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Animal TalesAnimal Tales

The Newsletter of

HUMANE SOCIETY

1820 Princeton Road • Hamilton, Ohio 45011(513) 867-5727

Summer 2010

Lately, these two words seem to be turning up everywhere. You can’t watch and not be moved by the pet food commercial that encourages viewers not to pity shelter dogs, but to adopt

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Local Teen Earns Eagle Scout at AFHS!

“Pounds For Pets” a Great Success!

you can feel it in the air; the call for animal rescue is gaining mo-mentum. The media is drawing even more attention to the issue and increasingly more people are no longer willing to simply look the other direction. On a national level, it may have taken Hurricane Katrina to truly open peoples eyes and hearts to the plight of homeless animals. It was legislation changing as people demonstrated that their pets were their family members and fought leaving their pets behind. Bottom line: pets matter. And far, far too many of them are homeless! New arrivals at AFHS - they were rescued by

Cincinnati’s “Recycled Doggies”

Tara Allen, AFHS Kennel Manager, cuddles Rosco, one of the 77 dogs!

Griffin Wagoner is 15 years old and will be a sophomore at Lakota East this Fall. He is earn-ing his Eagle Scout, the highest honor in Scouting by making additional trails at Animal Friends Humane Society. He, along with some help from mom, dad, and some friends removed sod and laid landscaping cloth lined with plastic hedging.

helter Animals...Sthem. Who doesn’t love the commercial with the person doing a search on Petfinder.com on an iPhone to adopt a dog? Were you amongst the first in line to purchase the new postage stamps promoting shelter adoptions? It was nothing short of a miracle that the shelter was flooded with nearly 100 phone calls from animal rescue groups and people wanting to adopt the day after a Hamilton man surrendered 25 of 77 dogs he had been trying to care for. By day 10, there were over 75 adoptions and some of those dogs had already been in the shelter anxiously waiting to be chosen for a forever home. More than ever, stories of animal rescue are capturing front page news, whereas in years past it was barely a blip on the radar. It’s as though

Larry

Rain

Chester

Muffin

Abby

Crockett

Raider

Maggie

Muppet

Badin High School’s animal loving duo, Katelyn Kreke (L) & Theresa Salerno (R) are the master-minds behind the “Pounds for Pets” fundraising event... story on page 6

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AFHSBoard of Trustees

Richard G. FoxPresidentFairfield

Gregory E. Hull1st Vice PresidentHamilton

Kendra Robinson2nd Vice PresidentHamilton

Dee ParraghSecretary, Fairfield

Jeremy TaylorTreasurer, Trenton

Jack ArmstrongHamilton

Robert T. BaeselHamilton

James FehringWest Chester

Walter J. LeapMiddletown

Nancy NichtingHamilton

Nancy PiperHamilton

Susanna Schwartz, DVM Diplomate ACVSCincinnati

Ronald C. ShortMiddletown

Be a voice for the animals... if you witness animal neglect, cruelty or abuse, report it to the

proper authorities!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it is imperative that people understand that the key to reducing the mind boggling numbers of homeless pets is through spaying and neutering. This is why Animal Friends makes sure that all animals adopted out have had their surgeries. It is about population control and not nearly enough homes. Animal Friends Humane Society (in conjunction with all other shelters and rescue groups) does everything possible to address this problem, but they cannot tackle it alone. Since homeless pets get their origins in the community, it is there where the solutions must be found. The simple truth: the public needs to take re-sponsibility and step up. If you have pets PLEASE make sure they are spayed and neutered! Here are other ways you can help.

Sprinkles

Rico

...Nancy BenderTux

The following comments and suggestions are

those of the writer/editor, not Animal Friends Humane Society.

