Dennis Company has long been a supporter of SPCHS, even hosting our Pet Photos with Santa for the past several years.  Most recently, the Long Beach store provided puppy food for some of the dogs we took in from Harney County Save A Stray, who is working to save dogs from what seems to be the worst hoarding case in Oregon history.  Thanks, Dennis Company!

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Vote for us at www.theanimalrescuesite.com and we could win $10,000 to help pets in need.

The Animal Rescue Site is hosting a special challenge for eligible Petfinder.com member shelter and rescue groups. The grand prize is a $10,000 grant, and they will be awarding many other grants to rescue groups with the most votes — a total of $100,000 in grants for animal welfare organizations.

Think how many animals we could help for $10,000!

Help us win! All you have to do is click to help rescued animals, and then vote in The Animal Rescue Site $100,000 Shelter⁺ Challenge. Both of these actions are absolutely free! You can vote once a day, every day, from January 18th through April 18th, 2010. Every time you vote, or tell a friend to vote, you are making a huge difference for us.

Vote today!

Visit: www.theanimalrescuesite.com

SPCHS is a no-kill shelter. We keep our dogs and cats and provide medical care until a home can be found. We do not put down an animal unless it is terminally ill and suffering, or it poses a risk to itself, other animals or humans.Pets in our care receive medical attention and socialization.Dedicated to the preservation of life, our community-supported and funded shelter found caring homes for more than 650 dogs and cats annually!

You can make a donation of goods or cash in person by stopping by the Shelter. Here’s our wish list. You can also donate by clicking on the PayPal buttons to the right, or by visiting our cause on FaceBook. While you’re there, become a fan of SPCHS on FaceBook! Of course, you’re more than welcome to send a check to PO Box 101, Long Beach, WA 98631 or to join us in our fundraising and other events!

The Animal Rescue Site is a “Click to Give” website. You can click on a button to help fund food and care for animals. It’s free, and only takes a second of your time. Click every day!

Petfinder.com is an online, searchable database of animals that need homes, and a directory of more than 12,000 animal shelters and adoption organizations across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Don’t forget to vote every day!

Newts and Mobey play all the time and rough-house, and they sleep together too. So here is a pic of them doing each together.

Very fun critters. We just cannot tell you how much we are enjoying them.

Laurie

February is SPCHS Spay/Neuter Month.  Low Income South Pacific County Residents are invited to contact us to get their cat fixed for FREE.

As President of SPCHS, our long-term security is on my mind a fair amount. It’s my job to make sure our Shelter is taken care of in a way that ensures it will be here for a long time to come.

I am continuously stunned by the generosity of the friends of our no-kill Shelter.  Sometimes a dollar at a time, and sometimes hundreds and even thousands at a time, the money needed to keep our rescue afloat comes to us.  Gratitude is hardly the word for how everyone involved in our operation feels about the support we receive.  Every dollar makes a difference.  Every donor makes a difference. Every volunteer makes a difference.

TENS OF THOUSANDS of hours of volunteerism have gone into rescuing over 7,000 pets since we opened our doors.  I’ve personally watched people too young to volunteer without adult assistance walk dogs, play with cats, scrub walls and sweep floors.  I’ve witnessed people with very little time to give donate their vacations to build and clean for us, to train and treat animals.  I’ve seen people too old to be doing so scrub dogs, muck cages, climb ladders to decorate for fundraisers and so much more.  I’ve seen donations of collars, beds, food, litter, items for fundraisers…the list goes on and on and on.

That’s why it makes me SO MAD when I read things like this:

The ASPCA is a local Society for the Protection of Animals in New York, just like the hundreds of others around the country–like the one in my town and in yours.  It is NOT a national organization, as many believe.   It is NOT fundraising for local SPCAs like the ones where we live.

The ASPCA raised $105, 242, 943.00 and paid it’s CEO $490,315.00 in 2008 (the last year for which returns are available). They showed a net income (yep a non profit showed a net income) of over $9 million and closing net assets (yes net, after they could deduct everything they could think of) of over $137 million.

The HSUS, an Humane Society in name only, which doesn’t have any companion animal shelters anywhere–that’s right, HSUS has NO SHELTERS– raised $92,961,857.00 in 2008, paid it’s CEO $252, 540.00 and had closing net assets of $162, 217,144.00.   Of course all this only covers the HSUS itself and does not include the dozen or so other corporations it controls as subsidiaries/affiliates, nor the next layer, the subsidiaries/affiliates that these 13 corporations in turn control, or the next. …

Compare the ASPCA’s income of $105 million to one of the next largest SPCA’s in the US, the San Francisco SPCA, which took in only $20 in 2008, and you can begin to see how much money the ASPCA is diverting into it’s coffers because people believe they are a national headquarters for SPCAs around the US.

It boggles the mind.  We recently completed our budget process for 2010.  I can’t really comment on the amount our key employee earns but I can tell you that ALL of our payroll, including costs for ESD, FICA, L&I, wages AND bonuses, shared less than $50,000 in 2009.  Our total income for the year was $115,631.78 and our expenses were $107,806.39, leaving $7,825.39, earmarked for expenditures in 2010.  And, unlike HSUS, we actually run a shelter and re-home pets!

Besides taking advantage of my position to rant, what I intend with this post is to ask you to please use the internet to check out charities before you donate to them.  Slick ad campaigns with images of suffering animals tear at our hearts and open our check books.  Before you put that check in the mail, go to a site like charitynavigator.org, and find out where your money is going.  If it is going to a high-paid CEO, fancy buildings, excessive promotional campaigns and the like, consider choosing a charity with lower overhead so the money is used for the cause you intend to support.

Better still, visit and see what happens for yourself.  I can guarantee you that a visit to our Shelter will show you how well your donations are being used.  Not a penny is wasted.  In fact, most people wonder how we do what we do on so little (so do we, by the way!).

Okay I’ll get off my soapbox now, and go pick up some poop. In rescue it is important to keep your priorities straight. 

Keleigh Schwartz
SPCHS President 2008-12

“Always Carry 2 Bags Per Dog” is a Public Service Announcement we’d love to see sent ’round the world.   Help us spread the word to do the right thing, EVERY TIME so our dogs can, er, do their thing out in public.

FDA Health Alert for Merrick Beef Filet Squares Dog Treats Packaged and Distributed by Merrick Pet Care
Products may be contaminated with Salmonella

The U. S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use Merrick Beef Filet Squares for dogs distributed by Merrick Pet Care with a package date of “Best By 111911” because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The product was distributed nationwide through retail stores and Internet sales.

Although no illnesses associated with these products have been reported, the FDA is advising consumers in possession of these products not to handle or feed them to their pets.

In December 2009, the FDA conducted routine testing of Merrick Beef Filet Squares and detected a positive finding for Salmonella. A follow-up inspection found deficiencies in the packaging and manufacturing processes.

Salmonella can affect both humans and animals. People handling dry pet treats can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the treats or any surfaces exposed to these products. Consumers should dispose of these products in a safe manner by securing them in a covered trash receptacle.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella may experience some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Although rare, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart), arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their health care provider immediately.

Pets with Salmonella infections may become lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets may experience only a decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed any of the affected product or is experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.

The affected Merrick Beef Filet Squares were packaged in a 10-ounce green, red and tan re-sealable plastic bag. The “best by” date is imprinted on the top portion of the bag, which is torn off when the bag is opened. The FDA recommends that consumers who are unable to determine the “best by” date discontinue use of the product.

Consumers can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food and pet treat products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in their area. Please see http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm182403.htm for additional information.