THE NEWSLETTER OF THE VERNON & DISTRICT ANIMAL CARE SOCIETY
BOX 1564, VERNON, BC, V1T 8C2
WINTER/SPRING 2005 [ vol. 4, no.1 ]
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February 2005
President’s Message
All of us have such a lot to be proud of! During 2004, the generosity of our members and supporters, plus the hard work of our volunteers, enabled VDACS to make a world of difference for hundreds of cats and dogs in the North Okanagan. With revenue for the year totaling $52,670, [ compared to $19,117 in 2003 ], our volunteer society was able to invest $28,785 in spay/neuter assistance for pets from low income households and a further $19,234 on emergency vet care for abandoned and needy animals. As well, we fostered 216 cats and kittens , 150 of whom – spayed or neutered, vaccinated and tattooed – were placed in loving homes. Aside from a $500 grant from the Community Foundation of the North Okanagan, the money for these programs came entirely from your generous donations, your membership dues and your support of our fundraisers. On behalf of the animals, thank you! Because you care, Mikey , a tiny kitten who miraculously survived huddled for several weeks behind a pile of lumber under a deck, was rescued, restored to health and adopted. Toby, a nine-year-old tabby, finally got the second chance at happy home life that she so richly deserved, and abandoned kittens and cats from Edgewood to the Shuswap did not fall victims to death by disease, dehydration or predators.
I hope that we can continue to count on all of you for support during 2005. If you have not already renewed your membership for 2005, please consider filling in the form on the last page of this newsletter. Memberships expire annually on December 31. We need you and, more importantly, abandoned and injured animals need you!
Volunteers to the Rescue
When members Jan Bigelow and Dena Sharkey see suffering, they act. Thanks to their determination, six cats who had been abandoned at the Vernon land fill were rescued from that bitterly cold and hazardous environment. Three black short-hairs, severely traumatized by their abandonment, are gradually gaining some trust in human beings under Hazel’s loving care. Lionel, an orange and white striper, and Percy, a grey and white tabby, are faring much better. Sadly, Smokey, a gentle grey long-hair, did not survive his ordeal. He was euthanized on veterinary advice when he began bleeding from his bowel, probably the result of ingesting something toxic in a desperate attempt to fill his belly.
All these cats are unaltered. Are they dumped because sexual maturity has made them unwanted nuisances to their irresponsible owners? We can only hope that our spay/neuter program will prevent future suffering to unwanted cats and dogs.
Complete Pet Mart Fosters VDACS Cats
No doubt at this moment Freckles and Domino are racing around Complete Pet Mart or recharging their batteries with a comfortable snooze on one of the store’s cat trees. Soon, we hope, a customer will fall for one or both of them, enabling them to retire from public life to a home all their own. Jason Pester and Kelsey Buchanan of Complete Pet Mart wanted to help our homeless animals and to do their utmost to reduce pet overpopulation. Rather than sell unaltered kittens, they decided to foster two of our spayed or neutered cats at a time and to adopt them out on our behalf. Anthony, the first cat fostered by Complete Pet Mart, was adopted within a few days.
The fee for cats adopted from Complete Pet Mart is $120. This fee includes treatment with Revolution [ $10 ] to eliminate parasites like worms, fleas and ear mites, basic vaccinations [ $57.10 ], spaying and tattoo [ $139.90 plus $15 and up ] or neutering and tattoo [ $91.90 plus $15 and up ] and a bag of quality dry food [ $15.95 plus taxes ]. Some members have wondered why we do not subsidize the adoption fee even more than we already do. We believe that adopters must be able to afford to pay a significant amount of money for their new family member. If they are not willing or not able to pay $120 at Complete Pet Mart or $100 from our shelter, then they are very unlikely to be able or willing to provide lifetime veterinary care for their cat. A properly cared-for cat is not a cheap pet. The adopters our cats deserve - people who intend to be responsible owners - realize that they are getting a good deal.
Annual General Meeting, March 14
This year’s AGM will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 14 at the People Place, 3402 27th Avenue. As well as the presentation of our annual report, the meeting will include the election of our 2005-2006 Board of Directors. If you are interested in becoming more involved in VDACS by sitting on the Board of Directors please contact Ginny @ 545-
2807 or Heather @ 542-7203. We need your energy, enthusiasm and ideas.
