No More Homeless Pets
Weekly News

September 19, 2004
From super adoptions to spay/neuter successes, people working together to bring about a time when there will be No More Homeless Pets.

• Spay/Neuter News
• Adoption News
• Feral Cat News
• Fabulous Fundraisers
• Community Campaigns
• International News

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SPAY/NEUTER NEWS

San Antonio, Texas - The San Antonio Spurs and the Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) are combining forces to get local basketball fans to spay and neuter their pets, by hosting a free spay/neuter clinic at the forum where the Spurs play. The first clinic at the SBC Center was held earlier this month, offering free surgery for residents of the neighborhood surrounding the basketball arena, while another clinic is scheduled for Oct. 8. Find out more about this program at nba.com.

Greenville, North Carolina - Animal groups from around the area sponsored a week-long spay/neuter awareness campaign in Greenville, featuring a free spay/neuter clinic for low-income families. The event, dubbed "Paws for a Cause," also featured educational programs and a paper-link chain constructed with the help of the public. The chain was later used as part of a candelight vigil, to represent the number of animals euthanized each year as a result of pet overpopulation. Learn more about this program on Channel 9 Eyewitness News.

Fort Thomas, Kentucky - Fort Thomas city officials are considering a law that would charge pet owners an additional $50 to $100 if their animal gets picked up as a stray and has not been spayed or neutered. As an extra incentive for owners to get their animals altered, the money could be refunded if owners get their animals fixed within 30 days. Find out more on WCPO news.

ADOPTION NEWS

Salt Lake City, Utah - More than 350 animals found good homes last weekend at the Best Friends' Super Adoption in Salt Lake City, a part of No More Homeless Pets of Utah.

It wasn't easy. On Saturday, the weather was absolutely scorching. On Sunday, the winds were strong enough to blow visitors off their feet. And just as the No More Homeless Pets team was closing up and getting ready to carry everything into storage - a torrential rainfall came out of nowhere and soaked them!

But the team stuck it out, come sunburns, windburns and rain. And the result was that animals from sixteen rescue groups and five shelters got to strut their stuff for the chance of a lifetime. And 353 of them are now in cozy new homes. All in all, the event averaged about eighteen adoptions per hour!

New York and Florida - About 30 dogs left behind in the aftermath of hurricanes Charley and Frances will find new homes in New York, thanks to the North Shore Animal League. The Long Island rescue group transported the dogs to its shelter from a temporary holding facility in Bartow, Florida, after the dogs were among 60 who were never claimed by their owners - the other 30 dogs are being placed by Florida rescue groups. Read more about this cross-country rescue in The Ledger.

Los Gatos, California - 2nd Chance 4 Pets is encouraging people nationwide to adopt the pets left behind when their people died, by observing an "Adopt an Orphaned Pet Day" each September. The impetus for this event came on September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center tragedy left 800 New York City pets without their people. Animal rescue groups from across the country worked to find homes for these pets, an effort that 2nd Chance 4 Pets wants to see continue on behalf of the estimated half a million pets orphaned each year. Find out more about this event on the 2nd Chance 4 Pets website.

Jackson City, Oregon - The Jackson County Animal Care & Control Center, along with the Friends of the Animal Shelter, has opened a new room designed to allow adopters to get to know their potential pets, accompanied by the relaxing strains of Mozart. Created out of an old storage space, the room was built as a result of a contribution made in the name of a favorite companion dog, "Mozart," and is designed to convey a homelike setting, complete with couches and comfy pillows. Read more about this project, as well as the many other ways Jackson County tries to ensure successful adoptions, in the White City News.

FERAL CAT NEWS

Los Angeles, California - It may not make as catchy a title as "101 Dalmatians", but to the 101 feral cats who were spayed and neutered at Best Friends' Catnippers clinic in Los Angeles this month, "101 Cats Fixed!" is a beautiful title indeed! Catnippers, an all-volunteer program of Best Friends, nearly beat its record of 109 spay/neuters in one day - and promises to keep trying to overcome that record with the help of its dedicated volunteers and veterinarians.

