Sanctuary Animal Updates

It’s been a few months since my last update and boy have we been busy!! We had a very rough few months and due to budget constraints and a decreasing population of animals we made the very tough decision to lay off nearly a third of our staff in March. Since that time the remaining staff has been working extra hard to cover all the shifts. I am so thankful to them all for their tireless dedication, passionate devotion and extraordinary love for the animals in their care.

Intakes and Adoptions:

February: Intakes- 14 dogs, 22 cats and 0 rabbits

Adoptions- 36 dogs, 27 cats and 1 rabbits

March: Intakes- 45 dogs, 11 cats, and 1 rabbit

Adoptions- 38 dogs, 26 cats and 2 rabbits

April: Intakes- 45 dogs, 25 cats and 4 rabbits

Adoptions- 56 dogs, 15 cats, 4 rabbits

That’s a total of 205 adoptions in 3 months!

SMOKEY:
In my last update I told the amazing story of Lucinda. A sweet old girl who had lived in the shelter for her entire life but was adopted in January to a true angel named Karen. Lucinda has been battling cancer for the last few years and Karen wanted to give her a home for her remaining days. Well we are happy to report that Lucinda is doing just wonderfully and has been the catalyst in saving yet another life – our boy Smokey.

Smokey was surrendered to the shelter in 1997 as a nine month old puppy. In the last few weeks the staff and volunteers have been focused on finding fosters and permanent homes for all of the seniors in our care and Smokey’s story went viral in just a few hours (huge thanks to Town of Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner for his help with that!)

Immediately I received this note in my inbox:

I am Lucindas mom, and I saw the article on Smokey. I called Marcy and she told me all about him. He’s the one that cries at nite. That breaks my heart….sooooo I want to adopt him and have him come live with Freckles and Lucinda. Let me know. If someone comes forward and adopts him after seeing this article than fine, my motive is to help get them out, and if someone beats me to it than great. Marcy said she would drive him down and stay over, so she can see it all go down and so she can visit Lucinda the crazy wild running maniac. LOL. Anyway let me know. Karen P.

We were ecstatic, what’s even bigger and happier then ecstatic? I don’t know but whatever it is that was the PAW staff and volunteers! We cheered, we cried, we rejoiced and we said goodbye to our old man. We wished him luck and told him to give Lucinda a big fat kiss for us. And off he went. To his new home and his new life. Just a few days ago Karen gave us this update:

Smokey is doing fantastic. He trots a lot, and with a good bounce thanks to the joint meds. He has gotten the routine down, loves walks (trots) in the fields, follows me everywhere, lays on the bed next to my computer every nite while I am on it, begs like a wild man for treats – loves them. I’m glad I took him. 3 is a bit hectic in my place, but it’s worth it. I love coming home and seeing the change with each day in Smokey. He really is understanding his life. Ms. Lucinda is soooo jealous when I take Smokey out first that she barks at the door until I come back, then when I take her out, she leaps off the deck stairs and runs like a mad woman to her favorite field. Once there she needs to stick her head in her favorite groundhog hole to see if she can catch us something. LOL!

I cannot thank Karen, our staff, our volunteers and each and every one of you enough for the difference you have made in Smokey’s life. Because of your love, your support, and your belief in our mission we are able to give these seniors a chance at life, love and happiness in their final days.

SAM & MR. HYDE (OC)

Sam is a beautiful black and white DSH sweetheart who had a rough start at life. He entered the shelter in 2003 at approximately 6 months old with a massive eye infection and a head tilt. He immediately underwent surgery to repair the damage to his eye and subsequently it was removed. Despite his medical concerns Sam quickly became a favorite due to his sweet disposition. When we began releasing the cats into open space rooms Sam quickly adapted to his new surroundings and was one of the first to readily accept his new feline friends. His best friend forever is Mr. Hyde aka OC.

Mr. Hyde was transferred to our facility in 2009 when a local shelter had decided they were unable to adopt him out. Originally thought to be a feral cat he was placed in one of the outside enclosures for several months. The cat staff at that time began reporting of Mr. Hyde’s sweet nature and affections towards them and the decision was made to transition him from the feral house to a cat room inside. And from the first time they met it was a true romance between them.

For our staff and volunteers there is nothing more exciting than when two animals are adopted together. MOST animals benefit greatly from having a companion. So you can imagine our absolute excitement when Nichole visited our adoption center and announced that she would like to adopt two older cats, preferably who have lived together. Our adoptions staff introduced her to each of our cat rooms and gave her some time to meet all of our amazing felines. Sam and Mr. Hyde must have sensed that this was their time because they both began to play with one another and greeted Nichole with love. But she wanted to be sure she would make the right decision, there were so many beautiful and deserving cats, so she told us she would come back another day. Just a few days later she walked through the doors and declared that she would be taking Sam and Mr. Hyde home that day!

PAW’s Therapy Dogs (written by staff trainer Misa Martin)

Thank you also to Skyview! They have been an amazing supporter to Pets Alive Westchester – giving us space for fundraisers, and in being instrumental in raising awareness for our animals by holding regular donation drives. Thank you to the residents, families and staff of Skyview for believing in what we do!

Notice anything about our therapy dogs? Yes! We almost ALWAYS try to use pit bulls as our therapy dogs. Why? Because we feel that in order to help fight the stereotypes associated with these wonderful dogs, that the public must see them out and doing GOOD things, instead of the minimal few dogs that you read about in the papers – dogs that are used in negative ways by humans that are giving them ALL a bad name. Pets Alive Westchester wants to help STOP seeing so many wonderful pit bulls being euthanized at shelters all across the United States. Please consider adopting a pit bull. They are wonderful family dogs. Bright. Energetic. Loyal. Friendly.They make wonderful therapy dogs, wonderful family dogs and we have hundreds that are in need of finding their family!

Needs this month

Please consider signing up for a monthly sponsorship! We offer different levels for every budget. You can even purchase a sponsorship as a gift for your animal loving friend or family member. All funds go directly towards the care of our animals. Sponsorships allow us to purchase food and medications. For more information please visit our sponsorship page.

Pets Alive Fur Ball – We Need Your support!

The Fur Ball Gala Fundraiser is our largest and most important fundraiser of the year, and we are asking everyone to help make it a success. Last year Pets Alive supporters from all over the country donated auction items, became event sponsors, or took out journal advertisements to show their support. It was truly only with the support of everyone, and tons of fabulous ideas that the Fur Ball was such a great success. The excitement and the love we felt was completely heartwarming and exhilarating! Then, hundreds of our friends came, from all across the country, got dressed up, had a blast, and raised money to support our rescue work through the year. And this year, we are doing it again, and we just cant wait to see everyone! But right now, we are still in need of support to make the event a success. Will you help?

• Buy a ticket and attend the event!
• Reserve a table for ten!
• Become an Event Sponsor
• Pay tribute to a pet with an ad in the event program
• Donate an item to the event auctions (contact community@petsalive.com)

The Fur Ball takes place on Saturday, June 2nd at 7:00 pm (until midnight) at The DoubleTree, Tarrytown, N.Y.

Five fun filled hours of cocktails, dinner, dancing and incredible auctions
The Fur Ball is made possible because of the support of our friend and Platinum Sponsor,
Daniele Churchill of Churchills of Mount Kisco.

Our mission is to improve the lives of companion animals everywhere by any means possible, including rescue, adoption, advocacy, collaboration, intervention and education. Please consider making a donation to help us.

It’s hard to believe that less than 10 weeks ago we packed up our life in NY and moved to Puerto Rico. In so many ways it was a move to Paradise. You’ve probably seen pictures of the house and property. A gorgeous house on the side of a mountain in the middle of the jungle. Spectacular views in every direction. Beautiful flowers everywhere – orchids grow wild here! There are bananas, papayas, almonds, avocados, mango, sugar cane, orange trees, peppers, tomatoes, herbs and we even found a pineapple! Lizards sun themselves on the walkway and scurry away as you approach. The days are filled with the the peaceful melody of the songbirds and the rustling of banana leaves. At night the music changes to a serenade of the tiny coqui (little frogs). On a clear night you can almost reach out and touch the stars. The people here are warm and loving, and they have welcomed us with open arms. We have already made good friends here. And new people come every day to visit! Some are neighbors, coming by to say hello and introduce themselves. Many are people who have heard about what we are doing and want to help. Or they are rescuers themselves and they need help. They need hope. WE ARE THAT HOPE.

Trouble in Paradise

You don’t have to go very far outside the sanctuary to realize that Puerto Rico is clearly NOT a paradise for dogs. By now you have heard that dogs are dumped on beaches here. But did you know they are dumped EVERYWHERE in Puerto Rico? On any given day we can count at least 10 dogs on the small road we take into town. One small road. And in the town, dogs can be found in almost every parking lot, at the schools, outside stores and restaurants. They can be found running along the highway and at the nearby beaches as well. Anywhere and everywhere. They are hit by cars, poisoned, and they succumb to illness and injury. But the biggest threat to the dogs here may very well be the method that municipalities use to control the population. The local authorities told us they have picked up 400 dogs in the past 5 months. These dogs are taken to a shelter a couple of hours away, and sadly, most are killed. Try to imagine the number of intakes at a shelter that serves dozens of towns if ONE town is bringing in almost 100 dogs per month.

and yet the number of stray dogs continues to grow.
CLEARLY, KILLING IS NOT THE ANSWER.

In the past two months we have taken in two litters of pups. In just a few short weeks the kennel runs will be ready, and with your help we will be able to rescue dozens of dogs at a time and transport them to the states.

That’s why a great deal of our efforts are being directed toward establishing these vital programs:

• Low or no cost spay/neuter/vaccine initiatives to assist people who want to keep their pets.
• A Trap/Neuter/Release program for stray dogs that calls on all rescue groups to employ consistent protocols island-wide
• Local adoption initiatives and outreach events to educate the public about the importance of spaying/neutering, immunizing and keeping their pets at home.
• Humane Education and Volunteer programs for the children of Puerto Rico, to teach a new generation of islanders about the plight of the animals and what children can and must do to help them.

Happy Endings

Roberto and Thomas (aka Tomás) were the first pups to find refuge at the sanctuary in Puerto Rico.
We found the tiny six week old puff balls living in a scrap metal yard.
They went to NY a few weeks ago, and they have both been adopted into loving homes!

The Kennels

We knew it would be challenging to erect kennel runs on the side of a mountain in the middle of the jungle – and we weren’t wrong! We are waiting for a few days of hot sunshine to dry up the ground sufficiently to allow the cement trucks in – and it will be smooth sailing from there! Once the cement is poured the fencing will go up quickly, and we can pull the many dogs we have been feeding and keeping our eyes on. We are so anxious to be able to offer them a safe haven and the start of the new life they deserve.

