Winter 2014 Newsletter - Calaveras Humane Society

WINTER ISSUE
2013
Calaveras
Humane
Society
Newsletter
FROM THE DESK OF THE CHS PRESIDENT:
Our first CHS update in our new online
Newsletter.
Welcome to our all new e-mail newsletter. In
an attempt to cut costs and enter the 21st
century, the e-mail newsletter will be our
new method of communication with our
supporters and volunteers. Fear not
however. If you have friends or relatives who
would prefer to receive the written
newsletter, maybe don’t do electronic
communicating, let us know via e-mail at
chshumane.org or by calling our office at
(209) 736-9417 and we will send out a printed
version of this letter to them. Printed letters
will also be available at the office in San
Andreas and our two Thrift stores – one in
Arnold at Big Trees Shopping Center and the
other at the Towne Center in Angels Camp
between Save Mart and Rite Aid.
Give to CHS this Holiday Season!
First, we wish you Season’s Greetings. In this
letter we are asking you to consider
contributing to the Calaveras Humane
Society as a Christmas or holiday present to
your friends and loved ones and if you print
and fill out the attached coupon on another
page, send your check or contribute on our
website – calaverashumane.org, we will
acknowledge your gift to your recipient and
respond to you with your tax deductible
information. Easy shopping for you and you
will be helping a good cause that is close to
your heart.
Paws and Claus on Nov 30!
We also hope to see you and your pet(s) with
Santa Claus at our Paws and Claus event at
the Angels Camp Thrift Store on November
30th from 11 to 4. We encourage you to shop
and check out the cat adoption center. The
wall paintings in the adoption room were
done by our cat team leader, Cindi Garringer.
They can be seen in our Thrift Store article in
this newsletter too.
A successful partnership
Next, we want you to know that the
Calaveras Humane Society and the County
Animal Services Department are working so
successfully together that we are seeing
record adoptions both at the shelter and at
our Thrift Store Adoption Centers. It is
definitely a congenial partnership with new
programs on the drawing board. Be sure and
read the article in this newsletter written by
Henning Schreiber, the Manager of the
County Animal Shelter. Our volunteers have
spent countless Saturdays at the Shelter
assisting in Pet Adoptions. AS staff has
contacted other shelters who will take our
animals for adoption and our volunteers
transport them to their new forever homes.
Information on all of these programs in
included in our newsletter.
Enjoy the newsletter!
The future is unlimited as we continue to
create new programs together for our
beloved animals. There are other important
stories in this newsletter that inform you
Winter Issue
2013
about the exciting activities going on with
the Calaveras Humane Society. We invite
you to participate, volunteer and contribute
to this wonderful organization. We invite
you to shop and donate your household
goods and clothing to our Arnold and Angel
Camp Thrift Stores for they are the major
source of our funding.
Please have a safe and happy Holiday Season
.
Karen Elliott, CHS President
Featured Articles
-Foundation Honors Veteran - Page 2
-Happy Tales - Page 4
-Changes at Animal Services- Page 6
-Trains, Planes & Automobiles - Page 7
-Lost your pet, read this – Page8
-Make a Holiday Gift Donation– Page 9
-New Shelter Update – Page 11
CALAVERAS HUMANE SOCIETY
WINTER 2013
CHS Partners with local
foundation to support veterans
Arthur “Guy” Sheble, founder of the Sgt. Patrick Rowe
Excerpt from Calaveras Enterprise 22 Oct 2013
The Calaveras Humane Society has
partnered with the Sgt. Patrick Rowe
by Name Style
Foundation to provide rescue dogs that will
be trained by Arthur “Guy” Sheble to become
official battle buddies. The dogs will help
support the veterans who return from the
battlefront.
The foundation received an endorsement
from the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the
Calaveras County Community Foundation
will allow the foundation to operate under its
nonprofit umbrella until it officially gains
nonprofit status.
