THE PET PRESS WINTER 2020
Family ALL IN THE
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A Quarterly Magazine for Rescue Animal Lovers | Compliments of SafeHaven Humane Society
Executive Director Focus Dear Friends, For months now I have been waiting. Waiting for 2020 to be behind us. This year has brought us a deadly pandemic, global and local wildfires, political and social unrest and, on top of it all, murder hornets. I know - I almost forgot about them, too. Seriously though, what a year it has been! It has changed the way we stay connected with family and friends, how we buy our groceries, and how we are going about everyday life. Some days, I am exhausted and frustrated and I just want my “normal� back. I just want to move on from 2020 and get a fresh start in the new year. But, then I remember all the positive things that have happened in 2020. At the start of the pandemic, shelters across the United States were flooded with individuals and families looking to adopt or foster pets in need. People everywhere brushed up on their sewing, cooking, and gardening skills. I planted and grew my first garden this past year. Puzzles, board games, and drive-in movie theaters became cool again. Individuals and communities came together to honor and support health care workers and essential workers as heroes and Zoom helped keep us all connected to each other while still social distancing. Good things did happen in 2020! For SafeHaven, 2020 brought many of its own challenges, but in those challenges, we also saw the good. Our friends and donors helped us hire a new veterinarian for our medical suite and, to date, we have completed 915 spay and neuter surgeries right here at SafeHaven! You supported us when our events and fundraising went virtual and you continued to support the animals who had no idea what a crazy year it has been. You reached out, you stayed connected with SafeHaven, and you faithfully were there for us in this unsettling time. I can not even begin to tell you what that meant to me and the animals!
You continued to support our life saving work and an important realization happened for many people throughout communities around the United States: During this past year, people have needed animals as much as the animals have needed us. Pets are providing companionship and joy during this time of social distancing, and are bringing much needed laughter and fun into our homes. Pets are helping each of us cope with the unsettling world we live in right now and, as we move forward into 2021, the one thing I know for certain is that SafeHaven will be here helping connect pets with people, because we need each other! For the animals,
Chris Storm Executive Director
Table of Contents Executive Director Focus.................. 1 Cover Story............................................. 3 Happy Tails............................................ 4 Events...................................................... 5 Holidays at SafeHaven................... . ...6 Development ................................... ... 7 To The Rescue................. ...................10 Community .........................................13
Did you know you could donate your cans and bottles? There are a few different ways to take advantage of this program! First, SafeHaven will always take recyclable cans and bottles at the shelter or either Gift and Thrift location. We will take any can, glass bottle, or plastic bottle that has its label and a deposit requirement. They can be in any type bags or boxes and do not need to be rinsed, though it is appreciated. Second, people can utilize the blue bags that BottleDrop provides. These bags have a barcode on them that enable them to be returned directly to any BottleDrop location through the drop door, or at the customer service desk. Empty bags are available at the shelter. Full blue bags can also be returned to the shelter or either Gift and Thrift location. Third, if you already have a bottle or can hoard (at least a 13 gallon garbage bag or more) SafeHaven can come pick it up. Bottles and cans would need to already be bagged or boxed up. The fourth and final way you can participate is, if you are a member of the green bag program with BottleDrop, you can donate directly from your account! If you want to learn more, email communityoutreach@safehavenhumane.com. Thank you!
Ziggy & Zelda, Cover Models Looking through a big window to watch ducks and geese land into the surrounding ponds, Ziggy and Zelda cuddle together on Dixie and Alton Sullivan’s couch. These two felines, Zelda, 7, and Ziggy, 5 ½, have been overseeing the wetlands in Lebanon since January of 2018. When Dixie’s sister, Marcine, passed away unexpectedly, her sisters Dixie, Bernice, and Linda came to the rescue, ensuring that her beloved kitties would be safe and loved. Since Dixie and Alton didn’t have any cats at the time, they knew bringing them home and giving them a quiet place to roam was the perfect fit.
playing in the field. In the evenings, Dixie will call out for them and up pops a cute little black and white face in the grass and they both come running in. Caring for animals and others has always been a passion of Dixie’s. Growing up, she always had pets and SafeHaven is near and dear to her heart. The Sullivans first got involved by participating in SafeHaven’s Capital Campaign, helping SafeHaven grow into the shelter it is now. Being a top priority to them both, they have helped SafeHaven achieve many great things over the years with Dixie’s big heart and Alton’s great ideas, most recently, our medical center. Ziggy and Zelda are joined by Dixie and Al’s two Labradors, Sadie, 12 and Tootsie, 2. This sweet pack keeps Dixie on her toes and is the center of their home, entertaining them for hours! Even Dixie’s sister Bernice’s dog, Tanner, comes over and joins in on the adventures out in the wetlands. Dixie and Al say that their pets complete their family and they will always have pets!
