Autumn Newsletter - Humane Society of Utah

Speaking of
4242 South 300 West • Murray, UT 84107
(801) 261-2919 • www.utahhumane.org
Animals
Autumn 2011
The Humane Society of Utah is dedicated to the elimination of fear, pain, and suffering in all animals.
Special Friends
Make Sure that
HSU Goes to
the Dogs
...and Cats
Page 3
Farewell to
the Float
Page 4
Picture your Pet
with Santa
Page 2
Plus:
A Great Year for the Animals,
Our Finest Friends Forever
and more!
Happy Howlidays! Meowy Christmas!
Board of Directors
Craig S. Cook, President
Dr. Eric Belnap, Vice President
Dr. JoAnn B. Seghini, Secretary
Randy John, Treasurer
Directors:
Michelle Christensen, Janet E. Haskell
Steve Starley, Tim J. Williams
Administrative Staff
Gene Baierschmidt, Executive Director
Paul Chapin, DVM, Veterinarian
Shama Chapin, DVM, Veterinarian
Lena DeTar, DVM, Veterinarian
John Paul Fox, Chief Investigator
Pauline Edwards, Director of Clinic
Carlene Wall, Director of
Operations and Education
Carl Arky, Director of Communications
Katharine Brant, Director of
Publications and Membership
Oliver Schmidt, Director of Electronic Media
Loraine Delgadillo, Business Manager
Human Resources
Kris Smith, Community Outreach Director
Jessica Almeida, Animal Transfer Coordinator
Barbara Conrad, Foster Animal Coordinator
Jamie Usry, Volunteer Coordinator
Services Provided
Adoption of animals to qualified homes
v Low-cost sterilization surgeries
v Receiving of unwanted animals
v Preventive immunizations
v Investigation of animal abuse and neglect
v Animal rescues
v Humane education and pet-facilitated therapy
v
For further information on services provided
by HSU, call (801)261-2919 during business hours.
Remember, HSU is your shelter.
We are here to help the animals of Utah.
Please help maintain and support our programs
with your contributions.
The Humane Society of Utah is
an independent 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization
that is not affiliated with any other group, nationally
or locally. We receive no funding from taxes or any
source other than your contributions.
Incorporated 1960
4242 South 300 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84107-1415
Telephone: (801) 261-2919
Fax: (801) 261-9577
www.utahhumane.org
© 2011 Humane Society of Utah. All rights reserved.
Are these poses (a) heart-melting (b) to die for (c) adorable, or
(d) all of the above and more? The Photo Box can work the same
kind of magic with your pet at the Humane Society of Utah’s “Picture
Your Pet with Santa” event. Please call now for your appointment!
It’s time for
Picture Your Pet with Santa!
One of the most delightful ways to commemorate everybody’s favorite season is the
Humane Society of Utah’s annual “Picture Your Pet with Santa” event, and this year’s
program promises to be one of the best ever.
Pictures will be taken by The Photo Box, with whom we’ve worked on several previous
special pet picture activities — and if you’ve already seen the kind of work they do, you
know that their animal photography is simply superb. If you haven’t yet had a chance to
see how totally glam your furry (or feathery or scaly or whatever) companion can look,
there’s never been a better time, place, or price to find out.
When: November 12th & 13th, 26th & 27th and December 3rd & 4th —
from 10 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 7 PM each day
Where: The auditorium of the HSU facility, 4242 South 300 West in Murray
How Much: $25 sitting fee, which includes a free, glorious 8x10 color portrait.
Christmas cards and other packages are available for additional prices. Santa Claus
will be happy to pose with your pet if you like, but he will graciously step aside if
you’d rather not have him in the picture — the choice is yours.
What Else You Need to Know:
3 Sittings are by appointment only, so call now to make sure you get the best time
to fit in with your schedule.
3 Pets must be current on all vaccinations.
3 Cats and other small animals must be in carriers, dogs must be on leashes.
3 Please, no pets in heat.
To schedule your appointment for this terrific photo op with your pet(s), please call
Kris Smith at 801-261-2919, ex. 212, or Jamie Usry at 801-261-2919, ex. 207. This is
sure to be one the most special, and unforgettable, ways to celebrate the holiday season
you’ve ever had! v
Special Friends Make Sure that
HSU Goes to the Dogs...
