Fireworks and Pets

Yay it's summer!! I am excited that summer is finally here!! I love the smell of fresh cut grass, the sound of kids playing outside, ice cream and riding the Sky Ride at Lagoon. Life just feels a little more laid back, and no one cares if you wear flop flops to work. The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. I look forward to it every year. I enjoy having friends and family over for a BBQ, staying out late in the warm summer air and shooting off fireworks.

Although fireworks are fun for us, they are not so fun for our pets. It is important to practice safety when shooting off fireworks around them.
I know my animals get scared, so we make sure the house is secure before we celebrate. My little terrier mix "Sassy" gets so scared that she might need to go over to grandma's house this year.

While you are out celebrating, let your pet stay indoors. Close the curtains and turn on some soft music to filter out some of the noise. Give them some treats or toys to keep them preoccupied. They might be too scared to go potty during the fireworks, so give them a lot of time outside before the fireworks start. This should help prevent an accident inside as well.

If your pet is known as an escape artist, keeping them in a kennel or crate is a good idea. Some pets may try to hide, so having a little sanctuary of their own to bury in can be a comfort. People often take their dogs with them to the park to participate in the festivities. The loud noises can stress your pet out so much that they can become physically ill. They just don't understand what is going on, so leaving them at home is best. If you absolutely must take your pet along, keep them on a leash or in a carrier at all times.

Also make sure your pets have current tags and microchips. Each year many animals are so frightened by fireworks that they run away from home. Scared and lost, many never make it home again. Some may end up at the shelter, but sadly most are not found in time by their owners.

If by chance your pet does get out, having your current contact information can be life saving. By having your phone number and address on your pets collar, whoever finds them can contact you right away. But if by some chance your pet loses their collar, a microchip will give them your information as well.
Both ways are equally important and can be life saving if they have your current contact information.

In general with it being summertime, please leave your pets at home and not inside the car. When the temperature is hot to us, it is even hotter to our furry friends.
Even in the shade and with the windows down, it only takes a few minutes for them to start feeling heat exhaustion. Heatstroke in pets can be fatal.
If you need to run into the store and your dog is along with you, please consider taking them home first.

With some basic safety knowledge, we can all have a safe and fun summer.
Your pets will appreciate it!

Happy 4th of July everyone!!

-Maranda Hawkes
Volunteer Director

Lessons from "Marley and Me"

With all the rain lately, I have found myself staying indoors, grabbing some popcorn and settling down for some movie watching marathons.

Recently I rented "Marley and Me", the movie based on the popular book by John Grogan. On the surface it's a tale of a lovable but uncontrollable dog that journeys with the Grogan Family through their good times and bad. I think the biggest lesson to be learned from the movie is to work with your pet even if they have behavior problems or if your family is going through some life changes.

Sometimes when people adopt a rambunctious puppy or an animal with behavior problems, their first inclination is to find a new home for the animal or take them to the shelter. When faced with pet behavioral issues, take the time to complete a training course or consult a pet behaviorist. If your animal is not using the litter box or urinating indoors, it may be sign of a medical condition and your pet may need to be seen by a vet. Should the time come for you to move, take the time to search out pet-friendly housing so that your pet can come with you. If your family grows, include your pet in the preparations along with the new baby.

The Grogan family was with Marley until the end despite all of his problems. I think John Grogan put it best:

"Commitment matters. That 'in good times and bad, in sickness and in health' really means something. We didn't give up on Marley when it would have been easy to, and in the end he came through and proved himself a great and memorable pet."

Standy by the commitment you've made to your pet and in return they will love you unconditionally.

-Lydia Beuning, Office Manager

Inspired by solidarity of animal lovers!

All of us here at NMHPU are recovering from Strut Your Mutt. I don't want to make it sound like Strut Your Mutt is in any way an infliction; in fact I feel deeply honored to be a part of this amazing event. It is simply very tiring.....very gratifying and very tiring. 2,502 people registered for the event this year, record attendance! This year, I found myself up on the hill, doing crowd control, at the start of the walk....it was there I saw the start.....
a veritable sea of people and their pooches making their way around the park, it literally took my breath away to witness such solidarity.

In that moment I knew that we can end the tragedy of pet overpopulation, that we will end killing animals as a way to reduce their numbers.

Killing animals as a means to control their populations is the number one cause of death of cats and dogs in this country. I know people are no longer complacent to view this as a necessary tragedy, people know that we CAN stop the killing and people are demanding of their governments to support life-saving sheltering measures in their communities. We all must do our part: individuals, government, private agencies, corporate partners, shelters, and veterinarians. No one entity has the power to stop the killing alone and yet as No More Homeless Pets in Utah and others have proven, one person, one entity, one agency CAN make great strides towards the day in which there will truly be No More Homeless Pets in Utah.