“We will cover the Mother Lode, San
Joaquin, Sacramento and El Dorado
counties,” Sheble said. “These dogs will be
placed with an individual and I will teach and
train them. This process will take about six
months.” The dogs will help returning
veterans to deal with social anxiety, a major
issue many veterans face when returning
home.
“A lot of guys don’t deal with it at all,”
Sheble said. “In battle, their enemy could
have been a kid on a new bike with a cell
phone. They are constantly looking for the
unusual in the usual.”
The dog serves as a constant mental
reminder to veterans that keeps their minds
preoccupied and away from anxious
thoughts. “The dog doesn’t do any big
magical thing,” Sheble said. “The dog does
two main things: helps redirect your
attention and the dog creates the bubble
that people stay out of.”
Pictured on the right is Henning Schreiber,
Animal Serves Manager, Guy Sheble and
Debby Beaufort CHS Dog Team Leader, and
Stella; formally known as Daisy Mae. Stella is
Calaveras County Animal Service Shelter's
first inductee to the foundation's new service
dog program; Silver Paw Ranch.
.
First reports on Stella; "She is exceeding all
expectations". For more information and
how to get involved with Silver Paw Ranch
and the progress of Stella, please email Guy
at: guy.silverpawranch@gmail.com
.
Top five health benefits to having a pet.
Jackson Rancheria invited Calaveras Humane Society to participate in their 2013 Employee Health Fair. It was
attended by well over 600 employees. We shared the day with A-PALS of Amador as well as health and insurance
groups. We talked with employees signing up for email information, about the Health benefits to being a pet
owner. Here are the top 5:
1. Health Benefits: Numerous scientific studies have shown that pet owners generally live longer and healthier
lives than non-pet owners. Owning a pet can transcend into fewer trips to the doctor and overall lower health care
costs.
2. Therapeutic Relaxation: Most pets naturally exude a calming effect upon people, reducing blood pressure and stress levels. Pet parents have
shown lower overall rates of anxiety and heart disease as well.
3. Frequent Exercise: Pet owners generally get more aerobic exercise than non-pet owners. Dog owners that frequently take walks with
their pet reap important health benefits including having significantly lower rates of obesity, increased muscle tone and agility, and improved
cardiovascular systems.
4. Happiness and Fulfillment: One of the biggest benefits of being a pet parent is the pure joy that a dog or cat can bring to our lives every day.
Nothing beats a good laugh or the huge smile that a pet can bring to our faces. In fact pet owners are likely to be lead happier lives than people
without pets.
5. Social Skills: Pet owners tend to have more developed social skills as they interact with others often. Pets are good conversation starters,
especially in the dating scene where a dog can help ease someone out of shyness and help break the ice.
CALAVERAS HUMANE SOCIETY
WINTER 2013
Helping Hand
To find out more about how to help go to: www. calaverashumane.org
Park Minkler
Nancy Park Attorney
1111Dunbar Road,
Office 209.795.0271
Suite A-200
Fax 209.795.0419
Arnold, California
www.parkminkler.com
nancy@parkminkler.com
CALAVERAS HUMANE SOCIETY
Become a member on line. Click here: http://calaverashumane.org/join/
CHS Board Approves New Calaveras Humane Officer
Jodi McDearmid was approved by the CHS Board of Directors to be the first Calaveras
Humane Society Humane Officer. After completing the Animal Control courses, Jodi was
approved by the Court and began assisting Animal Services. Among other assignments
Jodi will be assisting with complaint calls.
Jodi worked as a registered vet tech for 17 years. She became interested in studying for a
Humane Officer when she started volunteering at the Animals Shelter last year. Jodi
carries a heavy schedule studying for a Criminal Justice degree in her “spare time”. We
are very proud of Jodi and her dedication to the animals.
WINTER 2013
CALAVERAS HUMANE SOCIETY
WINTER 2013
Posey and Adso’s Wild Ride by Kris Knight, adopter
We have kept Posey's name but changed Adso's to Buster. So our baseball
and cat loving family has added Buster and Posey to our numbers.
