Making Tracks – Winter 2020

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MEET PHOEBE AND HER FAMILY

See how our nursery saved their lives

LEADING THE WAY BECAUSE EVERY LIFE COUNTS™

HUMANE SOCIETY OF TAMPA BAY LEADERSHIP & BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Sherry Silk BOARD OF DIRECTORS Morris Massey President Suzie Archibald Vice President Laura L. Tatem Treasurer Mary Kate Harrison, Ph.D. Secretary Meredith Balasco Yvette Boggs Ryan Cook Liana Fuente Sarah Glaser Diane Homa Michael Neff Nancy Newman Phil Nodhturft III Rachel Ridley Mary Scott Elise Zahn, DO BOARD EMERITUS Linda Reitz ADVISORY COUNCIL Pat Antinori Greg Balasco Mayor Jane Castor Lisa DeBartolo Nikki DeBartolo Lindsay Deignan Danita Dickman Carol Schwartz Funk Commissioner Ken Hagan Bobby Harris Parker Homans Sandy Murman Kim Rogers Jacalin Russo Cherie Schonbrun Cathy Smith Andrea Gonzmart Williams 2 MAKING TRACKS

IN THIS ISSUE

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LETTER FROM THE CEO

OUR NEW SHELTER Built to better serve pets and their people Animal Intake, 5 Adoptions, 6 Humane Education, 10

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PETS AND PEOPLE WE HAVE HELPED Seven happily-ever-afters

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SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS Virtual Week of Giving and 100 adoptions from Dolly’s Dream partnership

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SPECIAL THANKS Volunteer of the Quarter and supporter recognition

Making Tracks Editor: Maria Matlack Copy Editing: Maria Matlack, Nash McCutchen Layout, and Design: Nash McCutchen, Darren Clark Contributors: Sarah Dale, Gretel Harvey, Valerie Hogan, Liz McCoy, Sherry Silk, Ornella Varchi

LETTER FROM THE CEO

As this year ends, we reflect on what a challenging time we have all been through. It’s been tough for animals too. Many owners have had to surrender their animals to shelters when they lost their job, or even their home, and couldn’t take care of their animals anymore. We have experienced this for many months and it has been difficult. The one big bright spot for 2020 for those of us that work here is that we have finally moved into our new shelter. As you turn the pages, you will be able to see all of the new ways that we can now help many more animals in our new home. We have more room for medium and large dogs as well as cats. We have areas where we can isolate and quarantine sick animals. We have more surgical and medical space for those animals needing extra procedures before they can be adoptable.

“Phoebe,” our cover girl (and pictured bottom This milestone, a new state right), is a great example of how we can help save more lives. She came from a shelter in of the art shelter, could not rural northern Florida that does not do many have been reached without adoptions. Normally, high risk shelters would euthanize nursing mother dogs (and cats) along your support. with their puppies because they are too young to place for adoption and they do not have the space to house them for weeks at a time. We have a nursery for puppies as well as kittens. This milestone, a new state-of-the-art shelter, could not have been reached without your support.

If you haven’t seen our shelter yet, please come by for a visit. We are very proud of it and I know you will be too. I hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday and let’s look forward to a brighter 2021 for all…..including our four legged friends.

For the animals,

Chief Executive Officer SherryS@HumaneSocietyTampa.org

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BUILT TO BETTER SERVE PETS AND THEIR PEOPLE

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB) is one of the oldest charities in the State of Florida and has been serving homeless animals for more than 100 years. Founded in 1912, HSTB has been at its West Tampa location since 1929.

Our old shelter was constructed in 1959 and received additions in 1980. In the past ten years, we have gone from saving 3,000 to over 10,000 animals annually.

Our old shelter was only 21,000 square feet; our new shelter is 50,000 square feet and not only offers more space for animals, but a Humane Education Center for children’s programs and a beautiful outdoor space to share our mission through hosted private and public events (see the Lasher Family Courtyard bottom right).

NEW SHELTER 50,000 SQFT

OLD SHELTER 21,000 SQFT 4 MAKING TRACKS

LASHER FAMILY COURTYARD

Our new facility houses all ANIMAL INTAKE AND SHELTER VETERINARY CARE departments in one building, including Animal Intake which used to be detached from the shelter. Located on the lower level, Animal Intake has a fully equipped, multi-table surgical suite, separate isolation rooms for cats and dogs who are ill, and a spacious exam room that allows staff to intake, EXAM ROOM assess, and treat several animals at once. This expansion not only increases efficiency but also enables us to take in more animals.

