Paw Prints - Summer 2014

Paw Prints SUMMER 2014

PUBLISHED FOR FRIENDS OF THE ARIZONA HUMANE SOCIETY

LAST DOG STANDING

MADELINE HELPS LAUNCH ASPCA RACHAEL RAY $100K CHALLENGE Page 3

SUMMER TO SAVE LIVES Page 4-5

PARTNERING FOR THE FUTURE

MIDWESTERN UNIVERSITY’S COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE Page 7

LETTER FROM THE TOP DOG

NEW HOPE FOR MORE PETS

Dear Friend, This is the Summer to Save Lives and we need your help.

This summer, we’ve made a commitment to rescue, heal, adopt and advocate for homeless pets through innovative programs with one goal in mind – saving more lives.

We’ll do this thanks to a compassionate staff of caring animal lovers and team of amazing volunteers who so generously donate their time to ensure each of our pets feels loved and cared for. And we’ll be successful thanks to you and your continued support, which allows us to fund so many important, lifesaving programs and services.

You ensure that our Emergency Animal Medical Technicians™ and Second Chance Animal Hospital™ can continue to rescue and treat thousands of sick, injured, abused and abandoned pets each year.

You’ve also made possible our Waggin’ Wheels Mobile Adoption Vehicle, which takes pets on the road to adoption and into loving homes throughout the Valley.

You’ve helped us open a kitten nursery and cat isolation area at our Nina Mason Pulliam Campus for Compassion. Our nursery allows us to provide critical care and socialization for our littlest feline friends who are too young for adoption, while the cat isolation area is a healing refuge for ill cats suffering from upper respiratory infection.

And you’ve allowed us to expand our Behavior Modification Program in which trained behavior specialists give shy and fearful dogs extra love and support until they find their loving homes.

You make all of this, and so much more, possible. Your donation rescues a dog whose been inhumanely chained for weeks. Your generosity heals broken bones and mends broken hearts. Your support shelters, rehabilitates and teaches our homeless pets to trust again.

Last Dog Standing Helps Launch Rachael Ray $100K Challenge AHS has been selected as one of 50 shelters across the country to participate in the Rachael Ray $100K Challenge – a competition in which shelters compete to adopt out more pets during this summer than last in an effort to secure $100,000 towards their lifesaving programs and services. AHS’ goal is to find homes for more than 4,000 animals this June, July and August – 500 more than the same three months last year.

AHS was off to a running start as a participant in the 5th Annual Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days, a national event in which adoption fees are waived in an effort to find homes for as many pets as possible. In partnership with our Alliance for Companion Animals members, Valley shelters adopted out 1,993 animals!

The following day, AHS’ staff was greeted with an uncommon, eerie calm. Madeline, a four-year-old pit bull mix, was the only dog remaining at our shelter, sitting all by herself, amongst rows of empty kennels.

Staff was heartbroken but determined to give Madeline a day she’d never forget, treating her to play time in the agility yard and comfy naps within staff offices. Madeline even became a local TV star. In just 24 hours, Madeline thankfully went home to Mesa with her new family, including a four-legged brother.

Thank you for being so passionate and caring so deeply for our homeless animals.

With your continued support, we can save the lives of thousands of more pets.

Sincerely,

Working Cat Program Gives Felines Nine Lives

Dr. Steven R. Hansen, AHS President and CEO

Saving Lives Through Admissions by Appointment As we further our commitment to save more lives, AHS will implement an Admissions

by Appointment program in the coming months that will give every pet its best chance for success by way of a simple, 30-minute intake appointment.

Admissions by Appointment marks an end to long lines, long wait times and the crowded and chaotic counter process where animals are turned over to AHS admissions with little detailed information being exchanged. Under this industryleading admissions model, individuals will call AHS, schedule an appointment, meet with an AHS admissions expert, share the animal’s health and behavioral history, and hear about options available beyond surrendering their pet that may allow them to keep their pet in their home. The pets, as well as the owners, will have a far less stressful exchange, and most will ultimately have a better chance of getting necessary care, adapting to the shelter and finding a new home. Most importantly, Admissions by Appointment will help us save the lives of thousands of animals each year.