Zelda was originally adopted by Marcine from SafeHaven back in 2014. Ms. Zelda is an orange and white tabby, the boss lady of this duo, and although she can be feisty, she will be the first to hop on Dixie’s lap and purr away. Ziggy, a black and white tuxedo, is a bit more reserved. When it came time to go pick up the two from Marcine’s home, Zelda came right away, but it was a week later when Marcine’s son Steven was able to bring Ziggy to Dixie’s house. Once home, they opened the cat carrier and Zelda went straight inside and brought Ziggy out with her. Ziggy was rescued as a stray kitten and has grown up with Zelda by his side. Now the two lounge about in the “Duck Room” after spending the day catching mice and 3
Happy Tails IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS “It’s safe to say, we are in LOVE! Tux (previously Archie) has been the greatest blessing to our family, especially with all of the craziness and uncertainty this year. Over the last few days, we have said many times, “Why did we wait so long to adopt?” He is a spunky little kitten with a cuddly and sweet side, kind of like a Sour Patch Kid. Thank you for giving us the gift of animal adoption! We plan to add another kitten to our family at some point soon, so you’ll see us again. Please thank Tux’s foster family for us. They clearly took great care of him and they so generously passed along one of his favorite toys! We’re so grateful.” -Sara Dodge
CUDDLES FOR ALL "Cuddles is settling in nicely! I'm amazed at what a very, very good dog he is! I've been bringing him to my store with me almost every day, and he is very happy to be my new official greeter. He gets a ton of loves and pets as my customers all love him too! At home he is just the biggest cuddlebug. He also gets along well with the cat, which was my biggest concern. They haven't become best friends yet, but I think they both have the right personalities that it's not an impossible scenario in the future. Right now Cuddles mostly ignores the cat, and the cat keeps an eye on him, but will also decide that the bugs in the window are more important. I'm so glad I was able to adopt this boy. He is just pure love and light and I know my life is better for having him in it. I can only hope that he feels the same." -Autumn Wright
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Events THAT'S A WRAP! That's a wrap on our first virtual RESCUE ROUNDUP FROM THE HOMESTEAD! Relying on this event as our largest fundraiser each year, we were hesitant to move forward with an online auction and, of course, we knew we would miss seeing all of you in person. But as Preview Week began, we were ecstatic to see so many of you logging on and preparing to bid. Many people also took a moment to 'Paws for the Cause' to make a donation and we're happy to report that you truly came to our rescue. Between the online auction and the 'Paws for the Cause' campaign, our community raised an incredible $158,000 to support the care of our homeless pets and the continuation of many needed programs! While we missed seeing everyone, we hope you enjoyed bidding in the comfort of your home. So...y'all come back now, ya hear? We want to see YOU at the 2021 Rescue Roundup!
THE HOLIDAY PHOTOS MUST GO ON If you have been supporting SafeHaven through the years, you may have attended Santa Paws, a fundraiser that gives families the option to get their Santa photos done with their pets while making a difference in the lives of shelter animals. With current COVID restrictions in place, we knew we had to find a way to host Santa Paws in a safe way. Some families have been attending Santa Paws for over 10 years! So, the show must go on. We arranged for Santa Paws to take place at the shelter instead of at Coastal Farm and Ranch and, of course, in order to keep Santa safe, we gave him the days off this year. SafeHaven hosted Santa Paws on November 21st, December 5th, and December 6th. We photographed one family at a time, sanitized between groups, and asked people to wait in their cars. We're thrilled that we found a way to keep the tradition of Santa Paws alive as were so many of our regulars, along with a few new faces! Check out these cute Santa Paws regulars in the photo. Bow is the Puggle; he is 10.5 years old and this is his 11th year coming to Santa Paws. Brinn is the Chocolate Lab; she is 3.5 years old and this is her 3rd year coming to Santa Paws! 5
Holidays at SafeHaven GIVING TREES Each year, SafeHaven works with many businesses in our community to host Giving Trees that ultimately bring in much needed items to the animals. As you can see in the photo to the left, these trees all have ornaments with a photo of one of our shelter animals and items on our Wish List. You can currently find a SafeHaven Giving Tree at our shelter, both SafeHaven Gift & Thrift stores, inside the Heritage Mall, Cascade Ridge Apartments in Lebanon, Corvallis Feed and Seed, Timberridge Place Apartments in Albany, Toyota/Subaru of Corvallis, Oregon Cannabis Co. in Albany, Pono Bowl Co. in Albany, and Cool’s Feed and Seed in Albany. If you see one of these trees and wish to participate, select your ornament and simply return gifts and ornaments to SafeHaven Humane Society or place under the Giving Tree. To view our Wish List, visit our website at www.safehavenhumane.org/support-us/ donate/. Thank you for making this season bright for the animals!
