The Tattle Tails
The Rockingham Harrisonburg SPCA Newsletter
December 2020
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
Board of Directors
Dear Friends,
Dr. Darnice Pettigrew President Beverly London Vice President Michael Sharp Treasurer Anngela Gibson Secretary
This past year has been unprecedented, one that I do not think any of us will soon forget. Here at the Rockingham Harrisonburg SPCA, we will remember this past year for all the lives we saved. We decreased shelter euthanasia by 75% in 2020! This year, we redoubled our efforts, overcame the unique challenges the pandemic presented and worked even harder to fulfill our promise to save more animals. Our overall live release rate is at 86%, just four points away from the 90% benchmark.
Justin Bridges Brandon Howdyshell Eric Humphries Tammy Katsorelos Dr. Nina Smith
Contact the Shelter 540-434-5270 info@rhspca.org www.rhspca.org 2170 Old Furnace Rd. Follow us on social media to never miss a pupdate!
d o n o ur c o ure ve t c r Pi
Facebook @RHSPCA Instagram @RHSPCA
Of particular challenge to us is the community’s cat overpopulation problem. This year, we have already taken into our care more than 1,500 cats and kittens. With limited space in the shelter to house so many cats, we expanded our foster program to provide housing for 150 felines doubling our shelter capacity. We also introduced a barn cat program to provide safe outdoor homes for the unsocial and unfriendly cats. These new initiatives have resulted in 250 more cats and kittens finding adoptive homes this year. Kittens like Stevie that came to us as an orphan. She received bottle feedings every four hours until she was old enough to eat on her own. Once healthy and socialized she quickly found her forever home. We have saved 99% of the dogs that have come into our care this year. We did so by making sure that we did everything in our power to help those that could be saved, ones like Red. He was brought to us after being hit by a car. The impact shattered his back leg and caused severe bruising and tissue damage to his left side. An emergency trip to the veterinarian revealed that he would need an amputation, multiple surgeries to treat his front leg and that it would be expensive and the recovery long. Thankfully, his prognosis was good. We reached out to you, our supporters for help, and you answered. After spending three days in the hospital, Red began his slow road to recovery. Today, Red lives on a horse farm with his adoptive family. Stevie and Red are just two of the 1,800 animals we have saved this year. We provide a safe haven for all of the lost and abandoned animals in our community that arrive at our doorstep each year. Your support allows us to give them a second chance at life.
“Stevie”
0 2 RHSPCA Newsletter
d on p a ture g e1 Pic
“Red”
This year has indeed been a challenging one for all of us, and you have been there to support our animals in need. As we get ready to enter another year of carrying out our lifesaving mission to save more animals, please join me in making a pledge to ensure that the Rockingham Harrisonburg is a lifesaving community. Kind Regards,
Huck Nawaz Executive Director
SHELTER SPOT-LIGHT
Employee
Connie Delamater Connie has worked at the shelter caring for cats for 7 years now. She has an enormous heart for animals, especially felines. She can tell you anything you’d like to know about any of the cats in our care. She does great work matching up adopters with their perfect pet. She even has 16 of her own!
“Connie has a magic about her that brings out the best in all the shelter cats. She gives a piece of her heart to each animal she comes accross.” says fellow Animal Care Technician, Ashley.
Volunteer
Julia Portmann Julia started volunteering at the RHSPCA because she had some free time before starting graduate school and wanted to spend time working with animals. Now that school has started, she says that volunteering is a great stress reliever each week by being with our animals.
“Julia truly loves the dogs here. She gets to know each one of them and gives them all customized attention. You can tell she really cares about them.” says Volunteer Coordinator, Dacia.
RHSPCA Newsletter 3
ADOPTIONS
1,200
Adoptions! 4 RHSPCA Newsletter
We recently surpassed our 1,200th adoption for this year, the most adoptions we have ever done in a single year! Thank you so much to everyone who gave a loving home to our animals in need. Be sure to join our Facebook Alumni Group to share updates on your pet.