A mere 30 minutes into our 3 hour ride home Buster figured out how to gnaw
his way through the cardboard crate. First it was one head, then two, and then
they were basically stuck. So we let them out and they enjoyed the next 2.5
hours as seen in the photos. Posey did get a little motion sick, but she was
very polite about where she chose to throw up.
After that adventurous beginning, the kittens are adjusting fabulously!
They spent the first night with me in my room. My husband picked the couch
which was well and good since the bed would have been very crowded. I was
groomed and kneaded and curled up with numerous times through the
night. Then we shifted them to room #2, upstairs with my older son, Matt. He
shared his bed last night and all is well. They are eating and using their litter
box like seasoned cats. They race about the place playing with each other and
with every toy we provide.
So far the only hiccup is Buster doesn't like ceiling fans.
It is a bit like having twin toddlers in the house. So far we have kitten proofed 2
rooms and I am "on it" with the rest of the house. Buster and Posey are
adorable and already part of our family.
So our baseball and cat loving family has added Buster and Posey to our
numbers.
Learn more about our Spay and Neuter Vouchers
Click here http://calaverashumane.org/programsservices/spay-neuterhelp/www.calaverashumane.org
Editor’s note: While CHS does not recommend letting cats loose in a car
while traveling, this story just needed to be told. Posey & Adso are brother &
sister, came through the shelter, fostered by Cindi Garringer and were
adopted through the CHS Arnold cat adoption center in November.
CALAVERAS HUMANE SOCIETY
WINTER 2013
Changes at Animal Services
by Henning Schriber, Animal Services Manager
Animal Services is excited to announce that we are extending our
business hours!
Not that we are adequately staffed, but over time we have tried to
accommodate anyone who came to Animal Services regardless if we
were “open” or “closed”. For that matter we might as well be officially
open to the public. Beginning on Tuesday December 3, 2013 Animal
Services will begin serving the public on Tuesdays and we will extend
our business hours on Saturdays as well. We will now be open to the
public Tuesdays thru Saturdays from 9 am - 1 pm and from 2pm - 4pm.
Being open on Tuesday not only gives the public another day to look at
our adoptable pets, it also will shorten the time until we can make our
pets available for adoption. Every animal we receive at the shelter has a
legal holding period during which we try to re-unite them with their
owners. This period is based on “business days”. Adding Tuesdays to
our business days will not only give owners another day to look for
missing pets, it will also add another day that counts towards the
overall holding period.
Saturdays have always been an important day for adoptions. We all
hope that extending the business hours on that day will result in more
adoptions.
New Lost & Found.
The shelter is not the best place for animals to be, they deserve a caring
family – the sooner they can go home, whether it’s a new home or a
lost home, the better. As such it is our priority to make the stay of any
animal here as short and efficient as possible. We are now teaming up
with CHS and are placing pictures of all animals that we think may have
an owner on the Lost and Found page of CHS. In addition to our listings
on PetFinder.com,
we are now also posting on Craig’s list and on our Facebook page. We
are also scanning the local news outlets and Facebook pages for
postings regarding lost or found pets.
New shelter look
Sometimes you have to put lipstick on the pig to make life a little
brighter. With the help of many volunteers and thanks to 35 gallons of
donated paint we were able to give the shelter a nice face lift! Yes, it is
still the old shelter, but it sure looks a lot nicer! We are not completely
done yet as there are still some doors and trim left to do and whoever
feels like swinging the brush and putting the lipstick on this pig is
welcome to help! Making the shelter more visually appealing is like
putting a smile on your face.