AND THE WINNER IS... Our annual Christmas Tree Raffle is a wrap and, for the first time ever, we’re happy to report that we sold ALL 200 of the tickets available and raised $10,000 for the animals! Special thanks and recognition to Rebecca Swanson of The Swanson Agency for generously sponsoring this incredible fundraising opportunity. We are also grateful to Toland Tree Farm for donating a beautiful fresh tree and to the Expressions in Bloom team for offering to professionally decorate this gorgeous tree! Our lucky winner of the $500.00 Visa gift card and the professionally decorated Noble Fir tree is Gordon Martin of Albany! 6
Development LIFESAVING MEDICAL CARE We have all seen the wonderful benefits of being able to perform on-site spay and neuter surgeries. But the new surgery suite has also provided us with many more opportunities to help homeless pets. In October, sweet Lexi arrived on a transport from California and the shelter staff noticed that she had rapid breathing and bloody discharge. Given that she was sent to us as possibly pregnant, we initially thought she was in labor. It wasn’t much later that we brought her into radiology to take x-rays of her with our brand-new x-ray machine. We discovered that she was not pregnant, but rather Lexi had open pyometra (a bad uterine infection). SafeHaven veterinarian, Candice Corriher, DVM performed emergency surgery, with the Lead CVT assisting. Thankfully, it went very well and Lexi is now recovering and doing great. She is available for adoption and searching for her forever home. We also want to introduce you to Keanu, a three-month old kitten who has already been through quite an ordeal. He was surrendered to us after, sadly, getting into an altercation with a dog. Unfortunately, that altercation caused a fracture to his left front leg. Upon further examination, our Veterinarian determined that the fracture was beyond repair and the best course of action would be amputation of the leg. On November 9th, the first on-site amputation was performed at SafeHaven. Keanu is recovering well and doing great! He ended up stealing his surgeon's heart and will be adopted by our very own veterinarian once he is completely healed.
Development BE A CONSTANT COMPANION FOR ANIMALS Abused, neglected and homeless animals face a lot of uncertainty, but there’s one thing they can count on — you. Giving monthly includes you in a remarkable group of people we refer to as the Inner Circle. As a SafeHaven Humane Society Inner Circle member, your monthly donation will provide critical assistance to change the lives of animals in our communities. You have the power to help animals find new families. We hope you'll join us! If you have any questions about becoming an Inner Circle Caregiver's Club member, please call us at 541-928-2789.
WHAT CAN $20 EACH MONTH DO? Provides nourishing meals for shelter animals and enrichment toys to help them pass their time waiting for a forever family to say "Yes!"
WHAT CAN $30 EACH MONTH DO? Provides foster parents with adequate supplies to bottle feed kittens, keep puppies warm and safe, and much more.
WHAT CAN $50 EACH MONTH DO? Provides our medical staff the equipment and time to perform a spay or neuter surgery.
WHAT CAN $100 EACH MONTH DO? Provides lifesaving medical care to pets in SafeHaven's care and allows for each pet to receive the treatment they need. SafeHaven is hoping to sign up 100 new Inner Circle members in 2021 to be able to keep saying "Yes" to so many homeless animals in need of a second chance. For less than a dollar a day, you can help provide lifesaving care to pets who are in need of an advocate. Please visit our website to sign up online or get more information.
Giving Tuesday Recap LITTLE FOOT What is Giving Tuesday? Giving Tuesday refers to the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It is a movement fueled by community and kindness to create an international day of charitable giving at the beginning of the Christmas and holiday season. To celebrate Giving Tuesday this year, SafeHaven shared with the community some of the stories that warm our hearts and make every effort worthwhile. On social media and through emails, we told you about Little Foot, a special kitten who was born in a foster home. This year, we also had TWO generous and anonymous $5,000 matches, totaling $10,000! On Giving Tuesday this year, YOU helped raise $11,061.92, resulting in a total of $21,061.92 for the animals at SafeHaven and the many more to come through the doors that will need our help. Because of your support, each of the animals here, and the many to come, WILL find their forever homes, no matter how long it takes.