INTAKE SURGICAL SUITE

CAGE IN CAT ISOLATION ROOM

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ADOPTIONS — THE DOG LIFE Our new shelter offers six upgraded, climate-controlled kennel areas featuring double runs, with Kuranda beds and toys. Because of the extra space, we are able to shelter more large dogs and can even accommodate nursing mothers and their underage puppies in our designated nursery. This quiet, isolated area allows the families to rest peacefully and enables us to keep a close eye on them while providing medical care and lots of TLC.

Phoebe, a four-year-old Coonhound mix, and her six four-week-old puppies were transferred to us by Nassau County Animal Services — ­­ a high risk/low resource facility in FL. This little family was one of the first to use our nursery and thrived in the environment. All seven of them are doing great and are on their way to finding their forever homes!

PHOEBE IN HER FOSTER HOME

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TWO OF PHOEBE’S PUPPIES

ONE OF SIX KENNEL AREAS

DOUBLE RUNS & KURANDA BEDS

When our canine residents aren’t lounging in their kennels, you may find them enjoying sunshine and fresh air in one of our three play yards. Each yard offers plenty of room to run, sniff, and explore along with doggie splash pools, enrichment toys and a human or two to keep them in line.

ONE OF THREE PLAY YARDS

PLENTY OF ROOM TO PLAY

PLAY YARD SNUGGLES

OUR DOGS LOVE THE PLAY YARDS

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ONE OF EIGHT CAT ROOMS

ONE OF TWO KITTEN ROOMS

CAT TREES FOR CLIMBING

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OUTDOOR ENCLOSURE

ADOPTIONS — CATS, RABBITS & POCKET PETS

Cats are king in our new shelter, with eight rooms dedicated to their comfort featuring trees, enrichment toys, and towers. Four are freeroaming indoor/outdoor rooms, two are kitten rooms, and two are filled with spacious condos for our kitty friends who prefer to live alone. We also have a kitten nursery for underage kittens and their moms, and a working cat enclosure for semi-social cats waiting for their forever homes.

WORKING CAT ENCLOSURE

Don’t forget the little guys! We now have a climate-controlled indoor/outdoor, free-roaming rabbit room and a dedicated space for pocket pets and exotics.

POCKET PETS & EXOTICS ROOM

A HAPPY WORKING CAT

FREE-ROAMING RABBIT ROOM

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NEW PROGRAMS — HUMANE EDUCATION

One of the most exciting additions to our new shelter is the Humane Education Center, an extensive space designed to educate and engage kids who love animals and wish to learn more about the animals in our care while spending quality time with them. This space has allowed us to launch our Humane Education Programs to encourage young animal lovers and their families to take active roles in our mission. All programs are supervised by a Florida statecertified teacher. We are following CDC guidelines of temperature checks, social distancing and face masks.

If you are interested in any of our Humane Education programs please visit: HumaneSocietyTampa.org/Humane-Education

Paws For Literacy Our Paws for Literacy Program pairs children with homeless pets who love to hear the stories and look at the pictures.

Paws for Literacy is a free program offered for children ages 5 and up and takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:45pm - 4:00pm.

We provide reading stools, books and treats (for the animals), but children are welcome to bring their own books if they wish.

Parents are welcome.

Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Parenting

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Birthday Parties Come celebrate your child’s birthday with their friends at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay! Attendees will have a fantastic time and will feel great knowing that all the fun benefits our homeless animals!

We’ve got two fun-filled packages that are perfect for creating a memorable experience for years to come.

Perfect for people who want to … Party like an animal!

Girl Scouts Here at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB), we recognize and honor the Girl Scouts and are now offering Girl Scout Programs.

No matter where your scout is in their journey, you can now make HSTB a part of their growth!

Teen Volunteering We offer a program for teen volunteers ages 12-15 that allows them to earn 20 service hours for school while learning about our shelter, working with our animals and assisting with our various Humane Education programs. Volunteers in our teen program do not need to have a parent or guardian volunteer with them.

No School Days All kids want to have fun … and our No School Days offer just that, lots of FUN. Kids ages 6 -13 will spend their day off from school playing animalthemed games, making animal-themed crafts and, of course, spending lots of time with shelter animals.