Mrs. Brown

Some dogs simply cannot wait. We found Mrs. Brown living in a parking lot. By all accounts, this girl had been hanging around there for many months. When we met her, she was wary at first, but she was happy to let her guard down once she knew we not planning to harm her. As we fed her and tended to her sores, she rewarded us with a wagging tail and lots of kisses. Mrs. Brown’s sagging nipples told a story of many pregnancies in her short life, and she is pregnant again, with babies due any day. We couldn’t leave her there, so we put her in the car and took her home with us to the sanctuary. Mrs. Brown is truly a sweetheart – she enjoys her soft bed and loves mealtimes – but what she wants most is our company! We are putting the finishing touches on a special area for new moms and pups, and hope to have it completed before Mrs. Brown’s pups arrive.

Puppy Love

Arturo, Alina, Antonio and Aracela (the “A” Team) are 8-week old babies who were found living at the side of a road in Luquillo. Their mom is being cared for and we have promised to take her just as soon as we have a kennel run ready – but the pups needed medical attention that could not wait. So we took them in and treated them for severe anemia (caused by parasites) and a fungal infection. They are fully recovered now and will be heading to NY next week!

The Pets Alive DIFFERENCE

At the sanctuary in Puerto Rico, we employ the same high standards of care found at the Pets Alive facilities in NY – because that is what YOU our supporters demand and because the the dogs of Puerto Rico deserve no less. While in our care, all dogs are tested for Parvo and Distemper (and Heartworm if over 3 months of age) – and if they test positive they will receive the special care they need before they leave here. They are treated for parasites, immunized, Frontlined, and spayed or neutered. Those who are ill or injured are provided with medical treatment. All dogs are loved and cared for at the sanctuary for a minimum of three weeks until they are ready for adoption on the island or transported to NY for adoption at one of our facilities there. It costs more than $500 to rescue, provide food, shelter and veterinary care, and transport EACH dog. We couldn’t do any of this without YOU!

Roberto, Thomas (aka Tomás), Alina, Arturo, Aracela, and Antonio – these pups are just the start of something BIG happening in Puerto Rico, and there is much more to come – thanks to YOU and your support.

Joy and Ken

XOXOXO

Sanctuary Animal Updates

It’s a new year and we have already seen many changes at Pets Alive Westchester (PAW). We said good bye to our beloved Executive Director Joy Carson and our Shelter & Facilities Manager Ken as they moved on to take on Pets Alive Puerto Rico. Joy and Ken did so much for PAW and our animals that I will be forever grateful to them! I’ll admit it- I was a little nervous when I first got to PAW. Many of you may know me as the Shelter Manager of Pets Alive in Middletown. I’m also one of the first staff members to visit the old Elmsford Animal Shelter when we originally stepped up to help. My first day at Pets Alive Westchester was in November, only about a year since I had been there last, and it was immediately apparent that a transformation of epic proportions had taken place. My nerves turned to overwhelming excitement and I have never been more certain that this is where I needed to be.

In January we adopted out 43 dogs, 31 cats, and 3 rabbits!! A total of 77 animals who found their forever homes in just one month! That’s a tremendous increase compared to January 2011. We are so excited to continue increasing our adoption rates each and every month. Due to the incredible rate of adoption we were able to collaborate on a mass rescue of over 100 dogs, with the ASPCA and committed to each and every animal from the JP Ranch Rescue in Arkansas, in addition to our regular intakes. Some of those dogs went to Pets Alive Middletown (PAM), but here at PAW we rescued 83 dogs, 12 cats, and 1 rabbit.

Featured Adoptions

I’ve been with the Pets Alive organization for a few years and I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of finding over 2,000 animals their forever homes, but every once in a while there are those special adoptions that make you stop and take notice. Sam is one of those stories. Sam was found running around the local Sam’s Club parking lot in May 2009. A woman stopped and he jumped right into her car and she immediately surrendered him to the shelter. Over time Sam fell victim to the same stereotypes and mislabeling that many dogs face. Yes it’s true Sam did not do well in the kennel environment and he did not adjust very well to it. After Pets Alive took over we implemented the color code system for all of our dogs and Sam was immediately labeled a RED dog. That means staff or experienced, previously approved, volunteers only. Many feared Sam and believed he just might be the most aggressive dog on the property.

Then Joy stepped in. Sam was relocated to a larger side pen outside of the main kennels. There he was able to work with our dog caretakers on some of his undesirable behaviors. Suddenly the perception changed. Suddenly Sam was more approachable, more relaxed. As the warm summer months came to an end there was a real concern over where Sam could go. No one wanted to see him go back into the kennel and risk back tracking on all of his progress. They all decided that they would bring Sam into the main office up front. From there Sam continued his amazing transformation, perhaps back into the dog he always was before ending up in the shelter. Staff and volunteers alike fell for his big beautiful face as well as his laid back and loving demeanor. Misa, our on staff dog trainer, began Sam’s training to become a certified therapy dog. We thought how wonderful for Sam to be in the office and be receiving all of this love, affection and attention. But we knew that was not enough. This boy needed a home. And on New Year’s Day that hope and dream became a reality. A very nice man stopped in and said he was sent to us by a friend who thought we had the perfect dog for him. He only saw Sam that day and left with a very big smile and a promise to contact us soon. About one week later he made good on that promise.

“Hello, I came up to look at adopting a dog on Sunday the 1st. I had the privilege of meeting Sam. He completely fits what I’m looking for and then some. I am very excited about providing the best home and life for him as I can. I spoke to my real estate broker and he assured me that my building is completely dog friendly (there are tons of great dogs in there already). I would love to move forward with adopting Sam.”

At that was it. Sam, our Sam was going home. Many of the staff cried when they heard the news. How could you not? We still look around the office expecting to see his goofy face. We miss him dearly but there is no better feeling then knowing he is living the good life, laying on couches, bathing in the sun and meeting new friends at the dog park every week!

Lucinda’s story is one we have heard all too often here at PAW. In February of 2000 (yes you read that right – 12 years ago) Lucinda was found in a dumpster nearby with her sister as 6 week old puppies. They were placed in a cage and forgotten about, or perhaps were lost amongst the hundreds of other dogs already in residence. She grew up and lived her entire life in the shelter. In 2009 she was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and had multiple tumors removed over the next two years yet she remained quiet and comfortable in her run. Over the last few months however her tumors increased in size and her condition was beginning to deteriorate. The kennel was not the environment Lucinda should be spending her last days in. Then, at the end of December we received an application from Karen. On our application we ask applicants to describe in detail (if known) what type of dog they are looking for. Karen’s answer was that she wanted to adopt the oldest, sickest dog we had to come live on her farm. The farm she recently moved to for just that purpose. She wanted to provide a loving, wonderful, “piece of heaven” as she calls it, to an animal that may not have many days left. In January Karen and her dog stopped in to visit and to meet some of our older dogs. We immediately introduced her to Lucinda and it was love at first sight. She adopted Lucinda immediately and took her home. This is her first update:

“Lucinda is doing fantastic! No accidents…goes to the door everytime….learned quick….she so doesn’t want to go back…she is playing her cards great….loves running outside in the fields…..loves her special treats…..looooovvvvvvvvves her doggie beds….one is right in front of the heat source…that is her favorite…LOL….I love her already…she is so loving and kind…she follows me everywhere and when I leave and come home she greets me like she loves me already….big butt and tail wag….she is sooooo happy……got her on a maintenance plan for pain….that should do her good…making an appointment with my vet this week to have her gone over….I would really like to relieve the pain of her sores. Thanks for picking her for me….she is a wonderful sweet soul.”

And then the second one a few weeks later:

“Just wanted to let you know how well Lucinda is doing….she has officially been here long enough to learn to beg “cause it works”…..claim the couch as hers…..play with frecks…..let me snuggle with her on the couch without getting worried anymore….instead of it alerting her she now goes right back to sleep while I pet her….she thinks that the Sqeaky alligator is something she really did kill and conquer….she totally knows the food and treat routine….totally housebroken…only one accident…knows how to greet me at the door…totally gets all pumped up when I come home….waits at the door if she needs to go out before I was ready to take her out…loves everyone who has met her and just plain loves home life….she was a piece of cake to transition from shelter living to home living…wish they were all this easy…LOL…still blown away about how great and fast she potty trained. I hope you’re enjoying the pics….she is thankful and happy….already totally attached to her…so it will suck when it’s her time…but until then I will look at the positive and enjoy watching her enjoy each and every day…Sincerely Karen”

Lucinda reminds us all of why we are here and why we do what we do. Why you never give up. Why we can say without a doubt that there IS a home for every animal. It is our job to find that home. It is our job to love and care and continue to fight the status quo each and every day. Rescue work is not always full of happy days. In fact many days are filled with tough decisions and a lot of hard work. Lucinda is a constant reminder to me that my work is never done. This isn’t the end of the line. The legacy animals are not destined to live out the rest of their lives here with us. There IS a home for each and every one. It’s my job to find it. With your help, your love and your support we have been able to find homes for so many of them but there are still over 100 wonderful dogs and 100 amazing cats that deserve the same.

Please consider opening your home to any one of our seniors. We offer a forever foster program as well as free adoptions!

Medical Update: (written by Mara our lead vet tech)

Over the last month we have seen so many changes. We have been able to purchase some of the very necessary equipment for our surgical suite and medical room and we hope to be offering low cost spay/neuter and vaccine clinics to the public within the next few months.

Jason is a 7 year old American Bulldog mix who still acts just like a puppy. Normally he loves to run and have fun in the outside runs. So when I found him in his kennel a few weeks ago and he was not able to put any weight on his back leg I immediately called our Medical Director Dr. Puzio. He advised that we should place Jason on a cage rest and that it was likely that Jason had a cruciate tear. Sure enough by the next day his leg was swollen. I spoke to Dr. Puzio and got him in for an immediate X-Ray. The films confirmed our suspicion and Jason was scheduled for surgery. He has been recuperating from his surgery nicely (although he is definitely not a fan of being on cage rest and will whine to come out and play when he sees me). Jason will require one more surgery in the next few weeks to fully repair the damage to his knee and about another month of healing but is available for adoption and would make a wonderful addition to any home with older children or just adults. Unable to adopt? Please consider donating towards the cost of Jason’s surgeries or a monthly sponsorship in his name!!

Chase has been with us for many years. Although she is very sweet and loving, she is also terribly shy. Chase has a thyroid condition that requires daily medications. While giving her her meds I noticed she was not acting normally. As I picked her up I noticed quickly that her body temperature felt dangerously low. We immediately brought her into the medical suite and placed her on a heating pad and started fluids. Our onsite vet, Dr. Christina was scheduled to come in shortly so we continued to treat Chase in house. Once Dr. Christina was able to assess Chase, I put her on an IV catheter for a round of antibiotics. Within a few days she was feeling much better, and was eating normally. After one more re check we decided she was 100% better and she was released back to her room to her sister Jerry.

Current Needs:

Special Thanks to Ricky Harris who collected donations for PAW as his honor society project. He collected a TON of greatly needed donations as well as over $485!!

