Archives: Shelter

Shelter to Home started as an informal grassroots effort back in 2005. Local citizens were astonished by the high euthanasia rates at their local animal shelter. Stray animals were not held long enough for their owners to be found; they were simply euthanized when no one came for them. That was until a small group of local women decided to make a difference by turning their local dog pound into an animal shelter.

What started out as a small effort, with only a handful of local citizens making a difference, doubled and then tripled. Animals that found their way to the dog pound were finding new homes or were placed with service or rescue organizations. What a difference a group of caring people can make in just one, small community!

As it set higher goals, the group grew into what became Shelter to Home and was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 2007. The organization now has over 50 volunteers that provide assistance to eleven local municipal animal shelters and pounds.

The foster-based rescue program saves an average of 400 cats and kittens every year. Although it doesn't turn away dogs and is working to expand its foster dog program, the main focus of the organization ramains cats.

Once in the Shelter to Home foster program, the animals are cared for until they are adopted. Animals are never euthanized due to time limitations or space constraints. Volunteers provide loving and dependable care for these animals by spaying and neutering each prior to adoption, and putting time and effort into finding each the perfect forever home.

Finding homes for over 400 cats and kittens each year is no easy task. The animals in Shelter to Home’s care are featured on Petfinder.com and taken to adoption events. Shelter to Home has an excellent reputation in the local community for the services it provides.

SPCA International is proud to honor this great organization as Shelter of the Week. To learn more about Shelter to Home, Inc. or to donate to its organization directly, please visit www.sheltertohome.com.

Fairfield Area Humane Society, located in Lancaster, Ohio, was formed by a community that was interested in protecting the rights of animals. In 1980, this small organization became an official nonprofit and since then it has made remarkable strides to improve the well-being of animals within its community and beyond.

This mostly volunteer-run organization works tirelessly to find homes for all animals that come into its care by interviewing all individuals who are interested in adopting an animal to make sure it is a good fit for both the animal and potential owner. Its goal is to find the perfect forever home for every animal.

No animal is turned away from Fairfield Area Humane Society. When it received 50 cats and the shelter was full, a group of dedicated volunteers cleared a shed to make room for the cats and to ensure they would have protection from the weather.

Along with its dedication to finding forever homes for the animals in its care, Fairfield Area Humane Society investigates all potential animal cruelty and neglect cases in Fairfield County. It also is involved in some unusual requests that include livestock, iguanas, emus, wildlife, and exotic animals such as alligators.

Due to Fairfield Area Humane Society’s steadfast dedication to helping animals in its community and beyond, SPCA International is happy to honor it as Shelter of the Week. If you would like to find out more information about Fairfield Area Humane Society, please visit www.fairhumane.org.

St. Francis Animal Shelter, a no-kill shelter in Buffalo, WY, was founded in 1997 to meet the dire need for humane stray population solutions in its community. Before 1997, the City of Buffalo had no animal shelter and the city pound gave lost, stray and unwanted animals only 72 hours to find their owners or a new home. Prior to 1997, over 200 dogs were destroyed each year, along with an untold number of cats and kittens. 

In 1997, a dedicated group of animal advocates took over the Buffalo city pound and began running it as a shelter. The facilities these advocates acquired offered subpar services with very limited indoor/outdoor space and no room for cats. St. Francis Animal Shelter quickly found willing and generous community volunteers who over the years have donated thousands of hours to operating the shelter. Now St. Francis Animal Shelter has a new facility that is serving all the needy animals in its community and giving lost and unwanted animals the critical time they need to find a new home.

Besides sheltering animals, St. Francis Animal Shelter also runs a half-price spay-neuter certificate program and education campaigns to teach the community about the importance of spay and neuter. The funds for these vital programs are frequently depleted by the constant demand and the shelter struggles to keep the certificates available year-round.

SPCA International is proud to honor this dedicated group of animal welfare advocates as Shelter of the Week. We encourage you to learn more about St. Francis Animal Shelter by visiting www.bighornweb.com/stfrancis/.

Give a Kid a Kid is a special program run by the Christian Veterinary Mission in Haiti.  The project trains local volunteers who in turn teach 50 children about animal husbandry, otherwise known as domesticated animal farming.  Each child that goes through this education process receives a kid, a term meaning young goat.  The children take the kid back to their home where it benefits the community through milk production and offspring.  This special project is also self-sustaining because the first offspring of each goat is always returned to the project to support the next generation of participants.  This cutting edge program is teaching that respect and proper care for animals can help nourish an entire community.  Christian Veterinary Mission also operates other projects in Haiti related to animal welfare including veterinarian education and spay and neuter.  SPCA International is honored to support Give a Kid a Kid’s invaluable international work.

You can donate to this project by sending a check to:
Christian Veterinary Mission
19303 Fremont Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98133
NOTE: Write Give a Kid a Kid in the memo line.

