New Opportunities to Provide Wonderful Lives for Animals in Need

The
Guardian
PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF ANIMALS FOR OVER 145 YEARS
February 2015 | Vol. 46, No. 1
We Couldn’t Have
Done It Without You
The last two years have brought
significant change to the Women’s
Humane Society. Our hospital has had
a complete makeover, including the
acquisition of a digital
x-ray machine to help our
veterinarians provide fast
and accurate diagnoses for
pet owners in our community. Our shelter has been
redesigned to give the
animals in our care the
Catherine
cleanest, most comfortable
Malkemes,
stay when they are with us.
CEO, WHS
And WHS has crossed the
digital divide to become computerized
and more efficient.
We know we couldn’t have made
these accomplishments without the help
of our supporters.
As I reflect on 2014 I am proud to
say the Women’s Humane Society
achieved recognition as a shelter that
was willing to share our resources to
improve the lives of animals in our
community. We partnered with other
animal welfare groups to spay and
neuter a burgeoning feral cat population in the community. We sponsored
low cost vaccine clinics to help pet
owners maintain the health of their
animals. We subsidized veterinary
care for some of our clients who had
experienced significant financial
reversals. We brought, free of charge,
humane education to almost 3,000
children and adults in schools and
community service organizations. We
believe the only way to address and
prevent problems like animal overpopulation and animal abuse is with
education. We couldn’t have achieved
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New Opportunities to Provide
Wonderful Lives for Animals in Need
A new year is a time of new beginnings.
Providing family support
It’s also a time of new opportunities
Last March, a 5-year-old Boston Terrier
For more than145 years, the Women’s
named Lucy was brought to us by her family to
Humane Society has been providing opportunibe humanely euthanized. She had developed
ties for wonderful lives for the cats, dogs and
pyometrea, an infection of her uterus. After
small animals we rescue, shelter and place in
spending $1,000 on veterinary care that
loving “forever homes.”
didn’t cure Lucy, her family could not afford
And each year we provide opportunities for
an additional $2,000 that a second vet said
caring donors to support programs that truly
was needed for surgery.
make a difference.
When they brought her to our Caroline Earle
Most are already aware that a donation to
White Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Chandu Bhatia
the Women’s Humane Society can provide
examined her and concluded that surgery
shelter, care and adoption for an unwanted
probably would save Lucy’s life. Thanks to
animal. But it does much more than that.
generous donations, we were
A donation to the Women’s
able to offer the surgery for
Humane Society makes it
just $500. Now Lucy is back
possible for us to provide
home with her family,
adoptable animals with safe
enjoying a wonderful life.
shelter until we can find them
their “forever home.”
Feral cat control
A donation makes it
Last summer, the Women’s
possible to provide medical
Humane Society joined
treatment — even surgery —
with Animal Lifeline and
to make animals more
six other animal welfare
adoptable.
organizations in an
A donation makes it possible
innovative program to
After surgery at WHS, Lucy
to showcase available animals
control and reduce the
returned home to the fireplace.
on our website or at adoption
feral cat population at
events and fairs.
Parx Casino and Racetrack in Bensalem. With
A donation can help teach people about
between 200 and 300 feral cats living at Parx,
pet care and educate the public about the
the casino and racetrack had been frustrated
importance of spaying and neutering.
in its efforts to control the population. The WHS
A donation makes it possible to offer low-cost
and the other animal welfare groups provided
vaccine clinics to help families in the community
a humane solution to the problem. In a weekkeep their pets healthy.
long program, they trapped as many of the
Yet even all that is not all a donation does.
feral cats as possible, spayed or neutered
Did you know a donation to the Women’s
them, treated them for fleas, ticks and worms
Humane Society can make it possible to keep
and gave them needed vaccines to prevent the
an animal with its loving family by subsidizing
spread of diseases such as rabies or distemtreatment or surgery the family cannot afford?
per. The cats were also fitted with microchips
Or that a donation can help the Women’s
for tracking.
Humane Society address animal problems in
Now that you know how much good your
the community in ways that help both people
donation does, please consider giving again
and animals?
at www.womenshumanesociety.org.
Benny
Wonderful Lives from Your Wonderful Support
Meet some special animals we helped find ‘forever homes’
Tiki
From tragedy, a home
and a new friend
Tiki was a senior dog who needed a
home. Michael T. had lost everything and
desperately needed a friend. Last March,
in a devastating house fire, Michael T.
lost all of this belongings and his beloved
6-year-old Pomeranian, Pooh Pooh Bear. A
concerned staff member at the Red Cross
suggested he consider adopting another
dog to help him cope with his grief, and
since Michael had adopted Pooh Pooh
Bear from the Women’s Humane Society,
he came back to look for a new companion. He said he really wanted to give a
senior dog from our shelter a “forever
home.” When he walked into our kennel,
Tiki, a sweet senior Chihuahua mix, immediately caught his eye. Michael, Tiki and
one of our adoption counselors got together
for a meet and greet. Within minutes Michael and Tiki fell in love with each other.
