Rescue of the Month

RESCUE OF THE MONTH: SPCA OF HANCOCK COUNTY

A Life-Saving Shelter Serving Local Animals

By Susan Spisak

Founded in 1911, the lifesaving SPCA of Hancock County is committed to providing shelter and care for abandoned, stray, and surrendered animals and educates the public on proper and humane animal care. Since opening the doors of its expanded facility in Trenton in October 2010, the organization has found new homes for thousands of dogs and cats.

Cole Mastroserio, Communications Coordinator for the SPCA of Hancock County, shared that about 95% of their dogs are owner surrenders. Even the ones that come from their “stray holds” often are relinquished back to them.

This SPCA attempts to avert any of those relinquishments if possible. Admissions team members help navigate those tough decisions by counseling on the many programs and services available to them, especially if there are challenges with the pet (and that is the reason for relinquishment). The goal is to help owners resolve the problems so they can retain the pet.

Other programs that serve their community are the Pet Food Pantry, which supplies pet food, litter, and basic supplies during times of need. They offer Prevent a Litter Certificate and HelpFixME certificates, which reduces the cost of spaying or neutering current pets. And the Mickey Duffy Emergency Veterinary Care Assistance Fund offers financial assistance for individuals receiving state assistance to cover emergency veterinary care expenses.

The shelter can use more volunteers, and as they take in more dogs, areas will expand. As far as tangible donations, Cole was specific:

“Kitten season is hitting us hard and early. It may not look like we have a lot of animals, but we have over 20 to 30 moms and kittens in foster right now. We could really use more cat food, dry and wet, plus kitten supplies such as small litterboxes, wet kitten food, KMR, and litter that is safe for kittens such as Vibrant Life paper pellets or nonclumping litter.

You can visit animals in the lobby and rooms Wednesdays through Saturdays from 12 pm to 4 pm at 141 Bar Harbor Rd, Trenton. If you are looking to adopt a dog, please schedule an appointment ahead of time to ensure they can accommodate a stressfree meet-and-greet.

Please consider meeting Mosi, an adult Lab/Pittie mix with puppy like qualities. He’s a playful, long-time resident, and the staff thinks he’s the best. “Mosi is the most loyal and wonderful boy; he just needs someone who can be dedicated to his training and building up his confidence,” said Cole. For more details on Mosi, see the Adoption pages.

Cole added that you’re invited to attend their Wine & Whiskers fundraiser at the beautiful Bar Harbor Club on Tuesday, July 18th at 5:30 pm. There will be delicious food, a cash bar, live music, and auctions. It brings in over a fourth of their revenue for the entire year, so it’s important. “We can absolutely use more sponsors and attendees to come for the dinner and silent auction,” he added. For details on this and all events, as well as info on dogs, applications, volunteering, see spcahancockcounty.org/adopt/.

MOSI, YOUNG, LAB/PITTIE MIX

Mosi is a long-time resident and our staff thinks he’s the best boy. Mosi would thrive with someone who has time and patience to dedicate to his routine and training, and someone who doesn't have other pets or small children at this stage in life since a lot of focus needs to be put on helping Mosi become a confident dog. We have been working closely with a trainer to set him up for success in his next home. He has a history of fear-based reactivity, so when something new or different happens, like when he meets a new person or his routine shifts, he can sometimes get mouthy, which previously was described as "unprovoked aggression." It's not unprovoked, he is just trying to tell us he needs to take things slow and easy. Mosi has adapted wonderfully to positive reinforcement, and because of his fear reactivity, we have trained him to wear a muzzle when he goes out. He actually associates the muzzle as a good thing and gets excited when he sees it since he knows it means adventure time (and cheese)! He loves to play with balls and chew toys, but he is a super chewer and an anxious chewer, so we have to be careful about what items he is left alone with.