FINDING EDELYN Edelyn came to SafeHaven all the way from Oklahoma in search of a new forever home in Oregon. But it hasn't been that easy. Unfortunately, Edelyn escaped her foster home in March and was roaming Albany for what felt like much more than six months. We're happy to report that she was finally safely captured in September! After months of tracking her movements and talking to expert rescue groups, staff and volunteers constructed and set up a trap in the form of a large kennel in the fields that she frequented. The trap had a trip sensor and closed the door when Edelyn entered to eat her daily meals. We were immediately alerted by a dedicated community member and picked her up! She had an exam by the vet, was caught up on all of her treatments (flea control, etc.), had a bath, and settled back in very nicely. Thank you to everyone who attended search parties, gave us tips on her location, and followed her story. Edelyn is currently in a loving foster home. If you are interested in meeting her, please give us a call at 541-928-2789.
To The Rescue A CALL FOR HELP On September 7th, right in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and everything else plaguing our world, the beautiful Pacific Northwest began seeing yet another huge hurdle, widespread wildfires. In the Albany and surrounding areas, we were considered ‘safe’ and not been placed on an evacuation order. Areas around us were not so lucky as hundreds of families were asked to flee their homes and pack their most important belongings. SafeHaven knew we had to help. We began immediately sending donations and staff members to Linn County Fairgrounds to help with those displaced. SafeHaven also began accepting pets of those displaced due to the wildfires and, in the end, was able to house over 50 animals. This included having an emergency evacuation plan for not only SafeHaven pets, but also those in our care temporarily. Our staff was prepared for anything which, fortunately, everyone was used to from working in a shelter environment. SafeHaven also staffed the shelter 24 hours a day in case someone needed to evacuate in the middle of the night. But we could not have done it without you. Once our community caught the news that we were able to help in this capacity, donations began coming in to the shelter in the form of online donations, but also people dropping off much needed supplies. We were happy to report that after a few days, we were running out of space to store donations. Our hearts and our shelter were, quite literally, full!
THE PLACE TO BE, A-PARROT-LY SafeHaven was also excited and honored to partner with Exotic Bird Rescue of Oregon to temporarily house a few unique visitors during this tumultuous time. SafeHaven typically does not have the resources to care for exotic birds but, with the assistance from Exotic Bird Rescue, we were able to help 8 birds. These beauties were displaced from Santa Clara (Eugene). The African Grey is the only survivor in his flock of three that had to escape the fires in a shoe box clutched by his owner. After several weeks at SafeHaven, these birds along with the other displaced animals all were happily reunited with their owners. SafeHaven is forever grateful to be able to help!
Giving Thanks GRAT·I·TUDE noun
the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. It’s that time of year when we begin thinking about everything we have to be thankful for. Although it’s nice to count your blessings on Thanksgiving and during the holiday season, we try to remember that being thankful throughout the year could have tremendous benefits on our health, which seems especially important these days. In fact, gratitude may be one of the most overlooked tools that we all have access to every day. Cultivating gratitude doesn’t cost any money and it certainly doesn’t take much time, but the benefits are enormous. We asked staff members at SafeHaven what they were thankful for this year and this is what they had to say: "I’m thankful for our supporters who give selflessly to help us provide the best care to homeless pets in need! I’m thankful for our adopters who open their hearts and homes to a shelter animal! I see pure joy all over SafeHaven’s alumni page and it is so good to see each animal so happy with their new families." Carly Storm, Events & Development Coordinator "I am feeling extra thankful for the health and safety of my family, friends, and coworkers!" Sara Girres, Marketing Coordinator "I am thankful for all of our Staff and Volunteers that work so hard at SafeHaven." Jim Storm, Director of Operations "I am very thankful this year to have a job working with SafeHaven. I am extra thankful for a wonderful family, including my dogs, to spend the holidays with." Rose Ainsworth, Lebanon Gift & Thrift Store Employee "I am thankful to have a job that is meaningful and to be able to pursue my passion of helping animals and
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the community. I’m especially grateful for all of our wonderful volunteers and foster parents. From our thrift store volunteers to our dog walkers to our neonatal kitten fosters, your support is the backbone of SafeHaven and essential to the thousands of rescue animals that get a second chance at SafeHaven each year." Gage Ziehmn Ardağ, Volunteer/Foster Coordinator "I am thankful for my amazing family who supports me unconditionally. I am thankful for the difficulties in life that we all endured this past year that have made us wiser, stronger, and recognize to not take one single second for granted." Molly Jimenez, Human Resources and Finance Manager "I’m thankful for a year that allowed me to see what matters to us most. While the importance of toilet paper was unexpected, the amount of love and support of one another has blown me away. I’ve seen neighbors jump to help each other, communities rallying for their local businesses, and when we thought that people were holding on to more, I’ve actually seen them give more than ever. I’m so proud to work at SafeHaven and witness the daily hearts of others." Steph Lesire, Development & Event Coordinator