Thanks to all of you and your generous support, we were FINALLY able to fix the heating system in the facility. We fell just $4,000 short of what we needed and we are still trying to raise that final payment. Because we now have heat, we can continue to pull dogs in large numbers to safety throughout the winter! Unfortunately as we were renovating the heat we realized the roof damage is very severe and much of our oil consumption is directly due to the many holes in the ceilings and total lack of insulation. As you can imagine replacing the roof on an over 24,000 sq ft building is a huge cost to us! We will have to redo the roof this spring, we have no choice, and once again we are going to beg you for YOUR help to complete the overhaul. And at the top of the page take a look at our new front door! We celebrated as the old signage came down and the new Pets Alive Westchester in it’s bright blue letters went up.

As Pets Alive continues to grow we have a constant need for volunteers. We are looking for volunteers interested in fundraising, events, or marketing to join our Volunteer Development Committee. If you would like to be hands on and instrumental in our continued growth and success please email volunteer@petsalivewest.org.
We are also looking for a volunteer who can handle all of our adoption updates and our Facebook page (as necessary). Please email volunteer@petsalivewest.org if you are interested in this volunteer position.

We also have a DESPERATE NEED for laptops. Have you upgraded? Can we have your old laptop? Or would you consider purchasing a laptop for us? We don’t need anything fancy, just the ability to do email, get on the internet and manage documents. We would be very grateful for any help with this, we have some new hires that we have been unable to provide a laptop to and they currently have to sit in the office to get their work done. Thanks very much for your consideration.
Need: 3 Laptops for new hires and adoptions!!!

Our mission is to improve the lives of companion animals everywhere by any means possible, including rescue, adoption, advocacy, collaboration, intervention and education. Please consider making a donation to help us.

Though the ASPCA gives the occasional glimmer of hope, recent events remind me that they remain mired in a killing mentality and seek to preserve the status quo in sheltering, even fighting to expand the power of shelters to kill at will.

Recently the ASPCA convinced NYS Assemblywoman Amy Paulin to introduce their pseudo-shelter reform legislation. Embarrassed by the outcry in favor of Oreo’s Law (now CAARA), they immediately scrambled to write their own shelter reform law – one that they could claim made a difference for the better in the lives of NY animals while actually quietly blocking actual reform and expanding NY shelters’ power to kill.

The ASPCA co-opts meaningful shelter reform legislation largely by copying it but then including weasel words like substituting “may” for “shall”. So instead of requiring shelters to work with outside rescue groups, it simply says that they can if they choose to. Other meaningful reforms, like requiring shelters to scan for microchips, post found animals online, and make an effort to match lost and found animals are scuttled by including an exception if the shelter does not find it “practicable” to do so. Well, given the choice, they won’t find it practicable, which is why we need legislation that mandates it.

Most destructively and unbelievably, the ASPCA written legislation contains a clause that would, for all practical purposes, eliminate the legally mandated holding period for stray animals by allowing shelters to kill any animal who they found to be in “psychological pain”. This is nothing less than a declaration of war on feral cats, scared dogs, or any animal that found themselves scared and confused upon being brought into the chaotic shelter environment – or any animal they simply wanted to find a flimsy excuse to kill. Animals judged by laypeople with no training whatsoever to be in “psychological pain” could be killed instantly on admission to the shelter and bypass the legally required holding period to give their owners the chance to find them.

New Yorkers, we need your help – quickly. This bill, known as New York Assembly Bill A05449A, will face its first committee vote on Wednesday, February 15th. We haven’t much time. The first thing we need to do is to tell our elected officials that we will not tolerate an ASPCA encouraged increase in shelter killing in New York State.

Please visit New York State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin’s Facebook page and leave her a polite, personal comment asking her to withdraw her bill, A05449A, from consideration. Asw. Paulin is up for re-election in November and wants to be a champion of animals in New York State, and she probably would not want to risk her re-election on being dubbed Amy “Quick Kill” Paulin. You might also consider sending her a message on Twitter, although she appears to use that less. Also drop an email to ASPCA President and CEO Ed Sayres and ASPCA Board President Mary Jo White and let them know what you think of their organization’s legislation. Then visit the following four links to email key legislators to send them your thoughts:

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Link 4

Keep in mind that although you can use the text that’s been written for you, a heartfelt personal note always goes a long way.

Finally, support REAL change in the form of CAARA, which mandates REAL reform instead of making it optional. CAARA is trying to get the support of NYS Senator Patty Richie, Chair of the Senate Agricultural Committee, and her support would really help move the bill forward. Email her here and ask her to support this lifesaving effort – and you can read more about CAARA here and read the complete text of the bill here. New York’s animals deserve better than the deadly slight of hand of the ASPCA Quick Kill. They deserve the lifesaving provisions of CAARA.

Sanctuary Animal Updates
Since my last update all the way back in November (has it really been that long?) 134 dogs were adopted and 111 dogs came in. 42 cats were adopted and 29 were taken in. We had a great month in January for pitty adoptions! Zena, Nova, Otis & Ellie, Muppet & Mugsy all went home. Through no fault of their own, pit bulls take a lot longer to adopt than the average dog. I would venture to say that the pit bull is the perfect family dog. Many people are shocked to hear that but I truly believe that if you are looking for a perfect dog for your family, then the pit bull is it. However, because of public misconceptions abut these dogs they are often overlooked and under estimated. The reality is that the pits are used for fighting because they are so easily trainable and because they want so much to please their owners. Left without such bad influences in their life they are a highly trainable, highly manageable and highly loyal family pet. Please help dispel negative pit bulls myths. Here at Pets Alive all our Humane Education dogs are pits and that is by design! We have a unique opportunity to teach the public about how wonderful these dogs are. Please consider adopting a pit bull. They are being literally slaughtered in shelters all across the country. Help us by adopting one, so we can save another one.

We also adopted a lot of senior animals, with the feature being our sweet Simon/Pops! Abandoned as a senior dog at the slaughterhouse known as the CACC in NYC, he was almost immediately put on their euthanasia list. We looked into those big brown eyes and knew we couldn’t let him die in a cold institution with no one around to love him. Simon quickly became a staff and volunteer favorite and many volunteers would make sure that he was on their daily “to walk” list. Then the worst happened. Simon contracted distemper. Even though Simon was completely immunized, and up to date on all his shots, he still fell sick and we almost lost him. For many months it was touch and go, and at times we thought maybe the end was near, only to have him rally and pull through again. Finally after five months of being ill, Simon was given a clean bill of health. And then shortly after that, he was adopted to his forever home. Simon lives the life of luxury now in a home with people who adore him, who are patient with him and who saw worth in those soulful brown eyes – just like we did. Congratulations Simon. We are so glad you came into our lives and we were able to find you a place to live out the rest of your life. From horror and abandonment to love and caring. We are grateful to have been the instrument of that for you.

I don’t usually feature two dogs, but I also really need to mention the adoption of Lucky Lincoln. Lincoln was also pulled from the CACC, all the way back in 2006. Lincoln was a chow who had some serious aggression issues for a while and he was always a “red” caution dog while at Pets Alive. Over the years with a lot of love and training, he really started to mellow out and learn to enjoy life, people, treats and attention. Many volunteers came to us and said they didn’t feel he should be red dog anymore and our trainers agreed, so he was lowered to a “yellow” dog. When we realized even children could handle him and all his old resource guarding and food aggressions had completely dissipated we ultimately made him a “green” dog. We still couldn’t believe it though when an adoption application came in for him. An older, retired man was interested in him. He lived alone, was home all the time and wanted to give a senior dog a new chance at a home and a life. He wanted Lucky Lincoln. We explained all of Lincoln’s prior incidents and cautioned the adopter on the possibility of stressing him, or changing his environment which might cause a relapse in some of the behaviors. But our caution wasn’t needed. In December, Lincoln – at the age of 12 years old and living at Pets Alive for more than five years, finally went home. NEVER give up. EVERY dog has a chance at a new life and a forever home. Every day we are shown this and taught this all over again. Good for you Lincoln. I am glad you are finally in your perfect place. You waited long enough and you deserve this.

This week we had to let go of one of our absolute favorite dogs. Biggie Smalls finally succumbed to old age and complications related to tumors and other medical issues. For many months we thought it might be his time to pass on, but he too rallied and came through and would begin to dance and run around like a puppy again. We breathed a sigh of relief and smiled inwardly that our old man had beat the odds again. But finally, Biggie was unable to get up on his own anymore and was in so much pain that we could no longer control it or ease it with medication. When he started snapping at his favorite volunteers and staff whenever we handled him, we knew that he was telling us it was time to be released. With a massively heavy heart, we let our old boy go. It was a painful time for us all and we are so sorry that his possible forever home came a little too late. For just that week, we approved an application for Biggie. I like to think that he was just tired and decided he would rather die in our arms, where he was so loved and so familiar and to give us that gift of being able to hold him and say our goodbyes. Goodbye big guy. Rest in peace and run – run like the wind. You’re free now.

Mass Rescue:
Last month Pets Alive saved over 100 dogs from Arkansas. It was a typical story of a rescue that had gotten in over their head and then the founder was extremely ill, leaving no contingency plan in place. Pets Alive stepped in and with the help of the Southwinds Animal Hospital and the ASPCA we brought 76 dogs from that rescue to Pets Alive and 39 dogs from other local rescues in Arkansas to help the situation there. All the dogs are doing pretty well although many needed a great deal of medical care. 26 were heartworm positive and four needed major surgeries when they got here. The medical costs have been absolutely staggering. If you can help us with these costs, we would greatly appreciate that. Just click the DONATE button at the end of this email.

Job Opening:
Pets Alive Westchester in Elmsford NY is in need of an administrator/volunteer coordinator. Salary is between $30-35k depending on level of experience and other related factors. You would need to work on Saturday and if you can do Sunday too that would be great, but Saturday is required. One day working from home or from the Middletown location may also be possible. You would be required to coordinate and assign all offsite adoption events and volunteer activities, handle volunteer orientation, mailing, management and needs. You’d need to recruit volunteers, retain volunteers and develop a volunteer appreciation program. In addition to managing the volunteer aspect of the facility, you would also be the administrator to the Executive Director, handling some of the finances, paperwork, computer and data tasks, errands, phone calls and other duties as needed. We are looking for someone that thinks outside of the box. That doesn’t accept no for an answer. That has a WIN attitude. That can get along with others, and even those that may be more difficult to work with. You need to be a complete self starter – SEEING what needs to be done before anyone else and acting to implement change and improvement. We don’t offer a great salary but we offer the best job you’ll ever have in your life and the feeing that you’ve helped change the world for the better that day every time you go home each night. Are you this person? Then we NEED you. If interested, email us a resume: info@petsalivewest.org

Farm Animal Update:
We are happy to report that Glen’s goats, Goatee McGoat and McTavish McGoat found their forever home last month! They are VERY happy in their new home and they live with a horse and a herd of alpacas. Since we adopted out two goats, we almost immediately took in two more. Blaine and Hayden are seven month old goats and just adorable. They have a way of getting out of ANY enclosure so we have had to be pretty crafty to keep them confined to an area that doesn’t involve the neighbors houses, the town deli or the road. So far so good but they are rather determined so we’re keeping a close eye on them.

