No More Homeless Pets
Weekly News

October 3, 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

Philly Alliance
Following New York City's lead, Philadelphia sets goal to become a no-kill community and forms Alliance for Philadephia's Animals Read more.

No More Homeless Pets Conference, October 22-24, 2004
Join this gathering of  people creating life-saving changes for animals around the country. Get practical advice, inspiration, and ideas from leading experts.
Conference Details and Registration.

SPAY/NEUTER NEWS

North Carolina - Next year, the state General Assembly will consider a groundbreaking bill that would impose a tax on pet food, with the proceeds going to the Animal Protection Fund, to be used for a statewide low-cost spay/neuter program, as well as to upgrade existing shelters and provide assistance to fledgling animal welfare programs. In addition to the tax revenue, the fund would receive money from the sale of a special license plate, state income tax refunds, and private contributions and grants. The official debate is still months away, however, opposition to the proposal is already building -- notably from hunters who keep large packs of dogs. Find out more about this proposal in an extensive article in the Smoky Mountain News.

Southington, Connecticut - Tait's Every Animal Matters, a mobile spay/neuter program launched in 1997, has spayed or neutered an astounding 75,000 cats over the past seven years. The TEAM vans will visit approximately 40 communities statewide this fall, performing an estimated 45 surgeries each day. Read more about this remarkable program in The Herald Press.

Atlanta, Georgia - The No More Homeless Pets Atlanta PetFixers Clinic saw its first patient in September -- a kitten named Petey. All eight feline patients from the clinic's first day came from DeKalb County Animal Control, where they returned after their surgeries to await adoption. The clinic will continue to provide services to animal control, as well as to area rescues and feral cats. Soon, it will expand to offer low- or no-cost surgeries to local low-income families. To find out more about No More Homeless Pets Atlanta, a campaign by Best Friends Animal Society, visit www.atlantapets.org.

Allentown, Pennsylvania - Two members of the city council have proposed a law that would require all dogs over the age of six months to be sterilized, unless owners acquire a $100 license to breed their AKC-registered dogs, or a veterinarian stipulates that a particular dog can not safely be sterilized. This landmark legislation is not being greeted with open arms, however, with concerns being voiced by both the local humane society and animal control. Read more about the debate in The Allentown Times.

ADOPTION NEWS

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - The People-Pet Partnership, in conjunction with PETsMART & PETsMART Charities, adopted 75 animals in the two-day "Tail-gating" Adoption Party held in a PETsMART parking lot last month. Sponsored by Best Friends Animal Society, Citizens Alliance, and Commerce Bank, the weekend party also offered entertainment and educational events, and showcased adoptable animals from three area shelters.

San Jose, California - San Jose's new $18 million Animal Care Center, now the largest shelter on the West Coast, opened last month with an adopt-a-thon featuring animals from area rescue groups. The 50,000-square-foot shelter began accepting strays Oct. 1, and will have space for 163 dogs and 335 cats, as well as a pet supply store, get-acquainted rooms, and a spay/neuter clinic. Its directors hope the new facility will help raise adoption rates in Santa Clara County, and reduce the animal population with low-cost spay and neuter services. Read more about this new shelter in the San Jose Mercury News.

East Hanover, New Jersey - More than 1,350 people attended the Shelter Showcase Expo last month, adopting 44 animals and making donations of nearly $10,000. Organized by the Shelter Showcase animal welfare group, the event brought together more than 25 shelters and rescue groups from across New Jersey and as far away as Massachusetts, with 75 volunteers helping to place dogs, cats, ferrets, reptiles and birds. In addition to the Mutts Marathon dog walk, the event featured special guests, pet contests, raffles and prizes, vendors and free giveaways. The event was sponsored by Best Friends Animal Society, Milkbone, Petfinder.com, the Daily Record, New Jersey 12 News, and the Morris Animal Inn.

Bainbridge, Georgia - In the two years since the Bainbridge-Decatur County Humane Society started operations, the odds have improved considerably for homeless animals in the region. In the year before the society was formed, 1,500 animals were brought in to the local pound, and only nine were adopted. So far this year, 680 animals have come in, 480 of whom were adopted -- a 500 percent increase, with several months still to go! Read more in The Post-Searchlight.

FERAL CAT NEWS

Utah - With the help of hundreds of volunteers, No More Homeless Pets in Utah spayed or neutered more than 10,400 cats from January 2002 to June 2004 -- through the work of the Best Friends Clinic, The Big Fix, and the more than 70 veterinarians participating in the Feral Fix voucher program. In its continuing quest to do more, the program will be honoring National Feral Cat Day with a Feral Fix Fiesta October 12.

Indianapolis, Indiana - IndyFeral is hosting a fundraiser called "Cajun for Cats" at local restaurant Aesop's Tables on October 10, in celebration of National Feral Cat Day October 16. All the proceeds from the all-you-can-eat Cajun buffet will go to benefit IndyFeral's trap/neuter/release program, which has sterilized more than 3,500 cats since it began in 2002, and now manages over 660 colonies.

Dallas, Texas - Southern Methodist University recently hosted a three-day conference for 80 people, to help them learn how to manage feral cat populations on college campuses. The Campus Feral Cat Population Southern Regional Conference encouraged colleges to begin trap/neuter/release programs, similar to those already practiced by SMU's veteran Feral Cat Program and University of Texas-Arlington's fledgling Campus Cat Coalition. Learn more from the Star-Telegram.

Highstown, New Jersey - The Highstown Borough Council expressed its strong support for a trap/neuter/release program to manage the local feral cat population, passing a resolution to support the method and naming a committee to coordinate volunteers. After researching the issue, the council determined that the program was the most successful, and most humane, solution to feral cat overpopulation. "We are very, very, definitely in favor of the TNR program," said one committeeperson. Read more in the Windsor Hights-Herald.

