PawPrints Magazine: Spring 2019

Published For Friends of the Arizona Humane Society

SPRING 2019

HELPING LOST PETS GET HOME PAGE // 2

EVERYTHING COUNTS PAGE // 4

STRENGTHENING ANIMAL CRUELTY LAWS PAGE // 7

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PAW P R I N T S

ASK EDDISON Eddison is one of our animal teachers who interacts with children at camps, birthday parties and in classrooms. In each issue of Paw Prints, Eddison will answer a question we receive from our supporters.

Our Mission Every pet deserves a good life. With a vision to end animal suffering, we rescue, heal, adopt and advocate for sick, injured and abused animals.

Our Vision End animal suffering, homelessness and needless euthanasia.

Q: H ow are you helping to reunite lost pets with their families?

Our Values Innovation. Compassion. Excellence.

Reunions are some of my very favorite stories!

Recently, I watched an adorable little Yorkie named Bentley reunite with his family after he had been missing for more than three months.

Thank goodness he had a microchip! It made all the difference in the world for Bentley, and they’re extremely important for all pets to have as they more than double the odds that a lost pet makes its way home. Microchips are included for free with all of our pet adoptions, and we offer them at our veterinary clinics if your own pet is in need of one.

Not all pets have microchips, however, and we’ve recently added a Pet Reunite Specialist to our staff whose sole focus is to provide tools and resources to individuals and reconnect pets with their families.

Additionally, AHS works closely with Maricopa County Animal Care and Control to identify stray pets through MCACC’s interactive mapping tool. The map and additional resources can be found on our website at azhumane.org/lost.

Last year, AHS helped reunite more than 700 lost pets with their families. We’re hopeful these new additions and improved resources will help even more pets find their way back home.

WIN AN ALL-NEW 2019 RAV4 XLE Donated by Our Friends at

$20 per raffle ticket or 3 for $50

azhumane.org/Toyota

All raffle proceeds BENEFITING

Dr. Steven R. Hansen President & CEO

2019 AHS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive Committee Andrea Marconi, Chair Dr. Craig Thatcher, Vice Chair Kerry Milligan, Secretary Matthew Waller, Treasurer (Finance Chair) Suzanne Pearl, Past Chair Deborah J. DePaoli, Governance Chair Melinda Gulick, Facility Development Committee Chair

Board Members Bryan Albue, President’s Club Steering Committee Chair Anthony Alfonso Courtney Beller Katherine Cecala Ann Damiano Dyan Getz Susie Ingold Christine Jensen, Planned Giving Chair Melissa Rupoli-Katz Tracey Lyons Kimberlee Reimann Padilla Ann Siner Paul B. Smith Patricia Tate Jen Weinbrenner

AZHUMANE.ORG

SPRING 2019

More Spays, Less Strays Arizona residents can make a voluntary contribution via a check off box on their tax form to fund much-needed affordable spay/ neuter services throughout Arizona. AHS led efforts to pass a law last year, which resulted in more than $130,000 being raised in its first year during last tax season to support spay/ neuter. For information on how you can make a donation on your tax form this year and combat overpopulation, visit azhumane.org/morespays.

Kye Kye

Suite Success Ten newborn puppies can be overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to care for and protect them on a broken leg. That was the struggle our Emergency Animal Medical Technicians™ found Kye Kye facing when they rescued the stray pit bull and her pack of puppies from the streets of Phoenix.

Kye Kye was brought to our Second Chance Animal Trauma Hospital™ where our veterinarians tended to her injured leg, and then she and her puppies were transferred to our Mutternity Suites to allow Kye Kye to nurse and tend to her puppies in a quiet, safe place with medical supervision. After several weeks, Kye Kye and her pups were moved into a Foster Hero home to continue their care. Eventually, all 11 found forever homes!

Since opening in September of 2017, our Mutternity Suites has offered a second chance to hundreds of mothers and their pups just like Kye Kye. This past year, 330 moms and their babies were cared for in our Mutternity Suites with a 96 percent success rate.

Thank you for supporting lifesaving programs like Mutternity Suites and giving Kye Kye and her 10 babies a chance at loving, happy lives.