We also took in another pig. her name is Daisy and she is a white pig. We had thoughts of putting her and Delilah together but so far they hate each other. We think we could make it work, but since Delilah is adopted and leaving soon, we aren’t pressing the issue and for now they are living separately. Stop by and say hello to Daisy. When she first came here she was VERY shy and wouldn’t tolerate handling or touching. Now she comes right over to the fence! Also please bring your leftover vegetables and fruit. The pigs could really use more fresh produce in their diet (and our birds like and need it too!)

Medical Update
Since our handsome pitty Okra’s arrival here in September, he has kept everyone on their toes with his medical problems. Shortly after Okra arrived and stole everyone’s heart, staff noticed spots of blood in his kennel. He was his energetic and happy self when we went in to investigate and determined that Okra suffered from a condition that most of the pit bulls we encountered also suffer from, “Happy Tail”. Literally they wiggle and shake their hind ends so vigorously that their tail tips whip against their bodies and sides of their enclosures, resulting in fresh blood deposits. Although it doesn’t seem to “bother” them, it bothers the rest of us, yet getting it under control can be difficult. Sometimes moving them into a larger run, or a quieter location can help, but many times the tail just can not heal due to their constant “happiness” and resulting tail wagging! This was the case with Okra. Although bandages were attempted, he wound up needing his tail amputated. And not even just ONCE. Okra would NOT leave his incision alone. So two surgeries down, lots of bandage supplies, dozens of e-collars, and stressed out staff, Okra has a new stubby nub and he wears it very well. As though the humiliation of wearing duct-taped e-collars for months on end was not torture enough for this guy, last week Okra suddenly fell very ill. He went from running around playing with his Kong, to inappetence, projectile vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. In fact within a matter of simply hours, Okra was expelling bright red liquid from an undetermined orifice of his body. Okra was rushed directly to our vet, who quickly sent out bloodwork and got him on IV fluids to prevent dehydration. After two days, he came back home, and though greatly improved, he was still not quite himself. His bloodwork came back with no abnormalities. We are all still baffled by what could have caused such sudden onset and severity of symptoms, and honestly we may never know. It has now been one week since he came back home and he is finally back to his happy, stub wagging, water-bowl throwing self. You just have to love this guy!

Biggie Smalls the geriatric shepherd mix has been with us now for many MANY years. To be honest, Biggie was old when we first rescued him, and thus now he is REALLY old. I didn’t think he’d have much time left even at that point, but through the years he has shocked me by maintaining a good quality of life. He has many volunteers that come to see him, he loves going outside for walks, and he LOVES his treats! But lately we have seen a greater decline in his quality of life. He has been showing more and more signs of his old age. It has become harder for him to get up and his breathing has become heavier. Bloodwork was sent out and he was tested for Lyme. Biggie is already on joint supplements, thyroid medication and more recently pain medication. We moved Biggie into an office so that he doesn’t have to hang out in the kennel and can relax in a comfortable warm setting. The entire staff is hoping that Biggie remains in relatively good health and is trying to make him as comfortable as possible. (note that this medical update was written a week before we lost Biggie)

Lucky is a nine year-old border collie mix who was surrendered to us last month when her owner decided he didn’t have time for her. Although she may be considered a senior due to her age, this energetic girl acts anything but old. She is Miss “Happy go Lucky” greeting anyone who comes near and trying to convince them to take her for another walk. But the day she arrived, we noticed that her left ear was completely swollen (hematoma) from chronic infections. Lucky also was in need a dental, and her former owner also mentioned in passing that she drank and urinated a lot. “A lot” was quite the understatement. Poor Lucky was straining to urinate every few seconds. We got her to the vet where we discovered that Lucky had a stone in her bladder the size of a baseball!!! The next day she had surgery to remove the stone. I can only imagine the pain and discomfort this poor dog had been going through for years. Laboratory analysis of the stone came back indicating that a prescription diet would be helpful in preventing new stone formation.

Boo Boo is a sleek male tuxedo cat who arrived in November from another rescue group. He adjusted fairly quickly to his new surroundings in the cat house, but within a few weeks, he appeared to be limping and had some crusty discharge around his mouth. We took him to the vet for x-rays and an exam. Boo Boo, although only supposedly 5 years of age, was in need of a dental. But as our veterinarian was working in his mouth he was shocked to learn that Boo Boo had a broken jaw which was the likely reason for the crusty discharge. The vet had to wire his jaw together in order to secure and allow it to heal (basically the wire holds together and supports the mid-line of the lower jaw. His upper and bottom jaw were NOT wired shut together). A recheck several weeks back revealed that Boo Boo was healing very nicely. He is now scheduled to return next Wednesday to be sedated and have the wire removed. Boo Boo has been an amazing, stoic patient. Most visitors to the cat house are unable to even tell that Boo Boo has any sort of contraption in his mouth. And hopefully after next Wednesday, Boo Boo will be as good as new!

Current Needs
We’re looking for volunteers to participate in offsite adoption events. This requires traveling with our volunteers & animals throughout the community. If interested please send inquiries to volunteer@petsalive.com. You don’t have to commit to many, but it really helps our organization to do offsite events as often as possible to build community relationships, to get our name out there, to be an aid for people in need and to help get our animals seen, so that they can be adopted! Please volunteer to help with this very important part of the no-kill equation! We are also looking for more people to do our Saturday orientations. We’d love to hear from you if you have some free time to help our animals.

Host a Pets Alive Party
Host a “Party for Pets Alive”. Share your passion for rescue with your friends! So far four different people have hosted a “Party for Pets Alive” and raised us over $2500 in cash, plus a bunch of food and other donations.Click here for details! Thank you to Ivy Li & Keith, Susan, Middlehope Vet Hospital and Kathy for hosting these parties and being such great supporters for our cause!

Speaking of Parties…
SAVE THE DATE!
June 2 is this year’s Fur Ball to be held at the Doubletree in Tarrytown, NY!

After one year as Executive Director of Pets Alive Westchester, I am leaving to take on the role of Executive Director of Pets Alive Puerto Rico. It’s a bittersweet transition for me.

While I look forward to the new challenge in Puerto Rico, I look around and see so much still to be done in Westchester.
Mostly I see the faces of the animals. I have come to love each and every one of them, and leaving them is very difficult. But I know I am leaving them in capable hands. Jenessa Taylor, the new Executive Director, is able to step into this role without missing a beat. She comes to PAW from Pets Alive Middletown, where she was the Executive Administrator working right alongside the President of the Board and Executive Director at Middletown. Jen has extensive knowledge and experience in handling the day to day operation as well as in keeping the long term goals on track. She knows that the top priority is to get these animals into loving homes and to ensure that their lives are enriched while they are still here. The staff at Pets Alive Westchester is a strong group of committed, capable, caring, compassionate people. Led by Jenessa, they will not only accomplish the goals already set forth, but with your support, they will take Pets Alive Westchester to places not yet imagined!

So go ahead – RING OUT THE OLD!

It has been such an honor working with you to lead this organization over the past year, and to be able to play a small part in helping to improve the lives of the animals at Pets Alive Westchester. Thank you all for being a part of PAW, and for all your support and encouragement.

Always remember that none of this can happen without you, so please give generously in 2012 of your time, your money and most of all your love. Thank you for loving the animals. Your love worked miracles in 2011. There are more miracles to come in 2012.

RING IN THE NEW!

Love,

Joy XOXOXO

I am very proud to tell you about some of the accomplishments that your support made possible in 2011. What a year it has been!

ADOPTIONS

In 2011, PAW found homes for more than 1,000 animals – hundreds of them were seniors who had been here for many years.

ENRICHMENT

For those dogs and cats who remain in our care, we implemented some wonderful programs to enrich their lives.

• The “Senior Foster Program” asks people to commit to a dog or cat for the rest of its life. Pets Alive Westchester pays all the medical expenses. Currently 6 senior dogs and 1 senior cat are in this program.
• The “Senior Weekend Getaway” program allows volunteers to bring a senior dog home for an overnight or weekend stay. 5 dogs regularly “getaway”.
• The “Train to Adopt Program” consists of dedicated volunteers who meet with the staff trainer on a weekly basis and learn training techniques to help make dogs more adoptable.
• The “K9 Basics” training classes graduated 82 students. We know that when a new adopter attends training classes with their dog, the likelihood is greatly reduced that the dog will be returned
• “Doggie Play Groups” bring dogs together in the play yard for fun and exercise. Dozens of dogs who were labeled “dog-aggressive” have been reevaluated and now participate in play groups after years of being deprived of any interaction with other dogs!
• FIV cats are now showcased in their own new room right off the lobby, and volunteers are encouraged to visit and socialize with them.
• Sam, a dog once labeled severely aggressive has been rehabilitated. He now lives happily in the office, loves everyone, and is training to become a licensed therapy dog.
• The renovation and beautification of the cat rooms is almost complete and will provide more comfy sleeping areas and nooks and crannies for hiding”

MEDICAL

With so many senior animals, the ability to provide medical care onsite is a top priority. The new medical suite, outfitted with state of the art equipment, meets that need.

• There is a large treatment room for first aid, dentals, and surgery prep, and a separate operating room where surgeries are performed.
• The new cat infirmary is almost complete, and will provide our feline furries with a spacious and clean place to recuperate from illness, injury or surgery.
• The medical team consists of staff veterinarian Christina Nutini, DVM and two vet assistants, and is overseen by Dr. Christopher Puzio, owner of Rockland veterinary. I am so proud to be able to say that everyone on the medical team embraces the Pets Alive no-kill philosophy and is committed to providing the highest quality medical care in a loving and compassionate manner.
• Early 2012 will bring a renovated dog infirmary, and in the second half of the year PAW will begin offering low cost spay/neuter to the community.

FACILITIES MAINTENANCE

• The installation of the new HVAC system is underway and expected to be completed any day now. With winter upon us, and with the memories of getting through last winter without reliable heat still fresh in our mind, this costly project could not be postponed any longer. New boilers, duct work, air handlers, controls, and a special filtering system for the medical areas will result in a safe, healthy and cozy indoor environment year round.
• The lobby has been redecorated and now has a clean and spacious look, and our logo graces the entryway – all thanks to Diana who had a vision to help Pets Alive Westchester and a mission to complete her Girl Scout Gold Award project.
• A dream came true just a few weeks ago when a donor agreed to sponsor a beautiful new sign for the outside of the building to show all the world that we are Pets Alive Westchester!

Our mission is to improve the lives of companion animals everywhere by any means possible, including rescue, adoption, advocacy, collaboration, intervention and education. Please consider making a donation to help us.

The dogs that arrived were some of the nicest dogs we have ever taken in. Happy, excited, friendly and grateful to be here. It was interesting to us because these dogs that had never lived in a home, had some of the best home “manners” of any we had seen.  Almost all of them seemed to be house trained when we adopted them to families.  We assume it is because they have always gone outside, so eliminating there was natural to them, having lived outside their whole lives.  They also didn’t “take off” when the door or gate was opened.  Most of them stayed right there at the house or in the yard.  They had found a home, and no longer did they seem to want to wander or run.  They were happy, and fed, and loved.

They were all also good with other dogs!  Having lived their lives on the beach with a pack of dogs, they had adapted well to communal living and sharing space and food.  Wonderfully social dogs.  They were also almost all small to medium size which is highly adoptable.