Family Volunteer Days Want a perfect way to spend time with your family while giving back?

Join us for a Family Volunteer Day! Family Volunteer Days take place on the 2nd Saturday of every month. Registered families will get to socialize with the animals, make crafts for the shelter/animals and make a memento to take home.

Critter Camp Our most popular educational program is back and more exciting than ever! Critter Camp runs 10 one-week sessions from June 1st to August 2nd for kids ages 8 -12.

Campers learn about responsible pet care, staying safe around animals, animal careers, our mission and programs, and more. Campers help with shelter activities, play games, make crafts and, of course, spend lots of time with our shelter animals.

Field Trips Looking for a different classroom experience? Enjoy a fun-tastic field trip at our shelter!

The trip includes a shelter tour (with a behind the scenes look at preparing animals for adoption), a TNVR presentation, an activity, and plenty of time to spend with our shelter animals.

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PETS AND PEOPLE WE HAVE HELPED Marquis came to our animal hospital after being referred to us by an emergency veterinary clinic. His pet was lethargic and hadn’t eaten for a few days but, because of financial constraints, Marquis was unable to get him the help necessary to remove a possible obstruction. Using funds from our Pet Assistance Grant we were able to offer the family financial assistance for exploratory surgery which revealed part of a towel the pup had eaten. After a few days recovery and post-op care, he felt much better and was able to go home.

Owen and his family had been looking for a dog for a long time and fell instantly in love with Hayden when they visited our shelter. She was Heartworm positive and not available yet, so they watched our website like hawks to see when she was cleared for adoption. On the day she showed up as “available for adoption”, they came to the shelter right away for a visit. There was an instant bond between boy and dog. Owen said he couldn’t wait for Hayden to “become a Johnson” just like HE had when he was adopted. Our hearts melted as we sent the newest member of the Johnson clan on her way - wagging happily ever after.

Katy had a sign on her kennel that read “No fingers in cage.”

Because of all she’d been through she was extremely stressed and fearful. Staff and volunteers had a difficult time getting her in and out of her kennel. But as soon as she laid eyes on Chris, she melted. His dog had recently passed away and he was lonely for a canine companion. Maybe she could sense his need and that is why she chose him. She wouldn’t let our staff get her from the kennel for the visit, so we let Chris have a try. She went right into his arms; she was home.

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Bogey the cat has made quite the impression! His family reports that they couldn’t be more in love with the handsome fella. Even their three-year-old dog, Gemma, is completely smitten! Sounds to us like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Leo and his new pup Remy are best buds! They have so much in common: they love going to the park, making new friends, snuggling, and they are even potty training together! Leo also has an 11-year-old dog, a threeyear-old dog, a guinea pig, and Remy — all from HSTB.

“Mango has added so much personality and spunk to our family. He loves going for walks, snuggling, and being the star of the show! He has brought nothing but joy to our home”.

FOR MORE STORIES: Amy’s family drove all the way from Parrish to adopt guinea pig, Lex! She was so appreciative of the time our staff took with them, taking her son into a quiet room so he could feel comfortable enough to hold his new best friend. We’re so happy that Lex went to such a loving home where she has THREE siblings to play with and love.

SUBSCRIBE HumaneSocietyTampa.org Humane Society of Tampa Bay

FOLLOW @HumaneSocietyTampa @FeralFever @HumaneTampaBay @HumaneSocietyTampaBay

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RECOGNITION & THANKS VIRTUAL WEEK OF GIVING Due to COVID -19 we postponed our Tuxes & Tails gala, our largest fundraising event of the year. Our Virtual Week of Giving was a oneweek-long virtual campaign that helped us raise much needed funds for the homeless animals in our care.

Thanks to our supporters, committee members and sponsors, we met our goal of saving an additional 1,000 animals by raising $303,0219!