2

Over the past decade, Jackie has relied on working cats to help patrol her horse property in Desert Hills. After losing one of her outdoor cats after nine years, Jackie turned to the Arizona Humane Society’s Working Cat program for help.

The Working Cat program allows cats who aren’t suited for indoor living, whether due to behavior issues or handling sensitivities, a career in helping to control the rodent and pest populations at warehouses, ranches, mills and barns. In return, people simply provide them with shelter, food, water and care.

The cats are spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped at AHS and then transported to their new environments. The program is very thoughtful in its approach, only adopting out cats in pairs while also providing all the supplies needed to help the cats adapt to their new surroundings, including an enclosure, bedding, food, litter box and litter.

Weeks after arriving at their new home, the once scared and cautious duo, now known as Sassy Pants and Sam, are now roaming their new digs and settle in each night to their safe-haven barn, truly showcasing how the program is working to save the lives of more cats. For more information on our Working Cat Program, call 602.997.7585 Ext. 2156 or visit azhumane.org/workingcats.

3

SUMMER TO SAVE LIVES

SUMMER TO SAVE LIVES

The Summer to Save Lives This summer, we’ve made a commitment to save the lives of thousands of more pets through a variety of innovative programs, but we can’t do it without you. Your generosity heals broken bones, mends broken hearts and teaches forgotten pets to trust again. The stories of Red, Bella, Mary Kate, Cody and Mona illustrate how your support can help us give more homeless animals a second chance during our Summer to Save Lives.

Waggin’ Wheels Takes Pets Like Mona On the Road to Adoption

Emergency Animal Medical Technicians Give Red a Bright Future It was a hot summer afternoon and Red was thirsty from days spent wandering the streets. So when he stumbled across a canal, he hopped in to cool off and hydrate. Seconds later, Red was swept away by the strong current. A Good Samaritan saw Red and called AHS’ Emergency Animal Medical Technicians™. The EAMTs used ropes to catch Red as he floated by and hoisted him out of the canal.

With a new lease on life, Red is now enjoying his new forever home.

Red is just one of the more than 21,000 calls for help our EAMTs™ receive each year. These heroes are often the only hope for injured, abused and abandoned animals who are in a life-threatening situation.

Whether they’re scaling trees or braving the dangers of a wildfire, these pet paramedics are determined to save lives.

4

Bella Saved at Second Chance Animal Hospital Bella was caught in an apartment fire and found on the porch severely burned. Our EAMTs rescued Bella and transferred her to the Second Chance Animal Hospital™, where we discovered her whiskers were singed off, her paws had first-degree burns and a piece of plastic had melted to her belly. Sadly, one of Bella’s most serious burns did not heal correctly and she needed to have her leg amputated. But after spending several weeks recovering with one of our caring foster families, Bella was adopted into a loving home.

Each year, our Second Chance Animal Hospital™ treats more than 9,000 ill and injured animals just like Bella.

Second Chance is the largest shelterbased trauma facility for homeless pets in the Southwest, manned by compassion vets devoted to saving the lives of animals who have nowhere else to turn.

Kitten Nursery, Cat Isolation Area Provide Hope for Pets Like Mary Kate Mary Kate arrived at AHS when she was just a few weeks old, weighing less than a pound and too young for adoption. She was placed in AHS’ Kitten Nursery, fed nutritious meals, and day by day, ounce by ounce, she grew. Before long she was sent on her way to a new loving home.

Our Kitten Nursery houses dozens of energetic kittens like Mary Kate who aren’t quite ready for adoption. Our loving staff and volunteers care for and socialize these tiny felines during their first critical months of life to ensure they get off to a healthy start.

Sometimes these kittens and other shelter cats come down with upper respiratory infections that can be highly contagious. Thankfully, we have a new cat isolation area at our Nina Mason Pulliam Campus for Compassion, where we can nurse these ill cats back to health. We anticipate this pair of initiatives will save more than 1,000 cats and kittens each year.