We were pulling in dogs that had miserable lives, no vetting, no care, no affection or love – and they turned out to be some of the best and most highly adoptable dogs we had ever encountered.  We not only felt we NEEDED to save more – we WANTED to!  We worked more and more closely with this organization but ultimately they closed down and asked us to take over their mission. We met about it, and it was 100% unanimous.  We had to help.  We had to continue saving the dogs that were in such desperate need.

And so we continued to save dogs remotely, but this wasn’t an ideal arrangement.  The expense for vetting and boarding was astronomical.  Marisol and Rob Thomas are members of our board, and Marisol is a proud Puerto Rican. She has a fire in her heart for the dogs of the island.  She and Rob wanted us to do everything possible to help. So Rob and Marisol, through their Sidewalk Angels Foundation, have donated $250,000 to set the wheels in motion, and we embarked on a mission to build a sanctuary in Puerto Rico.

For a year we hit obstacle after obstacle in achieving our dream.  We had promises made to us, and land chosen and every time one thing or another happened to keep us from getting it accomplished. It seemed to be going on forever and the impact we could have was very much stunted. We were pulling dogs in tiny amounts, a little here, a little there.  This just isn’t how we do things at Pets Alive.

Finally, in frustration we stopped dealing with the groups who were helping us, we took every dog we had in boarding back to Pets Alive, and we flew down there to take matters in our own hands. Within a few days we found a gorgeous piece of property in Utuado and we closed on it last month.

Six secluded acres overlooking the mountains and lakes. Centrally located to major airports. Stunningly gorgeous property with paths that cut through the vegetation where we will build our enclosures for the dogs. The house is also beautiful. A warm and welcoming place for our supporters to come and spend a “rescue vacation”, volunteering at the sanctuary, helping to pull dogs from the streets & beaches, and transporting them stateside at the end of their stay.

It is also perfect because it is far enough from the general population and cities that we can not worry about neighbors complaining about barking dogs, or number of dogs.  It is in an agricultural area so our neighbors are cows and goats and other “farms”.  It is on the edge of a mountain so our views are spectacular, but more importantly no one can build on that side, so we know we will always have this seclusion and privacy and also we can easily protect our dogs from anyone who might intend them harm.  This would be a real issue if we built in a more populated area.

The location is perfect also because Dead Dog Beach will NOT be our only focus.  Indeed we feel the issue at Dead Dog Beach is too small for what we want to accomplish.  Harnessing ourselves to fixing things in just one site is not the way Pets Alive does things.  Many other rescues are already focused there, including Chrissy, who used to work with Pets Alive but has now started her own rescue.  She continues to do wonderful work for the dogs at that beach. We feel though that we can conquer Dead Dog Beach and much, MUCH more.  We are centrally located so that we can have an impact EVERYWHERE on the island.  Not JUST at that one beach, but on ALL the beaches.  And the cities.  Why focus only at the beach?  Dogs roam the streets and parking lots everywhere! They are in just as much danger and in just as much need of rescue.  We intend to help them too.

We also like this location because it gives us a peaceful place to bring people, to have meetings, to network and to work with other groups to solve the problem in Puerto Rico.  It is truly an ethereal sanctuary location that brings you such peace and beauty and harmony when you walk it’s trails, that we know we will inspire others to work with us on helping animals in Puerto Rico.  A “retreat” so-to-speak. A holy place. A place to save lives.  A place to fix the wrongs that have been beset upon these innocent animals.

In January, we will officially launch Pets Alive Puerto Rico and begin in  earnest, our mission there.  Rescuing animals, educating the public, providing a SAFE haven for animals and offering help to people who need it.  No more will dogs be abused, discarded and harmed.  We will see to it.

That isn’t all.  Rob & Marisol have committed to getting other celebrities to help us spread the word.  We will pepper the radio stations, billboards, and television commercials with our message “YOU are all they have”.  We will have class groups come to our sanctuary and experience first hand empathy and kindness toward animals and we will start a Humane Education campaign.

We will offer free spaying and neutering and medical assistance to those that want to keep their animals.  Too long the choice for animal loving Puerto Ricans has been to pay money they don’t have to keep their pets, or abandon them somewhere because they can not afford to get them help.  We will end that practice and we will extend our hand to all the people and animals – and offer them help.  If they wish to be kind to their pets, then we will see to it that they have that option.  That they finally, for once HAVE options.

Our biggest challenge right now is funding.  We were able to purchase the land and property thanks to Mari & Rob, but there is NO money right now to actually BEGIN operation.  We desperately need your support.  Please make an ongoing donation to help us with this life saving mission.  Please consider a monthly sponsorship or a major donation to help us for this first critical year.

Our second biggest hurdle is transportation of the animals to our NY sanctuaries. Currently it costs hundreds of dollars per crate for transport. We need to find a cheaper alternative. If you have ideas and suggestions to help us, let us know, leave comments here under this blog, or email us at info@petsalivepr.org – we are looking forward to hearing from you all, and we hope and pray that you will reach deep to help us in our fledging year. We need your support – because we CAN do this.  We WILL do this.  We never accept no, we never believe it isn’t possible.  Look how much we have accomplished in the past three years.  If you commit to helping us, we can go as far as we can all dream.

We are asking you to be a sponsor. A monthly sponsor. A donation of as little as $18 a month will go a long way and if you can afford to help us more for just this first year we would be forever grateful. The first year is the critical one, after that we will have fundraising in place, events and will have created a support network. It is this first year where we need your help.

BECOME A MONTHLY SPONSOR OR TO MAKE A ONE TIME DONATION!

Sponsorship Options

Lifeline Sponsor : $18.00USD – monthly Dog Sponsor : $35.00USD – monthly Bronze Paw Sponsor : $50.00USD – monthly Gold Paw Sponsor : $100.00USD – monthly Executive Gold Sponsor : $250.00USD – monthly

Help us. Support no kill.  Because YOU are all they have.

Zena! Pets Alive’s FIRST CGC certified dog! Wind them up, give them a little power, watch them – kill? You too can (and SHOULD) fight the status quo What happens to “evidence” dogs? In the interests of Tyson Kameron Jacobsen Youth Award & Memorial Garden Pets Alive Puerto Rico Update Questions, Doubts and Recrimination Pets Alive Westchester Update

Sanctuary animal updates:

Since my last update at the end of April we adopted out 359 dogs. We also adopted out 71 cats! That is more than the past TWO years put together for cats! Cats are finally getting noticed, and we’re really grateful for that. Please continue to recommend us as a place for people to adopt cats!

Noteworthy adoptions:

The stand out adoption of the past few months would no doubt be Bindi. Bindi is a dog that has lived at Pets Alive for five long years. There is so much about Bindi that has significance to Pets Alive. Bindi is largely the reason that Pets Alive still exists. At the time we received an email about her, Pets Alive was closing down. Best Friends had come here, saved the animals after the death of our founder, and they had decided to close the shelter down, not wanting to split their organization on both coasts. We were all devastated. We didn’t want to see one of the oldest and largest no-kills close, but we felt ill equipped to try to do this on our own. Matt and I had no such experience. We were both computer techs. Not animal rescuers! I was sitting at my desk, wondering what to do – risk it and fail and put animals lives in jeopardy? Take a chance and try to run and manage a sanctuary of this size, with almost NO money in the bank? It was definitely a cross roads. And then the email came in. A man had found Bindi by some train tracks in NJ. She was emaciated and terrified and had obviously been dumped there. He spent WEEKS gaining her trust and was finally able to catch her. But she did not get along with his dog and no shelter would accept her. She had too many issues at the time and she was a pit bull – we are all so full for this breed. And I sat at my desk and I looked at her picture for hours.

And made a decision.
Pets Alive would continue on.

Bindi would be accepted into our facility. And with that acceptance, Pets Alive was reborn and recreated – because there was NO GOING BACK NOW, we had just taken in a dog. It was scary and exciting at the same time. Could we do this? Maybe we could.

But alas, things did not go well for our Bindi. While she was quickly a staff and volunteer favorite, she wasn’t great with other dogs, and for many reasons her placement was more difficult than most. She was also the most destructive dog we had EVER seen here. She chewed through wooden fencing. She chewed through chain link fencing. She chewed through every bed and dog house she was given. She shredded any blanket or comforter she was provided with. Who would adopt such a dog? The boys ultimately built her a cement dog house. It was the only thing she didn’t reduce to rubble within minutes.

So while she got a ton of love and attention here, no one would take her home. Five years. Five years came and went and then we heard from Steve. Steve said he absolutely fell in love with her picture and description, and wanted to come and adopt her. We were hesitant. We never want to ruin a dogs chance of a home but we needed to tell him honestly her issues. Would it scare him away? We were all filled with trepidation when the day came for him to come and meet her. Would he love her? Would he give her a chance? Would he turn and RUN when we told him the truth of some of her issues?

Not Steve. He looked at her and said “This is my dog”. Then he filled out all her adoption paperwork and he and his son took her home.

As it happened they lived right near our adoption coordinator, Sue. Sue and Nikki would find all sorts of reasons to walk by the house, practically stalking the poor guy to catch a glimpse of our Bindi and see how she was doing. She would then call me and whisper “There is no torn up couch on the front sidewalk, looks like things might be going well.” And Steve says he didn’t really want to crate her when he went to work. He wanted her to have the house and we just figured he would come home to every single piece of furniture in splinters. But no. Guess what? In a home, Bindi is the most well behaved dog in the world. She hasn’t chewed up a single thing. She is house trained. She is well behaved. The first day Steve came home from work he actually had to WAKE HER UP sleeping in his arm chair in the living room.

He sends us pictures of her at family barbecues and on walks and playing in the yard. OUR Bindi.

No. HIS Bindi. Bindi is finally “home”. Good luck girl, we miss you and love you, and you will always be for me at least, a totem for Pets Alive. The dog that changed the future. Thanks for that. Be happy little alien. We love you.

LAST CALL FOR THE CALENDAR!

We can not accept any more entries for our calendar after November 14th. If you want your pet featured in the Pets Alive 2012 calendar, please click here to submit your text and photo (or to pre order a calendar). Thank you to Scott Bergmann for doing this year’s layout. The image to the right is a mockup of the calendar for this year and we think it looks FABULOUS! Please support our fund raising efforts. The calendar is such a fun way to do so!

Medical Building update – We have had to put the medical building on hold for the time being. We had too many dogs getting injured in our dilapidated kennel and were forced to make a decision. We decided to gut the entire inside of the kennel and redo it. It was a huge expense and we will have to do the outside sections of the kennel in the next year or two and the roof needs to be replaced but we had no choice. The kennel was over 35 years old and there was simply no more patching, duct tape or bandaids that we could use on it. We are looking at needing $50,000 though to redo the roof and that makes my stomach just sink. We also need to insulate the roof to help us keep heat in and I haven’t even looked into what that will cost. Well, we will keep making improvements here a little at time. We ARE considering a mobile unit though instead of the medical office for now. We may be able to buy a used one and then we can have it spend two days a week at our Pets Alive Westchester location, one day a week here and two days a week out in the community doing medical work and spay/neuters. So we are looking into that as a temporary fix. Stay tuned!

