Animal Care S A N C T U A R Y P. O. Box A • East Smithfield, PA, 18817 • (570) 596-2200 • www.animalcaresanctuary.org FALL 2010 NEWSLETTER
Spunky and Hazel An Unexpected Have you ever considered what would happen to your pet if you became ill, injured, or were incapacitated? Pets are very important members of our families. It is important to arrange for their care in the event that something unplanned happens to you. Many animals are surrendered to shelters every year when their owners become ill or have an accident and cannot care for them. Animal Care Sanctuary has begun implementing a program called, “If Anything Happened to You, What Would Happen to Me?” This program serves as a guide for assisting in preparing a plan for your pets’ care should something happen to you.
Love Story
was made when our dear 12 year-old Chihuahua mix, Spunky, found a home and friend in Hazel. On a recent visit to her home, Spunky and Hazel were happily sharing a hospital bed. Spunky had again found her doggy smile, as well as a few extra pounds. It was evident that the healing was mutual and they share a strong bond.
Animal Care Sanctuary invites anyone interested to contact us regarding our program “If Anything Happened to You, What Would Happen to Me?” We know how much you care about your beloved
pets. Having a lifetime care plan will provide peace of mind by ensuring that the animals you love have the kind of life you want to give them – even if you are not around to provide the care. ■
In presenting this program to Guthrie Home Care and Hospice caregivers, we were unexpectedly surprised to find we could provide an additional service by healing hearts twofold. Hazel, a hospice patient, had recently lost her beloved dog of 17 years and the hospice social worker shared with us that animals were Hazel’s life. In August, a perfect match
»»IN THIS ISSUE Spunky and Hazel / 1 ACS 2011 Adoption Calendar / 2 Horses, Horses, Horses / 3 Sensi’s Story / 3 Kennel Renovations / 4 Cat Activity Centers / 5 New Foster Program / 6 ACS Mutt Strut / 6 Volunteers Make a Difference / 7 Ways to Donate / 7 Happy Ending for Maggee / 8
1 Consent for photography was obtained for this article.
fundraiser
Animal Care Sanctuary
Calendar
Animal Care Sanctuary is celebrating its first year of adoptions with the sale of 2011 calendars. Adoptions at ACS began in August of 2009. In our first year we have had 250 adoptions. Flyers were sent to all adopters requesting that they submit photos of their beloved pets for our calendar. Once all photos were received, visitors, vendors, staff, volunteers, and board members voted on their favorite photos. Although every pet is truly a winner, those with the most votes became one of the 12 month full photos. Then, the winner was placed on the cover of the calendar with his adoption story on the inside cover. The other photos were placed throughout the calendar. All sales of the calendar will benefit our adoption program.
ON SALE NOW
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2011
To order, call (570) 596-2200, order online at www.animalcaresanctuary.org, or send us the form below. ■ Clip ‘n Mail
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2011 ANIMAL CARE SANCTUARY CALENDAR ORDER FORM Order by December 15, 2010 and enter the ACS Lucky Draw! The ACS Lucky Draw Prize will be your choice of a cat or dog basket. The baskets will include a Lupine collar and leash, food, treats and other four-legged friendly items. The drawing will be held on December 30, 2010. PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY Name: __________________________________________________________________ Shipping Address: _________________________________________________________ City:________________________________State:_________Zip:___________________ Phone: (
) ___________________E-mail: ____________________________________
Number of Calendars _______ X $15.00 or 3 calendars for $30 (includes shipping) TOTAL: $ _________ PAYMENT INFORMATION Please check one: __Check or Money Order Enclosed (Made payable to Animal Care Sanctuary) __VISA __Master Card Card Number: ___ ___ ___ ___ - ___ ___ ___ ___ - ___ ___ ___ ___ - ___ ___ ___ ___ Expiration Date: ___ ___ - ___ ___ Name on card if different from above: ____________________________________________ Authorization Signature: ______________________________________________Date: ___________________ 2 MAIL TO: Animal Care Sanctuary, PO Box A, East Smithfield, PA 18817 FAX TO: (570) 596-2222
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new residents
Horses,
Horses,
Horses!