New York, New York - As part of its yearly outreach program, the Urban Cat League trapped and neutered 32 cats from a feral colony in the Bronx, socialized and adopted out the colony's kittens, and released most of the adult cats to a managed colony on the grounds of a housing development. The Urban Cat League normally cares for feral cats in Hell's Kitchen, but undertakes at least one such large-scale project outside the area each year. Find out more about this project from the Urban Cat League.

New York, New York - Seventy-five people from around New York City attended a workshop on how to socialize feral kittens, held jointly by the ASPCA and the Urban Cat League. Leaders of the workshop demonstrated techniques to bring biting, scratching, feral kittens to the point where they enjoy human touch and can be safely adopted. Learn more from the Urban Cat League.

Southborough, Massachusetts - Commonwealth Cats, a new Massachusetts organization committed to reducing the overpopulation and suffering of cats, has been approved by the IRS as a public, not-for-profit charity. The organization will focus on providing no-cost spay, neuter and vaccination clinics for feral cats who are brought in by individuals and humane and rescue groups.

FABULOUS FUNDRAISERS

Port Angeles, Washington - Following up on the success of their 2004 calendar featuring mostly nude women, Peninsula Friends of Animals has released a 2005 calendar entitled "Dogs 'n Wheels... and Fluffy, too!" The calendar features 13 photos of nude, but strategically covered, men ranging in age from 20 to 80, posing with dogs, a variety of wheeled vehicles - and one cat. Organizers hope the calendar will be as popular as last year's "Puss 'n Boots... and Fido, too!" calendar, which raised more than $30,000, for the no-kill shelter. Find out more about this fundraiser in the Peninsula Daily News.

COMMUNITY CAMPAIGNS

St. Louis, Missouri - Distressed by the city's lack of progress toward building a new home for homeless dogs and cats, multimillionaire Ed Throop has agreed to take charge of the design, construction and fund-raising for a state-of-the-art animal shelter. It would replace the old city pound in south St. Louis, long criticized by animal lovers as a "catch and kill" eyesore. Throop, a retired real estate developer and former bank chairman, already has started to raise the $2 million to $3.7 million he estimates will be needed through his fundraising charity, the Animal House Foundation. Read more about Throop's venture on STLToday.com.

Lansing, Michigan - The Michigan Humane Society is planning its first-ever Animal Welfare Rally, to be held on the steps of the State Capitol Building on Tuesday, September 28. In addition to celebrating years of caring for animals in Michigan, participants will help show legislators that animal issues are important to voters, and will unveil proposed animal welfare legislation. To learn more, read the Crawford County Avalanche.

Savannah, Georgia - The fatal shooting of four feral cats on Wilmington Island has prompted Friends of Animals of the Coastal Empire to donate nearly $1,400 to CrimeStoppers to help reduce pet abuse and neglect. The money will be used to reward anyone who contacts CrimeStoppers with information leading to the arrest and prosecution of any animal abuser. In addition, the Feral Cat Project is offering a $1,200 reward for information leading to a conviction in the shooting of the four cats, who were part of a managed colony near a shopping center. Find the article at SavannahNow.com.

Michigan City, Indiana - They may be unofficial residents, but some 29 cats make the Indiana State Prison their home. The animals weren't intentionally introduced into the prison - some wandered in through an entrance that once served coal trains, while others found their way in through a maze of sewer pipes - and then they were informally adopted by a number of inmates. Prison officials have allowed the animals to stay in part because they serve a purpose: Their companionship has encouraged many inmates to keep their behavior in line. Find out more about these "jail cats" at Channel 7 online.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Juarez, Mexico - A four-day, free clinic resulted in the sterilization of 218 animals in the impoverished border town of Juarez, Mexico. The venture was the result of a partnership between SNAP-Mexico, Compassion without Borders, and the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights. SNAP-Mexico donated 100 doses of Neutersol to the effort, which allowed the clinic to sterilize 30 percent more animals than with conventional surgery alone.

Winnipeg, Canada - Reduced prices have meant increased cat adoptions for the Winnipeg Humane Society. With its shelter overflowing with hundreds of cats, the society promoted a half-price sale which included a discount on the cost of adoption. The promotion resulted in nearly 100 cat adoptions in a week's time, and officials hope it will continue to help the more than 350 cats still remaining at the shelter. Read more in the Winnipeg Sun.