Surprises — wonderful surprises — just seem to keep
happening at the Humane Society of Utah. Take our major
new building additions, for example, that we talked about
in the last issue of Speaking of Animals. At the time we were
very excited and optimistic about the planned expansion
of the clinic and foster departments, and had also made
a definite start on the vastly renovated concept in feline
housing that we had been studying for more than two years.
In spite of the remarkable financial bequests that had made
it possible for us to begin the project, though, we still had to
put a couple of items on the back burner for a while, hoping
that future monetary developments would eventually make
it possible to complete everything we had envisioned for the
HSU of the 21st century. Little did we guess how quickly
two very generous, and totally unexpected, gifts would bring
everything together all at once!
v Sound-deadening materials will be used
throughout, and glass-block walls will replace
chain-link fencing in at least some areas.
v A small memorial park will be established outside
the adoption center where people can meditate,
interact with the animals they hope to adopt, and
simply soak up all the good karma emanating from
the premises. The Kay family has decided that the
name of the new part of the facility should be called
“‘The Wait is Over, Rover’ Dog Adoption Center.”
A lovely, tranquil park honoring Mr. and Mrs. Kay will be
established outside the new dog adoption area that their kindness
has made possible. Here visitors to the Humane Society of Utah can
get acquainted with animals they’re considering for adoption, take time
to think about what kind of pet would make the best new member of
the family, or simply relax in the serene atmosphere. (below)
Our Dogs Have Their Day
The first miracle happened in July. One of the bigger
things that we thought we’d have to wait to work on was the
dog adoption area. Then, out of the blue, a wealthy Vernal
couple named Robert and Teresa Kay announced that they
wanted to do something to celebrate their great love and
admiration for — guess what? — dogs!
When Mr. and Mrs. Kay and their daughter arrived at
the shelter to present their check for $1,100,000 to us, we
were delighted to explain to them what their generosity
would accomplish:
Our plans now call for state-of-the-art kennels, an
improved ventilation system, piped-in music that will
calm and relax the dogs, and lighting that creates a
positive, cheerful atmosphere. In addition, the following
features will be implemented:
v Small dogs will be kept in an entirely separate area
from the larger canines, and their housing will make
interaction with the public very easy and attractive.
v The larger dogs will be separated from each other
in individual sections.
Robert and Teresa Kay, center, and their
daughter Linzi, right, present the generous
gift which made it possible for us to go
ahead with important renovations of the
dog adoption area at the same time we
were working on updates of the rest of the
shelter. Before the Kays offered their large
donation, we had planned on having to
postpone this step of our shelter-wide
renovations until we could raise enough
additional funding. HSU Secretary
Dr. JoAnn B. Seghini and President and
General Counsel Craig S. Cook, left, look on. In paying grateful tribute to the
Kay family, Dr. Seghini said that caring for animals in need is a characteristic
that “humanizes humans.”
(right) The architects’ vision of the new
“The Wait is Over, Rover” HSU Dog
Adoptions Center includes attractive features
like lower, glass-block walls around the roomy
kennels that will allow easier observation of,
and access to, adoptable dogs.
In short, the overall goal is to create an atmosphere
where our dogs are at ease and contented, and will thus
make a better impression when potential adopters come to
view them. We are currently finding homes for 100% of the
adoptable dogs who come to our shelter, and we want to do
everything in our power to ensure that this trend continues.
...And Cats!
Our second very special and very unexpected
contribution was quite unusual, because it was presented
by a cat, on behalf of a lady who has been deceased for
some time, via the lady’s ex-husband, from whom she was
divorced decades before.
The Whole Story
To start at the beginning: Patrick Wiggins is one of
Utah’s most devoted supporters of animals and a lifelong
patron of humane causes, although he is perhaps best
known to the community at large for his high-profile continued on page 7 (Special Friends) 3
Farewell to the Float
HSU Participates in Parade for Last Time
— by Craig S. Cook
HSU President and General Counsel
Gene Baierschmidt was hired as HSU’s new Executive
Director in April 1988, and during one of my many
initial planning meetings with him, a primary topic of
discussion was ways of more effectively publicizing the
Humane Society of Utah. How could we reach the
maximum number of people with a very limited budget?
