No More Homeless Pets
Weekly News

December 26, 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
• Spay/Neuter News
• Adoption News
• Fabulous Fundraisers
• In Your Communities
• International News

TOP STORY

New York, New York - Maddie's Fund has awarded New York City humane groups a grant that may mean up to $15.5 million to help turn New York into a no-kill city.

The money will be allocated over a period of seven years as project goals are met, with the first disbursement in January. About $9.5 million is earmarked to increase pet adoptions, while another $6 million will be allocated to fund subsidized spay/neuter programs administered by the Veterinary Medical Association of New York City (VMANYC).

The grant was awarded to the VMANYC and the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, which partnered in applying for the money. Established in 2002, the Mayor's Alliance is a coalition of 65 animal rescue groups and shelters that are working with the city to end the killing of healthy and treatable animals. The VMANYC is one of the oldest veterinary associations in the country, and has about 260 members.

"Transforming New York City into a no-kill environment is a tremendous challenge for everyone involved," said Mayor's Alliance President Jane Hoffman (pictured, right). "Now, powered by Maddie's Fund's financial support and its demonstrated faith in New York's ability to tackle the difficult challenges ahead, we are confident that New York will succeed in becoming a no-kill city in the foreseeable future."

During the first project year, the Alliance aims at decreasing the number of dogs and cats killed by 2,800. During that same year, the VMANCY expects its member veterinarians to perform 14,000 spay/neuter surgeries as part of the program.

The grant offers about one-third of the money necessary to fund the lifesaving programs the city has planned over the next ten years. The rest of the money will come from other sources, including individual contributions, foundations grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Maddie's Fund is a $200 million family foundation established in 1999 by PeopleSoft founder Dave Duffield, and is dedicated to helping communities throughout the country end the killing of healthy and treatable homeless animals.

AMAZING ANIMALS

Bastrop, Louisiana - After eight months, Macie finally has a safe home -- despite herself. The black and tan mutt has been wandering the city streets since at least April, evading all attempts at capture by Good Samaritans who wanted to give her a home.

Monica Thrower and her husband Tom, principal of the local high school, spotted the dog near the school and decided she would make a good addition to their house of six formerly homeless dogs and cats. But it was easier said than done, as Macie evaded all attempts by the Throwers and their family and friends to capture her, even when they recruited help from animal control and the local veterinarian.

The savvy canine kept at arms length from potential capturers, ducked humane traps, ate food laced with tranquilizers without being fazed, and even evaded a tranquilizer gun. As winter approached, the Throwers became more desperate to bring Macie inside, and their son Brian was finally able to hit the dog with a tranquilizer dart.

Macie spent a week at the veterinarian's for observation, treatment, and a spay surgery. Then she joined her new family, and was quickly transformed from a terrified stray into a loving, and loved, family pet. Read more about Macie and her new family from the Bastrop Daily Enterprise.

FERAL CAT NEWS

Delcastle, Delaware - At first, the students of Delcastle Technical High School questioned the new assignment from their shop teacher. But after viewing a video produced by Alley Cat Allies and learning about the plight of feral cats, the students changed their minds and threw themselves into constructing cozy outdoor cathouses for ferals. The 20 shelters they built will be donated to two animal welfare groups, Faithful Friends Inc. and Forgotten Cats. Read more about the project from the News Journal.

SPAY/NEUTER NEWS

Stanislaus County, California - A new county-wide ordinance will require all residents to spay or neuter their pets unless they purchase a $100 permit to become breeders. County residents will be required to purchase licenses for their pets, which will be available for $12 if they agree to have their pet spayed or neutered, or $100 if they do not. And the county will give all residents the means to comply with the new law -- if they agree to get their pets fixed, all residents are eligible for a voucher to have the surgery done for free. Read more from the Turlock Journal.

Houston, Texas - Public Service announcements are often low-budget affairs, shot by local television stations with whatever "actors" happen to be on hand. But the Spay-Neuter Assistance Project (SNAP) put together a team of professionals and pulled out all the stops for its flashy new PSAs promoting spay/neuter. The snappy spots were created thanks to services donated by professional actors, a public relations team, advertising company, and television studio. They premiered over the holidays on Houston's CBS affiliate, KHOU-TV, which has promised to donate several hundred thousands of dollars of airtime to the ads. Find out more and view the new ads on the SNAP website.

ADOPTION NEWS

Utah - The 'Best Friends on Tour' program is meeting its goal of saving at least 10 animals per week from being killed at shelters in West Valley City and Utah County -- helping the West Valley City shelter to register a no-kill month during November. The program provides "no-kill" kennel space within the shelters, and Best Friends guarantees adoption for dogs in those wings of the shelters.

The program also aims to save all of the animals in the West Valley City shelter at Christmastime, through a "12 Dogs & Cats of Christmas" fundraiser targeted at raising $2,800. Read more about these programs from No More Homeless Pets in Utah.