Profit seeking breeders will continue to breed as long as their puppies and kittens sell. If there is no profit, there is no point in breeding. You can help by adopting your pets. Don’t purchase from breed-ers who fill the newspapers, column after column, with their ads. Don’t shop on-line or at flea mar-kets. And pet stores? That is so yesterday! Even kids know that adoption is the way to go. Given the choice between buying a dog from a pet store and adopting from a shelter, a 10 year old girl chose, without hesitation, adoption. She proceeded to share with me that when she grows up, she is going to adopt all her pets, because she is adopted. Both wisdom and compassion from a 10 year old. Herein lies a glimmer of hope for the future of homeless pets. With reference to pet stores, it has been my ex-perience that employees are quick to defend and are either clueless or are instructed to tell the consumer that their animals don’t come from puppy mills. In almost all cases, they most assuredly do. Some pet stores carry animals that come from a hodgepodge of puppy mills and backyard breeders. In all fairness, there are responsible breeders out there and they are the ones who, in their screen-ing process, do everything short of finger printing the potential buyer. They get it in writing that the pet will be returned if, for whatever the reason, it doesn’t work out. The shelter does this, too. The animals that come from irresponsible breeders typi-cally are the ones that wind up at Animal Friends Humane Society. They make up a large segment of the strays that are running the streets, starving and scared. And sometimes, as was the case in the much publicized Middletown news, they are found zipped up in duffle bags. Shelter Director, Meg Stephen-son happily reported that all of the puppies were adopted, including the momma dog! (Two paws up to Middletown Municipal Court Judge Mark Wall who responded to this criminal offense by ordering a 3 month jail sentence and an $800.00 fine. We have Middletown Animal Control Officer Liz Lucas to thank for her role in this.) Perhaps you already have a cat or a dog. Maybe it could use a buddy. Dogs, in particular, long to play with other dogs. Can you spare room for one

more? If you are interested in adopting a pet and it is a particular breed you are seeking, realize that 25% of the animals that end up at shelters are purebreds. It is especially during the sum-mer months that the shelter is overflowing with homeless pets. Do your homework in your search and make sure to select a pet that fits your family and lifestyle. The idea being, you want a pet you intend to keep for its life-time. If it is not conve-nient to go to the shelter, you can always go on-line to check the Petmobile schedule for its off-site adoptions. The Animal Care Center in Fairfield is yet another place to find adoptable pets from the shelter and Petsmart in Bridgewater Falls often has cats that come from Animal Friends. There are breed specific rescue groups you can google and don’t forget Petfinder.com which also displays many of the cats and dogs from Animal Friends Humane Society. What more can you do? If you can speak from experience, spread the word about pet adoption. You can kindly and tactfully educate others. Too often, buyers are well meaning, unsuspecting people who simply couldn’t resist ‘the little doggy in the window’. They truly don’t know they are supporting the puppy mill industry or that puppy mills even exist. There are those who rationalize that they are saving the life of the animal in the pet store, when in reality, they are freeing up that cage for yet another puppy to be sold; the very thing that keeps these mills in business and keeps animal shelters full. Educate and promote animal rescue through adoption. For the animals and the people who adopt them, it is a win-win! Finally, if you get this newsletter, recycle and pass it along. Share your adoption success stories. Sometimes people go to the shelter with the inten-tion of adopting a dog and it’s a cat that steals their heart or the other way around. Whether it’s a dog, cat, a mixed breed or purebred, the comment most frequently shared by those who have adopted is that their shelter pet is the best pet they ever had! Namaste.

~ See page 5 for exciting news about Animal Friends upcoming rescue challenge! ~

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great adoption updates...

Hello, I just wanted to thank you again for helping me adopt Maggie (Foxy) from your facility in Decem-ber. She is a wonderful dog who loves playing ball and tug of war with her two bigger doggie sisters. She loves riding in the car, going to the local farm-ers market, swimming in the creek and sleeping in our bed. We wish all of you many more successes with placing the pets in your care.

- Michelle

Hi Animal Friends, I wanted to let you know that Juno, the yellow lab mix that was adopted about one month ago, is doing great. He is an awesome dog and we all love him very much.He looooves playing with other dogs and wants to meet everyone. We have a group of dogs that we walk with every morning. He did have kennel cough when we brought him home, but antibiotics for 12 days and he was fine. Anyway, thanks for taking good care of himand we really appreciate your organization since we have such a great dog! Sincerely,

- Susan

Hey Meg,

I fostered and then adopted a dog from Animal Friends last summer. I just wanted to let you know that Sam is the sweetest and best dog in the world! I have included a few pictures of Sam... just so you can see what a cute, sweet dog he is.

When I adopted Sam, his name was Tex (just in case you were trying to think of which dog he was) I have not been able to volunteer like I had originally planned... but I am hopeful that I will be able to help out some this summer.