SERVICES
Our Services Adoptions
We always have loving dogs and cats awaiting their forever home. Schedule an appointment to meet them on our website!
Intakes
Whether you found a stray animal or can no longer care for your pet, we will gladly take them in and help get them adoption ready.
Licensing
We sell county and city animal licenses. All you have to bring is an up-to-date rabies certificate.
Cremation
We offer private cremations for your deceased companion and can give you an imprint of their paw to remember them by.
Kids Club (ON HOLD) Let your kids learn about animals by participating in fun games, crafts, and educational activities.
Outreach Events
We welcome the opportunity to engage the community in animal welfare. We can offer you tours, classroom visits, animals at events, and more.
“Carole and Angela” RHSPCA Newsletter 5
EVENTS
2020 Events Since you last heard from us... Great Community Give Our community came together for a day of generous giving once again on June 24th. We surpassed our fundraising goal with over $13,000 raised! These funds will allow us to continue to care for the sick, injured, abused, and abandoned pets we take in daily.
Summer Jam Our biggest fundraiser had to be canceled this year due to pandemic-related restrictions. To protect everyone’s health, the fireworks display was live streamed online, but the in-person activities were not held. Please check back next year to see if we can hold this event once again.
Clear the Shelters In August, we participated for the second time in the annual, nationwide adoption event. We had appointments scheduled throughout the day to see our pets and 33 animals found their homes that day- a new record for the most adoptions in a single day!
Virtual Yard Sale From June to October, we held a Yard Sale at our shelter. Community members donated items which we then posted on Facebook and set up in our building. People could purchase these online or in person, and 100% of sales were able to go back into our lifesaving work.
Visit rhspca.org/events to see when our next events are, virtually and in-person. 6 RHSPCA Newsletter
Alumni Picnic We held our first annual Alumni event in September. We invited our adopters near and far to spend the day at our shelter exploring our brand new Waggin’ Trail and engaging with us again! We had close to 50 pet families come throughout the day and safely social distance.
“Alumni, Bindi & Adopter, Chris”
FOSTER
Foster Pets We often take in animals that need extra time and attention before they’re ready for their forever homes. This is where our foster program comes in. Scenarios that we send to foster care include under-socialized pets, litters of kittens or puppies, neonatal kittens, pregnant moms, animals recovering from surgery, pets needing to be medicated, and more. Fosters not only help these animals, they also help the shelter by freeing up a kennel which allows us to take in another animal and save more lives. Fritter came to the shelter as a stray. His intake exam revealed that he had an eye infection, a skin infection (ringworm), and was partially blind. We sought a foster home for this sweet boy. A wonderful foster stepped forward and was able administer the medications and baths Fritter needed to get healthy again. Ringworm can be quite persistent, and he was in foster for three months before being medically cleared. Following that, he soon had an appointment to meet with a potential adopter and... they loved him! They took him home and he is now happy and healthy with his new family thanks to a wonderful foster who was able to help him. This summer, a family of dogs were brought in. There was the mom, the dad, and these two puppies (Rocky and Buddy). The parents were relatively healthy and after getting some TLC and vetting, found their adoptive homes quickly. However, the puppies were very shy and needed to gain some weight before they became available. We found a foster who was willing to take them both and they stayed with them for almost one month before the pups started to come out of their shell. Finally, they were acting like normal puppies, playing, and eating well. The fosters ended up adopting Rocky and Buddy found a wonderful home soon after.
Want to become a foster? Requirements: Your time... That’s it!
The length of stay can be for as short as a week, or for as long as you are able to help. We provide you with everything you would need- food, bowls, litter box, litter, toys, crate/kennel, blanket, medication (if applicable), and most importantly support. We work with you, your preferences, and your availability to ensure a stable and low-stress experience for both humans and animals. Here’s where to start: To learn more about our Foster & Volunteer Programs (and to apply), scan the QR code below with your smartphone camera.