SPONSORS

Jerry and Suzie Archibald Amy & Frank Agliano Greg & Meredith Balasco - Lakeland Automall BlueGrace Logistics Jack & Yvette Boggs

Glenn & Danita Dickman Harvey & Cherie Schonbrun Covetrus Arbitration Forums, Inc Cheryl A. Ciccarello &

Randall T. Stack Discovery Golf Cars Garcia Rainey Blank & Bowerbank Jan Pro Merck Animal Health

PAR, Inc RSBP Events + PR Laura Tatem Trulieve Zahn Health Solutions

100th DOLLY’S DREAM ADOPTION

Jasper, our 1st Dolly’s Dream Dog

Sampson, our 100st Dolly’s Dream Dog

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay has partnered with Dolly’s Dream to help save the lives of square-headed dogs. Dolly’s Dream partners with humane societies to rescue and re-home these magnificent, misunderstood dogs and joined forces with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay in July 2017 to sponsor two adoptable dogs every month for six months. This partnership has continued through the years and is ongoing.

We are eternally grateful for this initiative and are happy to announce we have reached our 100th Dolly’s Dream Adoption! Pictured above are just two of the dogs we have been able to help thanks to Dolly’s Dream.

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VOLUNTEER OF THE QUARTER - MARGARET BASSO Margaret has been a volunteer with us for about two years, and in that time has become an absolutely essential part of our team. She helps several times a week by walking our dogs, often staying for most of the day to make sure that all our dogs get special attention!

Not only does she walk dogs, but she also trains new volunteers. And, every month she is drives for our Animeals Program, where she delivers pet food to homebound families in need of help feeding their pets.

During the move into our brand new building, she has really stepped up into a leadership role within the volunteer corps and has been someone our staff can rely on to help with pretty much anything at all!

CORPORATE DONORS & VOLUNTEERS Clean Recovery Center CoWork Tampa Franklin Street Gaither High School Animal Club Gilbert Garcia Group Global Widget Goddard School GreaterGood.org Habgood Happy Face LLC Kisinger Campo and Associates Liberty Health Sciences

MacDill AFB Medical Group MacDill Air Force Base Cadets MacDill Air Force Base Firefighters Marten Transport Max and Neo Mosquito Squad Path Finders Paws & Relax Pet Supplies Plus Project Helping Raymond James Royal Pet Market and Resort

ScottLynn Sky Strategic Marketing Society of Asian Scientists at USF Suncoast Credit Union Tampa Bay Chamber Tampa Woman’s Club Tampa Women’s Rugby Team Verbac Vetoquinol Vinick Sports Group

FUNDRAISING & OUTREACH PARTNERS 2020 Men of Tampa Fire Rescue 81Bay Brewing Advent Health AGoldPhoto Altar'd State Arbitration Forums Inc Arlene Floral Designer DJ Cory Baron with Tampa Bay DJ Company Blue Wave Orthodontics Budget Blinds C.1949 Carter Validus Cigar City Brewing Comfort All Stars Countryside Montessori Charter School Craft Canine Treats Deborah Kent's

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay, is not affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States.

Delanie's Lemonade Stand Thomas Delisa Excel Title FairyTail Pet Care Farkas Chiropractic Clinic Feed Pet Purveyor Brian Frey Gaither High School Humane Society Club Gasparilla Distance Classic Home Solutions Team Honor Thy Pet John & Letitia McKibbon JP Morgan Chase Juliette Selman JW Marriott Tampa Water Street Kate Ryan Event Rentals Anndi Lorio Majesty Title

Marc Edwards Photographs Operation Optimism Brooke Palmer Paul Mitchell the School Tampa Piper Lilburn PNC Wealth Management Reeves Import Motorcars Rilyn Notbohm Soho Cycle Suncoast Credit Union Super Pet Sweet Divas Cakery Tim Tran State Farm Agency Truly Forever Bridal Victor Hedman & Lightning Foundation Visionary Eye Care Tampa White Claw Will Parkinson - K's for Canines

GRANTS & FUNDING Dolly’s Dream Florida Animal Friend Jacarlene Foundation

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BarkInTheParkTampa.com

Visit our all new

HSTB ONLINE STORE Now featuring a variety of custom items!

March, 27th 2021 from 11am - 4pm Curtis Hixon Park, Tampa, FL

1-Mile Walk • Adoptables • Dog Bar • Dog Lure Course Dog Pop-Up Park • Food Trucks & Libations • Music Pet Costume Contest • Vendors A benefit for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay

http://bit.ly/shophstb PROCEEDS BENEFIT HOMELESS ANIMALS IN NEED

Stay Connected Subscribe to our eNewsletter at www.HumaneSocietyTampa.org

@HumaneSocietyTampaBay

@HumaneSocietyTampa

@HumaneTampaBay