Thanks to the support of the Daughters of the American Revolution, AHS provided veterinary services to the animals of 32 Arizona veterans and also gave out 100 free spay/neuter vouchers at Maricopa County StandDown, a pet wellness clinic for veterans, in January.

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PAW P R I N T S

EVERYTHING COUNTS

Everything we do counts. Every donation adds up to a life saved. Every volunteer hour improves a pet’s life. Every animal advocate gives hope. Everything we are doing, and everything you are doing, makes a difference to the more than 16,000 pets we care for each year.

With your help, we’ve implemented new, innovative programs that have helped us save an additional 80,000 lives over the past five years. But our work is far from done.

We will soon embark on a new era in which we replace our dilapidated Sunnyslope facility with a new, state-of-the-art campus, anchored by an Animal Medical Center, that will allow us to save even more lives. Our vision to end animal suffering, homelessness and needless euthanasia in our community has never felt closer. What we do, together, will get us there.

EVERY MINUTE COUNTS A few minutes could be the difference between an Emergency Animal Medical Technician™ rescuing a dog trapped in a canal in time or one of our vets saving a critically ill cat, fighting for its life on a surgery table.

This past year, with your support:

Everything. It all adds up. It all counts. Thank you for everything you do to impact the lives of homeless pets.

EVERY RESOURCE COUNTS A pet’s place is at home. Affordable veterinary services, behavior training solutions and our Pet Resource Center help keep families together.

This past year, with your support: ·4 ,229 pets kept in homes with help from our Pet Resource Center · 1 9,936 owned animals were cared for by our veterinarians

· 1 1,493 animals treated in Second Chance Animal Trauma Hospital™

·6 45 pet owners received financial assistance for medical services

·4 ,013 sick and injured animals rescued and 7,481 cruelty investigations performed by Emergency Animal Medical Technicians™

· 1 6,097 owned and shelter animals were spayed/neutered

·3 06 moms and pups cared for in our Mutternity Suites ·4 09 dogs treated in our Parvo Puppy ICU · 1 ,828 kittens cared for in our Kitten Nursery and Bottle Baby ICU

· 9 96 owned dogs are better behaved with training help

EVERY HOME COUNTS Whether it’s a forever home, a foster home or a pet reunited with a home once thought lost, every home offers a second chance at happiness.

This past year, with your support: · 1 ,379 Foster Heroes opened their homes to 4,632 pets · 1 2,229 pets found homes through adoption and placement programs · 7 18 lost pets were reunited with their families

SPRING 2019

EVERY PARTNER COUNTS

EVERY VOICE COUNTS

By collaborating with partners to expand options for new homes, reduce overcapacity in shelters, reunite lost pets and increase spay/neuter efforts, we save more lives together.

This past year, with your support: ·8 72 animals got a second chance through New Hope and Project Reach Out – a 131 percent increase over last year · 8 93 pets placed in loving homes through rescue partners ·8 5031 formerly the top zip code for unaltered pets; now #5 through spay/neuter efforts and Fix.Adopt.Save.

Your voice means everything to our furry friends who can’t speak for themselves.

Through your help with our youth and adult education programs, community outreach and advocacy efforts, we are making Arizona a safer and better place for animals.

Tiny kittens overcome big obstacles Rescued from the side of the road, Ditch, a Tuxedo kitten who was just days old, was covered in maggots, and Jiffy, was found in a body shop slathered in motor oil when he was just two days old.

Orphaned by their mothers, both ended up in AHS’ Bottle Baby Kitten ICU and subsequently an AHS Foster Hero home before finding a new forever family together.

Teaming together to heal Sparkles was suffering from a fractured leg and Maricopa County Animal Care & Control reached out to AHS through the New Hope Program. Our medical team performed surgery to place pins in Sparkles’ damaged leg, and one of our special donors from Prescott, along with PACC911, provided funding to help cover the costs of her medical care. After a month recovering in the home of a Foster Hero, she found a loving family in Mesa.

