Frontdoors Media Furry Friends Resource Directory

Frontdoors Media

Furry Friends

RESOURCE DIRECTORY

Photo courtesy of Arizona Humane Society

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Furry Friends

RESOURCE DIRECTORY

The Frontdoors Magazine annual ode to our Furry Friends in the community is back with a twist!

Introducing the 2021-2022 Furry Friends Resource Directory. After three years of highlighting animal charities throughout Maricopa County, we are proud to debut this new mini-publication.

Whether you are looking to adopt, volunteer or support local organizations and businesses, the Furry Friends Resource Directory has the place for you and your fur-kids. If your organization or company would like to be added to our next edition, let us know!

Andrea Tyler Evans, Publisher publisher@frontdoorsmedia.com

ARIZONA ANIMAL WELFARE LEAGUE Saving more than 4,000 lives each year and over 100,000 homeless animals in our 50-year history, the Arizona Animal Welfare League strives to be the community’s leading source for pet adoptions, affordable veterinary services, volunteer opportunities, humane youth education, and expertise in animal welfare. As Arizona’s oldest and largest no-kill animal shelter, AAWL provides excellent care, protection and loving compassion for the life of the animals entrusted to us, while providing veterinary services to the public through our low-cost clinic, MD Petcare and humane education programs and camps for the next generation of animal lovers.

25 N. 40th St., Phoenix, AZ 85034 (602) 273-6852 AAWL.org

ARIZONA HUMANE SOCIETY The Arizona Humane Society saves the most vulnerable animals and enriches the lives of pets and people. As the safety net for our community’s sick, injured and abused pets, AHS saves lives through some of the most innovative programs in the country: aggressive spay/neuter initiatives; comprehensive medical care in AHS’ Second Chance Animal Trauma Hospital™ and intensive care units; rescue and cruelty investigations by AHS’ Emergency Animal Medical Technicians™ and a Pet Resource Center that helps keep pets in loving homes. The life of every pet saved is the direct result of gifts from thousands of friends, partners and donors.

1521 W. Dobbins Road, Phoenix, AZ 85041 (602) 997-7585 azhumane.org FRONTDOORS MEDIA

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MAR/APR 2021

SERVICE WITH A SNIFF Power Paws Assistance Dogs takes ‘man’s best friend’ to a new level

By Danielle Davis Photos courtesy of Power Paws Assistance Dogs

E

very parent’s nightmare is not being able to keep their child safe. That’s what happened to Katja Hissler when her son Sami was diagnosed at age 4 with Type 1 diabetes. His erratic glucose numbers needed to be continuously managed. Katja needed to find an additional way to keep him safe, especially at night, as blood sugars can crash without warning.

“Our family was looking for ways to better protect Sami, but also to find a new way of family life where diabetes is not always the limiting factor,” she said.

That’s when Power Paws Assistance Dogs came in and provided a unique safety measure for Sami — Taylor, a diabetic alert dog.

As one of only two agencies in Arizona accredited

by Assistance Dogs International to train and place service dogs for the disabled, Power Paws has been a lifeline for families like Katja’s. The organization places highly skilled assistance dogs for children and adults with Type 1 diabetes, mobility impairments and people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

In Sami’s case, he needed a diabetic alert dog to signal when there is a change in his glucose levels.

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How? It’s all about the smell. These specially-trained dogs can actually smell a person’s glucose levels and alert the owner if they sense a suspicious change.

Taylor will search the home until he finds Katja and then bow or nudge with his nose or paw until she goes to Sami to manage his care.

“Training for each client is customized to mitigate their challenges,” said Power Paws executive director Elaine Starks. “We also add extra tasks for dogs, including the retrieval of medication or even pressing a 911 alert if a client is alone and falls into a state of unconsciousness.”

Before a service dog is placed with a family, there is a comprehensive vetting and training process. A client’s physician must first verify the diagnosis and agree a service dog would improve the quality of life. Once a match is identified, a client will come to the agency for a three-week training session to learn how to handle a service dog.

With a 98 percent success rate and the remaining 2 percent of dogs placed with programs serving veterans or special needs children, Power Paws is truly continued >>>

FRONTDOORS MEDIA

Furry Friends

RESOURCE DIRECTORY

DOOLITTLE’S DOGHOUSE Our philosophy is simple: All dogs and cats deserve to be treated like family when their owners are away from them. We offer in-home pampered pet care nothing short of fabulous! Whether in our homes or yours, your furry children are in good paws with us.

Serving all communities in greater Phoenix.

Scottsdale, AZ 85258 (480) 907-6400 doolittlesdoghouse.com

FOOTHILLS ANIMAL RESCUE Foothills Animal Rescue is a cage-free, adoption-guaranteed rescue located in the heart of Scottsdale. Working to ensure that homeless dogs and cats receive the shelter they deserve, Foothills Animal Rescue is dedicated to saving lives through the rescue, care and adoption of homeless cats and dogs.

10197 E. Bell Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 (480) 488-9890 foothillsanimal.org

HOSPICE OF THE VALLEY PET THERAPY PROGRAM Hospice of the Valley’s pet therapy teams bring smiles to the faces of our patients and families with their unconditional love and comfort, cuddles, tail wags and wet kisses. Our teams visit homes, group homes, independent and assisted living communities, inpatient care homes, nursing facilities, trade shows and expos. Suitable pets include dogs, cats, bunnies and mini horses that have a current pet therapy registration.

1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix, AZ 85014 (602) 636-6336 hov.org/volunteer/pet-therapy

FRONTDOORS MEDIA

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MAR/APR 2021

Power Paws service dogs help people with a disability increase independence and improve their quality of life.

leading the pack. Volunteers are critical to the agency’s success as they are the ones who foster and train the dogs over a 16-month period. “Their investment of time and financial support is key to our success and ability to keep costs low for our clients,” Starks said.