Thanks and I hope all is well at the shelter :)

- Beth

Hi - We adopted Parker on Saturday from the PetMobile at Red Dog and I must say, we couldn’t have made a better choice. He is wonderful. My son has decided to call him Ringo, but I referred to him as Parker for you. He sleeps on the bed, is house trained and has already learned 2 tricks. He is very smart and we love to go outside and play with him.

Thank you so much for everything you do and thank you for bringing Parker into our lives. He acts like he has always lived at our house, meaning he has taken over our house as well as our hearts.

Sincerely,Annelise

shared by Meg Stephenson

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National Adoption WeekendMay 1st & 2nd, 2010

Duffy is one of five shepherd mix puppies that were found in a duffle bag in an alley in Middletown

this past April. All of the puppies - including the momma were adopted!

Here is Duffy meeting his new brother, Mateo...

Duffy is 6 pounds and Mateo is 170 pounds! We are so happy to have him!

He is so sweet!

Hi! I just wanted to let every-one at the shelter know that Sadie is adjusting VERY well to her new home and loves everyone and every animal she meets! She has even settled down quite a bit, and isnt as high energy. We have started our walk before bedtime for 45 mins, and first thing this morning at 7am she jumped up on the bed with her leash! So we went for our first morning run for another 45 mins and she did spectacu-lar!!! Thank everyone there for being so kind to us, and giv-ing us something to replace that hole in our hearts! I cant explain how truly happy we all are! Also, she has a new name, Sable. She loves our little dog, and he seems to love her! Thank you EVERYONE so very much!!!

- The Boston Family

Scott Ferris holding his newly adopted Shih Tzu, Kasey, from the AFHS PetMobile. “My first dog was not adopted, but ever since Hurricane Katrina, I made up my mind I would adopt my next dog to help with homeless animals -”

Animal Friends volunteers, Donna Ponder and Lynn Hartsough with a Chihuahua for adoption.

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A year ago at this time and in all summers past, when the temps climbed into the 80’s and 90’s the dogs in the former Trenton shelter would be panting heavily from the oppressive heat,

even with fans running full tilt. Now, as you walk through the adoption area in our lovely climate controlled shelter one thing you can’t help but

notice is how comfortable all the animals appear. The difference is truly amazing. It’s the dawn of a new day!

Celebrate the thought!

Excuse me... can you tell me where I can go to make a donation to the shelter?

AnimalFriendsHumaneSocietyhasclearedthefirsthurdleintheASPCA®$100KChallenge.Asoneofjust50organizationswhomadeitintotheChallenge,AnimalFriendsHumaneSocietywillbecompetingwithsheltersacrossthecountrytosaveatleast300moreanimals—duringthemonthsofAugust,September,andOctober2010—overthesamethree-monthperiodin2009. Therearetwoprizesinthiscontest:$100,000fortheshelterthatachievesthegreatestincreaseinlivessavedduringthatthree-monthperiodoverlastyear,and$25,000fortheshelterthatengagesthelargestnumberofcommunitymembersinsavingmorelives.AnimalFriendsHumaneSocietyintendstowinboth,andtheywillbecallingonthecommunitytohelp. “Wearesoexcitedtobeapartofthischallenge!”saysMegStephenson,ExecutiveDirectorforAnimalFriendsHumaneSociety.“Ourgoalistoimplementstrategiesduringthesethreemonthsthatwecanutilizetosavemorelivesintheyearstocome.Wewillneedthesupportofthecommunitytohelpmakethischallengeasuccess.Let’sshoweveryonehowmanylivesButlerCountycansave!” AnimalFriendsHumaneSocietywillbeofferinganimalsforadoption,workingwithrescueorganizationstotransportanimalstootherfacilities,andofferingspay/neuterservicesforfixingandre-releasingferalcats,aswellasfacilitatingownersbeingreunitedwiththeirlostpets.Adoptioneventsandspecialswillbepromotedclosertothethreemonthtimeframe.Thecommunitycanhelpbytakingpartinanyoftheabovewaystosavealife.Additionally,helpusspreadthewordaboutthischallengeandencouragefriendsandfamilytotakepart! “WeareveryexcitedaboutthepotentialtheChallengehasforaffectingtremendouschange,”saidASPCAPresident&CEOEdSayres.“SheltersfromeverypartofthecountryhavesteppeduptotheChallenge,andwhentheyengagetheircommunitiestosavemorelives–everyonewillwin,especiallytheanimals.”FormoreinformationaboutAnimalFriendsHumaneSociety,pleasevisitwww.animalfriendshs.org.FormoreinformationabouttheASPCA$100KChallenge,pleasevisit:www.aspcapro.org.