Behavior Modification Program Teaches Cody to Trust Again Cody came to AHS overwhelmed, fearful and shy. The West Highland terrier mix would bark when you walked past his kennel and cower in the corner when you tried to pet him.

Mona found her new home the first time our Waggin’ Wheels Mobile Adoption Vehicle hit the road this summer. The 2-year-old English Bulldog was rescued by our EAMTs, and after a few weeks in a foster home, she was the first to walk out of the truck and into the arms of her new loving family.

Waggin’ Wheels gives us the ability to bring the joy of pets all over town – to unique events and outlying areas without adoption centers – to people who may not have easy access to our shelters. We expect Waggin’ Wheels will help us adopt out 600 additional pets each year.

This is the Summer to Save Lives and we need your help.

With your support we can save the lives of thousands of more pets. Visit azhumane.org to help save lives.

Sensing that there was a sweet dog underneath all that fear, our behavior team began socializing Cody. Once volunteers were able to coax him out of his kennel, Cody was soon enjoying one-on-one cuddle time and leashed walks. Cody is now giving plenty of love to his new forever family.

Many dogs have a similar story as Cody. They come to AHS scared, confused, or as victims of abuse or neglect. Our Behavior Modification Program allows trained specialists to work with these dogs until they are ready for adoption. With just a little extra time and love, these special pups are able to find new homes.

5

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Volunteer Barb Ruiz Gives Kittens Love and Hope Every day, dozens of kittens are loved and cared for in AHS’ new Kitten Nursery by a compassionate volunteer force made up of kitty lovers just like Barb Ruiz. Barb, who has been with AHS since January 2012, has until recently worked in our Adoptions Department to help find homes for our pets. But with nearly 100 irresistible kittens now needing special care in our nursery, Barb has been giving her time to our nursery, ensuring the mama cats and kittens receive love and socialization opportunities, and lending a hand to our busy nursery employees.

What draws Barb to the nursery? “I love their little mews, their big eyes, and their playfulness,” she said. “The kittens and their mommas, the classical music, cleaning up after them, watching them play, gobble down their food before cuddling up and sleeping peacefully in all those cute positions – it all just makes the rest of the world disappear.”

AHS volunteers just like Barb are making it possible for us to save the lives of hundreds of little felines this summer. If you’d like to volunteer in our Kitten Nursery or help our pets in other parts of the shelter, call 602.997.7585 ext. 1041.

Adventure is a Way of Life for Koda Koda, an active Australian Shepherd mix, was given up because his owner was downsizing to an apartment and didn’t feel it would be fair for an energetic dog to be cooped up. With an all-around wonderful personality, the 5-year-old quickly found a new home with an active owner who loves adventure as much as he does.

Koda accompanies his new owner for sunrise hikes, camping trips, and they make the most of the warmer weather by playing in the sprinklers.

Saving More Lives at Camp Compassion We had a blast during Camp Compassion this year! Thanks to all of the amazing young animal lovers who helped us make a difference in the lives of homeless pets!

6

PARTNERING FOR THE FUTURE

A New Partner in Creating the Animal Welfare Community of the Future AHS is extremely excited about the opening of Midwestern University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Glendale this fall. AHS plans to partner with MWU-CVM, the first graduate veterinary school in Arizona, to provide educational and service opportunities for veterinary students and staff, as well as increase the number of homeless animals treated and saved in Maricopa County. AHS’ President & CEO, Dr. Steven Hansen, has worked with many students during his career, at both the University of Illinois and New York City’s chapter of the ASPCA.

Pets generally have a shorter lifespan than their owners, but what happens when your pet outlives you?

Continuing Care is a program offered to all Legacy Circle (Planned Giving) members.

Pets whose owners predecease them are placed with new forever families that are carefully selected by staff. Planned gifts support our mission and enable donors to make gifts to AHS in ways that complement their personal financial planning.

“I envision a strong, mutual teaching component between AHS and MWU-CVM,” says Dr. Hansen.

“Their students can learn from AHS’ veterinarians, and when you infuse AHS’ shelter hospital and public clinics with professional students and their fresh ideas, our veterinarians and technicians will be invigorated.”