Tiki would become Michael’s new best
friend, but not before the Women’s Humane
Society treated her to complete dental
cleaning so she could go to her new home
with a beautiful smile. With the help of
donations, WHS covered the dental cleaning and all the adoption fees for Tiki. At the
Women’s Humane Society we are not only
dedicated to finding homes for the animals
in our care, we are committed to be able
to give the families in our community the
joy of that comes with giving a homeless
animal like Tiki a wonderful life.
an animal find a “forever home.” After
Sasha had spent 4 months in our shelter,
a wonderful woman fell in love with her
and adopted her. Our skilled veterinarians
scheduled Sasha for surgery to remove
her tumors and provide her with a full
dental cleaning at no expense to the
adopter. When Sasha now comes for her
treatments, the staff is thrilled to see how
well she is doing. We think Sasha was
smiling for the camera when we took this
picture. She’s letting everybody know how
happy she is to be living a wonderful life.
Benny
A great ending for a senior dog
The Women’s Humane Society was
thrilled to be a part of Benny’s dream come
Sasha
After four months,
something to smile about
Tiki
During the dog days of summer, Sasha
was found wandering the streets in
Philadelphia. A kind person was able to
get Sasha into his car and brought her to
the Women’s Humane Society. When one
of our veterinarians was giving her a routine check-up, he discovered Sasha had
fatty tumors on her sides and chest, and
very advanced gingivitis. It was clear that
Sasha would need a lot of medical care.
At another shelter Sasha’s future might have
been bleak. But at the Women’s Humane
Society we do everything we can to help
• continued from cover
all we did for our community without the help of our supporters.
We hope that 2015 will offer the Women’s Humane Society more opportunities to
implement improvements in shelter care and introduce advances in veterinary care to our
clients. And, with your help, we will continue to be a beacon for best practices in animal
welfare in the Greater Philadelphia Region.
On behalf of our Board of Directors, professional staff and volunteers I wish you and
your family a very happy and healthy New Year.
Catherine Malkemes, Chief Executive Officer
Sasha
You can donate as a
tribute or memorial
Whether you donate online at
www.womenshumanesociety.org
or by mail, you can make a
donation in honor of, or in
memory of, a favorite person or
pet. We are creating a new page
on our website to display all
tributes and memorials.
K
Koda
Koda
Open space brings calm
true. Part Boston Terrier, Benny was a stray
that was turned in to another shelter in
Philadelphia. As an older dog, Benny’s future at that facility was not very promising.
After examination by our veterinarian and
adoption team, Benny was rated a good
candidate for adoption, even at 7-8 years
old. He was listed for adoption on the
WHS website, and it wasn’t long before
he was adopted in April. Like Benny, the
adopters were seniors, which made the
match all the more perfect. It was love at
first sight for them, and for Benny. Today
he is happy, affectionate, and yes, a little
spoiled. His new owners report, “He is our
‘wonder dog’ and all love. This little guy
is smart and adorable. We are so lucky to
have him!” Support from our donors makes
it possible for dogs like Benny to get lucky
and find a “forever home.” When we have
an opening in our kennels, our adoptions
team rescues dogs like Benny from other
shelters and gives them the little extra time
they need to find a family that will give
them the wonderful life they deserve.
Recently, Koda, a 9-month-old Akita
puppy, was surrendered to the Women’s
Humane Society. Sadly, his owner could
not afford to keep him. After he was
examined by our veterinarian and his
behavior was evaluated by our animal care
team, Koda was put up for adoption. Koda
started to decline shortly after being placed
in our kennel. He became anxious and
stressed. All animals are stressed in a
shelter environment, but a puppy with lots
of energy can have a particularly difficult
time. Our adoption counselors knew Koda
needed to be able to romp in an open
space — as most puppies do. At
Women’s Humane Society we are
committed to helping animals find loving
homes and we recognize some animals
may have a better chance of being
adopted in a different environment. We
contacted one of our rescue partners who
had the space Koda needed to romp and
play. He quickly became calm and happy.
Within a week, Koda was adopted by
a family that had children and a yard for
him to grow and play in. At the Women’s
Humane Society we are committed to
doing whatever we can to help an animal
find a wonderful life.
in December of 2013. Her owners were
relocating, and they unfortunately could not
take Ella with them. Soon after being evaluated by our veterinarians, Ella was made
available for adoption and began waiting
for her “forever home.” Ella watched from
her cat kennel as hundreds of cats and
kittens were chosen and adopted. Ella
patiently waited for her time to come when
the right family would visit and choose her.