8 RHSPCA Newsletter
VOLUNTEER
Volunteer Opportunitites On any given day, we may have a couple hundred animals in our care. Our volunteers help us walk the animals, play with them, learn their likes and dislikes, and help our staff around the shelter. We highly value our volunteers who have already logged a total of 4,109 hours collectively this year! We recently expanded our volunteer program and have added additional areas in need of help from volunteers. These areas include: Dog Walking- Walk and play with our dogs to give them their daily exercise Cat Cuddling- Pet and interact with our cats to make them more comfortable Photo and Bio Creator- Make profiles for our animals for our website Scaredy Cats- Socialize scared and timid cats and kittens Dog Training- Teach our dogs tricks and manners to improve their adoptability Front Desk- Greet shelter visitors and help out our Customer Service Team Events and Transport - Handling animals at events and transporting animals Husbandry- Lend a hand behind the scenes (bathing animals, cleaning, etc.)
To learn more about the program, and to apply, scan the QR code on page 6. New Age Limit for Volunteering... None!
We have recently updated our policies to remove the age restriction for volunteers. Now, individuals of any age can come and interact with our animals. If under 18, a “legal guardian” must be present.
You Can Help Make a Difference
The shelter can be a scary place for pets at first. Our volunteers help comfort these animals and make them feel loved and cared for, something some animals have not felt in a long time. Mia is a husky that came in and was very scared of people and her new surroundings. Volunteers worked with her for months to gain her trust. Over time, they worked with her to make her feel more comfortable and were eventually able to see her true personality shine. Once she was relaxed, she became a happy and playful pup. She even got adopted last month, all thanks to the time and effort that our volunteers gave to help Mia feel at home. RHSPCA Newsletter 9
“Red & His Adopter”
STATISTICS
Goals Last year, the RHSPCA embarked on a mission to increase the live release rate for animals in the shelter. With your support, we have saved 4,046 animals since January 2019. We are achieving this by implementing new life-saving programs and engaging our community. Shared below are three goals that were
2020 Goals: Increase Foster Capacity
Our fosters are critical in helping us save more kittens. Over 500 kittens benefited from having a foster home in 2020. As a result, kitten adoptions increased by nearly 50%!
Start a Barn Cat Program
Adult, unsocial cats that have lived their lives outdoors are not suitable candidates for indoor living. Our Barn Cat Program, started in August, has helped 30 barn cats find safe, outdoor homes.
Launched the Have a Heart Fund
The Have a Heart Fund, set up to help animals like Red with very special medical needs, has helped save the lives of over 100 animals in 2020.
2021 Goals: Help Community Cats
Adult cats and kittens that are born and raised outdoors are the most at risk in our community. Working closely with other groups, we hope to proactively decrease the cat overpopulation challenge we face.
Launch Lost Pet Centers
Nearly half of all animals we receive each year are brought to us as strays. We aim to work closely with strategic partners, like the Harrisonburg Fire Department and others, to increase opportunities for stray pets to be reunited with their owners.
Save More Animals
We remain steadfast in our commitment to saving more animals in our community. Our lifesaving work is made possible by the generous contributions of supporters like you.
80%
92%
99%
68%
78%
77%
86%
2018
2019
2020
Overall
Feline
Canine
52% 32%
2018
2019
2020
2018
2019
2020
RHSPCA Newsletter 11
BARN CATS
New Lifesaving Program
e routinely have unsocialized and fearful cats come into our care. These are cats that have lived their W lives outdoors and are not used to being indoors. As such, they are not good candidates for our regular adoption program. Over the summer, we received a generous $40,000 grant from the PetCo Foundation that allowed us to start a new Barn Cat Program to give these felines a second chance at life.
Who are the Barn Cats? • •
Cats who are used to living outdoors, and prefer the company of other animals Cats who are social, but too feisty for interactions with people in a home setting
(Please note that we don’t adopt cats who are suitable to be household pets to barns, only those cats without other options)
How can you help?
Do you have an outdoor structure away from busy roads and traffic that these cats can live in? Without homes like these, there is nowhere else for these cats to go. If you have such a place to offer, please consider adopting one (or more) of our barn cats.
