No More Homeless Pets
Weekly News

January 9, 2004
From super adoptions to spay/neuter successes, people working together to bring about a time when there will be No More Homeless Pets.

• Amazing Animals
• Feral Cat News
• Adoption News
• Spay/Neuter News
• Fabulous Fundraisers
• In Your Communities

TOP STORY

New York, New York - The preliminary figures are in, and they show that tremendous strides were made during the first year of a plan to transform New York into a no-kill city.

According to New York City Animal Care and Control, adoptions were up an impressive 99.6 percent, and euthanasia declined by 20.4 percent in 2004. In addition, there was a 0.1 percent decline in admissions.

To put the figures into perspective, city shelters put fewer cats and dogs to death in 2004 than in any year since record-keeping began more than a century ago. The ASPCA, which began tracking animal deaths in 1894, said the 2004 death toll was less than one-tenth the number of cats and dogs killed in 1928, which had the highest number of killings on record.

Providing fuel for the effort to transform New York into a no-kill environment is a grant recently awarded from Maddie's Fund that may bring up to $15.5 million to humane groups in the city over a seven-year period.

The grant was awarded to the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, and the Veterinary Medical Association of New York City (VMANYC). About $9.5 million is earmarked to increase pet adoptions, while another $6 million will be allocated to fund subsidized spay/neuter programs.

AMAZING ANIMALS

Estes Park, Colorado - The beautiful environs around Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park are just a little more pristine thanks to the efforts of the area's own "litter dog." Timber, a 5-year-old golden and Labrador retriever mix, tracks down discarded soda cans, plastic cups and assorted other refuse and returns it to his person, Gary Householter, for proper disposal. Just about any form of trash is acceptable -- except cigarette butts -- says Householter, who enjoys daily walks along the edge of the park with Timber. All of this fine work has even earned Timber and Householter an "Environmental Stewardship Award" from the county commission.

FERAL CAT NEWS

Toledo, Ohio - Veterinarians with Humane Ohio's Operation FELIX (Feline Education and Love Instead of Extermination) reached a collective milestone recently when the program sterilized its 2,000th cat. Humane Ohio, a non-profit group working to find homes for homeless pets in northwest Ohio, has been in operation for just two-and-a-half years. Aimee St. Arnaud of Best Friends Animal Society, founder and director of Humane Ohio, said she hopes the program will sterilize 2,000 cats over the next year. Read more about this success story in the Toledo Blade.

Springfield, Massachusetts - Addressing the needs of homeless cats in Massachusetts will be the focus of a new coalition that will meet for the first time this week. Convening at the Springfield MSPCA, the event is expected to attract animal welfare advocates from across the state. Among sponsors is the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society which operates one of the state's largest no-kill shelters and feral cat feeding programs.

Sacramento, California - Melissa Jones is more than just a student at the University of California, Davis. She is also founder of the Feral Feline Organization, a year-old program which consists largely of college students. Thus far, the organization has spayed or neutered about 30 feral cats, and socialized and found homes for about 50 kittens. For more, read the Sacramento Bee.

Los Angeles, California - A six-week course on how to care for feral cats will begin Jan. 20 in Long Beach, in a program sponsored by the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care, the Feral Cat Caretakers' Coalition, and Best Friends Catnippers. Participants will be taught humane methods for trapping, neutering and vaccinating feral cats, as well as how to return the animals to where they were trapped. Further details about this pilot program are available in the Long Beach Press Telegram.