Call Jodie M. Sprayberry, Planned Giving Officer, at 602.997.7586 Ext. 1034 or email legacycircle@azhumane.org to request information.

AHS Welcomes “Top Dog” Talent to our Board of Directors The Arizona Humane Society’s Board of Directors is committed to providing the vision, governance and resources to help AHS save more lives, reduce pet overpopulation and encourage the public to respect and embrace the joy of pets. In April, the Board welcomed eight new community and business leaders to their ranks. We raise a paw to warmly welcome Marla Hummel of Grant

What is Your Back-Up Plan?

Thornton LLP; Katherine K. Cecala of Valley of the Sun United Way; Adam Miller of Barron Lighting Group; Suzanne Pearl of People Solutions, LLC; Amanda Shaw of AAM, LLC; Mark Solie of Willis Group Holdings; Craig Thatcher, D.V.M., Ph.D. of the ASU College of Technology and Innovation; and Karlene Wenz Kieffer, a retired lobbyist. For a listing of the entire Board of Directors, visit azhumane.org.

We Want to Hear From You Do you have a great adoption story to share? Do you want to learn more about one of our unique giving programs? Do you have questions or concerns about one of our services?

We want to hear from you! If you have questions or feedback, please email us at giving@azhumane.org or call 602.997.7575 ext. 1057.

7

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Phoenix, AZ Permit No. 456

1521 W. Dobbins Road Phoenix, AZ 85041 azhumane.org

Our Pets Could Use Your Old Stuff

Celebrating a Year of Achievements

Do you have new or gently-used furniture, clothes or other household items you need to get rid of? Donate your old stuff to our thrift stores, where proceeds from the sale of your items will benefit our pets. We’ll even pick it up for free. Call 480.290.0587 or email thriftpickup@azhumane.org to arrange for pickup.

Take a look back at all you helped us accomplish last year while getting a sneak peek at how your support will help us better the lives of Arizona’s homeless pets in the coming months.

Our 2013 Annual Report is now available online at azhumane.org.

Shop Online for Paws and Cause Get your favorite shirts and jewelry at the click of a mouse when you shop our Petique Online Store. Pick something out for yourself or find a gift for a friend at azhumane.org/shoponline today!

Emergency Ambulance EAMT™ Service SICK & INJURED RESCUES REPORT ANIMAL CRUELTY

Daily 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. · 365 days a year 602.997.7585 Ext. 2073

Locations | Services NINA MASON PULLIAM CAMPUS FOR COMPASSION Adoptions · Public Clinic · Pet Emporium 1521 W. Dobbins Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85041 602.997.7585 SUNNYSLOPE CAMPUS Admissions · Adoptions Public Clinic Thrift Store · Second Chance Animal Hospital™ · EAMT™ 9226 N. 13th Avenue/ 1311 W. Hatcher Road Phoenix, AZ 85021 602.997.7585 TEMPE THRIFT STORE Shop · Donate 755 W. Baseline Road Tempe, AZ 85283 480.366.4617

CAVE CREEK THRIFT STORE Shop · Donate 13401 N. Cave Creek Road Phoenix, AZ 85024 602.765.4497 PETIQUE AT BILTMORE FASHION PARK Adoptions · Retail 2502 E. Camelback Road, Ste. 167 Phoenix, AZ 85016 602.957.3113 PETIQUE AT THE SHOPS AT NORTERRA Adoptions · Retail 2460 W. Happy Valley Road, St. 1149 Phoenix, AZ 85085 623.582.2513

Pet-Friendly Plates Help drive pet overpopulation out of Arizona by purchasing a pet-friendly license plate! Pet-friendly Arizona plates are available for only $25 per year, and $17 from each plate helps to pay for spay and neuter services for dogs and cats throughout Arizona.

Order your plates at azpetplates. org or call the ADOT Motor Vehicles Division office nearest you.

Stay Connected – Visit Us Online!

PET FINDER | DONATE | LEARN | SHARE azhumane.org · pinterest.com/azhumane twitter.com/azhumane facebook.com/azhumane youtube.com/user/ArizonaHumaneSociety