Growth at the SPCA

The SPCA is growing!  We are excited to be able to expand our services.  Above is a scan of our new building addition.  The blue color shows existing office space.  The yellow area is the addition.
 
My March 8th blog describes the rooms and how they will be used.  Just got news that work should begin this week.

 

St. Catrick's Day

The Lycoming County SPCA is celebrating Saint Catrick’s Day with specials the entire week beginning March 11.  This is a holiday that is completely unique to animal shelters and is totally fictional.  Its origins are unknown but it is thought that a shelter cat, walking across a keyboard, invented the day.  In recognition of this improbable holiday, the Lycoming County SPCA decided to give adoption incentives for its felines awaiting homes.

 

            Beginning March 11, the SPCA will have green, three-leaf clovers decorating its lobby window.  Each clover will contain discounts or gifts for each cat adopted.  On Saint Catrick’s day, March 16^th, all cats will be available for an adoption fee of the adopter’s choosing.  (A deposit of $30 is required if the cat chosen is not yet spayed or neutered.)

 

            Each year the SPCA receives thousands of cats.  Very few are identified by their owners and returned to their homes.  In an effort to rehome stray and abandoned cats and kittens, the SPCA offers unique adoption opportunities for potential adopters. 

 

            Cats have a reputation for being aloof but if you meet the right cat you will find that they are quite affectionate.  I myself have always had dogs but I love the cat I have now.  There is something very comforting about having a cat curled up next to you on the sofa and purring softly in your ear. 

 

            Cats have several advantages over their canine counterpart.  They do not require walks but do enjoy playing.  Many grow to be great mousers.  Felines can be left home overnight or even for a weekend when provided adequate food and water.  They are easily entertained by watching birds and squirrels from their perch on a windowsill.  Cats are tidy and will use their litter box as long as it is cleaned regularly.  If you have cold feet, cats make good foot warmers.  And best of all, they are sweet and loving animals waiting for just the right person.

 

            Anyone who has considered adopting a cat should visit the SPCA.  Each adoption includes a wonderful feline, initial shots, 30 days free health insurance, a microchip identification and registration, and spaying or neutering.  There are so many to choose from you might want to adopt two!

Ground Breaking Event March 8

The Lycoming County SPCA will hold a ground breaking ceremony on Friday, March 8, 2013 at the rear of the facility on Reach Road.  Plans are underway to add additional space for incoming felines, a future surgical room, and a multi-purpose space that will be used for dog training, behavior tests, and a post-operative recovery area.

Plans call for three additional rooms.  One room will be set aside for incoming cats. Incoming cats will be processed and their records stored in the SPCA data base.  Staff will check lost reports in the hopes or reuniting pets with their owners.  Then the felines will be evaluated for health and temperament, receive inoculations, worming, microchip, and have their spay or neuter surgery scheduled.  They will then be moved out to the public area for adoption.

 A second, larger space, is designated as the multipurpose room.  This are will be used for temperament testing the dogs, training classes for SPCA volunteers and dogs; public dog training classes, and as a post-operative recovery area.

 The third space is being planned as a surgery area.  Currently the SPCA takes animals to local veterinarians for spaying and neutering.  By having a surgical space, the SPCA can plan for veterinary services on site. 

 This addition has been made possible through the generous donations of: Ms. Melanie Ruth Johnson on behalf of her family: Barbara S Goldstein, Melanie Goldstein Johnson, and Marsha E. Goldstein in memory of their father, August Goldstein, Jr., who loved dogs; The First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania from their great grant program; and Mark Barbour in memory of his parents Grace and Robert Barbour of Montoursville who loved cats.

 Staff and volunteers at the Lycoming County SPCA have shown how versatile they are by making use of any space for temperament testing and training.   Volunteer animal handling class has been held in the lobby, conference room and even the garage.  Now that construction will begin, the office spaces are being rearranged.  While the various rooms at the shelter may seem to be in disarray, the SPCA is still providing the best possible care for the animals. 

Spay Day

Today is spay day; an effort to bring attention to the need for spaying and neutering of companion animals.  The good news is that the message has been given and the public has paid attention.  It is rewarding to have people come to us for help to have their animals spayed or neutered. 

The Lycoming County SPCA practices spay day every day.  We make sure our shelter animals are spayed or neutered. We provide financial assistance to have animals spayed and neutered.  And, we work to raise funds to spay and neuter.

So keep up the good work and spread the word.  Prevent pet overpopulation- Spay or Neuter your pets!

Feral Dogs

Imagine my surprise when the regional director of Dog Law asked me if our shelter would be willing to accept feral dogs!  I had so many questions run through my head and this is what I learned from him.

A farmer in another county saw that his cattle were being tormented by dogs coming from nearby woods.  So, rather than lose valuable cattle, he began feeding the dogs.  Over a period of time, the dogs multiplied and became more problematic.  Then the dog law became involved.  The farmer did not want to sign the dogs over to dog law because he feared for their fate.  Instead, he got licenses for five of the dogs. 

I'm not sure about time frames in this situation, but soon the five dogs multiplied into 30 dogs.  Now there is a bigger problem.  Are they dogs or are they wildlife?  Are they safe to be around?  What would a pack of 30 dogs do to farm animals?  So many questions and so few answers.

Another shelter has accepted some of the dogs.  I did see a picture of one and it looks like a blue heeler.  I wonder if the shelter is successful in keeping the 'feral' dogs.  Are they adoptable?  Have they mated with true wildlife?  Can you trust them in a family?  Can you trust them with other animals?  So many questions.

So right now, my answer to the feral dog question is no. I don't want to accept any feral dogs.  There are too many challenges in sheltering already, I don't need to add more to our plate.  Never the less, it is a very interesting conundrum.

Pardon Our Mess

You've heard the old adage; a temporary inconvenience for a permanent improvement. 

The floor of our dog intake room is pictured above.  We moved our intake area to our conference room.  (Inconvenient)  The contractors needed to open the drain so that they could add more drains for the new rooms.

Sometime in March we will break ground for our new addition.  The dog intake room will resume its place in our procedures.  The room beyond the dog intake will be a future space for spaying and neutering.

We will also add a large multipurpose room.  Our plans for this room include dog training and behavior modification, temperament testing, and recovery area for animals after surgery.

The third room will house additional space for incoming cats.  Our plan is to have the cats evaluated, inoculated, spayed or neutered, then placed in the public room for adoption. 

So watch our progress as we expand our building.  We are excited that we will improve our services even if we have some temporary inconveniences.

A Beautiful Donation

We were contacted by artist Barb Yates from Illinois who wanted to help Aries get adopted.  So she painted this portrait and donated it to encourage someone to adopt this beautiful girl.  The painting is the larger one copied from the photo below.

What a kind and generous thing to do. We are grateful for Barb's efforts to help our little girl get adopted.  She has been at the shelter since June!