No More Homeless Pets
Weekly News

July 3, 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.

• 14,000 cats fixed in Dallas, Texas

Adoption News

• Adoptions skyrocket in Bingham City, Idaho
• Farmer's market and bank adoption events in South Carolina and Texas
• Transport system saves lives in Utah

Feral Cat News

• 236 feral cats fixed in Scottsdale, Arizona
• Campus cat program success in Fairfax, Virginia

Fabulous Fundraisers

• Dog and Cat-baret in Buffalo, New York
• Shelter receives $269K gift

Community Campaigns

• The Terminator backs down in California
• Coalition commended in Virginia

International News

• Dog prevents killing spree in Canada
• Costa Rica goes no kill

SPAY/NEUTER NEWS

Dallas, Texas - KittiCo has neutered more than 14,000 cats in the last five years and they recently announced their new 28-foot mobile spay/neuter clinic. Read all about KittiCo's spay/neuter efforts in the Dallas Morning News. (Registration required.)

Watsonville, California - The Watsonville Animal Shelter and the Friends of the Shelter group are offering free spay/neuter certificates for cats and dogs of low-income residents. Read the story in the Register-Pajaronian.

New Orleans, Louisiana - St. Tammany Parish city council vice president Pat Clanton and PAWS worked together with the city Department of Animal Services to offer low-cost spay/neuter for pets of low-income residents. Find the article in the Times-Picayune.

ADOPTION NEWS

Bingham City, Idaho - Since volunteers from the Bingham County Humane Society started volunteering at the Blackfoot Animal Shelter, adoptions have skyrocketed. Adoptions now average 65 to 70 a month, compared to about 20 a month last year. In 2003, only 236 animals were adopted at the shelter. This year, there have already been 3,300 adoptions. Read the article on the KIFI-TV website.

Georgetown, South Carolina - Animals from the St. Frances Humane Society will now be available for adoption at the weekly farmer's market. See the article in the Georgetown Times.

Houston, Texas - Chase Bank hosted an "Adopt-A-Pet Day" with 75 pets from the Houston area. See the article on the News 24 Houston website.

Salt Lake City, Utah - The new No More Homeless Pets in Utah transportation program is taking homeless pets from rural areas to urban areas, where they can find loving new homes. See the article on the Maddie's Fund website.

Alachua County, Florida - Over 100 cats and kittens found homes during the Maddie's Pet Rescue Project of Alachua County Cat Adopt-a-thon. Find the article on the WCJB TV-20 website.

Cascades, Michigan - The Cascades Humane Society plans a cat adopt-a-thon and Seniors-to-Seniors program to help find homes for adult cats. See the story in the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

Maryville, Missouri - Students and staff of Northwest Missouri State University hosted the second annual Adopt-A-Pet-A-Thon to help find homes for pets at the New Nodaway Humane Society. Read the article in the Maryville Daily Forum.

Quincy, Illinois - The Quincy Humane Society evening open house aims to find homes for pets. Read the article in the Quincy Herald-Whig.

FERAL CAT NEWS

Scottsdale, Arizona - AzCATs neutered 236 cats at a recent record-breaking, day-long feral cat spay/neuter clinic. Five veterinarians participated.

Fairfax, Virginia - The Mason Cat Coalition, a trap/neuter/return program at George Mason University's Fairfax campus, has neutered 375 cats over the past 10 years, successfully stabilizing the cat population. Read the article in the Washington Times.

Chicago, Illinois - A trap/neuter/return program for feral cats has received the go-ahead from Rolling Meadows aldermen. See the story in the Daily Herald.

Santa Clara County, California - The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to eliminate the requirement to test feral cats for FIV and feline leukemia. With the money saved, an additional 623 cats per year can be altered under the program.

FABULOUS FUNDRAISERS

Buffalo, New York - Performers from the Buffalo theater district played to a packed house of 500 people at the "Dog and Cat-baret," a benefit for the Buffalo Animal Shelter, which is facing budget cuts. Find the story in the Buffalo News.

Hampton, Virginia - A couple who adopted their beloved mixed-breed dog from the Animal Aid Society in Hampton 35 years ago remembered the society in their will with a $269,500 donation - more than twice as much as the shelter received in donations last year. Find the story in the Daily Press.

Mount Vernon, Virginia - DC Metro No More Homeless Pets raised more than $3,200 at their first-ever fundraiser, a garden party and silent auction. The funds will be used to host the D.C. area's first large-scale Super Adoption on September 18.

Tisbury, Massachusetts - An army of volunteers at the Tisbury animal shelter scrubbed, lathered and towel-dried 88 dogs on Saturday, netting $1,700 for sun shades for the outside dog runs. See the story in the Vineyard Gazette.

COMMUNITY CAMPAIGNS

California - For more details on last week's story, here are some links to articles about how Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed to back down from his plan to save $14 million from the state budget by letting shelters kill stray animals after three days rather than the mandatory six.

Story on the ABC News website.
Los Angeles Times: "Pet Lovers Howl, So Governor Rolls Over."
San Jose Mercury News: "Pet plan bites dust after outcry."
Washington Post: "Schwarzenegger Backs Off From Stray Pet Crackdown."
San Francisco Chronicle (SF Gate): "Governor reverses stand."
Corvalis GazetteTimes (Oregon): "Cal budget sacred cow: stray pets."

Hampton Roads, Virginia - The Animal Welfare Coalition of Hampton Roads received a commendation from the Virginia General Assembly for its efforts to end the euthanasia of healthy adoptable animals.

Auburn, Alabama - Dr. Brenda Griffin of Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine was awarded a $1.5 million grant from Maddie's Fund to establish Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Program at the university. See the story on the Maddie's Fund website.

Moundsville, West Virginia - Meals On Wheels, along with Webark Estates No-Kill Animal Shelter, kicked off a new program to provide pet food for its elderly and disabled clients. Meals On Wheels realized that many seniors were sharing their meals with their pets. Read the story in the Intelligencer/Wheeling News Register.

Memphis, Tennessee - The Memphis Area Coalition for Animal Welfare presented a free meeting at the public library to address animal cruelty with guest speakers from the Miami-Dade Animal Police, as seen on Animal Planet.

Utica, New York - Utica Mayor Tim Julian and workers at city hall brought their dogs - 15 in all - to work Thursday as part of this year's Take Your Dog to Work Day, presented by Stevens-Swan Humane Society of Oneida County. Read the article in the Observer-Dispatch.

New Orleans, Louisiana - The success of the St. Charles Animal Shelter is an example of what can happen when local government and a group of dedicated volunteers work together. See the story in the Times-Picayune.

Lawrence, Kansas - Residents will be prohibited from chaining their dogs all day under an ordinance unanimously approved by the Lawrence City Commission. Read the story in the Lawrence Journal-World.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Ottawa, Canada - Rene Chartrand has been taking care of a large feral cat colony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for many years. Recently, a group of volunteers have constructed and painted "condos" for the cats. Rene, who turns 83 later this month, is hoping to find the right person to take over the care of the colony. In the meantime, Brian Caines, a civil servant for the federal government, helps keep an eye on the cats. You can e-mail Brian at Brian.Caines@cas-satj.gc.ca.

Costa Rica - It is now law in Costa Rica that the only way to lower pet overpopulation is through spay/neuter, making this Central American country a no-kill nation, according to the McKee Project.

Toronto, Canada - Not a No More Homeless Pets story, but we're pleased to note that a man driving a car packed with weapons and ammunition, who was intent on killing as many people as possible in a Toronto neighborhood, gave up the plan at the last minute when he encountered a friendly dog. Find the article on Yahoo! News.