Happy Tails A "WHEELIE" GREAT MATCH Meet Buddy! Buddy came to SafeHaven all the way from Texas on a "Rescue Me" transport. He was happily adopted in September 2019 by his new mom and dad. They came to visit us for Buddy's Gotcha Day to show off his sweet ride. They told us he was a little shy when he was first adopted but now he’s feeling confident in his sidecar with dad and sometimes on mom's lap if she joins them. We think it's clear as day that Buddy is living his best rescue dog life! Adopted by Barry and Lynn Reed of Albany
IT TAKES TWO "Opal and Patrisse (now Millie) are doing wonderful! They have brought us so much joy and happiness since they arrived. They immediately settled right in and have adjusted really well. Both Opal and Millie love snuggling with us at any opportunity and hang out with me during the day in my office. We have spoiled them with plenty of toys! Some days it's harder to get work done as they want to crawl and take naps on my lap at the same time. They had their vet appointment at Willamette Vet Hospital and are in great health. We had them screened for FIV and it came back negative. Yay! We are so thankful that we were able to adopt both of these two lovable kittens. Thank you SafeHaven for providing a quick and easy adoption process while we all are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This was our first time adopting from you and we are so extremely grateful we did!" -Chelsea Gill
Community FILL THE VAN WITH CANS On November 14th, you filled the van! Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Lebanon Gift and Thrift and dropped off cans and bottles. Our van and hearts were full. As always, we are happy to give you blue bottle drop bags and can accept them at the shelter. If you run out, just stop by for more. This program is a succesful fundraiser for the animals year-round!
NAMING A LITTER During our virtual auction, Rescue Roundup from the Homestead, two lucky people won the chance to name a litter of puppies at SafeHaven and also a litter of kittens. What a fun opportunity to put your thinking cap on! A lot of people don't realize that most animals that come to SafeHaven already have names, but sometimes we get the chance to name puppies and kittens born in foster care. Our "Name a Litter of Puppies" winner gave us a beautiful explanation of how she chose the names for her litter: "I finally decided on a theme of authors that I have enjoyed reading. I'll loosely compare choosing a puppy to choosing a book to read; the choice you make may impact you in more ways than you imagine. You truly cannot judge a puppy from its appearance, just like you cannot judge a book by its cover. Only by investing your time and opening your heart do you truly get to experience the joy of a good story unfolding or watching a puppy grow into its potential. Both books and puppies can bring so much into our lives. They both can cause us to experience a new reality and push us to be patient, more open of mind and willing to explore who we are at our best and at our worst." Jess, the winner of naming the puppies, is also considering adopting one! We will keep you updated as the puppies grow big and strong enough for adoption and finding their forever homes.
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Gift & Thrift MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR QUARANTINE As much as most of us wanted our quarantine days to be over as soon as they started, it looks like social distancing and staying home are here to stay for a little longer. We've been wondering to ourselves, "How can we help make this easier on everyone in our community?" The first answer we all think of is, of course, that everyone needs a furry friend to keep them company and a lot of you must think the same because adoption numbers have only slightly slowed down in 2020. We're happy to see many new pet owners! Our list also includes visiting SafeHaven Gift & Thrift stores where we take every precaution to keep you safe. For more suggestions to beat the quarantine blues and help homeless pets find the families they've been dreaming of, see below:
#1 GET CRAFTY! In this time of distancing from loved ones, what better way to show you care than to send them a hand-made gift or something fun just to let them know you care? Both stores have a wide selection of craft and office supplies and this is a great way to get the whole family involved! With Christmas coming up, starting at SafeHaven Gift & Thrift is a fun and environmentally sound option for gift giving.
#2 GET ACTIVE! Want to get in shape safely from home? Check out some of the sporting equipment available at our Gift & Thrift stores for those New Year’s resolutions! Working out from home is not only cost effective, but you’ll save time driving to and from the gym, and also can make being active a fun family affair! Plus, shopping counts as CARDIO! Get those steps in, even on a rainy day. We would love to see you!
SafeHaven Humane Society P.O. Box 2018 Albany, OR 97321 Return Service Requested
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Providing the Place You Love to Come Home to Since 1951 Albany: (541) 924-5616 • 321 1st Ave E, Suite 3C Corvallis: (541) 757-1781 • 455 NW Tyler Ave