AnimalFriendsHumaneSocietyTakestheASPCA$100K

ChallengetoSaveMoreLives

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His project started June 17th and on Friday he was standing behind the shelter in the sweltering heat waiting for 27,000 lbs. of chipped limestone to be delivered. The limestone has since been spread. So far, the entire project has entailed 90 hours of labor. Griffin also created a sitting area for the dog walkers and he is building benches for this purpose. Griffin began volunteering at the former Trenton Shelter a year and a half ago where he earned his merit badge. After that, he started walk-ing dogs and visiting with the cats. Says Wagoner, “I was shocked at the amount of donations that came in when Meg announced my project on the web-site.” Thanks to Griffin, 3 other scouts in his troop have learned about AFHS and may also contribute their skills. He flashed a humble smile at the thought of being an inspiration to others. Dude, you rock!

Pounds for Pets... continued from page 1

Out of a desire to do something to help Butler County’s homeless pets, Theresa Salerno and Katelyn Kreke, both Badin High School sophomores, put their heads together and came up with the first annual Pounds for Pets walk. The event was held in June at Joyce Park in Fairfield. Their mission was twofold: First, to raise much needed funds for Animal Friends Humane Society and second, to raise public awareness about shelter animals. They suc-ceeded with both! Altogether, their donation to the shelter totalled-drumroll, please- $830.00! Pounds For Pets was born out of their idea that walking is a good form of exercise for both pets and their people. Both of these young ladies have dogs at home that they adopted from shelters. What a remarkable labor of love for the shelter animals. Animal Friends Humane Society extends their heartfelt thanks to Theresa and Katelyn and all the folks who attended the benefit making it a true success!

Meg Stephenson interviewed the girls...How did you come up with the idea?

We have adopted pets and seeing all the animals in the shelter while looking made us think of ways to raise money for the shelter so they would have a better chance of getting adopted.

How did you think it went? Thought it went very well for the first year. Had some bad weather the first date but the second date was a huge success.

How much did you raise? $830How much planning did you have to do?

A ton. It started in the beginning of the year. Thought of the idea, thought of how to do it, contacted different people.

Who helped? Kids from different schools found out about it and contacted us. 80 kids total had a hand in helping with this event.

Are you planning on doing this again? Yes. For sure!

“Thanks to everyone who helped!”

Hearts that care...In Memory Of Given ByClaudette Douglas . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dorothy Dronberger, Les Beyer,

Judy Mutzman, Tina Berry, Bill & Janet Ebel, Howard J. Allen, Dolores Lasita, Wei-Yu Chao,

Ting-Yi Yang, Christina Weeks, Nancy Gray, Johnson Family (Kerry, Alisa, Peyton & Bryce),

Susan & Bill Birri, Frank & Tonga BanielPhyllis Spurgeon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Walter SpurgeonB. Napier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Family of B. NapierCarol Petri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim and Donna KaufmanGregory Schriever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barb & Harry D'AngeloShirley Elieff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paulette McCandlessJames Novak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael & Deborah KhulenbergSylvester the Cat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cecil and Dolores HopperLucky, their adopted cat . . . . . . . . . . . . Cheryl and Romona BarrettBandit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Derek and Karen ConklinVirginia Hammock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Darlene and Robert Traylor

Diane JohansonChris Mechler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim and Donna KaufmanOveda Finkbone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Geri YostKevin Roettger . Dick & Barb Pate, Mr. & Mrs. Ferris Pendergrass,

Joan M. Stitzel, Kathy MaxwellDiane Johanson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Arleen FreyMitzi Lila, the sweetest little rescue . . . . . . . . . . . Denise & NancyPeter Jensen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grace M. Joy

In Honor Of Given ByCarmela Trotta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amanda TrottaMary Ann Chmielewski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AnonymousJack Russell Morgan, German shepherd Mollie . . . Beatrice PhillipsMr. & Mrs. Neil Cohen's dog, Charlie . . . Mr. & Mrs. John WhalenScotty, a sheltie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LaVerne HopperTutti and Tigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Derek and Karen ConklinKaren Woodrey's birthday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . anonymousHoover Lund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jane CartierKim Eads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DeHaan & Bach, LPA

Eagle Scout... continued from page 1

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For our Office

• Canon Pixma iP6600D BLACK Ink Cartridges

• First class postage STAMPS!!!• 9-volt and AAA batteries• Office Depot Gift Cards• Lowe’s/Home Depot/Ace Gift Cards• Kroger & Walmart Gift Cards• Receipt books - carbon sets• Bottled water, pop, snacks, micro-

waveable soups, and chocolate for our overworked employees!