Kitten room
Anyone owning cats, well, to be more precise: Anyone serving cats
knows that they have a tendency to take over the household. Our office
building is no different. We have cleaned out the little office across
from the front desk and made it available to kittens. You can imagine
the joy on everyone’s face watching the kittens bounce all over the
room. Watching them from the lobby, however, has been a problem
since we only have solid doors. Allen Senders from Senders Market is
kindly donating a new door with a window making this room the
perfect display! We have already adopted six of the eight kittens in that
room, imagine how many cats we can adopt once we have the new
door… A big thank you goes to Allen Senders!
First Annual Halloween Pet Costume Contest
On Halloween we were thrilled with all
the entries into our very first pet
costume contest! Entries were
submitted by email, Facebook, or by
coming into the office in costume.
We had critters of all sizes enter the
contest and members of the
community were able to vote by
‘liking’ their favorite entries on
Facebook. We had a blast seeing
the creative costumes that
people’s pets decided to dress up
in. Our first place winner was an adorable
little guinea pig ‘bat’ named Num Nums. We’re
already excited to see how next years’ contest will turn
out!
WINTER ISSUE
2013
Transportation Team is on the Move by Kathy Nuccio
I don’t know where to start with this article. There are so many
great stories. I am not sure I can adequately relay the hard work,
dedication and sacrifice the volunteers contribute, not to mention
the support we get from other CHS teams and Animal Services. I
will give it my best shot. Here we go.
Less than a year ago the Communication Team sent a
“shout out” for volunteers to help transport animals in a variety of
scenarios. It could be to the vet, to a training facility, or another
facility where they will have a better chance of being adopted. Yes,
we have a team that is constantly networking with other accredited
adoption and rescue facilities in an effort to give the animals under
our care the best chance for a forever home. Well the response to
the “shout out” was overwhelming. Folks signed up even though
they knew that they might get short notice, very short notice and
sometimes no notice at all. I will tell you have I never have to ask
twice, someone on this team is ready to step up….wow.
This past summer we had a need to transport 34 cats and
one dog to Nevada to a wonderful facility that guaranteed they
would be adopted. Can you imagine 34 cats! Jean Macomber and
Karen Elliott dropped what they were doing, loaded their van and
was off without a thought. Terri Campbell and Dr. Mike Hayes, of
the Angels Camp Veterinarian Hospital, actually flew 4 Chihuahua
puppies to the Sonoma Humane Society in Santa Rosa! Lee Wise,
Janyce and Don Maund, and my husband Dom Nuccio regularly
adjust their personal calendar to accommodate.
The list and stories go on and on and I hesitate to mention
just a few of our team members, but selfless these volunteers
probably won’t even notice. They have their heads down with their
eye on the prize. Much like the wonderful creatures they are giving
a second and their chance to.
I am honored to be a volunteer and work with this team and this
organization.
A Home for the Holidays November 16, 2013
The weekend of November 16 marked the 3 annual ”A Home for the Holidays” event. This is CHS’s kick-off event to
encourage people to adopt PRIOR to the hectic holidays. So much easier on the pets as well as their adopters.
th
rd
The event is also our way of thanking people for supporting our efforts over the year. CHS volunteers offered free cookies to get people
in the holiday mood at the county shelter as well as the two thrift stores / adoption centers in Angels & Arnold.
Special thanks to all the CHS cookie baking elves for their time and yummy donations. And thanks to all the volunteers who put in extra
hours to be available to help and talk to the public throughout the event.
At the shelter we had 3 dog adoptions and all went home: Puggsley, Chance and Ruby. Sadly no shelter cats adopted. At the CHS cat
adoption centers, we adopted 3 CHS foster cats: Tank, Andy & Raggedy Ann.
So many cookies. So many people. Good times. And we got over $100 in donations at the cookie tables. Happy Holidays to all.
CALAVERAS HUMANE SOCIETY
WINTER 2013
CHS helped Toby find his way home
President
Vacant
Vice
President/Interim
President
Karen Elliott
Secretary
Vacant
Treasurer
Mary Foye
Assistant Treasurer
Lynn Keever
This is Toby a Mastiff Puppy
Lost but reunited because his
owner took positive action and a
responsible citizen took him to the
Shelter & posted on a Community
Facebook Bulletin Board.