Web site
Christian Veterinary Mission

In December of 2007, C.C. Beaudette-Wellman formed Happy Endings Animal Rescue located in Santa Ynez, CA. The primary purpose of Happy Endings Animal Rescue is to provide refuge to animals that need to be removed from a neglectful or abusive situation or otherwise would be euthanized in a local shelter.

Happy Endings Animal Rescue actively seeks permanent, loving homes for all domestic animals in its care. It also provides proper nutrition, housing and patience to animals that, without their help, would have no hope of a decent life or of any life at all.

Happy Endings Animal Rescue provides all the animals in its care space to run and interact with other animals, as well as help teach them unconditional love and trust of humans – lessons that may have been lost due to a neglectful or abusive situation. Each animal in the care of Happy Endings Animal Rescue receives one-on-one attention and socialization in order to provide them with the essential qualities that will help them find a permanent home.

To ensure that it saves as many animals as possible from being neglected, abused or euthanized, it works closely with county agencies and local veterinarians to ensure the animals’ safety and welfare. Happy Endings Animal Rescue depends solely on generous donations from animal lovers to keep its animals protected, so their story can have a “happy ending.”

The volunteers at Happy Endings Animal Rescue have been rebuilding new animal enclosures with the donations they have received. After rescuing three horses, it cannot accept any more animals until it builds the proper enclosures.  It cannot accomplish this without our help.

SPCA International applauds Happy Endings Animal Rescue and the hard work it has endured to help all the animals that come into its care. SPCA International is pleased to award it a Shelter of the Week grant and hopes that you will find its story inspiring as well.

www.happyendingsanimalrescuesanctuary.org.

Lycoming County SPCA is an animal shelter located in Williamsport, PA. Its mission is to protect all domestic animals by providing shelter, emergency treatment, investigation and prosecution of cruelty or abuse complaints; adoption and counseling; education programs; and humane care throughout Lycoming County.

Volunteers are vital to the operation of Lycoming County SPCA. Volunteers help walk resident dogs, socialize resident cats, do general office work and help with special shelter events. Without its volunteers, Lycoming County SPCA couldn’t achieve all it does.

Lycoming County SPCA also offers low-cost spay and neuter to low-income families. And in some cases, it even provides spay and neuter free-of-charge. This very important service in the Lycoming community helps drastically reduce euthanasia rates.

Another special program at Lycoming County SPCA is its cruelty investigation team. It has Humane Police Officers on call year-round and it thoroughly investigates every alleged cruelty, abuse and neglect report.

SPCA International is proud to honor this great organization as Shelter of the Week. To learn more about Lycoming County SPCA or donate to its operation directly, please visit www.lycomingspca.org.

The mission of Sun Cities 4 Paws is to rescue cats and dogs and to provide them with temporary care either in foster homes or in a permanent shelter, while facilitating their adoption in appropriate homes. Sun Cities 4 Paws is sincere in its effort to cooperate with other organizations also dedicated to the rescue and care of homeless animals, while working for humane solutions to the problem of pet overpopulation.

These relentless efforts result in “Happy Tales,” and one story in particular, told by a volunteer, demonstrates the level of commitment Sun Cities 4 Paws to never give up on an animal:

I first saw him one hot summer night. He had no name.  Dirty, skinny, wounded – a small cat hiding under my car. Yet there was something distinct about his sorrowful eyes and how sad he always looked. I’d speak to him only to have him run away in fear or hissing wildly. As the months went by, we played cat and mouse. I’d leave food and water with no thank you from him. The cat with no name had me trained.

One night after a monsoon storm, my glance outside caught the shadow of him. I stepped out, approached slowly, and there was the familiar growl and swishing tail. “All right,” I said. “I’ll leave you some food…maybe someday you’ll thank me.” Morning brought a half-eaten dish of food, but no cat in sight. I turned to go and saw something creeping slowly toward the house. He stopped at the end of the sidewalk and never took his eyes from mine for what seemed like days. Then without further hesitation and a “Eehauw” he head-butted my arm with his big boofy head. I held my breath as he turned and did it again. He was purring softly as if to say, “OK, I guess you’ll do.”

I examined his wounds. I could close one hand around his tiny waist. His entire body was dirty and he was bleeding from behind his ear. His handsome face was covered with scratches and fresh wounds. His coat was caked with dirt and his tail covered with tar. After a few minutes he turned and walked away without so much as a goodbye.

I called him Cupid because of his big cherub-like head and sweet disposition. Soon visits came daily.  A quick meal and some attention. Then a surprise – he jumped in my lap; I was falling in love. At night he would sleep curled up under the oleander bush. Having cats already, I knew I probably couldn’t keep him – my vet had confirmed he tested positive for feline leukemia. Sad but determined, I promised my friend I’d find him the very best home.