As a joke, Gene said, “Maybe we should march down Main
Street with 50 adoptable dogs!” — and even though he’d
only been kidding, a light instantly went on inside both
our heads as we thought of the upcoming Days of ‘47
Parade held each year on July 24th. At that time, there
were three TV channels broadcasting the parade to over
a million viewers in four states, and many thousands of
spectators lined up to watch it in person. We thought,
“What a great opportunity to reach an enormous audience!”
But wait — we would need to have a float to enter
in the parade if we were to get this exposure. We knew
that we couldn’t just go to a local car dealer and order a
vehicle, and we also knew that the LDS Church, which
sponsors the parade, and Modern Display Company,
another of the event’s major supporters, both had fleets
of float bodies that they rotated among their own wards
and clients, but none of these would be available to us.
So after researching through many library books (there
was no Internet then!), I learned the basics of how to
build a float around the frame of a car. One of our Board
members donated her 1973 AMC Hornet to the cause,
and, as luck would have it, I had a personal friend who
possessed polished skills as a welder, and another who was
a professional carpenter. At the beginning of July 1988
we commenced the task of transforming a 15-year-old car
into a float.
First Efforts
Within a week, the frame of a brand-new float was
glistening in the yard of our original shelter in West
Valley City. To be sure, it was small and plain compared
to the lavish, multi-storied creations of the other entrants,
but this flat little rectangle was going to do something
that the grand floats could never do: It would save lives
and bring loving animals and good new homes together.
4
Gene and I were very proud of our accomplishment,
but there was still much to be done. We needed to
decorate our float with a motif that was consistent with
the parade’s overall theme, which that year was “Pioneer
Courage.” Since the first year that HSU chose to be a
part of the Big Parade was 1988, we tied into the overall
theme of recognizing courageous and dedicated pioneers
by honoring the centennial of the humane movement
in Utah, which had begun a hundred years before, when
Utah wasn’t even a state yet.
In commemoration of that event, we christened our
first parade float “100 Years of Caring,” and featured
riders dressed in period costume (as well as a couple
of attractive young ladies in cat suits), all of whom
chaperoned dogs from the shelter whose availability for
adoption was prominently announced all along the route.
Our entry was a huge success, and all the dogs who had
ridden on the float — as well as many other animals from
the shelter — were adopted that same day as a result of
the positive exposure.
A Tradition Begins
Obviously, during the 364 days of the year that
the float was not in use, it needed a place to reside.
For decades, the tarp-covered frame rested in the RV
parking lot at the Utah Air National Guard, where
I served as an officer, and then it was moved to a garage
(already inhabited by numerous mice) on the new
property we had purchased in Murray off the I-15
interstate. It wasn’t until 2001 that a special carport-like
structure was built at the new facility using funds from a
donation made by my parents, John and Ilene Cook.
The beautifully decorated float of one year would of
course be useless for the following year because the entries
always had to be tied into the parade’s overall theme. We
quickly learned that the decorating had to be done in a
covered location, since the unpredictable weather of July
in our area can destroy an unprotected float in seconds.
Each year we had to beg and plead for a covered place to
work on the float. These included the old Cook Lumber
Yard, the Air National Guard Motor Pool, the 13th South
House of Horrors, the old Pay-n-Pak building, and the Salt
Palace. Our search ordeal ended in 2001 when we built
the Float Building.
For nearly a quarter of a century, HSU continuously
appeared in each Days of ‘47 Parade. With only limited
resources and manpower, we managed to design and
construct inventive, ingenious, and inspiring floats, always
featuring the enormously crowd-pleasing attraction of live
animals from the shelter. For example, one year our entry
was decorated with fabulous, colorful cutout figures
created by professional local cartoonist Val Bagley;
another time, we went retro with a very convincing
“Marilyn Meow” lookalike (complete with the famous
swirling, pleated-skirt, V-necked dress), escorted by “Elvis
Poochley” and a genuine basset Hound Dog from our
kennels. In 2002, to honor the heroic animals who the
previous September had participated in rescue efforts at
the site of the World Trade Center disaster, we featured
representatives from our own Salt Lake City Police K-9
Corps, the Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs Squad, and
Intermountain Therapy Animals — as well as, of course,
adoptable shelter dogs. This year we highlighted the new
Kitty Condos of our new building addition.
letters, and other props to the hand-carpentered frame.
