Making our shelter a SAFER® place

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RN SHO
TE
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A
Paw Printz
Volume 14 Issue 1
SPC A
A happy ending
for Flounder!
Read about it
on Page 5
March 2016
Making our shelter
a SAFER® place
Our mission at the SPCA Eastern Shore shelter in Onley is to provide a safe haven for homeless animals in Accomack and Northampton
Counties until we can find permanent homes
for them.
Even though our staff and volunteers provide our temporary residents with shelter, plenty
of food, medical care when they need it, toys,
socialization, and lots of love, we always hope
that their stay with us will be short and that their
placement in an adoptive family will be permanent.
Although there are times when an adoption
just doesn’t work out, we try our hardest to make
sure that each animal we adopt out is a good
match for its new family.
Up until recently we’ve relied entirely on the
intuition and experience of the kennel manager
and his staff in assessing a dog’s temperament.
We think that they get to know our charges
pretty well and are good at the art of matching
a pet with a suitable adopter. But now they’re
working to become even better at this important
part of creating successful adoptions by supplementing their art with a scientific foundation.
Recently Rodger, our kennel manager, learned
about an objective tool for assessing our dogs.
Developed by Dr. Emily Weiss, the ASPCA’s Senior Director of Shelter Research and Development, it’s called SAFER® (Safety Assessment for
Evaluating Re-homing).
The ASPCA describes SAFER® as “a predictive, consistent method for evaluating the probability of canine aggression in individual dogs.”
During the assessment, dogs are evaluated
on seven items: look, sensitivity, tag, squeeze,
food behavior, toy behavior, and dog-to-dog
behavior.
Rodger conducts the squeeze assessment on Paul to learn
about his reaction to having his paws handled and to
evalutate the probability that he will exhibit aggression
is such a situation.
After learning about SAFER®, Rodger decided
that this program of objective measurements
would be a good addition to the subjective tools
he and his staff already use, so he is currently
completing online training in administering the
SAFER® program.
Ultimately, other staff members will complete
SAFER® training also.
Rodger sees the program as a useful tool for
identifying and measuring the extent of any aggression issues a dog might have. “It’s going to
help these dogs considerably,” he says.
The assessment results will not only assist
our staff in placing a dog with adopters for
whom its temperament is a suitable match, but
(See SAFER®, Page 4)
Page 2
2016
NEUTER
SCOOTER
SCHEDULE
March 24-25
April 28-29
May 26-27
June 23-24
July 28-29
August 25-26
September 29-30
October 27-28
November 10-11
December 8-9
Page 3
SPCA spay-neuter program helps prevent unwanted litters
One of the most effective ways to prevent unwanted litters is
through spaying and neutering.
This is why SPCA Eastern Shore works in partnership
with the Virginia Beach SPCA to bring the “Neuter
Scooter,” their mobile surgical unit, to the Shore two
days each month to provide low cost spay-neuter
services.
Appointments for the Neuter Scooter must be
made in advance. You can stop by the shelter to
complete an application and pay between 10 a.m.
and 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Applications are also available on our
website (www.shorespca.com). Just click on
the Spay/Neuter tab at the top of the page.
After completing the application, mail it and
your payment to SPCA Eastern Shore, P.O.
Box 164, Only, VA 23418.
Three levels of service are provided: our
regular low cost program, a program providing financial asistance for qualifying low
income residents, and a program for feral/
colony cats.
REGULAR LOW COST PROGRAM
Cat
$71
• A rabies certificate must be presented to
qualify for this price.. If you do not present the certificate, there is an additional
$10 charge for a rabies shot.
• If your cat is pregnant, there will be
an additional $20 fee on the day of the
surgery.
Male Dog
$91 for dogs up to 50 lbs.
Female Dog $96 for dogs up to 50 lbs.
• A rabies certificate must be presented
to qualify for these prices; otherwise you
must pay an additional $10 for a rabies
shot.
• There is an additional charge of $20 for any
dog weighing 51 lbs.-65 lbs. Dogs weighing over 65 lbs. cannot be spayed or
neutered on the mobile unit.
• If your dog is in heat (season), there
DON’T LITTER . . . SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR PET
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
will be an additional $20 fee the day of surgery; if pregnant,
the fee is $40.