What we provide:
All of our barn cats are 16 weeks of age or older, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, dewormed and microchipped. We will also provide counseling on how to best acclimate your cat(s) to their new home as well an acclimation cage, if needed.
What you provide: • • • •
Shelter in a barn, stable, garage, warehouse, winery, brewery or an outbuilding Long-term veterinary care Daily food and water (the cats cannot live on rodents alone) A safe place to keep the cat(s) for at least the first two weeks (ideally 4 weeks) so the cat(s) can acclimate to the new surroundings. An enclosure like a feed or tack room would work great. We can loan you an acclimation cage if you need one.
Adoption Fee:
$25 to help us cover some of their medical needs. We request you consider adopting two, since many of them thrive in each other’s company. The adoption fee on the second barn cat is waived. 12 RHSPCA Newsletter
OVERPOPULATION
Community Cats
Community cats are unowned, outdoor cats. Sometimes called stray or feral cats, these felines are generally not socialized or friendly towards people. Our community has an overwhelming number of unowned, outdoor cats that we have been receiving at the shelter for years. In fact, outdoor cats and kittens account for nearly two-thirds of all intakes to our shelter each year. Our Barn Cat Program, started this past August, will serve to find placement for the community cats that come into our shelter. We’re also proactively working to reduce the number of community cats in our area by offering spay-neuter vouchers for outdoor cats.
Cat Facts:
• • • •
Did you know that a cat can get pregnant at just 5-months old? Did you know that cats can get impregnated by multiple males during a pregnancy? Did you know that a feline’s gestation period is only 2 months long? Did you know that the average litter has 3-6 kittens in it?
FELINE REPRODUCTION An unaltered female, her mate, and their offspring, producing 2 litters per year, with about 3 kittens surviving per litter, will yield:
1 YEAR 2 YEARS 3 YEARS 4 YEARS
12 67 376 2,107
5 YEARS 6 YEARS 7 YEARS 8 YEARS
11,801 66,088 370,092 2,072,514
After just 9 years, their offspring will total 11,606,077 felines
The RHSPCA is now offering vouchers. It is important for unfriendly and unsocial outdoor cats to remain outdoors in a safe environment. These cats become stressed being indoors and around humans so the shelter environment is not ideal for them. We are excited to announce that we are now able to offer spay/ neuter vouchers to help offset the cost of alteration surgery to help keep these cats in their outdoor home where they belong. This way, the colony doesn’t get out of control and the cats can live happy, healthy lives.
80 Cats Helped So Far!
RHSPCA Newsletter 13
FRANK
On Pins and Needles Frank is a five-month-old kitten that came to our shelter in a state of emergency. When out on a walk, a woman stumbled upon a small kitten with a horribly mangled arm. It was unclear what caused Frank’s injuries but one thing was certain, he needed immediate assistance. She rushed him to our shelter where our medical technician evaluated Frank and found that he had a broken arm and was malnourished. We are limited in what we are able to treat at the shelter, so he was transported to a partnering veterinary practice for further evaluation. How this little guy was alive and in good spirits was a miracle in itself. Once at the partnering veterinarian, they rushed him to get an x-ray. It was then confirmed that Frank had a badly broken arm. In fact, he had broken all three bones in his arm completely. Often times, in situations like these, an amputation is the only possible answer. However, the veterinary staff felt confident that they could save Frank’s arm by surgically inserting pins to reset the bones. They gave it their best shot and he came out of surgery very groggy, but still a quadruped. Frank stayed at the vet office where they closely monitored his recovery. Then suddenly, he took a turn for the worse. He became seriously ill and couldn’t keep any food down. Things were not looking good. A vet tech stepped up and volunteered to foster Frank and oversee his treatment and rehabilitation. In foster, Frank gradually began to improve and returned to his happy, affectionate self. His foster helped him to heal and fell in love with him during the process. We are excited to announce that she has decided to adopt him! The small cat with a once big injury is now in a loving forever home. Frank’s surgery was made possible with the use of donations from our Have a Heart Fund.