(An extra-special round of applause is here owed to HSU
Director of Operations Carlene Wall, who literally gave
her blood, sweat, and tears to the cause, having once
suffered a broken nose when a steel door slammed into
her face as she carried an unwieldy armload of supplies
to the work area.) And Gene Baierschmidt successfully
drove the float for 18 years without hitting a single parade
onlooker! In addition, many non-staff volunteers have
helped with decorations and have ridden on the float as
escorts for the animals. We deeply appreciate the efforts
of every single person who in any way contributed
something to the success of the HSU parade entry —
from gluing on the tiniest sequins to keeping the biggest
Great Dane calm and happy.
All Things Must End
In 1998, the HSU float reflected the parade’s theme of promise for the future by
emphasizing the potential for good new homes for animals offered by the Humane
Society. Elena Cook, wife of HSU President and General Counsel Craig S. Cook,
was one of the volunteers who escorted the dogs as they rode down the parade
route,and is shown here in the foreground on the corner of the float.”
The Main Attraction
Every year, the humble HSU float with its live dogs
would receive just as much TV time as the professional
entries that cost up to $20,000 each and the Church floats
that had involved the time and donations of hundreds of
people. The crowds along the route would always let out
huge cheers as our inexpensive float went by since they
were excited to see our dogs, not our decorations. The
amount of positive public exposure we received from our
participation in the parade over the past 24 years has been
enormous!
Another item worthy of note is the fact that the donated
AMC Hornet never let us down during the 24 parades.
While the “Float Doctor” was towing other expensive floats
that had broken down, our float defiantly zoomed right past
them with extreme pride and fortitude. It wasn’t until this
year’s final parade that the engine began to sputter and emit
steam geysers, and the transmission slipped gears during
the last few blocks of the route. Even so, the little car kept
going until we had safely arrived at Liberty Park, where it
finally became inoperable and died.
A great deal of the back-breaking work was done by
HSU shelter employees who, in addition to their regular
duties, spent countless extra hours volunteering in the hot
sun to staple shiny fringe, floral sheeting, glittery
I have been the designer, planner, and float “walker”
for the HSU float for the past 24 continuous years. Each
time has been filled with high anxiety — Would the float
be completed in time? Would the dogs behave? Would
the volunteers show up? Would the old car complete the
route? Would the dogs be adopted after the parade? — but
each time has also brought me great joy as we glided down
the street before cheering crowds and reached thousands
more via television and other media.
But, as is the case with all good things, an end must
come. The engine of the little AMC car had given its all
by the end of this year’s parade, and the cost of rebuilding
a new float from scratch would be prohibitive. Moreover,
the television viewing audience has shrunk tremendously
with the advent of 200-channel cable TV, Internet
availability, video games and movies, and the crowds
along the street have diminished for the same reasons.
And unfortunately, like the AMC’s engine, my own
stamina has drained and sputtered, and each year the
July heat has become a bigger challenge to endure.
Stronger than Ever in a New World
The good news is that many of the transformations
in communications that have weakened the value of
maintaining a float in the Pioneer Days Parade are now
being used to even better advantage by HSU to achieve
the publicity that Gene and I sought those many years
ago. Our electronic billboard signs on I-15, our website
and social networking connections, and our new media
department daily generate the recognition we need to
maintain our adoption program and clinic services.
Finally, the construction of our expanded clinic and
shelter will make the Humane Society of Utah the
showcase of animal-welfare facilities in the Intermountain
West, and will in and of itself bring us great recognition
in the community.
As for the float — it was a great 24-year ride! No one
here will ever forget the Little Float that Could. v
5
Ladybug, Ladybug — Found a Great Home!
One morning last July the kind of heartbreaker situation that
every shelter worker dreads having to face happened: a tearful
couple appeared carrying a small Chihuahua on a pillow, and it
was immediately obvious that something was seriously wrong —
the dog was breathing heavily, her eyes were dull with pain, and
her left front paw dangled at an ugly, unnatural angle. One of the
family’s children, they said, while playing with the dog in the yard,
had knocked over a heavy bench which landed directly on the
11-month-old puppy’s forearm. The distraught woman explained,
“We were hoping that things weren’t as bad as they looked, but when
we took her to the vet he said the leg was badly broken. He also said
how much money it would cost to make her well again, and it’s money
that we just don’t have. So the only thing we can do for her now is ask
you to put her to sleep to end her pain.”
