Second Chance

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U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 45 Grove, OK 74344

P. O. Box 451205 Grove, OK 74345-1205 NON-PROFIT LIFE-SAVING ANIMAL SHELTER Return Service Requested

Introducing New Shelter Director Downstream Casino New Extended Hours 2019 Membership Drive Sponsor Social Media Improves Adoptions Grand Groomers/Kozy Kennel Save The Date Barkaritaville Happy Tails Cinnamon Sunrise Holly & Kringle Saved Statistics for 2018 Grand Country Pest Control WANTED Volunteers Second Chance Thrift Shop Ivan Devitt Joplin Humane Society and Kansas City Pet Project Fostering Why We Transport Pet Sponsorship Program DIRECTORY for SECOND CHANCE PET RESCUE OF GRAND LAKE A NON-PROFIT 501c3 Animal Welfare Organization Physical address: 64301 E. 290 Road Grove, OK 74344

______________________________________________________________ CUT ALONG DOTTED LINE

2019 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION PLEASE LEND A HELPING PAW!

BASIC MEMBERSHIP

• Student (16 & Under) $10_______ • Family $50_______

• Annual Angel $100_______

PAWS MEMBERSHIP

• Bronze Paw $200-$499 _______ • Golden Paw $1,000+ _______

• Individual • Business

$25_______

$50_______

• Silver Paw $500-$999 ________

ADDITIONAL DONATION $________________

SPONSORSHIP $_____________on the _______day of each month beginning _____________.

For automatic sponsorship payments contact your financial institution or go to doitforthepets.com and donate via PayPal.

DATE________________________________________________________________________________ Name ________________________________________________________________________________ Address____________________________________City________________State______Zip __________ Home Phone_______________________________Cell Phone __________________________________ E-mail Address (for E-Newsletters) ________________________________________________________ Make checks payable to: Second Chance Pet Rescue of Grand Lake - P.O. Box 451205/Grove, OK 74345-1205

JOIN TODAY & BECOME AN EVERYDAY HERO!

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 451205 Grove, OK 74345-1205 Telephone: 918-786-7630 Website: doitforthepets.com email: doitforthepets@gmail.com Hours of Operation: Wed – Fri: Noon – 5 pm Sat: 10 am – 3 pm Sunday Noon – 3 pm Mon-Tues: Closed After Hours: By Appointment

Introducing Lysa Boston, New Shelter Director

Talking with Lysa Boston, the new director of the Second Chance Pet Rescue, can be difficult. For one thing, she seems to always be in motion. As she was providing answers to questions, she was juggling dog health issues, administrative decisions, and cleaning and rearranging the front office of the Grove shelter. The other difficulty in talking with Lysa is that her answers to standard questions are wrapped in both philosophic and practical terms which require listing closely to her words. So maybe learning her favorite quote is from the Stephen King book/movie “The Green Mile” isn't so surprising. That movie is about compassion and that nothing can be judged by first impressions.

Lysa became the director of Second Chance Pet Rescue in September 2018 after Manager Kimberly Dudley resigned for health reasons. Lysa, who was formerly shelter director of the Joplin, Missouri, Humane Society, had decided she wanted a change. The timing was perfect, both for Second Chance Pet Rescue and for her. With more than 25 years in shelter management, cruelty investigation, and animal control, she brings a wealth of experience and ideas to our animal rescue organization. Lysa is a Midwest transplant from New Jersey where she grew up in a rural county surrounded by animals. She initially wanted to be a journalist, but after answering an advertisement for a kennel worker to help pay for college, her life changed directions.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Michele Norwood, President Theresa Swift, Vice-Presient & Treasurer Jane Adams, Secretary Marion Metcalf, Thrift Shop Manager Terri Cox Ivan Devitt Laketa Langley Janis Pedersen Connie Ruzicka Kim Shearer Sharon Shearer Sue Casey Claudine Bell

During the next 12 years, while raising four boys, she advanced from kennel worker to shelter manager. Not surprising considering her strong work ethic. She also became certified as an Animal Control Officer, Animal Control Cruelty Investigator, a Veterinarian Technician, and took courses in shelter management.

SHELTER MANAGER: Lysa Boston

A major accomplishment at that shelter, which houses between 400 and 600 animals each month, was the reduction in the euthanasia rate for dogs which was over 85 percent in 2010 and today is only 6 percent. She attributes that to an aggressive spay and neuter program.

SECOND CHANCE THRIFT SHOP 220 E 3rd Street (Three Blocks East of Main in Downtown Grove) Marion Metcalf, Manager Hours of Operation: Tuesday – Sat: 10 am – 5 pm

Maybe it was fate that after 12 years when she was considering a change in her life, that one of her colleagues in shelter management called her and offered her the job as shelter manager for the Joplin Humane Society. So 8 years ago, she packed up and moved to the Midwest.

Lysa says: “It takes time to see the effects of a successful program. For a program to be successful, it has to be affordable and easy, and there has to be a benefit for pet owners, such as reduced licensing fees. It takes 8 to 10 years

to realize the full benefit of an aggressive program, but it is worth it.” Lysa was the manager of the shelter when the Joplin tornado struck in May 2011: “I thought we might need to accommodate 100 dogs. It turned out that we started taking in animals, and it didn't stop until we had an additional 1,301 animals. The ASPC (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty) helped by renting three vacant warehouses where we cared for animals around the clock. What we found was that less than 2 percent had any identification. That is why we now insist that every animal that leaves our rescue be microchipped.” During her first few weeks at the Grove shelter, there has been a number of new routines set up for both the animals and the staff. “Animals do better if they have a set routine,” Lysa noted. In addition, Lysa has studied animal behavior analysis. In fact, it was her desire to better utilize that knowledge that led her to seek to work at a smaller shelter. “In Joplin, we took in as many as 400 dogs a month; it was just not possible to analyze and work with troubled dogs.” She has already made substantial progress with one of our rescue's dogs, Zeke, who has been at the shelter for more than a year. The dog was so abused that no one could touch him. Now Zeke is walking on a leash and slowly coming out of his shell. One of her first projects is to color code the behavior of each dog and cat in the rescue. “By analyzing the animals, we make it easier for volunteers and potential adopters to help make perfect matches. Some dogs are people-friendly, some are protective, some are extremely active. By color coding each of the dogs as to behavior, it is easier for adopters to match their wants with the needs of the animals.” Lysa also plans to expand the hours the rescue is open and have more community outreach. Perhaps the shelter, with its long concrete corridors will be known as the “The Gray Mile”, reflecting the compassion reflected in Lysa's favorite Stephen King's book/movie “The Green Mile.”


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