Kansas City, Missouri & Kansas - An open-house day spanning the entire metro area and including 24 humane societies, shelters, and rescue groups succeeded in placing 137 cats and dogs into holiday homes. Organized by No More Homeless Pets in Kansas City, the event drew more than 1,100 visitors to the participating locations, which featured a variety of events such as raffles, tours, bake sales, and visits from Santa. In addition to taking home pets, visitors brought food, treats, toys, and donations -- participating shelter Animal Haven raised $13,000 for its building fund during the one-day event.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Holiday adoption events in the Philadelphia area placed nearly 150 cats and dogs into new homes. The first-ever adoption event sponsored by the Alliance for Philadelphia's Animals resulted in 61 animals being placed from weekend setups in front of five area Borders bookstores, with many more applications still under review. In addition, the event featured collaborative efforts between the Pennsylvania Animal Care and Control Association (PACCA) and local rescues, which led to transfers that freed up about 40 additional cages at PACCA.

Meanwhile, the third annual Home 4 the Holidays program sponsored by the People-Pet Partnership (PPP) found homes for 80 dogs and cats from the PACCA and the Pennsylvania SPCA. During five weekends in front of the local Whole Foods market, PPP volunteers also collected food, toys, treats and supplies to bring back to the shelter animals.

Reno, Nevada - A new program called Pet Partners for Seniors is helping seniors to adopt pets from the county animal shelter, as well as helping them to afford the pets they already have. Sponsored by the Douglas Animal Welfare Group, the program is funded through a $25,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is based on the conviction that pets help seniors stay healthy, vibrant, and happy, and assists with the costs of adoption and basic supplies, as well as helping seniors with the costs of food and veterinary bills. For more about this program, read the Reno Gazette-Journal.

FABULOUS FUNDRAISERS

California - The East Bay SPCA, and partner Pet Food Express, have found a new way to loosen people's purse strings -- make their pets into supermodels. In exchange for donations of $250 or more, Pet Food Express takes professional photographs of the donor's beloved pet. The photo is then blown up and displayed at stores around the region. For at least $500, the donor may keep the poster after it is displayed for a year. In six months, the "My Mutt" program has generated $22,000 in donations, which go to an area shelter or rescue of the donor's choice. In 2005, program organizers hope to generate $100,000. Read more from www.virtualpetadoptions.com, a website developed by the East Bay SPCA and featuring adoptable pets from 50 different shelters and rescues.

Lynbrook, New York - PetCareRx.com, an online retailer of pet pharmaceuticals and supplies, has launched a new campaign aimed at selling simple blue bracelets as a fundraiser for no-kill shelters and rescues across the country. The "I Saved a Pet" campaign will sell the bracelets online for $1 each, with all funds going to select shelters. The company is hoping to sell 30,000 bracelets by the end of the December, with these initial funds going to benefit Bobbi and the Strays, a no-kill shelter in New York. Next year, the company hopes the program will grow so it can make continuous donations to several shelters around the country.

Rapid City, South Dakota - Santa Claus made an early stop for the 250 dogs and cats at the Humane Society of the Black Hills. In the last two weeks before Christmas, the shelter received nearly $16,000 in donations, as well as truck after truck of food, toys, and supplies. While there were many individual contributors, much of this generosity came from local schools. Pre-school and elementary students from Children's House in Montessori and South Canyon elementary conducted food drives and fundraisers, while the vet tech club at the nearby university sponsored a Christmas tree with gift suggestions. Read more about this unexpected flood of generosity in the Rapid City Journal.

North Shore Animal League America has found a new way to plead for funds, and homes, this year. The league put together a free Flash animation greeting card, featuring dogs and cats singing Jingle Bells, reminding people of the homeless animal problem -- and of course, asking for funds and homes. View the greeting card at the NSAL website. But turn your volume down if your furry friends are around! All the realistic barking and meowing tends to get real dogs and cats a bit too excited.

IN YOUR COMMUNITIES

Boston, Massachusetts - At-Large City Councilor Maura Hennigan has announced that in January she will introduce legislation to ban pet stores in Boston that perpetuate inhumane practices, such as "warehousing" dogs and cats without proper care or socialization. "This should not be about profit," Hennigan declared. The announcement comes after stories ran this month in the Boston Herald publicizing abuses and health board violations at several area pet stores, including Woof & Company, Pet Club, and Petland. Hennigan hopes her legislation will not only be passed in Boston, but will serve as a model for similar laws around the country. Read more about this encouraging development from Town Online.

Seattle, Washington - The inaugural project of the Seattle Best Friends Brigade was to respond to an emergency at the Hope for Horses rescue. Set up to handle the rescue of mature horses, the rescue suddenly found itself with two mares due to foal at the same time, and no appropriate accommodations. Enter a Best Friends Brigade of 12 volunteers, who labored one Saturday to erect a proper foaling stall and make other improvements to the facility. A project of Best Friends Animal Society, brigades are teams of local volunteers who band together to take on various projects to help animals. Learn more about how you can be a part of a Best Friends Brigade.

INTERNATIONAL

Malaysia - The Selangor SPCA has set a lofty goal for itself -- make Malaysia stray-free by 2010. In pursuit of this goal, the SPCA is following the pattern set by humane organizations in the United States, and pursuing aggressive spay/neuter and adoption campaigns. Chairman Christine Chin admits this goal is ambitious, but insists it is doable with the right infrastructure and financing in place. Read more about this effort from The Star.