Puerto Rico Update:

There is so much to tell you about Puerto Rico that I will have to send it out in another update or risk make this far longer than it already is! I will give you a teaser though – we CLOSED on a home and property in Puerto Rico this month. A beautiful home, a beautiful piece of property on six acres. Our sanctuary is finally a reality. More to come on this! Stay tuned.

Farm Animal Updates:

Just an FYI that we finally had to let our precious senior horse, Glen go. We all still miss him terribly and his pasture seems so empty and sad to us all. He was a wonderful horse, and he gave the volunteers and staff here so much joy and pleasure. Ultimately he could no longer stand on his old and arthritic legs. When he could no longer get up on his own, we were forced to accept that it was time to let him go. We still grieve for this precious soul. Something came out of that loss though that really restores the spirit. Vera and Tom decided to build a memorial garden around the horse pastures. They built the absolute most beautiful cemetery and garden. I love it. On very stressful days I will go there and think of all the horses we have had here. Those we have helped, those that have gone on. There is a stone in the garden for every single equine soul that came through Pets Alive stables. It is comforting to know that our volunteers have such respect and devotion to them and that they will never be forgotten. If you come to visit you can see the cemetery/garden on the far side of the horse pastures across the street from the brick house. There is a path to it and we encourage you all to visit it, leave a stone for your own equine friend or just whisper a word or two.

Pets Alive also got a lot of farm intakes these past few months. Seems so many people are losing their homes and financially can’t afford animals any more that we are being called on time and again to help. It is very difficult for us to help farm animals as there is almost NO SUPPORT for them financially. Very few grants, very little public support. One horses costs about $450 a month to care for and we only have two horses sponsors (at just $85 a month). So financially the farm animals are a huge drain on our finances and resources. We encourage and ask for your help in supporting them. They are far more expensive than cats and dogs and they are far more desperate as so few places will reach out to help them.

Our latest farm additions are two female goats (Bella and Luna), a female pig (Delilah) and a mini-horse named Darby. They are all super friendly, love attention and seem pretty happy to be here. They all live together too, which is very cute to see. The picture to the right is of the new mini horse, Darby, meeting Moonray for the first time.

Medical Updates or Issues: (written by Janet)

We won’t cover all the medical issues this time since it has been so long since we last did an update but some of the particularly interesting or memorable issues Janet has compiled below:

About two weeks ago, our adoption coordinator called me frantically on my day off because Eddie, our incredibly handsome American Staffordshire terrier was stumbling and falling over. I had looked at Eddie the day before and he looked completely normal! With these sudden onset of symptoms I became really concerned. I couldn’t be sure if Eddie had experienced a seizure, a vestibular issue, or even had bloat (he is a very large chested dog which is a pre-disposing factor). Juan quickly got Eddie down to our vet! Eddie was NOT a well behaved patient at all and gave Dr. Hewlett and Juan quite the work out. Blood work came back the next day and looked normal. An ear culture showed a small amount of yeast but not much (and definitely not enough to cause such symptoms). He was diagnosed with geriatric vestibular disease. For those who are unfamiliar with the disease, this disorder is more common in older dogs (thus the term geriatric) but can occur in middle aged dogs. For some unknown reason, dogs can suddenly develop vestibular disease. It usually lasts between a couple days and three weeks. A few dogs can have residual signs beyond this time, such as a head tilt. Generally the dog appears normal until symptoms appear out of nowhere. Then there is a sudden loss of balance and many afflicted dogs may not be able to stand up. Dogs may become nauseous and have rhythmic eye movement. During this time, the dog may need to be hand fed as the motor skills needed to eat/drink from a bowl are lacking. There is unfortunately no known treatment, yet almost all dogs will recover. Eddie is doing very well overall. In my opinion he has a mild form of this disease. He has continued to have a good appetite and is able to eat and drink on his own. He is still slightly unbalanced, but even that symptom has improved. At this point, we are simply trying to keep him calm so he is less likely to lose his footing.

Cam, the famous ‘Cam’elot (as I like to call him) has also been experiencing some problems. Starting several weeks ago, staff noticed that he was limping in the morning. Cam has been treated in previous years for tick borne diseases, so we quickly took blood to check, but results were negative. We then noticed upon further investigation that he had a small pea-sized growth between the webbing of his hind toes. His limp seemed to diminish and antibiotics were started. Some dogs are prone to small cysts appearing in the webbing of their feet. A week or two later, ANOTHER growth appeared on his front foot. Our vet explained that although it would be very odd for these growths to be malignant, we couldn’t be certain without removal and biopsy. BUT Cam would need to wear an e-collar and stay inside the kennel. Anyone who is familiar with Cam knows that an e-collar and kennel setting may cause a mental ‘disruption’ for this sensitive soul. So the vet gave us the option of switching antibiotics and trying a longer course of treatment. Luckily Cam does not seem overly bothered by these growths. No one has noticed any licking. At this point, the growths are still present and surgical removal looks like the next step. Hopefully we can figure out how to recover him with the least amount of stress.

Holly our gorgeous Chow mix is now fully recovered from her Heartworm treatment. It took several months of treatment (and recovery time) but Holly is finally all finished and ready for her forever home! Holly has spent many months being an office dog and thus is VERY nicely housetrained as a result (Bonus!).

Bella one of our elderly friendly felines has been caught in the act of inappropriate urination. She was found urinating down the side of a tower and other furniture in her room. Although inappropriate urination may be a behavioral issue (and one of the most common reason cats are turned into shelters in the first place) there could be an underlying medical issue. If Bella has any sort of urinary tract infection, it could present itself with urinating in unusual areas as well as increased frequency of urination. We are trying to retrieve a urine sample for analysis (which can be a little tricky especially in a shelter setting). We will then know for sure whether or not a course of antibiotics is necessary. Bella is eating and acting normal otherwise.

Upcoming Events or Fundraisers:

Pets Alive Catsino Night Fundraiser

Try your luck! With your good hand this event could be a purr-fect win for more than just the animals!

Hors D’ Oeuvres – Drinks – Blackjack- Roulette- Poker – Fabulous Auctions- 50/50 Raffle- Amazing Prizes and more!

Also featuring mystical
illusions and magic by Chris Dare

Saturday, November 12th, 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM at the Sky View Rehabilitation & Health Care, 1280 Albany Post Road, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520 (overlooking the Hudson River. Click to see). Tickets must be purchased in advance.

One ticket $75.00 Two tickets (save!) $125.00

Pets Alive gratefully acknowledges the generosity of event hosts & sponsors
Sky View & Waterview Hills Rehabilitation & Healthcare.

Please consider being a sponsor for this event:

Click for sponsorship details

• Host a Pets Alive Party – You’ve all heard of Mary Kay, Pampered Chef parties, tupperware parties and various wine and food parties? Well we are making it possible for you to host a Pets Alive Party! We are setting a goal to save the lives of 100 animals this holiday season. With YOUR help, we can do it! Share your passion for rescue with your friends! Click here for details!
• Howl-O-Ween Party – Saturday, November 5th, 1-3 PM - Get those canine costumes & come on over to the Sanctuary. OK, humans can get dressed up too. $5 entrance fee per dog, humans of ALL ages are FREE!! There will be lots of fun & prizes! Enter our Costume parade & 50/50 Raffle along with other contests like the Best Doggie Costume or Best Duo (Dog & Owner) to name a few! There will be refreshments & goodies for everyone! (Held at Pets Alive)
• Monthly Pets Alive Tour – Saturday, November 5th – No need to make a reservation, just be here by 11:00 AM! We request a donation of $10 for tours ($5 for kids), but tours are always free for our members! If you opt to become a member after the tour, your tour donations will be applied to your new membership! Please be aware that tours are indoor and outdoor, rain or shine. Tour starts at the front of the Brick House…please be sure to wear appropriate footwear! We’ve changed the start time for the tour to 11:00 AM so anyone interested can attend volunteer orientation immediately following at noon.
• PetSmart Adoption Event – Saturday, November 12th, 11-3pm- Pets Alive will have adoptable Dogs & Cats at the Middletown store location. Come on down and meet our furry friends. You may just find your new companion.
• PetCo Adoption Event – Sunday, November 13th, 11-3pm – Pets Alive will have adoptable Cats & Dogs at the Middletown store location. Stop on in and meet our furry friends.
• Agway Adoption Event (in Pinebush, NY) – Saturday, November 19th, 11-3pm – Pets Alive will have adoptable four legged friends. Dogs & Cats looking for their fur-ever homes. Will it be with you?

Thank You!

Thank you HERTZ! The Hertz Corporation helps Pets Alive!
The Hertz Corporation, a proud partner of Pets Alive, donated 2 huge passenger vans and a GORGEOUS pickup truck! They are also committed to continuing to work with us in a long term partnership! Thank you Hertz! We are deeply indebted to you. We ask our members to take the time to go to the Hertz Facebook page and thank them for this. Use Hertz for any of your rental needs!

SUPPORT THE BUSINESSES THAT SUPPORT US!

Hertz Savings: Save up to 15% every time you rent with Hertz using your discount CDP# 1927220 when you reserve. Use it in addition to a special deal and save even more.
facebook.com/hertz: Check it out and say “thanks” for their support!

Discount Card: Print it out, put it in your wallet and be sure to use it every time you rent.

Volunteer of the Month:

We are going to start to feature special volunteers that go above and beyond in helping Pets Alive. This month we have chosen Erin Guilshan. Erin was a volunteer at Pets Alive with her family and would suggest volunteering to many of her co-workers at the company she worked for – Hertz. Many did follow through and started volunteering here, and also adopting animals from us!

One of the senior directors started volunteering here regularly with his daughter and he and Erin decided they wanted to do more. Erin developed a great plan for how Hertz could help Pets Alive and Glenn took it to the next level. They asked Hertz to donate vehicles to us and support animal rescue! They worked tirelessly, Erin into the wee hours nightly compiling data, putting together power-point presentations and the HERTZ worldwide headquarters actually formed a Pets Alive team! Together their creative out of the box style of volunteering resulted in 2 passenger vans, and a pickup truck for Pets Alive and a tremendous amount of publicity for both organizations! But, it didn’t stop there…they created an adoption event for employees during business hours at the HERTZ worldwide headquarters which found homes for animals, raised money, collected tons of supplies and made us a lot of new friends. And if that wasn’t enough, Hertz employees will be coming for corporate volunteer days at the sanctuary! Erin and Glenn wanted to help big, and reached out because they realized they knew a company that could. Together they went for the stars and got ‘em!

Additionally, Erin made a huge difference in the life of Langston, a 10 yr old dog who was brought to the sanctuary from PAW where he had spent his entire life. Erin and her family spent time with Langston and this beautiful but sad boy came out of his tightly sealed shell and flourished. Erin and her family became advocates for Langston and created flyers, a Langston face book page, and emails to find Langston a loving home. Erin became Langston’s champion and was determined to find this boy a home- she would save his life. He must go home. They loved him, nurtured him and cheered his daily new discoveries. They fostered him as family after hurricane Irene until he was adopted! Erin and her family re-ignited Langston’s broken spirit and helped him go home. One rescue champion plus one dog = a 7 year long dream come true.