ADOPTION NEWS

Edwardsville, Illinois - The Metro East Humane Society spread good cheer to 16 homes in the Edwardsville area on Dec. 23 and 24, thanks to a new program run as part of the shelter's Home 4 the Holidays adoption campaign. The "Santa's Helper Program" featured society members actually delivering pets to the doorsteps of approved adopters in the two days before Christmas, accompanied by lots of positive media attention.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - The people at Animal Friends, a no-kill animal shelter, have found a productive way to spend their New Year's Eve -- they save lives. For eight years now, shelter staff and volunteers have rescued every dog and cat scheduled for euthanasia at eight animal control facilities in the greater Pittsburgh area. This year's total was more than 50 animals. To make room for them, Animal Friends sent many of its existing residents to foster care. Coverage of the event can be found in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

SPAY/NEUTER NEWS

Noblesville, Indiana - A new ordinance approved by city council spells out in clear detail the kind of care that guardians must provide for their pets. The ordinance requires that all dogs and cats older than 6 months be sterilized by a licensed veterinarian (breeders are exempt), and requires pet owners to provide appropriate shelter for animals left outside in winter. Violators will have 10 days to respond, or face charges or a fine of at least $100. Read more in the Noblesville Ledger.

FABULOUS FUNDRAISERS

St. Louis, Missouri - What began as a small pet parade has evolved over the past 12 years to the point where it is the World's Largest Pet Party. More than 6,000 costumed dogs and 79,000 of their faithful human companions are expected to attend the Jan. 30 event, with all proceeds going to help homeless animals at the Open Door Animal Sanctuary, a no-kill facility just outside St. Louis. Costumed revelers of the four-legged and two-legged variety will dress up for the Beggin' Strips Krewe of Barkus Pet Parade, which is part of the St. Louis Mardi Gras festivities.

Matawan, New Jersey - For their holiday project, the 18 students in Maryann Spafford's second-grade class at Ravine Drive School wanted to help homeless animals. The kids solicited funds from local businesses, and put donation boxes in the school hallway for donations of toys and food, raising more than $200 for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Read more in The Independent.

Santa Cruz, California - A new, non-profit organization has been established for the sole purpose of raising money to assist financially-strapped animal shelters both locally and nationwide. Shelter Friends, founded by Tracey Hazdovac, is securing sponsorships from businesses in the pet industry, and hopes to distribute grants of between $2,500 and $5,000 to needy rescues. More information on this new organization is available from the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

Charlotte, North Carolina - More than a dozen musicians in Mecklenburg County want to do their part to help homeless animals in their communities. They have compiled a CD and performed a concert Saturday, with proceeds to be used to purchase billboard space and other advertising that will urge people to spay and neuter their pets and to adopt pets from area shelters. Their story is being told by Charlotte's WCNC-TV.

IN YOUR COMMUNITIES

Chicago, Illinois - PAWS Chicago has unveiled plans for its 13,000-square-foot Adoption and Humane Center, set to open in Lincoln Park in the spring of 2006. The cageless facility will enable homeless animals to live in suites with doors, windows, natural light and piped-in classical music. The center will have hospital quarters, a state-of-the-art ventilation system that should virtually eliminate the transmission of diseases, and areas specifically designed for the comfort of elderly and sick animals. It will also serve as a base of operations for more than 3,000 PAWS volunteers, and open itself to other area shelters and rescues for adoption events on the weekends.

Carson City, Nevada - Carson City Animal Services is edging ever so close to its goal of becoming a no-kill shelter. In 2004, as in the past several years, no adoptable cats were killed. And of the 2,000 dogs that passed through the facility last year, just 16 adoptable dogs were euthanized. Pat Wiggins, education officer, is optimistic the city will reach its no-kill goal this year. Read more in the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Modesto, California - There will be no cat licensing in Stanislaus County after all. On their first day of work Tuesday, two new county supervisors helped to scrap a controversial pet ordinance approved by the previous board last month, calling the cat licensing provision "unenforceable" and "unnecessary." Read more in The Modesto Bee.

Baker, Louisiana - From now on, it will be illegal to tie up or chain dogs inside the Baker city limits. In an welcome amendment to the city's animal cruelty laws, council made it illegal to tether a dog for more than an hour -- whether the dog is in a fenced yard or not. More information on the ordinance can be found in The Advocate.

Kansas City, Missouri - Christmas came a few days late in Parkville, but no one was complaining. Just days after the holiday, a resident (who wanted to remain anonymous) dropped off a $10,000 check at city hall. The money is to be used to assist needy animals in Platte County. Get the full story in the Kansas City Star.