-Holly Sizemore

Meet Ellen Welsh, Statistics Coordinator

Hi, my name is Ellen Welsh and I’m the Statistics Coordinator for No More Homeless Pets in Utah. I also do the scheduling and promotion for the Big Fix, our Mobile Spay & Neuter Clinic.

My work for this amazing team started in 2002 a few months after I had moved to Kanab from Hamburg, Germany.
I didn’t have much of a background in animal welfare, but I’ve always loved animals and nature, and I feel a great sense of respect for all life.

I collect statistics from the Shelters and No-Kill Organizations in Utah to create our reports. Sometimes I am asked whether it isn’t a bit ‘dry’ to work with numbers, and what’s the sense in doing it. My answer is that keeping statistics is very important and necessary so that we know what’s happening, it’s our measuring tool. Otherwise it would be difficult to put funds toward programming. We need to know whether what’s been done works or whether it doesn’t.

Every number in our statistics tells a story. Every number represents a life. A life saved or a life lost. And for every life lost we need to increase our efforts!! Offering information, education, and access to low cost spay & neuter is the key!! That’s why I love the other part of my workday just as much. Working for the Big Fix team, creating a schedule where we can reach as many pet owners and communities as possible. Making their wish for accessible and affordable spaying / neutering and vaccinating / microchipping come true!! And simply: fixing as many animals as possible to counteract our pet over-population.

Seeing the progress that has been happening over the years in Utah’s Animal World is our reward, despite some very tough times we’re all facing!! And there is always more to do. But seeing that what you do has a positive impact just makes you want to continue and do more, doesn’t it?

Meet Kalinda Solbes, Spay and Neuter Director!!!

I am Kalinda Solbes, Spay and Neuter Director for NMPHU. Spay and Neuter is a core value of mine. A must to reach our mission! I have the pleasure to work with some GREAT people. Dr. Tanya Kjesldberg, Dr. Dave Sweeney, Dr. J Manning, Dr. T Kirkland, Carla, Mary, Cami, Lisa, Carissa, Christy and the rest of NMHPU staff and volunteers. I admire the dedication and hard work that goes on everyday.

Spay and neuter is not glamorous. The day starts early, and for the Big Fix staff starts with a drive to a location somewhere in the state of Utah. They are there snow, sleet, rain and shine fixing animals (yes they are broken). I started out on the Big Fix and found it the most physically demanding job that I have ever had and also the most rewarding. The Big Fix is able to reach many communities that have no low cost s/n options. My first year on the Big Fix we fixed over 8,000 dogs and cats. I am very proud to say that I was a part of that life saving work!!! Just imagine how many animals lives were saved because people fixed their pets. Please help spread the word about how important spaying and neutering is!

Relocating Feral Cat Colonies

No More Homeless Pets in Utah has completed a successful relocation of a feral cat colony this spring. This is BIG news, as relocating feral cats takes time, patience, and a lot of luck. Relocation is a last recourse for resolving feral colony issues, and done when all other mediation and communications have not worked.

Our relocation started with unreconcilable issues between property owner(s) that no longer wanted the feral cats on the property, and the caregiver that had feed, fixed, and protected the cats for years. The property owner started trapping the cats and taking them to the local Animal Services for euthanasia, so action had to be taken to save the rest of the colony. After much searching, a suitable legal relocation site was located for the remaining cats.

So what goes into relocation? First you have to choose a proper location where the cats can live safely. There must be someone that will commit to caring for the colony, by making sure there is fresh water, food, and care daily. There has to be some place on the property where a large relocation cage can be set up to house the cats for about 3 weeks, while they get used to the smells, sounds, and sights of their new environment. Yes, you have to cage the feral cats for about 3 weeks to make this work; otherwise they will just wander away or go back to their old location.

Now, you have you wonderful, safe, new location. You have set up the cage; you have food, water, shelters, litter boxes, and everything you need to make this work. Now what, you have to trap all the cats to take to the new site. Depending on how many cats there are, this can be a major task, especially if this is an older colony that has already been trapped once to get the cats fixed. So now, you are using every trick, ploy, deception, and treat you can think of to get these cats to enter a trap. When you catch them, you take them to your vet for updated vaccinations, fix any cats that have not been ear tipped, and then off to the new location. The cats are housed for about 3 weeks in their new area, and then released to live out their lives.

This is the process that we did on our recent relocation. We consider it a great success, even though a couple of the cats actually turned back up at their original location.

If you would like to learn more about feral cats, please attend our monthly seminars on “Do you Love or Loathe Feral Cats”. Our schedule is on the No More Homeless Pets in Utah website under feral cats at www.utahpets.org.