Cupid moved to 4 Paws and quickly became a favorite; an easygoing fellow with lots to say, he was adapting well to shelter life. His destiny came quickly when the shelter manager called – a family was very interested in Cupid. As good as the news was, I couldn’t help but cry. When two very special angels named Lenny and Bob showed up to take Cupid home I knew in an instant that this was his destiny. In true Cupid fashion, he “Eeahauwed” and walked right over to them. He looked at me as if to say, “Thank you, but I want to go now.” And so he did.

I cried all the way home and fretted for days. No need to worry. Lenny wrote that Cupid (now named Murphy) had taken over the household and was doing fine. That’s my boy!

SPCA International is pleased to recognize the exceptional efforts of Sun Cities 4 Paws in Peoria, AZ.  It will undoubtedly continue to change the lives of animals just like Cupid for years to come.

www.4pawsrescue.org

SPCA International is pleased to recognize the accomplishments of Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue in Boonsboro, Maryland. Operated by a team of dedicated volunteers, its foremost goal is to do what is best for greyhounds. Founded in April 2005, the organization’s initial mission was to help place any greyhound that had lived its life in the racing world, but was no longer worth keeping in it. The organization now focuses its efforts more specifically on greyhounds that are the most challenging to place because of behavior, age or health challenges. Until a permanent family can be found, volunteers foster the dogs in their own homes.

Placing a greyhound with a family is most successful when good screening and education takes place. Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue does both, which results in wonderful forever homes for these magnificent creatures. Utilizing its network, it has successfully transported hundreds of greyhounds around the country to ensure each dog finds the best family for them. The work of Fast Friends involves educating the public about the breed and ensuring that anyone who adopts a greyhound understands and accepts the responsibility it takes to have a greyhound. The Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue Web site is an excellent resource for people considering adopting one of these dogs.

To further promote greyhounds and the special bond that forms with these dogs, Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue sponsors community events that get greyhound families together to enjoy one another and their dogs. Adoptions also take place during these events, as well as volunteer recruitment and education.

Greyhounds are fast at many things, most notably racing. But they can also quickly work their way into your heart and remain a forever friend. Thanks to Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, there are dogs across the country that now have a best friend and a home to call their own. To learn more please visit www.greytdogs.org.

Carolina Canines for Service, located in Wilmington, NC, is dedicated to empowering people with disabilities to achieve greater independence and enhanced quality of life through the services of specially trained dogs. It achieves this mission through multiple innovative programs, the invaluable help of foster home volunteers and seven volunteer and staff trainers. 

Some of the extremely innovative programs that make a true and lasting difference include: 

Carolina Canines for Veterans is a national pilot program that teaches prisoners at the Camp Lejeunebrig in Jacksonville, NC to train service dogs for wounded veterans; 

Carolina Canines for Therapy program trains owners and their dogs to provide animal-assisted visitations in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, group homes and treatment facilities; 

Paws for Reading is part of the Carolina Canines for Therapy program, where therapy dogs help children struggling to improve their reading and communication skills; 

Foster Puppy Program finds volunteers to raise a service dog in their home for 24 months while it undergoes a service dog program; 

Domestic Violence Animal Assistance allows domestic violence victims to leave a violent situation without fear of abandoning their animal to the abusive situation by finding a new or foster home for their pet.

Carolina Canines Animal Assisted Therapy teams meet hundreds of people every week and bring a moment of sunshine into their lives every time. In 2008, its volunteers logged close to 2,000 hours of service per month!

One veteran Carolina Canines client who gained the assistance of a service dog said, “She is my legs. Not only has she been a great help in things I have to learn all over again, but she’s a great addition to the family, and a friend.”

SPCA International is proud to recognize Carolina Canines for Service as Shelter of the Week. It is helping a community in great need and giving shelter dogs a new purpose in life at the same time. For more information on Carolina Canines for Service visit, www.carolinacanines.org.

Animal Friends Foundation (AFF) is an entirely volunteer run organization committed to finding solutions for the unwanted companion animal population. Founded in 2003, its crucial work now helps thousands of animals in its community every year. 

AFF has forged strong relationships with many organizations and municipalities in its area to build a great animal care network. Through this network it is able to offer low-cost spay and neuter vouchers that are accepted at many different location throughout southern New Jersey. It also communicates tirelessly with its local municipalities to promote “Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return” for feral cat communities.

AFF also offers help to compassionate people who are interested in improving care for feral cat colonies nearby. AFF provides low-cost housing and education as long as a local individual is willing to be responsibility for providing food, water, shelter and veterinary care. This great service empowers many neighborhoods to solve their feral community overpopulation in a humane and sustainable way.

SPCA International is proud to honor Animal Friends Foundation. This remarkable team of volunteers is taking significant steps every day to save animals in southern New Jersey. If you would like to learn more about Animal Friends Foundation, please visit its website at: www.animalfriendsfoundation.com.