An Angel Steps In
One of our Foster Department coordinators, Amber Hansen,
happened to overhear the story and was deeply distressed by
the idea that the life of a dog so young and otherwise healthy
would have to be terminated under such circumstances. Surely, she
thought, this was exactly one of the many “special-needs” situations
that the Foster program had been conceived to handle — and so she
asked the couple if they would consider surrendering ownership of
the pup to the Humane Society and letting us see what we could do
to give her a second chance at a good life. Although grief-stricken
over losing their little friend,
the people were nevertheless
profoundly thankful that
there might be hope for her
to be healed and enjoy a
long, happy life with someone else. They signed the
appropriate papers.
Amber immediately took
the Chihuahua — whose
name was “Ladybug” — to
our clinic, where she was
made comfortable with
sedatives and prepared for
X-rays. The resulting prints
showed that both of the
bones in the lower leg were
completely snapped in two,
and the shoulder was also
painfully dislocated as a
result of the contortion of
the broken bones. Small
wonder, thought the attending clinic technicians, that
she had looked so miserable
when she first arrived at the
shelter!
Ladybug’s recuperation was amazingly swift and successful.
She learned how to hop around so nimbly with her cast that our
immediate concern was that she might overextend herself in her
enthusiasm! Follow-up X-rays showed that the broken bones were
knitting perfectly. “It’s a good thing that she’s so young,” explained
HSU vet Dr. Lena DeTar, who was her primary caregiver throughout Ladybug’s treatment. “That gives her a definite advantage, and the
chances are excellent that she’ll walk perfectly once the cast is removed.”
(above) After being fitted with a cast,
Ladybug was able to rest comfortably while
she recovered...
...as well as get around with amazing
agility when she was taken out
for exercise and fresh air. (right)
Hitting her Stride
In this first X-ray photograph taken of
Ladybug’s injury, she is anesthetized and lying
on the examination table on her tummy with
her forepaws extended toward the viewer.
The complete break in both bones of the lower
part of her left limb is clearly visible, as is the
accompanying dislocation of the shoulder.
A Time for Healing
Our veterinarians then anesthetized Ladybug, skillfully aligned and
re-joined the pieces of bone at the break, manipulated her shoulder
6
back into its socket, and fitted her leg with a top-to-toe cast. (While
she was “out,” they also took the opportunity to spay her at the same
time.) When she groggily came to in a soft, warm bed, the very first
thing Ladybug became aware of was the fact that she was surrounded
by gentle, reassuring hands and voices, that she was being soothed and
comforted and encouraged by people who cared. The next thing she
realized was that she didn’t hurt anymore — the agonizing pain in her
left front limb was completely gone. And then she drifted pleasantly off
again into a peaceful snooze for the next few hours.
It was almost two months after the accident when the big day
finally arrived. During that period the original cast had been
replaced with a new one several times, and on each occasion
Ladybug had cooperated beautifully. She actually seemed to
understand that every step in the procedure was helping her heal.
As the bandages were undone and discarded for the last time,
she also seemed to understand that her ordeal was finally over for
good, and that she could move with all the ease and agility she had
possessed before she was injured. Shortly after she was put up for
adoption she was chosen by a wonderful family, and after spending a
little time with them she demonstrated how well she felt by joyfully
leaping up into the lap of her loving new mom.
Ladybug trotted briskly out of the HSU shelter wearing a brandnew harness and leash, heading for a brand-new life. And she trotted
on four straight, strong, healthy little legs. She was a walking example
of yet another HSU miracle worked by love and devoted caring. v
HSU Fosters:
Our Finest Friends Forever
No matter how many times we’ve already reported on some of the
extra-wonderful adoption successes we’ve had because of the HSU
Animal Foster Program, we’ll never run out of material, because they
just keep happening. Here is one more of the latest stories about what
these beautiful people have accomplished for animals who need that
extra dose of TLC to get them headed on the right path to good new
homes of their own.
care, as well as lots and lots of love and attention, as they developed.
We didn’t see them again for two months, when Beth finally brought
nine husky, healthy, sweet-tempered young dogs (whom we could
hardly recognize as the original tiny newborns of Ginger’s litter) back
to be surgically sterilized, vaccinated, and introduced to the public as
potential new members of somebody’s families.