-Daye Abbott, Feral Fix Director

Erin Fell - Thoughts About Super Adoption

Hi, I'm Erin Fell and I've been with No More Homeless Pets in Utah since 2001. Prior to that, I headed up the Northern Utah office of Best Friends Animal Society. In 2001, the Northern Utah office merged with No Homeless Pets in Utah and became one. I'm the Promotions Director and my job is to get the word out about our programs and events in the best way possible. So now that I've introduced myself, I just wanted to express my thoughts about our recent Pet Super Adoption which took place May 1-3. The theme was Adopt for Life.

This was actually my 20th Pet Super Adoption and so as you might imagine, the event has been on my mind a lot lately. With each new year comes preparations for May, our busiest month by far. The combination of the spring Pet Super Adoption and Strut Your Mutt can be a little daunting and this year, we added Canine Casino Night into the mix.. We have a wonderful staff with diverse talents and a hardcore work ethic but even so, there's no way our small office could do three large-scale events back to back. So how do we do it? With our dedicated and unstoppable volunteer team. That's why I want to take a minute and send my deepest thanks to all the amazing No More Homeless Pets in Utah volunteers who enable these events to happen. It's because of their hard work, dedication, and willingness to do whatever it takes that these life-saving events happen year after year.

Like everyone who works in animal welfare, I feel an urgency with everything we do because it may mean resources to save another life.
With a tough economy and a questionable forecast, we went into this year's Super Adoption a little worried. There's a joke among Pet Super Adoption veterans that it's not really a typical weekend without some kind of insane weather challenge. That could include snowstorms, torrential rains, monsoon winds or blistering heat - we've seen it all.
So last year when we had two events with perfect weather, we figured this year we were in for trouble. Mother nature was not to disappoint and the heavens opened up throughout the three days with soul-soaking rains. But interestingly enough, it didn't matter. At the end of the weekend, we actually did more adoptions than we did last spring - 427 adoptions to be exact. What an amazing feeling to be part of 427 lives saved! I was just talking to one of my media reps who said that maybe the bad weather actually helped this time around - the idea of adversity bringing people together for a common goal. It's that idea that makes our organization work and it's also a nice thought. In this field, you see a lot of awful things people do to animals but you also see the really good side of people.

I can't express how much I love the way everyone comes together during the three days of the Pet Super Adoption for something bigger than all of us. It's like being part of a special club. Despite tough manual labor and potluck weather, I see the same cheerful faces year after year
- volunteers helping carry heavy fence panels for dog runs, pinching fingers in cat tower assembly efforts, perching precariously on tables attaching banners and signs, staying up till the wee hours to help create graphics and rushing to help put palettes and tarps in place during the inevitable downpour. These are people who could be relaxing at home, warm and dry on Super Adoption weekend.....after all they just finished a long work week at their jobs. But instead, they're with us working sometimes 12 hour days to help Utah's homeless dogs and cats.

I could go on and on with the names of so many selfless individuals who put everything they have into making these events a success. The set-up crew, the dog and cat tent captains, the tear-down teams, the friends who agree to get up at 4 AM to be part of a TV live shot. It's the people I see throughout the year helping us with event after event and the people I see twice a year who know this event means a brand new life for those dogs and cats adopted. I once asked a volunteer what brought her to us and she described it in this way. "My 9 to 5 job puts food on the table, my volunteer work with the animals is food for my soul."

You can't help but be jazzed by volunteers like that. I have to admit I feel a little giddy when I see all the excited people waiting for the gates to open each day. It something I can't describe when I see the enthusiastic faces of people who have made that perfect human-animal connection. It's the unadulterated joy I see in those wagging tails and reaching kitty paws, the bigger than life personalities that shine from cages and kennels and beckon people to stop by with a pet and some baby talk. It's the clever ways that rescue groups introduce you to their furry charges. And you can't help but be touched by the stories of each individual fuzzy face when you pause to chat. How the animals came to be at Super Adoption - well some of the stories are heartwarming and some are heartbreaking but each dog and cat is an individual and it's our collective hope that they will find a happy ending during this special weekend. Like Lily the black Lab mix whose "owners" wrapped wire around her muzzle to keep her from barking. Was she barking in hopes that someone would just care? I know Lily will always carry the scars of this horrific abuse but her sweet soul remains. As she pushed her scarred muzzle into my palm, I told her this time she would find a caretaker who deserved her devotion and non-stop tail wagging.

So many deserving dogs and cats finding their homes at last and so many caring people passionate about saving animal lives. It's a pretty heady combination and something you are proud to be part of. So many things were on my mind as my seven year-old son and I finished loading trucks on Sunday night. But I will close with one final thought - rain and all, there are 427 reasons to love Super Adoption. Erin