Thank you from the bottom of our furry hearts Erin and Glenn. You have moved mountains for our animals (one in particular), given support, beautiful vehicles and created new opportunities for us we could only have dreamed of. We love you.

Look in the mirror, it really is YOU that makes the difference for the animals. If you have a creative idea to help the animals at work, school or in your community, can volunteer your professional skills, special talents or know someone who knows someone please let us know at community@petsalive.com. We love great ideas!

Bambi needs a foster home:

Our sweet pittie mix, Bambi, has end stage cancer. No question, she is dying, however she is currently doing very well with little to no symptoms. This dog came to us from Pets Alvie Westchester. She lived there at the old Elmsford shelter, almost her entire life. Her entire life. She is now ten years old. And dying. Please, we are begging someone to foster her. We will pay ALL her bills and handle all her necessary medical care. We just don’t want her to die in a shelter with never having had a chance at living a life in a home, being loved, and having a life that every dog should know.

The problem is that Bambi is NOT great with other animals. If you have pets, she seems to be ok with some dogs, not with others, so it may be that she would need to be kept separate from them, at least when you left the house, and at meal times. We are not 100% confident in her abilities to live with another dog but she isn’t fiercely aggressive toward them either. If you have room in your home, and your heart, will you please consider giving this girl one shot at love?

Current Needs:

Right now we have some large “needs”. We REALLY need a new gator. Ours is on its last legs. We would also love a bobcat. In regards to people with expertise we need someone that can put a new roof on our kennel, insulate our current roof area, and/or rip down the ceiling in the kennel and redo it. I know. It is a bear of a job. If you have any time, or expertise in this area, we would really love the support and help. We can’t give them all homes right now, so we need to make their living environment as comfortable and safe as we can. Can you help?

Other needs right now is for amish style shed row barns. They are about $5000 each and we could use three of them. Yeah I know, I’m dreaming, but a girl can dream, right? If you don’t have $5000 just laying around, then maybe you can help with one of these items? 3-lb paper trays, dish detergent, paper towels, Libman wonder mopheads, used ink cartridges (we trade them in for credit), high efficiency laundry detergent, dog toys, Panacur dewormer (the
big bottles of equine liquid has been working well for us!), Advantixx or Frontline for dogs, Panacur Dewormer, Ivermectin, disinfectant wet wipes, and Slip leads. Thank you for your kind consideration on these items!

Of course our biggest need is consistent monthly income that we can count on. We’re not gonna lie, or sugar coat it. We NEED your help to survive. The city, town, state, government – none of them give us any money or help. We survive ENTIRELY because people like you read this, and believe in what we are doing and believe in no-kill. WANT to see no-kill, want to see an end to the inhumane slaughter of companion animals that come to shelters because they are down on their luck and they need help. The help they get in most shelters, is to be killed. We are determined to put an end to that. We work toward it every day. In four years we have helped convert many other shelters to no-kill. Please consider sponsoring a pet. Your monthly donation of just $18 (three cups of gourmet coffee) will help us to save the life of an animal every single month. Please consider taking this step. We need you, and more importantly THEY need you. When they come to a shelter, starving, cold, scared and hurt, we promise you – and we promise them – that we will extend our hand, pick them up, and help them. We will not walk them to a back room and kill them. Please help us. They deserve it. We need your support.

Social Networking- Find us on:

Our mission is to improve the lives of companion animals everywhere by any means possible, including rescue, adoption, advocacy, collaboration, intervention and education. Please consider making a donation to help us.

This month has made me question my own rescue efforts and whether change can really be made. Really it has….

The Pets Alive annual ‘Furball’ was held last Saturday. The theme was ‘Can you feel the love tonight?’ and without sounding horribly cliché you really could. Hundreds of people joined together in their love of animals. It was humbling and incredible to witness. It gave me renewed determination to continue our work in PR.

A small glimmer of hope appeared on the horizon this week. For those who follow PAPR you know that we have a number of dogs in foster care. They had spent far too long in Dr Aguirre’s office and when I was in PR we built ¼ acre runs for these dogs at Iris’s house. I would like to take a moment to tell you all about Iris. Iris is an angel who appeared to me last year. I was transporting dogs back to NY and only had 5 crates to take. That left a spare place on my flight so I sent out a note to all the rescuers I know on the island. One of our biggest struggles as rescuers in Puerto Rico is getting dogs out of PR. They must have an escort on the plane and that can prove difficult to find. Somehow my email ended up in Iris’s hands and I received a call from her about a boxer she had rescued named Dio. Iris has been rescuing dogs her whole life with her own money. She finds wonderful homes for them in Puerto Rico. She had been struggling to find a great home for Dio.

Could I take him to Pets Alive she asked? With a heavy heart I explained that I could only transport dogs and I could not take any further rescues in. I could hear the heartbreak in her voice as she thanked me for what I was doing for the dogs of PR and that she would try and continue to find a home for Dio on the island. I felt terrible. So I called Kerry and asked if we had room at the inn for one more – a beautiful boxer who was neutered, healthy and up to date on shots. ‘Of course!’ said Kerry and I could hardly contain my excitement as I called Iris to tell her the good news. Dio and 5 others traveled with me on the night before Thanksgiving. It was a hideous journey. One flight got cancelled, and then the next one that American could put us all on got horribly delayed. We finally walked in the doors of Pets Alive at 6am on Thanksgiving morning. A wonderful family adopted Dio – he even has his own kids! That Thanksgiving Eve Iris and I became sisters and she has been helping PAPR ever since.

We have 18 dogs in foster care. Dogs that I have been promising their very own family…And this week I was told that they could finally come to Pets Alive! It is not something that I was expecting but that makes it all the more exciting! And scary. PAPR had certainly not planned for a large transport but we will make it happen – the dogs are coming in the next 2 weeks. It now costs us $175 PER DOG to send the dogs with American Airlines. And they are the cheapest. That’s in excess of $3000. So I again appeal to you, our loyal followers and supporters to help us bring these beautiful Angels to heaven on earth. They are so deserving and have waited patiently for so long. I am going to put up a chip-in on our website and I would encourage you to give whatever you can. If you would like to sponsor an individual dog and cover their airfare then even better! If you cannot donate $$$ then please consider air miles. We can fly ANY airline to GET to PR. We need to fly AA back as they transport dogs for us. Jet Blue is great because they don’t charge for baggage. And believe me I take a lot of baggage. I have a full rescue kit that I travel with and my wonderful vet, Dr Thomas LoBasso of Cobble Hill Animal Clinic in Brooklyn always send me with huge donations of heartworm and flea and tick medication. Plus I usually go a little crazy in the dog isles of Target before I leave to spoil our fur kids. They so deserve it.

I don’t know who said it but a picture definitely speaks a thousand words so I put this together for you all. You know who is coming and you can pick your favorite to sponsor : ) These dogs have been waiting for their ‘Someday’……… http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AcuG7Rs2YtHWQ

On a very frustrating note, 5 dogs have been dumped at the beach : (
The first one looks in really bad shape.

With more than 140 senior dogs and more than 100 senior cats up for adoption at PAW, creativity is the key to getting those furries into the loving homes they deserve at this time of their life. Unlike other foster programs in which the foster parent commits to taking in an animal temporarily while a suitable adopter is found, the Senior Foster program at PAW asks foster parents to commit to the animal for the rest of the animal’s life. We understand that the potential cost of medical care is one of the main reasons many people reject the idea of adopting a senior pet. So Pets Alive Westchester provides the medical care for seniors in our program.

With your help, we can get these animals home. Committing to a senior is one of the most rewarding ways you will ever find to help an animal in need. It has been heartbreaking to come here, go through the records and see animals that came in as puppies, still here 14 years later. Absolutely gut wrenching. Seniors, especially those who have spent most of their life in the shelter, are extremely grateful for any amount of love and attention that is paid to them. They have outgrown most bad habits, and appreciate simple things such as great smells coming from the kitchen, leisurely walks in the evening, and a soft, cozy place to rest their old bones at the end of a long day. In return they will be a faithful companion to you and give you uncompromising love and devotion. Won’t you please consider providing a loving home for one of these deserving animals?

Dog Training and Enrichment

Pets Alive Westchester is committed to helping animals stay in loving homes. One of the best ways we have found to do this is to provide training help to dog owners who are going through difficult times with their pet. We know that there are simple solutions that will put an end to undesirable behaviors that all too often result in dogs being surrendered to shelters – such as housebreaking issues, inappropriate chewing or barking, separation anxiety, sibling rivalry, etc. PAW has a staff trainer who adopters are encouraged to contact with any and all questions regarding their dogs behavior. In addition, PAW has recently begun offering K9 Basics obedience dog training classes to help dog owners by providing them with a “tool box” of knowledge that will help them shape their dog into a model citizen. As a result of the simple, gentle and humane methods used, a deep and abiding bond is formed between the people and their pets, making it unlikely that these dogs will ever find themselves unwanted and in need of shelter. The classes are open to the public, so all dogs are welcome, and prices are kept low to encourage participation, and classes are held in the evening to encourage all members of the family to attend with their pet. For more information, please visit our website at petsalivewest.org

Surgical Suite

Exciting changes have been taking place in our medical department that will ensure that we are able to meet our commitment to provide excellent medical attention to all of the animals in our care. Dr. Richard Demmerle (Doc) joined the staff full-time in February. Doc brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in shelter medicine. This change has already resulted in increased and better care for the animals. But we are not stopping there! Along with the staff changes, we will soon have a long overdue renovation of the medical suite, including an upgrade of all equipment, funded by two anonymous donors. Quality staff and quality equipment = quality care and better quality of life for our animals. They all very much need and deserve this!

Additionally, all these animals now get regular examinations and medical attention. Holly, a dog who suffers from megaesophagus, needed a special, custom made chair in order to eat and keep her food down. This was an expensive item, but we knew it had to be provided to provide Holly the best quality of care. We also knew we couldn’t afford the purchase. We didn’t give up. We appealed to our members and immediately two volunteers stepped up to cover the cost of this chair. Holly can now eat properly, keep her food down and as a result feels better, looks better and is finally putting on weight!

Summer Dog Camp

Many of the senior dogs at Pets Alive Westchester have been here for more than ten years – some for their entire adult lives! That means best case scenario, they have been living in a very narrow concrete kennel run all that time. There are hundreds of these runs at Pets Alive Westchester, rows and rows of damp, narrow kennel runs. One can’t help but wish for something better for these dogs. Especially the dogs who are not doing well because of the dampness, or those who just need more stimulation than this environment can provide.

