them because the dogs won t care about my imperfect stitches. We have spent a lot of time at the dinner table talking about the dog antics and in doing so recruited my other brother, Ethan, to join us. He started going with us and is now getting trained to work on his own. It has become a real family affair and we all love it and the animals. We look forward to the new facility opening next spring and participating in many more events with our humane society. Every little bit helps.
December COME SEE US! 2nd Paws for Christmas - Christmas Open House 3rd PETCO Adoption Day 9th Markland Mall Adoption Event 15th Tin Man Adoption Event January 6 & 7 PETCO Adoption Weekend 13th Markland Mall Adoption Event 19th Tin Man Adoption Event To stay up to date with our event schedule please visit our event page at www.kokomohumane.org Giving Tuesday will be celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday, Buy Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season when many people are looking for options for end-ofyear giving. This is our inaugural year for the Kokomo Humane Society to begin participating in the event as a way to raise funds for special projects. This year our organization is focusing on fundraising to outfit the surgery room in our new facility. We decided that to focus on a specific project, it would encourage people to donate, especially since funds raised will directly help shelter animals. Our goal for this fundraiser is $10,000 and while this amount may seem #Giving Tuesday lofty, we were given a helping hand with an anonymous matching grant of $5,000. We are seeking an additional $5,000 in donations to make the match. We are so excited to have this generous incentive to begin our holiday campaign. #Giving Tuesday is not solely about monetary donations but also encourages gifts of time or talent. Reach out and share what you have to offer. We would love to be the recipient of your talents so check out the volunteer page on our website, kokomohumane.org. We depend on our volunteers and are always looking to expand our team. Chicago story telling Cooperative visits city in February KHS VIP CLUB-Free Sign Up! Become a KHS VIP member and receive: - Free online subscriptions to our newsletter - KHS latest updates - Microchip coupons - Upcoming event information delivered right to your inbox! To SIGN UP go to : www.kokomohumane.org In an effort to raise both funds and awareness we are always seeking new ways to engage our community. Currently the Kokomo Humane Society hosts two major events, Ales for Tails in June and Barktober Fest in October. While both are fun events each has a different focus. There are some supporters that attend both, though we do find that each tends to draw a different crowd. On Feb. 2, 2018, the Kokomo Humane Society is introducing a new event to our schedule of fundraisers. We are bringing the Chicago based story telling cooperative, 2nd Story to Kokomo to share four original animal tails with us. For more information about 2nd Story you can check out its website www.2ndstory.com The evening event will take place at The Hobson, an exciting new venue due to open in January. The Hobson is located in the landmark Old City Building in downtown Kokomo. The top floor of this historically significant building has been newly renovated to reflect a modern take on the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style. With its signature semi-circular arch, its soaring towers and turrets and its imposing limestone facade, it is an iconic symbol of Kokomo's history and now, its future. We are thrilled to be among the first to host an event in this elegant venue. We are currently making plans for the evening which will consist of a select silent auction, an upscale meal, and of course fabulous stories featuring the connection of people and their pets. Tickets will be priced at $60 per person with a limit of 150 available. Additional ticket information will be announced in the weeks to come. We are excitedly looking forward to this special first for our city and Kokomo Humane.
Barktober Fest 5K & Dog Walk Fundraiser 2017 The 11th annual Barktober Fest dog walk and fundraising event for the Kokomo Humane Society was a huge success! We raised a record-breaking sum of $23,067 which will be divided among our new building fund, Shelby s Second Chance medical fund and our long term fund for reducing feline adoption fees. The event was held Oct. 7 at Foster Park and this year we introduced a new twist. Along with the walk around New Route! Industrial Heritage Trail Foster Park we added a 5K walk. This route followed the portion of the beautiful Heritage Industrial Trail that goes past our new building site. We had a significant increase in vendors this year which included dog related booths such as dog trainers, groomers, boarders and bakers. For the people attending there were clothes, Group Winner Oasis Counseling jewelry and miscellaneous items to purchase. As a new attraction, Crown Haven attended with pony rides and a rabbit and mini goat to pet. We were also fortunate to have Curt Alexander from Spectrum Photography taking fall portraits. Our wonderful fundraisers did an amazing job. The top winner who has raised the most money for us on several occasions was Lynn Kurtz, who raised $2,570 in memory of her dog Maggie She won four tickets to our 2018 Ales for Tails event for her efforts. Second place went to Jayne Ribble who raised $710. She won a personalized pet portrait by artist Sherry Temby. The third place prize went to Elizabeth Runyon who raised $250 and she won four tickets to Beef & Boards Dinner Theater. This year s group winner was Oasis Counseling, which raised $1,940 and won a pizza party from Hot Box Pizza. This year was also a record breaker for our event sponsors at $16,050! We are so grateful for everyone s support. We wouldn t be able to help our many animals without our donor s generous contributions. Here are our sponsors: Top 3 Fundraisers Lynn Kurtz, Jayne Ribble & Elizabeth Runyon Leaders of the Pack: Sycamore Financial, William & Sandra Knarr, Jefferson Road Animal Hospital, Bill & Karen Peelle, Adler s Feed Express, Dan & Ann Harrigan, Maverick Security Solutions, Hoosier AM/FM Radio, Z92.5, Rock 98.5 Big Dogs: King s Heating & Plumbing, Beckley Office Equipment, David & Diane Turner, Pet Care Clinic of Kokomo, BCR CPA Group, First Bank of Berne, Debra Whitfield, Dr. Bob & Sue Mason, Dr.& Mrs. Thomas Scherschel, Grinsfelder Associates Architects Cat s Meow: Community First Bank, Always About Pets, LLC, Richard & Angela Zeltner, Peelle Law, Melissa Ellis Residential Appraisals, David & Linda Kitchell, Mike & Susie Maher, Steven & Vivian Heronemus, Security Federal Savings Bank, Mick & Marydee Daily, Kokomo Animal Hospital, Kokomo Tribune, Kokomo Perspective, Kokomo Herald. Paw Prints: Paws N Behave, Burger King, Dr. Pratap & Nirmala Gohil, Candy Hodge, Wade & Tammy Pekarske, Delmar & Joyce Walker, Herbst Family of Pharmacies, James & Martha Meck, Dechert Law Office, Stafford s Pet Design n Service, Cataract & Laser Institute, UAW Local 685, Del Walker, Phyllis Jovanovich, Michael & Joyce Lantz.
KokomoHumane.org Helping animals since 1891 713 N. Elizabeth St Kokomo, IN 46901 NON PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NUMBER 594 KOKOMO, IN December 2 12-3 pm Location: Kokomo Humane Society