In Memoriam Donations
VDACS was honoured to receive the following donations in memory of beloved friends and family members:
Lily King [ remembered by Enide Rourke ]
Mike Savoy [ remembered by James Salyn ]
Bull [ remembered by Angela Marzolf & family ]
Amelia [ remembered by Elizabeth Klepp ]
Chateau [ remembered by Susan Duguid ]
Glen [ remembered by Robert & Heather Pettit, Ann & Javier Jaime ]
Maddie [ remembered by Enide Rourke ]
Nico [ remembered by Enide Rourke ]
Shaina [ remembered by her dog park friends Flora and Rosie ]
The Birds and Bees and Cats
Although we have spayed and neutered many dogs through our assistance program, the vast majority of our “clients” are cats. Mother Nature has gone overboard on ensuring the survival of the feline species. Female cats’ reproductive lives are quite different from their canine counterparts who come into heat only every six months. Cats, on the other hand, come into heat about every two to three weeks with the period of fertility lasting approximately a week during each heat cycle. Female cats can become sexually mature anytime between four and ten months with the average age being six months. Cats can - and will - produce litter after litter. They can even go into heat and be impregnated while still nursing a litter. If that’s not hard enough, they’re programmed to remain fertile no matter what their age. Cats in their teens continue to give birth and The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Living With A Cat reports a documented case of a 25-year-old cat giving birth to healthy kittens. With every cat we spay, we are preventing thousands of unwanted, abandoned felines in the future, but, in spite of our efforts, it takes only a few uncaring owners to perpetuate the tragic feline overpopulation situation.
Recent Fundraising Events
Since the last edition of Paw Prints we have held:
Third Annual Book Sale at Polson Place Mall which brought in a record $2,102!
Book Sale Clearance raised an additional $130
Bake & Craft Sale at Village Green Mall which was also our best ever at $1,436.
Village Green Mall Charity Night Shopping Tickets brought in $130
Rec Centre Garage Sale Table raised $314.
Xmas on a Budget Sale netted $342.
2005 Calendar Sales raised $4,150 as of December 31, 2005 with more proceeds yet to be turned in.
Current & Upcoming Fundraisers
Queen of “Spayeds” Raffle
Tickets are for sale now until May 24 for our annual raffle. This year the odds are very good with 6 prizes [ total value of $2,064 ] up for grabs and only 2500 tickets printed. Your purchase of a $2 ticket will help “fix” a cat or dog and give you a chance at winning:
1. 27” Toshiba TV & DVD/VHS Player supplied by Parnells Appliances
2. Queen Size Quilt created and donated by Gloria Gaudet
3. An Original Painting, “Spaniel”, donated by Carol Simpson
4. Hamilton Beach Deluxe Grill donated by Darrell Walker
5. Rancho Vignola Gift Basket donated by Sue Vignola]
6. Ice Fishing/Camping Stove created and donated by Larry Eigaard
Visit our booth in the Village Green Mall Thursday, March 3 to Saturday, March 5. We plan to sell tickets at various locations around town which will be advertised in the Morning Star Community Calendar. If it’s more convenient, send in the raffle ticket order form at the end of the newsletter and we will gladly mail your ticket stubs to you. If you are willing to sell a book of tickets to friends and families, please phone Heather @ 542-7203.
Lumby Legion Jam Session
Diana and Dwayne Warnock of Lumby are organizing a Jam Session at the Lumby Legion on Saturday, February 19 at 6 p.m. Grab your musical instrument and join the fun. The event is a benefit for our spay/neuter program. For more information, phone Dwayne @ 250-547-9250.
Easter Bake & Craft Sale
Circle Saturday, March 19 on your calendars. That’s when our Easter Bake Sale takes place at Polson Place Mall. Where else can you buy delicious homemade goodies at such reasonable prices? Bunny Adams’ curried onion/raisin sauce sold out so quickly in November that many of us were unable to get our hands on a jar. Luckily, she has promised us more for this sale, as well as an assortment of her other gourmet jams and jellies. There’ll be hot cross buns, cinnamon buns, nut brittle, chocolates and much, much more. To donate items for the sale please bring them to Polson Place Mall on Saturday morning or phone Heather @ 542-7203 or Pat @ 545-5724 for pick up.
Garage & Garden Sale
This year’s sale is set for Saturday, May 14. Let us turn your unwanted items into cash for needy animals. We welcome donations of just about anything – a long as it is in working condition and still useable. If you have a green thumb, please donate a few plants for our garden department. Items can be dropped off at 3205 22nd Street or call Heather @ 542-7203 for pick up. We have limited storage place; if you can, please save your donations for us until a few weeks before the sale.
Ongoing Fundraisers:
Canadian Tire Money
Donations of Canadian Tire money are used to purchase food and litter for our foster cats. Please consider saving your coupons for VDACS.
HBC Rewards
If you would like to help our fundraising by donating your HBC Rewards points to VDACS, please cut out the card on the last page of this newsletter and present it to the cashier when you shop at the Bay, Zellers or Home Outfitters. You can also link your account or transfer points from your own account to ours by visiting www.hbcrewards.com/community. You will need to quote our Public ID #6624068. We hope to be able to earn enough points to purchase a grand prize for next year’s raffle.