ACS is proud and excited to announce our equine barn is up and running. After weeks of hard work by staff and volunteers the barn was gutted, stalls jackhammered and haylofts built. Five large, roomy box stalls, tack-n-feed room and our hay storage are the final result. Not to mention an indoor arena with freshly spread footing. (This will be a great place to dog walk in the winter as well as hold agility and demonstration classes.) We also have a newly fenced in pasture with plans to fence in a second field in the spring. We presently have four horses: Dixie, Laddie, Rosie and Scarlett. ACS is looking forward to placing adoptable horses in appropriate, loving homes in the future! ■
Laddie, one of our new horses
Sensi is a smooth-coat collie mix who came to Animal Care Sanctuary in the fall of 2009. He was rescued from death in a New York City shelter. He was surrendered by his owners at just four months of age. They claimed that they were moving and he had gotten bigger than they had expected: the family could no longer afford his care.
improve his muscle development. Sensi then lost all of his hair and without any improvement in his leg. Unfortunately, he had been misdiagnosed and was allergic to his prescribed diet. A third opinion was sought at Laurel Hill Veterinary Clinic who diagnosed him with angular limb deformity and referred him to Colonial Veterinary Hospital in Ithaca, NY. Finally, after an extensive work-up, the Colonial Veterinary Hospital found a mild angulation of the wrist. Surgery is not recommended at this time. They hypothesize that Sensi holds his leg up not out of pain, but rather out of habit.
Sensi’s
When a rescue representative walked through the NYC shelter, Sensi lifted his head and one paw. He stared deeply into her eyes as if to say “save me.” At that moment, the woman knew she needed to rescue him. Sensi was severely malnourished due to having been fed a diet of cereal for three months. Malnourished and weak, Sensi was in very poor health. His right front leg had become deformed and painful. He was taken to two veterinarians who both diagnosed him with malnutrition. He was put on a lamb and rice diet to
Story
Sensi has overcome many obstacles in his young life: starvation, near death, and physical pain. Additionally, due to his malnourishment Sensi became very food aggressive. With the dedication of his Animal Care Sanctuary caretakers he has overcome this too. Sensi has had
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numerous veterinary costs involved in resolving the mystery of his deformed leg, but ACS is now celebrating. Now that Colonial Veterinary Hospital has confirmed that Sensi is healthy, we can begin to help Sensi search for his forever home. After such a rough start, this happy fellow deserves a new life with a loving family. If you would like to contribute to Sensi’s veterinary costs and care, please send a check or donate online through our website with Sensi in the note. Sensi will appreciate it! If you are interested in adopting Sensi , contact our adoptions coordinator. ■
Happy
Cats!
KennelRenovations When Cornell University’s School of Veterinary Medicine came to visit in April, one of their recommendations for the dog kennel was to brighten it up on the inside with new paint and lighting. Now that fall is here and the nights are cooler, we have begun the process of painting. We went with their suggestion of a light French vanilla color that would reflect the sunlight and skid-proof paint the color of sand for the floors. We are replacing our old florescent lights
with new energy efficient lighting, and installing sky lights in strategic places to let the light come in. All of this comes at a time when we are tightening our belts because we are anticipating the high cost of heating expenses this winter as well as the increases in food and medical expenses. However, in the winter the dogs spend more time inside the kennel and we are eager to make 4 pleasant. â– their environment more
New Activ Centers
facilities improvements
vity In our summer newsletter, we introduced you to the exciting changes involving the living arrangements of the ACS cats. ACS currently has 21 social or communal cat housing units that house approximately 150 cats. The cats in the social units are more content as they are able to move freely and socialize with each other. Living in the communal also increases the adoptability of the cats. Deciding which cats to place in the units has been quite a process
says Patricia “Tricia” Steves, the ACS cat supervisor. Cats are a social species, but are particular about their roommates and living arrangements. To avoid placing undue stress on the cats, Tricia has to match multiple cats’ personalities and then monitors the cats very closely for any signs of stress. When touring in April, Cornell suggested increasing the functional space in the social living units by going vertical. This would aid in relieving stress as the cats would have additional spaces to sleep and5hide. Creating this