14 RHSPCA Newsletter
“Frank”
“Destiny and Bella�
DESTINY & BELLA
Happy Tails
Destiny and Bella are two elderly chihuahuas with an unbreakable bond. Destiny (14-years-old) and Bella (10-years-old) came to us this year when their owner was unfortunately no longer able to care for them. They were nervous and shy around new people but very attached to each other. We knew they were extremely close from the start, as they never wanted to leave each other’s side. They would even curl up and sleep in the same bed together. Destiny and Bella were both suffering from advanced dental disease. Lack of previous dental care had left their teeth and gums in bad shape. Untreated, dental disease can also cause other ailments, like heart and kidney disease. We knew we had to resolve their dental needs before placing them for adoption. Fortunately, we had funds available in our Have a Heart Fund (HHF) to cover the cost of their treatment. The HHF fund is donor-funded and the donations are specifically used to cover the cost of special medical cases, like Destiny and Bella. After recovering from the dental surgery in a foster home, the girls came back to the shelter to be placed up for adoption. The very next day, a mother-daughter pair saw them and knew that they wanted to help Destiny and Bella stay together and give them lots of love and care in their old age. After their two month long journey with us, these two are finally enjoying their retirement with their new, wonderful family. This fund heals broken bones and provides much-needed surgeries that improve quality of life. It has been used to pay for leg amputations, broken bone repairs, heartworm treatment, severe dental issues, and more. To give, visit rhspca.org/donate RHSPCA Newsletter 17
TRIBUTES
Tributes
From April 2020 to September 2020
You can pay tribute to a special person or pet in your life by giving a donation to the RHSPCA in honor or in memory of them. What better way to recognize an important presence in your life than acknowledging them while also helping animals in need? Each tribute donation allows us to continue to provide for the animals that come into our care. To make a tribute donation, please visit our website and click on the Donate” tab, or mail a check to: 2170 Old Furnace Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22802.
In Honor of our Friends: In honor of Amy Simmons LD&B Insurance Agency In honor of Bruce and Owen Julia Cassetta In honor of Butch Strawderman John Crist Kenneth & Linda Kline
RE & JS Fawley David & Lorraine Lineweaver Phil & Ellie Draper In honor of Lorie Miller & Baby Sundae Kelly Snow In honor of Olivia Kohler Alan & Susan Kohler In honor of Pam Wilkins Jeffrey & Faye Curl In honor of Pat Loomis Terri Denton In honor of Sheila Dart Dennis & Sara Zimmerman In honor of SPCA Staff & Volunteers Wesley Henkel In honor of Terri Denton Christopher & Carole Driver In honor of Tracy Biller Goodwin and Reichert Dental Specialists
In Honor of our Pets: In honor of Alexis Terry & Linda Looney In honor of Chance Lawrence & Sandra Rose
In Memory of our Friends: In memory of Anne Whitmore Patti Plecker In memory of Betty Dove Thomas and Teresa Burkholder In memory of Biedler Higgs Norma Heath Kimberly Gilkerson VMRC Park Village Council Lois Rhodes Roy & Deborah Rusmisel In memory of Bobby Henton Barbara Lewis In memory of Brad Babcock Terri Denton In memory of Carolyne Schuckman Mitchell and Cathy Donald Susan Garber Edwin and Doris Newland Joseph and Judith Stoddard In memory of Chad Rhodes Joanna Yankey In memory of Dale Ellen Weatherholtz Sandra Tolle Fairfax County Fire/Rescue Retirement Association William and Sharon Cole In memory of Dale Wegner ll Jean W. Cash Kenneth & Linda Kline