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PAW P R I N T S

Why I Give “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

-Sir Winston Churchill These words are the message on my computer screen each and every day. For more than 10 years, I have witnessed the difference the Arizona Humane Society has made in the lives of pets (no, all animals) in our community – working to keep them safe and well; rescuing and caring for their physical and emotional needs. I have supported them not only for WHAT they do, but for HOW they do it. The AHS team has modeled evidence-based vet care; innovative programming; and transparent, ethical, responsible operations. On Charity Navigator, AHS has earned the Navigator’s best rating with a score of 94.42 of 100.

I have remembered AHS in my estate plans to help ensure a healthy financial future for AHS and to support the continuation of the services AHS provides to thousands of animals each and every year. I encourage you to do the same. Become a part of legacy giving knowing that your gift helps ensure the ongoing fulfillment of AHS’ mission “every pet/animal deserves a good life.”

Learn more at azhumane.org/legacycircle.

-Winnie Fritz

Become a Hero for Ringworm Pets Recently, AHS took in 19 pets who were removed from a home in Mesa by the Mesa Police Department and Mesa Animal Control. It was later discovered that these 13 Chihuahuas, ranging in age from 2-7 years, five cats and one rabbit, had all contracted ringworm while living in the home they were confiscated from.

This is just one example of the rise of ringworm cases coming through our doors, and the great need for Foster Heroes who are able to care for these pets, as the chances of recovery are higher in a home than in the shelter environment. While highly contagious, ringworm is similar to athlete’s foot, and is one of the most common fungal infections amongst young kittens, dogs and rabbits, and curable with the right care.

If you’re interested in becoming a ringworm Foster Hero and saving lives, please contact foster@azhumane.org.

SPRING 2019

Common Signs of Animal Abuse/Cruelty: · Open sores or cuts on the animal’s body · Animal has bruising, bleeding or other apparent injuries · Patches of missing fur · Tick or flea infestation · Extremely thin · Limping/inability to walk

The Next Step Toward Strengthening Animal Cruelty Laws Justice for Baby, a severely neglected Labrador who now lives with a family in Surprise, was a significant win this year against animal cruelty and neglect. Sadly, this is not always the outcome. AHS Animal Cruelty Investigators respond to approximately 20 suspected cases of animal cruelty each day.

As a founding member of the Humane Legislative Coalition of Arizona, we lead and work alongside elected officials to strengthen animal cruelty laws in our state.

This year, we are focused on state legislation to expand support for cruelty against domestic animals, strengthen protections for people who buy pets with preexisting conditions (i.e., puppy lemon laws), offer protection against harassment of working animals like police dogs, and create a public registry of convicted animal abusers.

Learn more about AHS’ advocacy efforts and how you can get involved at azhumane.org/advocacy.

· Witness an owner hitting or beating an animal · Dogs repeatedly left alone outside without food, water or shelter · Dogs tethered/chained outside · Dogs kept outside during extreme weather with no shelter · A house with an excessive amount of cats · Cowering in fear or acting aggressively · Pets left in parked cars (during hot weather)

Who Rescues Who? Sick/Injured Stray Pets Arizona Humane Society Field Dispatch 602.997.7585 Ext. 2073 Suspected Abuse 911, Local law enforcement agency, AHS 602.997.7585 Ext. 2073 Healthy Strays/Licensing/Dog Bites Maricopa County Animal Care and Control 602.506.7387 Unincorporated Areas Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office 602.876.1000

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

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

Fetch Our Debit Card Open a new checking account with Arizona Federal Credit Union and they’ll make a $50 donation to AHS and our pets while giving you $50 too! Plus, every time you make a purchase with your Arizona Humane Society Visa Debit Card, AHS will receive a donation! Have children? We’ll soon be launching special kids’ accounts as well. Learn more at azhumane.org/afcu.

New Look, New Ways to Help We are proud to announce the launch of our updated volunteer website, which features the many ways to get involved with AHS as a volunteer. While dog walking and kitten cuddling will always remain the most popular roles, there are so many creative ways to give back to homeless pets in our community. From event support to thrift store donation sorting and adoptions support to photography and creative writing, there’s something for everyone! Learn more at azhumane.org/volunteer.

DON’T KIT-NAP

KITTENS! Mom will likely return.

Please don’t intervene.

Learn more at azhumane.org/foundkittens.