PUPPY POWER — LOOK AT THESE CUTIES

LONG LIVE THE CONCH REPUBLIC

Find A Friend At The Florida Keys Spca

The Keys Weekly family loves animals as much as our friends at the Florida Keys SPCA do, and we’re honored each week to showcase some “furever” friends that are ready, waiting and available for adoption at the organization’s Key West campus.

From cats and dogs to Guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, reptiles and birds, the perfect addition to your family is waiting for you. The SPCA’s knowledgeable staff will help with advice and care tips while working to ensure a good fit between each pet and its people.

The SPCA’s Golden Paw program also provides special assistance with vet bills and medications for special-needs and older animals that require a little extra TLC.

Check these pages each week for just a few of the animals waiting for a home and see them all at fkspca.org.

Twenty-four volunteers met at Lazy Way Lane on April 28 to clean up after the Conch Republic Independence celebration. It was a small area, yet they collected four gallons of cigarette butts, 39 pounds of trash and 15 pounds of recycling. Please dispose of your cigarette butts properly. Given our proximity to the water, most butts — with their chemicals and microplastics — will eventually end up in the ocean. CONTRIBUTED

One hour a week makes a huge difference, and volunteers are welcome every Friday and some Saturday mornings, from 8 to 9 a.m., when the Key West Ploggers clean up a designated area of the island.

Gloves, pickers, buckets, vests, hand sanitizer and a parking pass are provided to all volunteers.

A troubling number of cigarette butts and plastic bags have been included in recent hauls. Please remember your reusable bags when shopping so we can keep the plastic off the streets, parking lots and, most importantly, out of the water. And dispose of cigarette butts in any receptacle rather than the street or sidewalk, as from there, they easily end up in the ocean.

The city of Key West and its residents ask everyone to do their part to help keep Key West beautiful. With simple steps like making sure you bag your trash before putting it in your Waste Management trash cans or Dumpsters, and making sure the lids on Dumpsters are closed, will keep a lot of trash from blowing into the streets. Call Waste Management at 305-296-8297 for any furniture items left on the city right of way.

Please pick up around your home or apartment complex. Every piece of trash picked up is one less that may end up in the ocean that surrounds and sustains our island community. It is not just the large items you can see easily when you are walking, but the smaller items such as bottle caps and cigarette butts that are collected by the volunteers that make the biggest difference.

It takes committed community involvement to keep Key West beautiful and we are making progress with every cleanup event and every spot that’s adopted. Call Dorian Patton at 305-809-3782 to find out how your business, nonprofit or club can help.

— Contributed

Join a Friday morning cleanup from 8 to 9 a.m.

Friday, May 5: North & South Roosevelt and Flagler Ave. — meet at the top of Flagler, closest to Coconut Mallory Resort.

Friday, May 12: Truman Waterfront Park — meet in the big parking lot, to the right of the USCGC Ingham.

Friday, May 19: Smathers Beach Bridle Path — meet on the Bridle Path near the Dumpster across from the last entrance to Smathers Beach.

Friday, May 26: Caroline Street — meet in the city parking lot behind B.O.’s Fish Wagon.

Pork Chop is one of five sweet puppies looking for their furever homes. She’s 2 months old and a medium mixed breed. Puppies need lots of time and energy, so please make sure you have both when adopting.

Porter House is one of five sweet puppies looking for furever homes. She is 2 months old and a medium mixed breed. Puppies need training and exercise of both the mind and body to help them become well-mannered adults.

Prime Rib is one of five sweet puppies looking for their furever homes! She is 2 months old, female and a medium mixed breed. Puppies are a lifetime commitment. Please ensure you are ready for a best friend of 12-15 years when adopting!

Crepe is a 2-year-old female domestic shorthair. She’s shy at first, but after the first pet, she’s putty in your lap. She would do well with your whole twoand four-legged family.