News Archives: March 2002 News: 2002-03-29
Please Note: Information in this archived article may no longer be accurate.
29 March 2002HSPC March - What a lion!
Wow, what a month! As spring arrives we always get busy at HSPC. Spring means puppies and kittens and while we all love the little furballs it means more emphasis on spay/neuter. It also means bottle feeding and extra foster care! We had 118 furkids find new homes in March! We have puppies, puppies, and more puppies and kittens are beginning to arrive. Yikes, what a spring this will be!
As for the human little ones -- our great Humane Education volunteers gave presentations to over 200 children! We hope educating young Arkansans will help create a better world for animals in the future. We talk about responsible pet ownership, spay and neuter, and child safety! If you have a youth group you would like to schedule a presentation for, or if you can help give presentations to youth groups, please contact Debbie Howell at nicsmom5@aristotle.net .
Petitions are still a big priority at HS--we are trying to get 70,000 signatures by June to get the issue of animal cruelty on the ballot, to make it a felony in Arkansas, as it is in 34 other states. There is still time--and you can still join in the effort, petitions are available to sign at the shelter location. Pulaski County is critical.
Also, if you can collect signatures at work, at church, in your neighborhood, now is the time. With pretty weather upon us, it's time to walk your HSPC dog and collect signatures! Contact the good people at Citizens for a Humane Arkansas for information on how to get started, staff@humanearkansas.org .
HSPC gives three cheers to Lyndon Poole, statewide coordinator of this effort who has worked tirelessly on this effort. We are pleased to see our past Director, Linda Blackburn assisting in the effort also! Three cheers for these and other warm hearts who have kept this issue alive. Now is the time for HSPC warm hearts to help!
HSPC has joined with CARE (Central Arkansas Rescue Effort) to help 130 dogs rescued from an abusive situation in Mena. These dogs range in age from 6 weeks old to 16 years; they are mostly mixed breeds--hounds, Aussies, etc. Most are friendly, some are housebroken. HSPC volunteers have been burning up the highway dropping off donated items and soon will be picking up foster dogs to deliver to eagerly awaiting homes.
All animals are unavailable for adoption as the court case is pending, but they love the attention from HSPC's great foster homes. You can find HSPC and CARE representatives at the shelter this Saturday as the first foster dogs will be arriving to go home with their new foster families. If you can help in this effort contact Nancy Thaden, HSPC Volunteer Coordinator at nann513@yahoo.com.
Our Volunteer Computer IT Group has made lots of progress--the shelter is now completely wired for computer use in almost any place one could put a computer. The PetWhere software is being customized for HS use--to register and track every animal from intake through adoption and follow up, including meds, etc. It is almost complete and ready to go. The Volunteer Website Upgrade group has made similar progress--the website is being redesigned, and will be kept up-to-date on an almost daily basis. Some changes have already been implemented, and shortly it will be a good source of current HS information.
Take a look at it: www.warmhearts.org --You'll notice Volunteer Gloria Lane's updates of some (but not yet all) of the very out-of-date material. Vols Norma Hamilton, John Thaden and Susan Rice, along with several assistants, photographed every animal at HS, and Volunteers Ashley Conzel and Leeona Harrison have written charming bios of each one. Soon they will be appearing on the site, and will be linked to other sites to help get them adopted. Thanks to Volunteer Mike Green, a plan to move animal pictures and bios from PetWhere to the website automatically will soon be implemented.
The planning committee for Reigning Cats and Dogs got off to a good start, and several people have volunteered to help solicit donations and sponsors; some have offered artwork and luxury products for the auction, and some have volunteered to sell tickets and help at the event. We still need donations and people to seek donations of items and corporate sponsorships. Join the Reigning Cats and Dogs event committee. It's great fun contact Lyn Owens to participate at clareowens@aol.com .
Mark your Calendars -- Our Dog Wash and Dips are scheduled for May 11 and the first Saturdays of June, July, August and September at Trinity United Methodist Church. Also, the third Saturdays, May through September at the Kroger 1800 N. Taylor--(the one that has just been rebuilt). These dog washes can bring in $1000 each, so they are very important to us, and we need plenty of hands to help. This year we want to add a bake sale to the dog wash so if you have time this summer please volunteer. This would be a great way to volunteer with your children or grandchildren.
UPCOMING EVENTS FOR VOLUNTEERS:
| Saturday April 6 | PetSmart |
| Tuesday April 9 | Orientation for New Volunteers 6:30pm at the shelter |
| Tuesday April 16 | Training session for Puppy Love 6:00Pm at the shelter |
| Saturday April 20 | ESPN Sporting Dog Challenge-- Murray Park |
| Sunday April 21 | ESPN Sporting Dog Challenge-- Murray Park |
| Monday April 22 | Planning Meeting for Reigning-- 6PM at Loca Luna |
| Tuesday April 23 | Orientation for New Volunteers 6:30PM at the shelter |
| Saturday April 27 | Earth Day at the Zoo--9-5. |
| Saturday April 27 | PetSmart |
| Saturday May 4 | Private Birthday Party at HS-- |
| Saturday May 4 | HSPC Day with Radio- Controlled Airplane Club-- |
| Sunday May 5 | Adoptathon at HSPC |
| Saturday May 11 | Dog Wash and Bake Sale at Trinity United Methodist Church |
| Saturday May 18 | Dog Wash at Kroger -Cantrell and Taylor |
| Every day | Walk dogs, pet cats, play with puppies, scoop poop, dump litter, file, enter data,bathe dogs, run errands, at the shelter |
Our March Story: Misty Blue
You may recall from past newsletter editions and from news coverage that we rescued a pup 9 months ago. This pup was 4 months old and living under an individuals storage shed. They heard crying and whimpers and called us. When we arrived what we found was a scared aussie mix pup with an inhumane animal trap on her leg. The trap had severed skin, and muscle and had broken bones in her foot. We all hoped the foot could be saved, but the trap was old and rusty and the foot was badly mangled. We called her Misty Blue and began to work on healing the foot as well as her spirit.
As a four month old, she had be virtually feral, and with the pain of her foot, she trusted no one. Misty worked very hard to heal and trust and we were delighted when after four months we learned she would save the foot. She was now an 8 month old pup, who had healed physically but still was very afraid. HSPC Volunteers to the rescue. Many volunteers find themselves working with one particular animal who needs extra help. Everyone worked on Misty! Good news, Misty was adopted in March! All reports are that she is doing very well, adjusting to the household and her new fur brother! Another happy ending for HSPC cold nose, Misty Blue!
| -Cindy Alberding, calberding@aol.com |