Anyone who has been to the Pets Alive sanctuary in Middletown can’t help but wish that the dogs at Pets Alive Westchester could experience Camp Tyler – even just for a few months of the year! At Camp Tyler, dogs live in spacious outdoor runs in the open air. There is a lot to keep them occupied. They can watch squirrels and birds, even the occasional deer, horses and goats! They can lay in the sun or hang out in their igloo. In the summer they swim in their little pools. All the comings and goings at the sanctuary are in view – from cars entering the driveway to people entering the front door of the adoptions building. Just about every dog gets walked at least once a day on a beautiful quarter mile trail in the surrounding woods. And almost every dog is eventually matched up with a buddy – even dogs that you would never think could possibly share a run with another dog.

It isn’t possible to send every Pets Alive Westchester dog to Camp Tyler for the summer. Your help is needed to raise funds to build more dog runs in Camp Tyler so that we can send more of our very special dogs who are not doing well in the the kennel environment. We know that the dogs will benefit from all Camp Tyler has to offer. So far five dogs have been moved to Camp Tyler and the change has been miraculous. Dogs that were spinning in their runs, aggressive at their gates, or had skin issues, are all walking around at Camp Tyler with tails wagging. Children are now even walking these dogs. This change in environment has been an amazing boost to the mental and emotional needs of these dogs. But Middletown is out of space. They have found room to build seven more runs there. We could send seven more of our “legacy” dogs up there if we could raise the money for these additional runs. Please visit our website at petsalivewest.org where we have a chip in running. We need to raise the money to build these additional runs so our dogs that need it most can experience summer camp. We are literally begging you to help us to help them.

This picture is of one of the Pets Alive youth volunteers, Nikki, loving on Bambi. A dog that is at Camp Tyler from Pets Alive Westchester. Please help make this happen for more of the PAW dogs.

Goals

Pets Alive comes to Westchester. By now you have probably heard the story. Years of mismanagement, poor record keeping, and unlimited intake of animals by the Elmsford Animal Shelter had resulted in a situation that was no longer manageable. Unable to continue, those in charge threw up their hands, contacted Pets Alive, and asked them to save not only the animals, but the failing shelter as well.

The part of the story you may not know is that Pets Alive makes a GIANT impact in the animal welfare arena, but it is actually a tiny organization in terms of budget and space when compared to the old Elmsford Animal Shelter. So we knew that we would not be able to help the Elmsford Animal Shelter financially, and also would not be able to take-in the more than 1000 animals who were in desperate need of our help. All we really did know is that we had seen the animals and we could not and would not turn away. This first year has been an uphill battle. There have been setbacks – the roof leaks, there is no insulation, so the building uses fuel oil at an unbelievable rate, the heating system gave out on one of the coldest nights of the year. By some miracle, we were able to limp through the winter, but the odds of getting one more season out of it are slim to none.

But despite all this and because of your support, we are winning the battle to save the animals here. Hundreds of animals have been placed into loving homes or with other no-kill rescue organizations who are committed to finding them homes. The lobby is spacious and clean. No animals are living in cages.

The rabbits live in large hutches. They are lovingly tended to daily by staff and volunteers, It is not unusual to see a rabbit hanging out on the couch in the lobby with one of our rabbit volunteers. The cats live in 10 rooms, with plenty of space. They have fabulous furniture with lots of nooks and crannies to hang out or hide in. The cat staff is loving and attentive and takes time every day to play and brush and love the cats. Cat volunteers can be seen daily hanging out and brushing their favorite cats. There is a lot of love in this place. It is everywhere.

In the kennels, the quality of life is improving for the dogs on a daily basis. Fabulous volunteers and staff ensure that every dog is walked and that every dog knows how much they are loved. Dozens and dozens of kongs are stuffed and passed out daily. The kongs keep the dogs busy and are helping those dogs who suffer from boredom. We wish we had a kong for EVERY dog. Our staff trainer has instituted a Train to Adopt (TTA) program whereby staff and volunteers are being taught how to interact with the dogs in ways that teach the dogs desirable behaviors and make them more attractive to potential adopters. The program has made a noticeable difference. When you walk through the kennels, you will no longer see and hear the customary frantic jumping and barking of typical shelter dogs. Instead you will see dozens of pairs of eyes watching you expectantly, tails wagging. They are patient. They are hopeful. They are waiting. Waiting for you. Waiting to go home. It’s time, and they are ready.

We humans, on the other hand, still have much work to do. We need to attract more donors, supporters, and sponsors in order to carry out our mission to save these animals.

• 
  We will be ramping up our Humane Education program in an effort to reach the children of the community to tell them about the work we do and the no kill movement in general. We will teach young people how treat animals with kindness, compassion and respect, and instill in them empathy for animals. The children are the future of the no kill movement, , and we will encourage them and give them ideas about how they can change the world.
• Over the next few months you will see an increase in Community Outreach events. Getting our name and our message out into the community is crucial to our future survival, since we depend 100 percent of the generosity of the community to carry out our mission!
• We will expand our dog training programs to offer a variety of courses – everything from help with behavioral problems, to basic obedience, to rally and fun agility in an effort to keep more dogs in their homes. We know that people who work on maintaining and improving their relationship with their dog are far less likely to surrender a dog to a shelter.
• You will see an increase in offsite adoption events. Getting our beautiful animals out in front of the public will increase their odds of getting adopted. Since the first of the year, 186 animals have been adopted, including 50 seniors. We need to increase this number until every single one of our “legacy” animals has gone home.
• We have set aside a limited number of runs so that we can take in animals from all over the county, state, nation and the world who need our help. We know that someone coming in to adopt one of our sweet, 60 pound seniors is not likely to change their mind and choose a small, young dog instead. And we also know that the small young dogs help to attract people to our shelter. Those people will become adopters, donors, volunteers, sponsors and supporters. And the circle continues. Until every animal goes home.
• Later this year or early next we will open our medical clinic to begin offering low cost spay/neuter to the animals of this community. We know that the single most important thing individuals can do to keep unwanted animals out of shelters is to spay and neuter their own animals. We need to make it affordable for everyone to do so.

But the bottom line is this: It all starts and it ends with you. We cannot do it without you! We need you! Please continue to help us help the animals.

We are on a critical rescue mission to get these animals “home” and to save this location. Together with our upstate location we will continue on as a force for no kill. If you believe in no kill and you want to see the end of the slaughtering of our companion animals in shelters across this nation, then you need to step up and let your voice be heard.

We all hope that we can change things enough to be unemployed some day.

Please consider sponsoring a pet. Your monthly donation of just $18 (three cups of gourmet coffee) will help us to save the life of an animal every single month. Please consider taking this step. We need you, and more importantly THEY need you. When they come to a shelter, starving, cold, scared and hurt, we promise you – and we promise them – that we will extend our hand, pick them up, and help them. We will not walk them to a back room and kill them. Please help us. They deserve it. We need your support.

Our mission is to improve the lives of companion animals everywhere by any means possible, including rescue, adoption, advocacy, collaboration, intervention and education. Please consider making a donation to help us.

I arrived in PR mid-March to search for land for Pets Alive Puerto Rico and received an exciting phone call from my good friend, fellow rescuer and all around angel, Iris.  The First Lady of Puerto Rico had heard about my rescue work over here from Iris’s husband, who works directly with the Governor of Puerto Rico.  I was invited for an audience at her office to discuss plans for Pets Alive Puerto Rico.  After running out and buying a frock (I didn’t pack anything apart from shorts and t-shirts – good dog rescuing gear!) I went to La Fortaleza, The Governor of Puerto Rico’s Mansion.

We had a great meeting and came away not only with the support of the Office of the First Lady but the Governor’s office too!  It was more than we could have hoped for and a fantastic start to my trip.  They were even offering to help us with land!

We still had 12 dogs in the office of the Pets Alive Puerto Rico Vet, Dr Aguirre and I was very keen to get them moved as soon as possible.  Some of our dogs had been there since September undergoing treatment.  One such darling is Champ who I rescued from Dead Dog Beach in Mid September.  He was a teeny tiny little thing who was clinging to life by a thread.  He screamed when I picked him up – his little body was ravaged by malnutrition, mange and parasites.

This picture is Champ on the day of his rescue. Champ needed a lot of work.  Not only was he starving but he was very frightened too.  Over the course of the next few months I rescued many more like Champ as we cleared up Dead Dog Beach.  Dancer, Prancer, Donner and Vixen; 4 adorable siblings, Bella, Tito, Remco, Sunny, Ash, Angelito and Sarni.

We had rescued a litter of puppies off Dead Dog Beach in November that unfortunately had distemper.  Sadly, none of them made it and the infection spread to the other dogs we had in the vet’s office.  Our amazing vet, Dr Aguirre worked incredibly hard to save our dogs and we did lose some and that was beyond heartbreaking.

Twelve dogs survived and have been undergoing intense treatment since November.  They all look beautiful – the picture of health but they cannot at this time travel to Pets Alive.  So we desperately needed a place for them.  We were incredibly lucky that the wonderful Iris stepped up and agreed to foster all 12 of our dogs!   So we spent Easter weekend building a series of runs at her house so we could move everyone there.  It was back breaking work in 85’ heat but so, so worth it.

The dogs were so happy to out in the fresh air and to be able to run and play freely.  The joy on their faces was just the greatest gift that I could have received and a lot of tears were shed as I watched them all having so much fun.

We shipped 5 dogs to Pets Alive; Jumpy, Oreo, Luke, Gordon and Sparky.  All saved from Dead Dog Beach on New Year’s Day.   Gordon, Jumpy and Oreo have already found their forever homes!

I started viewing land and we are incredibly excited about a plot in Rio Grande on the East Coast of PR.  Kerry flew out to see the site and she is beyond excited!  We still have some land surveys and negotiations to complete but Pets Alive Puerto Rico is fast becoming a reality!

Kerry and I rescued a dog from the car park of Walgreen’s whilst we were buying food to feed other dogs (the irony!) and we named him Scruffy.  He is undergoing treatment with Dr Aguirre and he will travel just as soon as he is healthy enough.  I found a teeny tiny chocolate pup at a gas station in Yabucoa and named her Cadbury.  Kerry escorted Cadbury home (or maybe it was the other way round?) and she was adopted this week.

I had a particularly heartbreaking episode whilst in PR.  I received a call from Sandra, our wonderful volunteer who had been called about a Mummy and puppies at a school.  They were not safe there and so we ventured out on a Saturday morning to rescue them.  We found the puppies immediately but no sign of Mum.  It turns out she had ventured down the road to find food and was taking a nap under the bleachers on the baseball field.  I named her Goldie and she was a beautiful dog – very obviously someone’s pet that had been thrown away when she became pregnant.  Only about 12 months old herself she was an incredible mother to her 8 babies.  We took Goldie and her pups to another rescue group who had agreed to help us with her care.  About a week later Goldie began to show signs of distemper.  We wound up losing her and her babies who were also distemper positive.  I only knew her for a week but this dog made a profound impact on me.  An angel who sat in front of me wagging her tail and kissing away my tears. Goldie has made me even more determined to make permanent change for the dogs of Puerto Rico.

If you would like to watch a video slideshow I made of my recent trip to PR please take a look at this (Goldie is the dog at the end):

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AcuG7Rs2YtHHQ

We are Pets Alive Puerto Rico – get ready to watch us roar.