Homemade Happiness Café On Wheels
Sarah and Tracey, formerly of the Village Cheese Café & Shoppe, have started a new and exciting business, and they have given VDACS a great opportunity to benefit from their endeavour. Homemade Happiness operates a fleet of trucks which deliver quality home cooked meals right to your door for very reasonable prices. A weekly plan consisting of seven three course meals costs only $39.95. A daily plan is available for just $6.75 and an a la carte menu features individual items ranging from $.50 to $4.50. There is a wide selection of soups, entrees and desserts. If you are interested in learning more about their service, pick up a brochure from our booth at the mall, phone Heather @542-7203 to have one mailed to you, or phone Tracey or Sarah @ 260-4153. A generous 20% of the meal costs will be donated to VDACS!
Thank You Cards To:
Teresa Barker: Teresa donates gorgeous baskets for draws at all our fundraisers. Not only do her baskets draw customers to our booths but they also raise lots of $$$$ for needy animals. Teresa and Betty Parlane also made beautifully warm beds for our foundlings.
Jacques Jewellers and Lifestyle Natural Foods staff members: Instead of a Xmas gift exchange these generous individuals donated money for our foundlings.
Lisa Salt Team: During the month of November Lisa and her team from Re/Max donated $25 to our spay/neuter fund for every adoption. The publicity from the team’s support generated 14 adoptions – including Smeagle adopted by Lisa and Becky adopted by her colleague Anita Anderson. The team’s $350 donation enabled us to spay 5 felines!
Margaret Jackson: Margaret, our dedicated Lost & Found Cat Registry volunteer, has been handling this often very sad job for over a year. During the last six weeks, however, Margaret has managed to reunite six cats with their families.
Valentine’s Day Adopt A Cat Today Sponsors: Arden Tile, Bags ‘N All, Centre Stage, Coldstream Truck Parts, Creatabls, Hap’s Midtown Service, Harris Flower Shop, Hunter’s Store, Perfection Painting, Perma Clean, Roots ’88 Hairstyling, Scandia Iron, Something Special, S.P. Seymour Ltd., Sunshine Honda, Sweet Caroline’s Bakery, and the Wrap Zone. Special thanks to Laurie Johnson, too, for all her work organizing the ad.
Volunteer Calendar Sales Outlets Animal Medical Clinic, Penticton [ George Proudfoot DVM, Kim & Dale ], Armstrong Veterinary Clinic, The Big Picture, Complete Pet Mart, Creekside Animal Clinic, Crescent Falls Veterinary Hospital, Findlay’s Superstore, Flater Veterinary Services, Hy Country Kennels, Proudfoot, Total Pet and Vernon Veterinary Clinic.
Volunteer Fundraising Sales People: Jean Boysen, Sharon Christiansen, Dean & Nancy Clarke, Jacquie Gazley, Barbara & Reid Harvey, Pat Howe, Pat Kirschner, Danni Klein, Brigitte Langert, Ginny Makarewich, Thelma Mathews, Glenn Miller, Vera Parisotto, Robert & Heather Pettit, Enide Rourke, Joan Salt, Lisa Salt, Dieter Schwan, Carolynn Saunders-Dorge, Cindy Schroff, Sandi Slizak, Carolyn Story, Hazel Turchinetz.
Wayne MacGregor of Okanagan Court Bailiffs for donating a digital camera. The camera will enable us to feature photos of our cats on our website and to print “for adoption” photos for display on bulletin boards!
And, of course, to all of you who donated food, treats, toys, litter, bedding and money. We simply couldn’t cope without you!
P.S. The adorable kitten on the front page of this newsletter is Ricky, one of a litter of five brought to us from a feral colony in the Shuswap at the tender age of 3 weeks. Ricky and his siblings – Graham, Bertie, Becky and Hope – have all been adopted and their families report that they are the most wonderful cats in the world. Tina, pictured below with her canine family members, Jenny and Annie, was adopted by Gloria Gaudet. Gloria doesn’t need to tell you how happy Tina is!
MEMBERSHIP/DONATION/TICKET ORDER FORM
A. MEMBERSHIP 2005
Please receive/renew my membership in the
Vernon & District Animal Care Society
_____Business/Professional Memberships @ $100 each ___________
_____Personal Membership @ $25 each ___________
_____Youth (19 and under) Memberships @ $10 ___________
B DONATION
I would like to make a tax deductible donation of ____________
C TICKETS
Please send me ______tickets @ $2 each for the raffle ____________
TOTAL ____________
Please make cheques payable to the VERNON & DISTRICT ANIMAL CARE SOCIETY
NAME_____________________________________
ADDRESS______________________________________________________________
POSTAL CODE_____________
Phone #_________________________ Email__________________________________
Mail to:
VERNON AND DISTRICT ANIMAL CARE SOCIETY
BOX 1564
VERNON, BC, V 1T 8C2
SHOPPING AT ZELLERS/THE BAY/HOME OUTFITTERS?
DONATE YOUR POINTS TO VDACS
HBC REWARDS # 600294 593 181 644
or donate your points online: www.hbc.com
Public ID # 6624068