FABULOUS FUNDRAISERS

Stratham, New Hampshire - The annual Pet Fest and Paws Walk raised a record $63,000 for the New Hampshire SPCA last month. The event featured many activities, including a concert and a competitive fundraising walk -- with the lead team, Parker & Plummer Inc., raising more than $10,000 for the shelter. Learn more about this event's success from Seacoast Online.

Albuquerque, New Mexico - A unique film festival was held last month featuring films about dogs, for dogs -- and to benefit dogs. The Dog Film Festival was limited to short films about dogs, films including dogs, or films that made one "think of a dog." Dogs were invited to watch the films next to their humans, with dog treats provided along with popcorn, and all proceeds went to benefit the city's spay and neuter programs. Read more from Reuters News.

Arlington, Texas; Glendale, California - While Oscar-winning actress Dyan Cannon worked to raise money for a new animal shelter in Texas, Drew Carey Show star Kathy Kinney was visiting the Glendale Humane Society in California. Kinney will host the 9th Anniversary Gala for the no-kill Glendale shelter Oct. 23. Cannon will appear as a guest speaker at a fundraiser for the Arlington PAWS 2005 program, which is working to raise $200,000 toward a new shelter by December. Learn more about these star-studded events from NBC Channel 5 news and the L.A. Times.

COMMUNITY CAMPAIGNS

Spanish Fork, Utah - No More Homeless Pets in Utah has proposed services to help reduce the 70 percent euthanasia rate at the Utah County Animal Shelter -- the highest euthanasia rate of any shelter in the state. Under the proposal, NMHP would take custody of 600 animals on the shelter's euthanasia list each year, transporting them to special adoption events and guaranteeing them homes. NMHP would also provide a veterinarian at the shelter five days a week, to provide discounted spay and neutering services and treat sick and injured shelter animals. In return, NMHP is asking the county for a small amount of office space, use of the shelter's idle surgical area, and kennels for 24 dogs and cats.

The Utah County commissioners will hold a public hearing on the proposal in a week. Similar NMHP partnerships with other Utah shelters have resulted in dramatic reductions in the euthanasia rate -- from 60 percent to 25 percent at West Valley City Animal Services, for example. For more about the Utah County proposal, see the Deseret News.

Florida - More than 1,300 animals were relinquished to animal shelters as a result of the first two hurricanes to hit Florida. However, one of the largest shelters to be hit by the storms, the Suncoast Humane Society, reports that because hundreds of agencies, and many more private citizens, pulled together to help, it didn't have to euthanize any adoptable animals as a result of the storms. Shelters and rescues from as far away as New York took animals from shelters in the hurricanes' paths, while hundreds of people turned out for extended adoption hours and special adoption events, and many more Florida residents stepped forward to offer temporary foster homes. Now, shelters hope to harness this energy to raise money and recruit volunteers for the rebuilding process, as well helping to adopt more animals on a routine basis. Learn more about this special collaborative effort in the Christian Science Monitor.

Pennsylvania; Ohio; West Virginia - While Florida battled hurricanes, several states to the north fought flash flooding that was an after-effect of those same storms. Flood waters caused extensive damage in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania, where rescues and shelters sought public and private support to keep their animals safe from the flooding -- and stretched shelter space to the maximum to give owners a chance to find their lost pets. Meanwhile, the Noah's Wish disaster response team flew in to assist animals displaced by flooding in Ohio and West Virginia. In Marion, Pennsylvania, the Greener Pastures No-Kill Animal Rescue got unexpected assistance from the Williamsport Volunteer Ambulance Service, whose volunteers came to the rescue after nearly 50 of the sanctuary's horses, goats, and potbellied pigs -- and the sanctuary director herself -- were swept into a creek that overran its banks. Learn more about these extraordinary rescue efforts from the Marion Herald-Mail, the Marietta Times, and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Parkersburg, Pennsylvania - The Humane Society of Parkersburg was selected to benefit from the Parkersburg Home Depot's "Week of Service," as the company donated supplies and its employees donated their time to do landscaping and remodeling for the shelter. Volunteers from Home Depot worked more than 250 hours at the shelter, doing everything from concrete paving to walking shelter dogs. In addition to Home Depot, other local and national companies donated supplies, including Anderson Doors, Sun0tuf, and the local Cardinal Concrete Company. Read more about this community effort from the News and Sentinel.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

The International Fund for Animal Welfare is rushing aid to the animals on the Caribbean Island of Grenada, following the destruction wrought there by Hurricane Ivan. Ivan unleashed the worst disaster to hit the island in 50 years, leaving people and their pets without homes, water or food. The IFAW will work with the Grenada SPCA to provide veterinary care, vaccinations, and pet food for animals caught up in the crisis.

Romania - With a $1,000 grant from Alley Cat Allies, a rescue group in Romania, Asociatia Animed Arad, has begun a trap/neuter/release program for stay and feral cats. The group used the money to trap and return 102 cats, and will continue the project with donations from private parties. In more than three years, the Romanian group has already rescued more than 600 abused dogs and cats, and provided sterilization services for hundreds more.

Ottawa, Canada - The Canada Post has unveiled four new stamps featuring a dog, cat, rabbit, and fish, all interacting happily with children. The new stamps were unveiled at the 15th Annual PAWS in the Park event in Toronto, a fundraiser for the Toronto Humane Society that was co-sponsored by the Canada Post. In addition, the mail service is donating $5,000 to the Humane Society of Canada to support educational initiatives, and will sponsor the Canada Post Pets for Life Contest, through which consumers will be invited to share what makes their pets special. To read more about the stamp initiative, see CNW.