No More Homeless Pets
Weekly News

June 26, 2004
From super adoptions to revolutionary changes in animal control, each week we bring you news of successes large and small in the campaign to bring about a time when there will be No More Homeless Pets.

• Low-cost clinics in New York and Virginia neuter thousands
• City adopts spay/neuter ordinance in Ohio

Adoption News

• Looking for love, and finding it online in Oregon

Feral Cat News

• Illinois ferals need calls and letters of support

Fabulous Fundraisers

• Mother/daughter team gathers 1,000 pounds of food in Illinois
• Leashes and Lovers ice-cream social benefits New York animals
• Festivals and walks benefit animals in Ohio

Community Campaigns

• No More Homeless Pets in Utah says "Happy New Year!"
• King County, Washington, sees increased adoptions
• Grant provides trailer to provide emergency shelter in California

Sacramento, California - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger backed down from his plan to save the world's fifth largest economy an extra $14 million by killing homeless pets quicker. This would be accomplished by repealing the Hayden Bill, which requires animals taken into shelters to be held at least six days before being killed. The new plan would have saved money by giving these homeless animals just three days (and less for pets that aren't dogs or cats).

When the news leaked, the governor's office was besieged by faxes, e-mails, and phone calls. And people paraded outside the Capitol with dogs that had been adopted from shelters. The Terminator quickly backed down, saying he loved animals and that it was a "mistake." There are regular updates from the L.A. Times. Most recent today (June 26) is here.

SPAY/NEUTER NEWS

Ithaca, New York - Shelter Outreach Services, a mobile spay/neuter service launched by Dr. Leslie Appel, is celebrating its one-year anniversary. "We have spayed/neutered 5,000 animals in the past year, and have helped the entire Finger Lakes region, about 12 counties," said Appel.

Staunton, Virginia - The Kindred Spirits spay/neuter clinic has provided nearly 4,000 reduced-cost spay/neuter surgeries since it opened its doors in February 2002. In recognition of their unique contribution to the community, the Augusta County Board of Supervisors voted to give $1,640 to help support the clinic. Read the article in the Augusta Free Press.

Athens, Ohio - The Athens City Council has voted to require the spaying or neutering of dogs and cats sold within the city limits. The ordinance came to the council from a group calling themselves the Athens Coalition for Companion Animals. See the story in the Athens Messenger.

ADOPTION NEWS

Portland, Oregon - Columnist Deborah Wood writes about how Petfinder.com can help you find a dog who's perfect for you. Find the story in the Oregonian.

FERAL CAT NEWS

Waukegan, Illinois - The city of Waukegan, Illinois, has begun to obstruct feral cat caregivers. Worse, it's "legal"! On June 7, the city council passed an ordinance that requires caregivers to buy a $100 annual license and keep the feral cats they trap and neuter in an enclosure. Spay and Stay is asking people across the country to write Waukegan city officials and ask them to rescind this ill-conceived ordinance.

FABULOUS FUNDRAISERS

Lincoln, Illinois - A mother/daughter team organized a campaign with a local supermarket to encourage people to buy and donate dog and cat food for Logan County Animal Control. Their efforts yielded more than 1,000 pounds of supplies. The full story is in the Lincoln Courier.

New York, New York - Leashes and Lovers, a dog-lovers singles group based in New York, hosted an ice cream social to benefit NYSAVE. The dog-friendly event included Frosty Paws doggy ice cream and a biscuit bar.

Canal Winchester, Ohio - TV anchor Mindy Draper of NBC 4 Today Weekend Edition was the host of this year's Festival of Friends, an annual benefit for the Friends for Life Animal Haven. The event raises funds for vet care, food and supplies for the animals. See the article in the Lancaster Eagle Gazette.

Akron, Ohio - Bark in the Park 2004, a dog walk and carnival benefiting the Humane Society of Greater Akron, was attended by 200 dogs and 400 people, raising $15,000 for the society. Find the article in the Akron Beacon-Journal. The article is free but you must register to read it. For information on how to plan a dog walk to benefit your local shelter, check out our manual called How to Run a Successful Walk for the Animals.

Lambertville, New Jersey - DeAnna's Restaurant launched its annual drive to collect money and pet supplies for the Hunterdon County SPCA. Read the story in The Beacon.

Rogers City, Oklahoma - Rogers County Humane Society members make final preparations to open their thrift store to help raise funds for the shelter. See the story in the Claremore Daily Progress.

COMMUNITY CAMPAIGNS

Utah - About 275 people gathered in Salt Lake City to ring in the New Year for No More Homeless Pets in Utah. Each program year begins in July, and the campaign is now moving into Year Five. "We exceeded our goals for Year Four," noted Best Friends' Gregory Castle (in the photo), who is president of the campaign. "Overall, we're showing a 29% decrease in euthanasia statewide." The program has received a $1.6m grant from Maddie's Fund for Year 5.

Earlier in the day, 120 members of the No More Homeless Pets in Utah coalition of humane organizations and shelters came together for an Idea Exchange meeting. Among the speakers was Petfinder.com founder Betsy Saul, who ran a workshop on using the internet for adoptions.

King County, Washington - Last year, 4,456 animals were adopted from King County shelters, while 5,943 were put down. Ten years earlier, in 1993, only 1,802 animals were adopted, while 9,032 were put down. An article in the King County Journal explores the impact of a two-year-old spay/neuter ordinance and the other strategies being used to increase adoptions and decrease the numbers being killed. Read the story in the King County Journal.

Corona, California - Corona Animal Control recently received a $5,300 federal grant to buy a 17-foot emergency communications trailer to use for emergency fire rescue for animals, pet adoption days at parks and other events. Read the article in the Press Enterprise. The article is free but you must register to read it.