OUTDOOR CATS PROGRAM
If you are feeding cats in your community
that have no owner, this program is for you.
It is only for cats, whether tame or wild, that
live permanently outside.
With the high euthanasia rate on the
Shore, we encourage everyone to participate in this program. It will cut down
on the needless killing of unwanted
kittens.
Female or sex unknown
$93
Male $73
Prices for the outdoor cat package include sterilization surgery,
pain medication injection, rabies
vaccine, FIV/FeLV combo test,
and ear tipping.
• If the results of the FIV/
FeLV test are positive, the cat
will be humanely euthanized
because these diseases are contagious to other cats, and no
refund can be given.
• If the test is negative, spayneuter surgery will be performed, rabies shot given, and
the top portion of one ear will
be cut off (ear tipping, which
is a universal symbol that
the cat has been altered).
• In order to participate in the outdoor
cat program, you
will be required
to sign a release agreeing
to these conditions.
At the present time, we can only offer this program to Accomack County residents because it is subsidized by funds appropriated by the Accomack County Board of Supervisors and
a geographically restricted grant from Walmart.
Cat
$36
Dog $46
• A rabies certificate must be presented to qualify for this
price. If you do not present the certificate, there is an additional $10 charge for a rabies shot.
You will qualify for financial assistance if your household
receives any of the following: foodstamps (EBT card), Medicaid, Section 8 Housing, Disability, or WIC. You may also
qualify for this program if you receive Social Security or have
very low income.
For income qualification we need the most recent year’s tax
form. We have to make a copy of the proof of qualification.
Look in the chart below to see if you qualify for financial
assistance:
Family Size
1 person
2 people
3 people
4 people
5 people
6 people
7 people
8 people
Income Limit Per Year
$37,100
$42,400
$47,700
$52,900
$57,200
$61,400
$65,600
$69,900
OTHER PROGRAM FAQS
•
•
•
All paperwork must be completed and payment must be
received before your appointment will be confirmed.
All prices except those for outdoor/feral cats include a
3-day supply of pain medication.
Other vaccines and tests and microchipping are available
from 11 a.m. until noon from the Neuter Scooter for additional fees. These do not require an appointment.
Questions? Just call us at 757-787-7385.
Page 4
Ace was the place to meet our SPCA pets
Page 5
Will you be there?
A charity event to benefit
the animals on
Virginia’s Eastern Shore
Sunday, April 10, 8:30 a.m.
Historic Onancock School
6 College Avenue
Onancock
For the second year, Rommel’s Ace Hardware in Exmore invited us to bring some of our shelter animals to the store for an informal meet and
greet with their Saturday morning customers. Peter, Nena, and Paul all enjoyed the chance to be out of their kennels and had a grand time walking
around the store and meeting people. Our shelter felines were represented by alumnus Bill the Cat, who enjoyed himself resting in a soft chair behind
the table. The pets were “chaperoned” by volunteers Jodi, Helen, Georgie, Cynthia, and Carmen. Thanks, Ace, for your continuing support of
SPCA Eastern Shore.
Thank you, Clam Shack!
On February 14, 2016, the Great Machipongo Clam
Shack hosted a dinner and benefit performance of “The Not
Quite Original” Valentine Cabaret, with a percentage of the
evening’s proceeds going to the SPCA Eastern Shore.
Starring Sara Stuart and Thom Nolan and featuring music by the Heartbeats—Melinda McPeek, Scott Wade and Peg
Volk—the show reprised a Cabaret created in 2003 by Sara
Stuart, Nick Covata, and Peg Volk and examined Valentine’s
Day and the art of couple relationships with a knowing, yet
humorous, eye.
Thanks to Jean Mariner and the staff at the Clam Shack
and the cabaret performers for raising $400 for the SPCA.
Special thanks to Janet’s Onancock General Store,
Sundial Books, Eastern Shore Pets, and Brown Dog
Ice Cream for being retail outlets for our 2016 calendar.
Come and run the half marathon;
run or walk the 10K.
Or just hang out and watch all the fun.
Yep, we’ll be there, so come out and
meet some of our shelter animals!