Members
Nancy Cohen
Kathy Hamlin
Randy McNurlin
Russell Thomas
Blair Wiley
If you are interested in
becoming a CHS Board
Member email your
resume to
chs@calaverashumane.org
or mail to:
Calaveras Humane Society
P.O. Box
San Andreas, CA 95249
On 11/9 about 6PM a member of a Valley Springs FB Group posted a picture of the sweet giant
of a dog near HWY 26 & Burson Rd. Unable keep him or locate an owner the “poster” said took
him to the shelter and hoped they did the right thing. The CHS Communication Team Member
who noticed the post also posted that it indeed the right thing as they could scan him for a chip
and keep him safe. On 11/12 at 630 AM the CHS Communication Team Lead was monitoring
the CHS emails and saw a report submitted for a lost gentle giant of a puppy lost in the Burson
Rd area on 11/9. The Team Leader noticed the email was recently sent so wasted no time
responding to the email with a copy to Animal Services. Because all the correct contact
information was provided the owner was also received text and call with the good news. By
7AM the Team Lead and Brain spoke. He also received a call from the Animal Services with the
good news their giant puppy was safe and they were able to arranged a pick up time that very
morning.
Because Brian, Toby’s human, took positive action and reported lost Toby (11 month old
Mastiff) to Calaveras Humane Society they were reunited. Brain said he and his 6 year old son
have been frantically searching and quickly running out of hope especially since Toby had just
lost his identification collar and was wearing a temporary. Desperately exploring every avenue
Brain went on the Calaveras Humane Society website. They were overwhelmed with joy to
bring Toby home. Another happy ending.
Please use our services, our website and the local Community Facebook Bulletins. Also, report
lost or found animals to Calaveras Animal Services. There have been three reunited stories like
this in just 3 weeks. It works!
Lost your pet? Calaveras Humane Society can help!
You can report a lost or found animal through the CHS website. Within hours the reports are posted, and a member of the CHS Communications
Team is monitoring community Facebook groups for reports of lost or found pets to see if there is a match. We have helped many people find their
missing pets through this important service. To report a missing pet go to http://calaverashumane.org/programs-services/lost-found/report-lost-orfound-animal/ or check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Calaveras-Humane-Society/248435960055
CALAVERAS HUMANE SOCIETY
WINTER 2013
A special thank you to John Cavett for these wonderful wood carvings for the
Animal Services Adoption Center. These delightful carvings will be enjoyed by
visitors, volunteers and staff for years!
Make a Holiday Gift Donation. Be sure to give the name and address so we can send a card. Click here: http://calaverashumane.org/donate/
WINTER ISSUE
2013
Come Visit Our New CHS Angels Camp Thirft Store
Shop our Holiday Specials at the newest
Calaveras Humane Society Thrift Store
240 Main Street/HWY 49
Next to Rite Aid in Angels Camp
CALAVERAS HUMANE SOCIETY
WINTER 2013
Property undergoes environmental review
By Jean Macomber
YES, we are making progress on the New Shelter to be built on the park like setting adjoining
the Animal Shelter. The property is already owned by the County and the required California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) study is now being prepared. The Calaveras Humane
Society and the Calaveras County Animal Services Department are working in partnership on
this project. As soon as we receive the CEQA report, the Resolution to dedicate the property
for the sole purpose of building the New Shelter for our animals will be presented to the
Board of Supervisors for approval.
As soon as we receive approval, our next step will be to launch the Capital Campaign for the
funds to build it! That’s where we all dig deeply to provide MONEY for that endeavor. We’ll
be working very hard to convince all of our wonderful supporters to help the dream become a
reality.
We don’t want to see The New Shelter an unfulfilled hope any longer. It’s time to MOVE
FORWARD !
CALAVERAS HUMANE SOCIETY
WINTER 2013