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vertical space can be crafted by building the cats activity centers. The cats thrive when they have activity centers which they can sleep in, play on, and simply view the world from varying levels. The cost to build one activity center is approximately $75-$100. ACS has been very fortunate to find a retired sheet metal contractor, Whitney Warren, who is volunteering his time to build the activity centers. If you would like to enrich the lives of the cats please send your check or donate online with “activity center” in the note. ■
programs
New
Animal Care Sanctuary would like to announce that they now have a foster program for their dogs and cats. We just started this program in September 2010 and already have five animals in foster placement. As a foster parent you would be taking an animal into your home to help socialize them, sometimes housetrain them, offer daily exercise and give them love. You are responsible for the cost of feeding the pet and any other everyday care expenses. ACS will cover the medical costs such as vaccines, veterinary visits, and other medications that they may need. As a perk, and a show of appreciation to our foster parents, ACS will offer a discount in the adoption fee should they choose to adopt a pet from ACS. It is a great opportunity to serve and enrich the lives of the animals. In addition, animals in foster placement are more adoptable having experienced a home environment. If you would like to become a foster parent, please give us a call anytime! ■
Foster
Program
Animal Care’s Rachel Higham and her foster pup, named Generic
Announcing our 1st Annual
Mutt Strut
Save the date: May 21, 2011! Join us for a doggone fun day to raise money for your four legged friends at Animal Care Sanctuary! Events will include a pledge walk, canine demonstrations, free pet health screenings, vendors, rescue groups, music and entertainment. For more information contact us at email address info@animalcaresanctuary.org or call (570) 596-2200. ■
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giving
Volunteers Ways to make a Difference Donate ACS would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our volunteers! We trained nine new volunteers at our volunteer training in September. Since then, the volunteers have been busy enriching the lives of the animals in many ways: walking dogs on our gorgeous property, playing fetch with dogs in the newly fenced in dog yard, cuddling with kittens, grooming cats, making comfy beds and tasty treats. The animals appreciate you and so do we! If you are interested in volunteering contact us! We have many opportunities in a variety of areas: working with animals, assisting in the office, or attending public events. ■
We always welcome donations of any kind to help us care for our residents. Some of the ways you can help include: • • • • • • • • •
Donate online by credit card at www.animalcaresanctuary.org Send a check to us at PO Box A, East Smithfield, PA, 18817 Donate items on our Wish List at www.amazon.com Donate a kuranda bed on our web site, Ways to Help tab Bequeath a portion of your estate Come up and walk the dogs Share this newsletter with others Create a team for Mutt Strut Adopt one of our lovable animals
ACS LEADERSHIP
Volunteers walking Remus and Tiger
Board of Directors Carrie Carroll Chairperson Rob Redman Vice Chairperson Eric Chase Treasurer Ron Sheehan Board Member Carol Koenecke-Grant Board Member
Executive Staff Joan Smith-Reese Executive Director Rachel Higham Community Liaison
Contact jsmithreese@animalcaresanctuary.org (570) 596-2200 Animal Care Sanctuary is a dedicated, nurturing stepping stone for animals of all kinds.
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER The layout, logo designs, and some photos for this newsletter were donated by Randy Heffernan. The copy and remaining photos were provided by Animal Care Sanctuary. The printing was done by USA Printing Online at a significant discount. For more information about Randy 7 Heffernan’s design services, contact randyheffernan@yahoo.com. ■
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ACS is a non-profit animal shelter located in northeast Pennsylvania. We strive to provide nuturing, healthy homes to cats, dogs, and other animals who are abandoned or abused. We rehabilitate as many of these animals as possible in order to place them into permanent homes. Those that cannot be adopted remain in our care.
success story
Happy Ending
Maggee
In our last newsletter we featured Maggee, the darling dog with an enlarged esophagus. Many of you wrote to us and contributed toward her care. She received her special Bailey Chair to help her eat, and with all of the love and special attention she gained 5.5 pounds and has been able to go out in the dog yard and play like a young dog should. But the real fairy tale ending is that Maggee has been adopted! Her new owners are from Quakertown and have experience caring for dogs with Maggee’s condition as well as specialize in senior care and hospice care for dogs. We have asked them to keep us updated on her throughout the years. Thank you so much for your generous support. Because of you this is truly a happy ending! â–
Maggee with her new mom Sherrie and her new little sister, Natalyia.
P.O. Box A East Smithfield, PA 18817
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