SpokAnimal News

WINTER 2024

CONTACT INFORMATION

DEDICATED TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE

General Help & Information Front Desk: (509) 534-8133 x 103

nimal welfare doesn’t have 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours. Often, making a difference means going the extra mile. Our incredible team goes that distance time and time again.

The following is just one example of their dedication to serving animals…

Dog Adoptions Dawg House: (509) 534-8133 x 108 Cat Adoptions Kitty City: (509) 534-8133 x 107 Veterinary Clinic (509) 534-4253 General Email miracles@spokanimal.org ONLINE www.spokanimal.org facebook.com/SpokAnimal SHELTER HOURS Tuesday-Saturday, Noon-4 p.m.

Closed Sunday and Monday VETERINARY CLINIC 715 N Crestline St. (509) 534-4253 Walk-In Clinic Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

Pet Food Bank: Tuesday-Saturday Noon-4 p.m.

Spay & Neuter by Appointment, Dentals

by Appointment

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It was a crisp fall morning on Saturday, October 7, and so early that the sun wasn’t even up. Nonetheless, SpokAnimal’s crew was assembling at the shelter to embark on a mission with almost military-like precision.

At 04:30 a.m., all three of the shelter’s vans, plus the Executive Director’s vehicle, were loaded and on the road for a 46-mile trek to Wellpinit, Washington. Meanwhile as they cruised towards their destination, at 05:30 a.m., Marie Ely from the Spokane Tribe’s Housing Authority began greeting pet owners and their animals by the light of the Pow Wow Ground’s lamppost. For these arrivals, a special, one-day only, free spay and neuter event had provided the incentive to wake before dawn.

It was still dark when SpokAnimal vans arrived at the reservation’s site, yet the coordination of check-ins, processing of registration paperwork, identification of pets and kennels, and the loading of over 50 animals was completed just as the sun started rising at 06:30 a.m.

At the end of the return trip to SpokAnimal’s vet clinic, pets were unloaded, and 6 other animals that had been owner-driven to the event were collectively staged for the day’s events. Cages and carriers were (Continued on page 3)

2023 HAS BEEN A JOURNEY, BUT YOUR SUPPORT CARRIED US THROUGH DEAR FELLOW ANIMAL LOVERS:

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DORI PECK BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Paula Cleanthous Secretary Francine Branisel Treasurer Robert Henrich MEMBERS Lorie Stephenson Lauren Thomas Meghan Kidder Chonchol Gupta

2023 was a year of challenges! As always, we had done a lot of planning in late 2022 for the year ahead but as we dove into January, we realized that our plan wasn’t going to flow the way we had hoped, and we had to be creative. The highlight of the year was reaching the goal of 2,500 animals adopted through our local PetSmart stores in Spokane! This put us into the category of one of the top five in the country to make that goal — what an enormous achievement!

The large dogs needing our help continued to grow by leaps and bounds and truly knew no end in 2023. After working with so many partners across the country, we realized that this is happening everywhere, and we are not the only ones truly wondering how to save more. SpokAnimal placed over 1,200 dogs/puppies and 3,500 cats/kittens into forever homes despite the barriers so many folks had to face. We did a record breaking 4,712 adoptions in 2023!

We grew our partnership with Meals on Wheels Spokane's Nose to Toes Program, serving over 200 animals with veterinary care. Growing the spay/neuter program for dogs and cats in Wellpinit was an incredible part of the journey, sterilizing over 150 animals with help from a grant from the Innovia Foundation and the ASPCA. We continued our weekly visits to TRAC (Trent Resource and Assistance Center) to provide food and veterinary care for the resident animals, serving over 500 animals throughout the year. These programs are truly boots on the ground programs serving the needs of the people and the animals in our community. SpokAnimal shines in every aspect of providing support to the community.

Our clinic performed over 350 dental procedures and over 4,500 spay/neuter surgeries for animals in the community. 2023 brought us an incredibly talented veterinarian to join our team, which will allow us to expand all services offered.

August 2023 brought two large wildfires very near our community, with so many losing everything. SpokAnimal worked on the ground caring for the displaced dogs and cats along with The Red Cross and HEART (Spokane Humane Evacuation Animal Rescue Team) round the clock for 10 days. We had not done anything like that, but offered help where needed and our team made it work! After the fires were controlled, we partnered with Greater Good Charities to provide food for the dogs and cats that were able to go home.

Looking back at 2023, we know that we all did the best we could with the sometimes-insurmountable challenges thrown our way. We did it with love, compassion, and kindness, caring for the animals until their forever person(s) found them and adopted!

We cannot save lives without the incredible support of your time and financial contributions.

Dori Peck

Executive Director, SpokAnimal 2 SpokAnimal

DEDICATED TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE (Continued from page 1) strategically sprawled across virtually every inch of available space at the Event Center, which adjoins SpokAnimal’s vet clinic.

In the clinic, at 08:00 a.m., two specially trained, high-volume veterinarian surgeons and a regular veterinarian surgeon scrubbed in for a long day.

A team of 3 veterinarians, 4 vet technicians, 4 vet assistants, and 15 other volunteers ensured that a steady flow of pets was prepped for surgery and subsequently provided loving post-op care.

At 17:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m.), the last animal awoke from recovery, triggering the re-loading of transport vans for the pets’ journey home.

Back in Wellpinit, eagerly awaiting their animals, pet owners were reunited with their animals and given discharge instructions by SpokAnimal staff. It would be 21:30 p.m. (9:30 p.m.) before the SpokAnimal team would park the vans and leave the shelter for the night.

This event was months in the making and is the third free spay/neuter event to materialize through the partnership between the Housing Authority and SpokAnimal. This one was made possible by grant funding from the Innovia Foundation and ASPCA Northern Tier Shelter Initiative (NTSI). Including the 57 pets served by this latest event, 329 pets have been spayed and neutered since the alliance began in September 2022.

SpokAnimal

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A NEW WORLD FOR STEVIE At just three weeks old, Stevie was found in bad shape, his eyes seriously infected. But to the kind folks at SpokAnimal, this precious soul was worth saving. After performing life-saving surgery to remove his eyes, they placed Stevie in the loving arms of a foster mom, who bottle-fed him until he started to regain strength.

Within a few days, Stevie was ready to explore the world — or at least the house!

With the help of his big “brother” Waffles, who taught him how to climb on chairs and where to find the best napping spots, Stevie the “Wonder Kitten” is now thriving! (Follow his journey on Facebook!)

THANK Y U

FOR YOUR CARE AND SUPPORT These are just a few of the sweet faces YOU have supported this year.

We cannot save lives without our volunteers, donors, adopters, and supporters.

Thank you for loving these animals and giving so generously toward their care!

4 SpokAnimal

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