For 20 years, volunteer and donor support has been the catalyst for Power Paws programming. Clients pay a $10,000 fee for the initial three-week training with an immediate six months of “aftercare.” What makes Power Paws so unique is that ongoing training for the life of the dog is included at no additional cost. Since the actual cost to train each dog is approximately $30,000, the agency must fundraise for the difference.

In 2018, Power Paws decided to retool its volunteer

process, which drives its mission. Under the Arizona Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism, an entity that works with nonprofits to examine their volunteer program infrastructure, Power Paws evaluated the process, developed a strategy and changed its volunteer program entirely.

The generosity of dedicated staff, individual donors and three major gifts totaling $130,000 helped move the agency forward. Thunderbirds Charities supported the volunteer program infrastructure, Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust funded a dedicated volunteer coordinator position and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona supported the canine training program.

But there’s always more that can be done. COVID-19 greatly affected Power Paws’ revenue streams. The needs are more significant than ever, and the impact on clients is immeasurable — just ask Sami’s mom. “The extra cushion of safety Sami has with him is one more ‘nose’ to watch the crashing sugars,” Katja said. “Oh yes, it IS worth it.”

To find out more about this Arizona nonprofit or to donate, visit azpowerpaws.org.

Danielle Davis | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

MAR/APR 2021

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FRONTDOORS MEDIA

Furry Friends

RESOURCE DIRECTORY

PHOENIX ANIMAL CARE COALITION PACC911 brings together more than 100 animal welfare organizations throughout Arizona to create a potent animal rescue community that works together under a unified umbrella.

We provide education, adopt-a-thons, medical grants for rescued animals and have a pet-food pantry for low-income families.

3841 E. Thunderbird Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032 (602) 992-4779 pacc911.org

POWER PAWS ASSISTANCE DOGS Providing highly skilled assistance dogs to people with disabilities; education and continuing support for working assistance-dog teams; and serving as a community resource for people with disabilities.

8250 E. Rose Lane, Ste. B, Scottsdale, AZ 85250 (480) 970-1322 azpowerpaws.org

TWO PUPS WELLNESS FUND Financial aid from the heart for the care and health needs of the four-footed friends who give us their hearts.

4130 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (480) 490-7136 twopups.org

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Photo by Jay Wennington on Unsplash

FRONTDOORS MEDIA

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MAR/APR 2021

SPAY. NEUTER. COVID? M

any Arizonans do not realize that the Valley has become one of the most collaborative and innovative places in the country when it comes to increasing access to affordable spay/neuter programs for the community. We can attribute reduced intake at animal shelters to the success of those initiatives.

So how has the pandemic affected these efforts and what can we learn from them moving forward?

Frontdoors Media went to the experts to find out.

Sonia Hernandez has been serving as the project manager for Fix.Adopt.Save. since 2015 and is at the forefront of this complex issue thanks to significant funding by the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. After years of steady progress with Fix.Adopt.Save. project manager their seven nonprofit Sonia Hernandez partner organizations and a focus on community spay and neuter, the initial COVID lockdown put their efforts at significant risk.

Misconceptions by those who needed to spay or neuter their pet included an assumption that all vet clinics and programs were closed when, actually, nearly all of them reopened as essential businesses with CDC requirements within two weeks of the initial shutdown.

So, the Fix.Adopt.Save. team quickly adjusted their outreach to contact-free efforts throughout lower-income areas across the Valley to curb the effects of having an increased population of animals in need of these critical surgeries. They also have several mobile units for direct reach into these communities.

What’s the current state of their programs?

“We are still unable to provide our large-scale public events at this time like Fix.Adopt.Save.’s Annual Free

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FRONTDOORS MEDIA

Spay/Neuter Weekend and our monthly Community Pet Wellness Clinic, which provides free vaccinations and microchips,” Hernandez said. “We are hoping that we will return to these special events in late 2021 or early 2022. Despite these challenges, the program has been able to provide 3,440 no-cost spay/neuter surgeries through 85 mobile clinics in 2020, resulting in a total of 5,200 no-cost surgeries through non-partner organizations.” Hernandez said they are on track to meet or exceed those numbers in 2021.

Frontdoors Media also found an organization that was able to increase their efforts in 2020. Altered Tails, the preeminent low-cost spay/neuter nonprofit clinic with two locations (Sunnyslope and east Mesa), has reported 24,090 total surgeries for 2020, including surgeries for other rescue organizations, outperforming its 2019 total by 2,756 animals.

Dr. Nellie Goetz, Dr. Nellie Goetz, veterinarian executive director and executive director of Altered Tails and veterinarian, attributes this growth in services during the pandemic to several decreases in other areas.

“Many full-service veterinary clinics were forced to concentrate their efforts on urgent cases, creating a void in available spay/neuter in the area,” Goetz said. “Additionally, many spay/neuter clinics were hit with COVID-related closures. Altered Tails was very fortunate to only have to close down in 2020 due to the Governor’s request to conserve PPE for human cases, and our staff across both clinics has been rising to the occasion of increased capacity ever since.”

Goetz also attributes their ability to work with partner organizations across the county to help “get the word out” as a way to share these available resources with people who have been hit hard economically.

Thanks to the leadership at Fix.Adopt.Save., Altered Tails and many other partner organizations across the Valley, the years of success have built up to ensure that our community remains a leader in the animal-welfare sector, and will be primed for continued growth post-COVID. To learn more, visit fixadoptsave.org and alteredtails.org.