In honor of Charles Funkhouser Terri Denton
In honor of Dakota Robert & Sarah Gartner
In honor of Craig Anders Kenneth & Linda Kline
In honor of Diogi Rodger & Lenore Stallard
In honor of Darnice Pettigrew Otis & Sandra Mongold
In honor of Jenna Mary Karen Cantwell
In memory of Dorothy Hefner Spring Creek Church of the Nazarene Dawn Smith
In honor of Ginger Usry Jeffrey & Faye Curl
In honor of Max the Monster William & Crystl Whitmire
In memory of Dr. Walter Green Carol Yetzer
In honor of Girl Scout Troop 6006 Holly Early
In honor of Mikey Julie Weikert
In honor of Karen Fansler-Ryan & Princess Susan Schuckman
In memory of Ed, Sarah, & Jeff Forrest Debbie Forrest
In honor of Willow Ronald Hotinger
In honor of Lee A. Norford 18 RHSPCA Newsletter
In memory of Eddie Knight Bennie & Cathy Cupp In memory of Elizabeth “Betty”
TRIBUTES Steeves Town of Shenandoah In memory of Emily Long Bruce Gary & Teresa Day In memory of Evelyn Ann Marsee Corinne Vucci In memory of Gene Snyder Josephine Snyder In memory of George Randall & Clendy Smith In memory of George Aldhizer Terri Denton In memory of Jane Stover Bradley and Leslie Intemann Leonard and Paula Kupresak In memory of Jean Ringgold Bethel United Church of Christ In memory of Jeffrey Plogger Debra Jackson In memory of Jenny Huffman Electric Service In memory of Johnny Kibler Norman & Joyce Bradburn In memory of June Scheckman Gene & Andrea Boggs In memory of Ken Downey Edward & Betsy Craun In memory of Kirk French Carol Yetzer In memory of Leonard Vaughan Leonard Vaughan James & Carole Hively In memory of Linda “Diane” Wray King Linda Hamrick Jane Gray Dennis & Pamela Cox Arthur Stoltzfus Robert & Samantha Prins In memory of Linda Lou Miller Arthur & Mary Jo Mitchell
In memory of Lorraine “Pat” Cox Herman & Charlotte Landes Daniel Cox In memory of Mac Ramey William & Barbara Cragg
In memory of William Seymour Lucy Seymour In memory of William Trout Claude Johnson
In Memory of our Pets:
In memory of Marsie Rose Pam & Debra Mason
In memory of Benji Barbara Mancini
In memory of Melvin Floyd Reynard Kennametal
In memory of Cuffy and Chessy Kathryn A. Bennett
In memory of Michael Thompson Holtzman Oil Corp. Janice Drechsler
In memory of Eli Beverly London Darnice Pettigrew
In memory of Ms. Maddie Thomas & Kathy Dunham
In memory of Joy Buchanan Bill & Linda Ralston
In memory of Richard Hollomon Alec Gould
In memory of Mason Caroline Laco
In memory of Robert “Double Dip” Lee Layman Nancy Whitmore
In memory of Misty & Fizzle Terry & Linda Looney
In memory of Ronald Michael ‘Mike’ Spencer Litten & Sipe LLP F&M Bank
In memory of Newman Julia M. Cassetta In memory of Patrick Milla Sue Wisecarver
In memory of Sammy & Otis Kent & Christy Puffenbarger
In memory of Skip James & Carolyn Henry
In memory of Tanner Sarah Busching
In memory of Smokums, Bear Dog, Momma Cat, and Stubby Jerry & Linda Swecker
In memory of Theodore “Ted” Phillips Harrisonburg Fire Department West Wind Farm Samuel & Alida Menefee Kris & Suzanne Phillips Daniel Bassett In memory of Tresa Quarles Sandra Bahr BHS Class of 1953 Martin & Christine Neary Seaver’s Tax Service, Inc. Beth Holt Juanita Taylor Charles & Mollie Sellers First Choice Home Health Services LLC George & Barbara Grover Barbara Colson
In memory of Snow Yetzer Carol Yetzer John & Nancy Sowers In memory of Toaster Jonathan Hilbert In memory of Tybalt Mongold Otis & Sandra Mongold In memory of Waldo North Fork Veterinary Hospital
RHSPCA Newsletter 19
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Harrisonburg, VA Permit No. 9 2170 Old Furnace Rd. Harrisonburg, VA 22802 (540) 434-5270 rhspca.org
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