Animal Friends Humane Society

For our Surgery Room

• Paper Towels• Alcohol-70%• E-Collars - new or used• Distilled water• Super glue

For Maintenance

• Deck Scrub Brushes & Looped End Mop Heads• Garden Hoses, Sprinklers, Hose Couplings, Squeegees, Rakes, Shovels, Hose Repair Kits

Wish List

A Nice Rule of Thumb...If your visits to the Shelter are infrequent, try never to go there empty-handed! ...editor

Adopt • Volunteer • donAte

AFHSissolelydependentonprivatedonationsforitsdaytodayoperation.ItisBECAUSEofyourdonationsthattheshelterisabletoliveuptoitsmissionandprovideshelterandcareforthe7,000-8,000animals

thatcomethroughyearly.Alldonationsaregreatlyappreciatedandremember,

NODONATIONISTOOSMALL!

Upcoming Volunteer Orientationsare scheduled for the following Saturdays from 9-11 am at AFHS Shelter, 1820 Princeton Road

July 24 August 28 September 18 Schedule available on website!

We recycle for $$$ for the shelter! Please bring your newspapers and aluminum cans (no glass, etc.)

to the collection receptacles located at the far end of the parking lot.

Now you can bring your old cell phones and inkjet cartridges to the shelter for recycling and fundraising.

The shelter is forever in need of volunteers!

To find out how you can help, go on-line to www.animalfriendshs.org.

Of note to all volunteers: Be sure to check the change in protocol for signing in which is now done in the newly

designated VIC (Volunteer Information Center).

Hobo

7/17/10 Saturday Candy'sDog-O-Mat-Microchipping&DogAdoptionEvent Tylersville&Cinti-DayRoad-12pmto4pm

7/18/10 Sunday BassProShop,CincinnatiMills-12-3PM

7/31/10 Saturday RaveMotionPictures,WestChester-12-4PM Premier of Cats and Dogs

8/3/10 Tuesday CityofMiddletownPoliceDept-NationalNightOut-5-9pm

8/14/10 Saturday EnterTrainmentJunction,WestChester-10am-2pm

8/21/10 Saturday AnimalFriendsHumaneSociety-11amto4:30pm FirstBirthdayPaw-ty!attheShelteronPrincetonRoad8/28/10 Saturday WestChesterVeterinaryCare-OpenHouse&AdoptionEvent

9/11/10 Saturday PetSmartBridgewaterHamiltonNationalAdoptionWeekend9/12/10 Sunday PetSmartBridgewaterHamiltonNationalAdoptionWeekend

Upcoming Events!

Summer reminder...

Pets & Hot Cars Do Not Mix!

Coming August 21

First Birthday Paw-ty!- check website for details -

Our Humane Society was established in 1952...Our mission is to promote humane principles, to protect lost, homeless, abandoned and mistreated animals, and act as advocates for animals in our communities.

Shelter Hours...Mon-Tues-Fri-Sat-Sun...11-4:30Wed-Thurs...1:00 - 7:00 pm

HUMANE SOCIETY

1820 Princeton RoadHamilton, Ohio 45011(513) 867-5727www.animalfriendshs.org

The oldest,largest,non-profit animal adoption agency in Butler County,Ohio.

NON-PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDCincinnati, OHPermit #967

Our First

BirthdayPaw-Ty!

Animal FriendsHumane Society

and you’re invited!Saturday

August 21, 2010

11:00 am till 4:30 pm1820 Princeton Road in Hamilton

Fetch For$500Join us for fun, food, games,

cake & ice cream!

“FETCH for $500!”Purchase a numbered tennis ball for $5 and if your ball is retrieved on

August 21st, you win $500! Order Forms available at AFHS. Need not be present to win!

Special Adoption Rates

MicrochippingK-9 Demonstrations

Vendors • RafflesPet Portraits

Win $500!

adoption reunionEveryone who has adopted

from us in the past is invited to bring their pet to the

Birthday Paw-Ty!

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