More info:
www.runfortheanimals.com
SAFER®: creating happy adoptions
(Continued from Page 1)
knowledge gained from the assessment will enable staff to
work effectively to modify behaviors that would make the dog
harder to place successfully for adoption.
Rodger describes the assessments as a team effort between
the assessor and the dog. The tests are a way “for me and the
dog to be able to learn each other..”
Assessment sessions, which take about 10 minutes per dog,
are video taped so that staff can review each session later and
analyze the data from the video and their notes.
Once the program is fully up and running, prospective adopters will also be able to view the videos to get a better
idea of what the pet they’re considering bringing into their
family is like.
We’re really proud of Rodger and his staff for voluntarily
undertaking this training program to improve their skills and
ultimately benefit our shelter dogs and their future families.
Flounder: a happy tale
You may remember Flounder. She was one of many dogs who were
seized and removed from a hoarding situation by Animal Control in early
2015.
Founder remained in a kennel at Animal Control for a number of
months waiting while the case involving the seized dogs moved through
the court system. Finally the court released the dogs to be put up for
adoption, and Founder was transferred to the SPCA Eastern Shore facility where she was spayed and the search for her forever family began.
Happily, that search didn’t take long, and last September Flounder
walked out the doors of our shelter with the loving family she deserves.
Today, she’s living the good life, even, as you can see in the photo above,
relaxing on the beach during her family’s Mexican vacation.
We’re so grateful to her mom and dad for creating a happy ending to
Flounder’s tale.
STILL WANTED: Forever Homes
Carolina
Elmo
Spanky
Buddy
Cindi
Bali
Mary
B.J.
Chilipepper
Dorothy
Page 6
MEMORIALS
In Memory Of:
“Corky” Davis
Mr. Richard Maurer, Jr.
Geoffrey Abraham
Ms. Araminta Travis
“Custard” Kurpell
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Kurpell
“Fritz” Dougherty
Ms. Shirley Dougherty
Molly Peirson
Mr. Gary Shrieves
William “Bill” Downing
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Peterson
“Molly” Custis
Mr. and Mrs. George Davis
Emory Hurst, Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. Ron Allison; Mr. and
Mrs. Scott Doughty, Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson Willaford;
Mr. and Mrs. Rich Hall
Clyde Jackson
Ms. Mary Gay, Ms. Janet Hotcaveg
“Queen” Allison
Ms. Judy Shields, Ms. Llewellyn
Allison
Douglas Fish
Mr. and Mrs. Wilmer Fish
“Baby” Check
Ms. Judy Shields
“Taco” Wurtmann
Mr. David Laker
Richard Wright
Mr. and Mrs. Charles R Pruitt,
Ms. Margaret Collins, Ms. Barbara Haynes, Mr. and Mrs.
Robert Cherrix
John English
Occohannock Elementary School Social
Committee
Norma DeCecco
Mrs. Nancy Maxwell
“Jenny,” “Lucky,” “Jake,” “Pepper,” and “Dixie”
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Brotherton
Robert Gresham
Mrs. Cheryl Gresham
Mark Pruitt, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Smith, Sr.;
Russ and Leslie Mosher; Mr. and Mrs. Gary Young;
Dorothy Abel and Helen Allen
Eleanor “Ellie” Whitehead
Ms. Barbara Hall
“Dixie” and “Annie” Spurry Brooke and Ethel Layton
Valerie Souder
Accomack Interfaith Crisis Council
Members
“Little Bit” Rulon
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Rulon
William Carpenter
Mr. and Mrs. Justin Powell
Alexander “Sandy” Russell
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Mize,
Ms. Jacqueline Zang, The Accomack Interfaith Crisis
Council, Ms. Carolyn Bradshaw, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne
Parks, Ms. Cynthia Allen, Mr. and Mrs. William Hisle,
Mr. and Mrs. John Twisdale, Mr. and Mrs. David Elebash,
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Whitley, Ms. Jean Hamilton, Ms. Peggy
Tilghman, Oak Grove United Methodist Church
“Sabre” Parker
Mr. and Mrs. C. Lee Davis
Alice Drummond
Mr. and Mrs. Rick Gaskill
“Malachi” Haynes
Ms. Barbara Haynes
James Muller
Vietnam Vets, MC Chapter B
Elton Scott
Mrs. Elizabeth Scott
Robert Della Penna
Little Hands Little Feet Pediatric
Therapy
“Casey” Murfey
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lentz