In October 2014, after waiting 10 months,
Ella’s dreams finally came true. A loving
family came to our shelter and fell in love
with Ella. At the Women’s Humane Society
we are dedicated to helping our animals
have a wonderful life ­— no matter how
long it takes.
Ella
Ella
A long wait, a happy ending
Ella, a beautiful black senior cat, was
surrendered to the Women’s Humane Society
Help us help other animals like Tiki, Sasha, Benny, Koda and Ella.
Donate today at www.womenshumanesociety.org/donate-online
Results from Donations
In the last year, the Women’s Humane Society has gotten a
wide range of results from the donations of generous supporters.
Advancing the goals of founder Caroline Earle White, the WHS
rescued and sheltered hundreds of cats, dogs and small animals.
We helped control the over population of unwanted animals by
spaying or neutering more than 1,700 animals and making sure
every cat or dog adopted from our shelter was as well.
We treated more than 6,700 animals at our Caroline Earle
White Veterinary Hospital, including surgeries, wellness checkups
and microchipping to prevent animals from being lost.
We brought humane education to almost 3,000 children and
adults and conducted more than 200 education events and
programs, including classroom and assembly presentations, tours
of the facility, Girl Scout and Boy Scout programs, Science Fair
awards and the Animals in Art program.
Most important of all, we placed hundreds of pets in adoptions.
In that, we were proud to inspire owners like the adopters of
senior Boston Terrier mix Benny to tell us that if he could write, he
would say, “I really got lucky too with my new home and parents.
Everyone loves me, and I love everyone!”
February 2015 | The Guardian
Winter Tips from
WHS to Keep
Your Pet Safe
The winter months are hard on everyone, but
they are especially tough on pets. Here are tips
from the Women’s Humane Society to keep
your pets safe from snow, ice, wind and cold
and to protect them from the dangers of
antifreeze, salts and de-icers.
Non-Profit
US Postage
PAID
Permit No. 600
Conshohocken, PA
3839 Richlieu Road, Bensalem PA, 19020-5470
Limit Outdoor Time. It’s a myth that dogs
and cats are better equipped to deal with the
cold than people. Even long-haired breeds
can be harmed by extended exposure to
cold, snow and wind, so keep them inside
as much as possible during the winter.
Offer Solid Shelter. Cats should be indoor
only pets, and if you must leave dogs out,
provide solid, warm shelter that is protected
from the wind. Shelters should be large
enough so that dogs can stand, sit and move
easily, but small enough to retain body heat.
Check with your local Humane Society to see
if your city has a specific standard a dog
shelter must conform to.
Watch for Frostbite. Like humans, animals
can experience frostbite in extremities like
paws, ears and tips of tails. Early signs of
frostbite are brittle or waxy skin, discoloration
and blisters. If you notice these, keep your
animal inside and get her to the vet promptly.
If you see a pet left out in the
cold, contact animal control or
welfare organizations. Take note
of the date, time, location and
type of animal, and take photos
to document the situation.
Be Alert for Hypothermia. If your pet is
shivering, slows down, stops moving, seems
weak or starts looking for warm places to
burrow, it could be showing signs of hypothermia, according to the American Veterinary
Medicine Association. Get your pet inside
quickly and consult your veterinarian.
Antifreeze Is Deadly. One of the greatest
dangers to pets in winter is antifreeze, which
tastes sweet but is deadly. Wipe up spills
immediately, because even small amounts
can be fatal to cats and dogs.
Avoid Car Dangers. Everyone knows it’s
dangerous to leave pets in cars during the
summer. It’s just as dangerous in winter.
Cars can cool down rapidly in cold weather,
exposing pets to risks of frostbite or even
hypothermia. Cars left running can be a
carbon monoxide risk. Never leave a pet
alone and unsupervised in a car. Also be
Published by
Women’s Humane Society
America’s First Animal Shelter
Founded in 1869 by Caroline Earle White
aware that free roaming cats may seek shelter
under the hood of your vehicle. Bang on the
hood several times before starting your
engine to encourage the cat to exit.
Wipe Down for Safety. Whenever you take
a pet outside, wipe down or wash her feet,
legs or belly when you return. This will remove
antifreeze, salts or de-icers that could be
damaging if licked off. This also will protect
the skin of tender paws and underbellies.
Avoid Ice Risks. Check your pet’s paws
regularly during winter, especially dogs that
go for walks. Ice can accumulate between
toes and should be removed. Ice can also
build up in balls on legs and bellies and
should be quickly removed.
Use Collars and Chips. To protect pets from
getting lost, make sure your pets are wearing
collars with identification or are equipped
with microchip trackers.
3839 Richlieu Road, P.O. Box 1470
Bensalem, PA 19020-5470
215-750-3100 | www.womenshumanesociety.org
Catherine Malkemes
Chief Executive Officer
February 2015 | The Guardian
Suzanne Bush
President