Frances Armbrester
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Ward
In Honor Of:
Mary Murfey
Mr. and Mrs. William Boychuk, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Marx, 50th Anniversary
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene West
Betsy Swiegard
Ms. Laura Kern, Ms. Jean Pruitt,
Ms. Doris Tosi, Ms. Patricia Killmon, Ms. Carla Lauer,
Mr. and Mrs. John Payne
Candace and John Lee
Ms. Janet Rieben
Peggy and Gary Mackey
Lida and John Hudson
Reverend Sallye Bowen
Ocean View Methodist
Church Members, Ms. Judy Sherman
“Jack,” “Joni,” and “Jerry” Tweedy Etta and Danny
Tweedy
Sally Batz and Henley Sandidge
Hillary and Amy
Little, Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Bell
George McMath
Ms. Elizabeth McMath
“Tugboat” and “Rascal” Jefferson
Ms. Emily Jefferson
Dennis Eberts
Mr. Joe White
Jennifer Bowen
Ms. Melissa Watterson
Robyn Nunnally and “Kurt Russell”
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Rowse
Ann Nock
Bill and Colette Nelson
Katie Dean
Mr. and Mrs. David Dean
David Dean
Mr. and Mrs. John Morgan
“Maisie” and “Molly” Peirson
Ms. Jennifer Peirson
Mackenzie Lewis
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Duer
Abby and Peyton Atkinson
Mr. and Mrs. James White
“Mushu” and “Sugar” Cleary Ms. Sylvia Cleary
Page 7
Members and
Donors are a
Special Breed !
SPCA
Membership
makes you part
of a
society
committed to
the care and
humane
treatment of
animals
in YOUR
community.
Thank you for supporting
Murphy’s Fund
Here at SPCA Eastern Shore we take pride
in giving our shelter animals the same kind of
loving care we give our own pets until their
forever families come along.
Part of that care, of course, is providing
them with medical care, not just their routine
shots and tests such as those for heartworm
or FeLV/FIV, but also vet care for more serious issues when they occur.
By far the most common condition requiring a vet’s attention is heartworm treatment
for dogs who test positive for this potentially
fatal disease.
Less frequent are pets needing surgeries
or dental care or those needing professional
diagnosis of and subsequent treatment for
health symptoms such as skin conditions.
Those of you who have pets of your own
know that these services are expensive, far
more expensive than our normal budget can
take care of.
That’s where Murphy’s Fund comes into
the picture.
Established several years ago with excess
funds that remained after we needed to raise
emergency funds to cover the cost of amputating a dog’s leg, Murphy’s Fund has become
a permanent fixture.
It’s funded not through our regular budget,
but through donations collected in the dog
banks we have placed in area businesses and
especially through donations given by folks
who specifically ask that the money go into
Murphy’s Fund to help cover future needs.
Thank you so much to all of you who designate donations to this cause. Your generosity ensures that we can get animals the costly
medical care they need when they need it,
without having to wait for emergency funds
to be raised.
2016 SPCA Membership/Donor Form
SPCA Eastern Shore, PO Box 164, Onley, VA 23418
Name____________________________________________________________
Address__________________________________________________________
City___________________________________ State______ Zip_____________
Phone______________________ E-mail________________________________
Membership Levels
Individual $30 _____
Family $50 ____ Sponsor $100 _____
Patron $500 _____
Benefactor $1000 _____
If you’d like to donate in memory of, or in honor of, a loved one, you can
give their name and address below. Thank you.
Name ____________________________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________
City ___________________________________ State_______ Zip____________
Amount $ _____________
P.O. Box 164
26528 Lankford Highway
Onley, VA 23418
Phone: 757-787-7385
Email: shorespca@verizon.net
Saving those who cannot save themselves.
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Be sure to visit
SPCA Eastern
Shore on Facebook
and Petfinder
to see all
the animals
available
for adoption!
www.shorespca.com
PLEASE DON’T LITTER—SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS
Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Onancock, VA 23417
Permit #1743