Super Foster Mom Beth
Ebling sits with all nine
of the puppies that she
took in — along with their
mother — to care for until
they were all ready to be
sterilized, vaccinated,
and adopted to good new
homes. (Mama Dog
Ginger isn’t in the picture,
since she was at that very
moment in our clinic being
spayed to ensure that there
would be no repetition of a
scene like this.)
Domestic Troubles, Happy Endings
Ginger is a female pit bull whose world fell apart when her people
divorced and the household was suddenly split in two. The worst
part, for Ginger at least, was the fact that she was heavily pregnant
at the time, more so than anyone realized; she happened to be
staying at Mr. Ex’s apartment when she went into labor and
delivered nine — nine! — puppies. This was obviously too much
for any one person to handle, especially at such an all-around
stressful time. So Mrs. Ex tearfully collected Ginger and her twoday-old litter and brought them all to the Humane Society, asking
if there was any chance of hope for the little family here.
As it happens, this is exactly one of the kinds of situations that the
Foster program deals with most frequently, and Foster Coordinator
Barbara Conrad immediately alerted her network of volunteers to
the problem, expecting the puppies to be divided up among several
families and bottle-fed until they were old enough to be placed
for adoption. So when one remarkable, hard-working, dedicated
volunteer named Beth Ebling offered to take all ten dogs — the
entire litter and their mother — into her home until the babies were
grown, the amazement and gratitude felt by everyone at the shelter
can probably be better imagined than described.
Beth made sure that Ginger was well-fed, comfortable, and relaxed
during the whole time it took for the “pitties” to be weaned, and also
of course saw to it that the pups themselves were given the best of
And Ginger herself? Her former mom had been devastated when
she had to relinquish her beloved dog and her puppies to the shelter,
and decided from the beginning that the separation was not going
to be a permanent one, at least as far as Ginger was concerned. Mrs.
Ex’s own parents had always been devoted to Ginger, too, and it was
they who made arrangements to re-adopt her from us as soon as the
puppies were on their own and Ginger had been spayed. Throughout
the whole eight-week fostering period they had called regularly to
check on everyone’s progress, and on the same day that the puppies
were put on display in the adoption kennels, Ginger happily went
home in the company of a couple whom she already knew and loved.
Thanks to people who cared — Beth Ebling most of all — there’s a
bright future ahead for ten very lucky dogs. v
Special Friends... continued from page 3
(left) Patrick Wiggins, left, has long been a
well-known figure throughout Utah as our
unofficial “Ambassador to NASA,” thanks
to his passionate devotion to astronomy
and his many services to both the Hansen
and Clark Planetariums. He is equally
passionate about, although perhaps less
renowned for, his devotion to animals. Here
he presents a generous personal check to
HSU Executive Director Gene Baierschmidt
as part of his contribution to helping us with
our important new building additions.
positions with the Hansen and Clark Planetariums over the past
26 years and his expertise in all matters pertaining to space and
astronomy. Long, long ago (well, not that long), and in this very
galaxy, Mr. Wiggins was married to a fellow animal afficionado named
Colleen Caron. Although the union itself didn’t last, Patrick and
Colleen remained good friends, and when Colleen passed away she left
a substantial bequest from a retirement account to her former spouse.
Even though there were no stipulations on how the money should
be used, Patrick felt that, as a tribute to the deep caring that both he
and Colleen had shared for cats, it would be most fitting to donate
the more than $40,000 that he had acquired through her gift to the
Humane Society of Utah to help build our new “Kitty Condo” area.
A Unique Ceremony
Therefore, when members of the media showed up on a bright
August afternoon to record the formal presentation of the donation,
they found that the star attraction of the event was not Patrick
himself, but the large, white-and-tortoise-shell cat named Pumpkin
whom he had adopted from us months earlier. Pumpkin presided over
the proceedings with all the cool composure and aloof aplomb that
one would expect from a feline, and even condescended to have her
nails manicured by our clinic technicians while she was here.
Said HSU Executive Director Gene Baierschmidt as he gratefully
(right) Mr. Wiggins’s kind gift
was officially presented by Pumpkin
Wiggins, since the money will be used
in the creation of our beautiful new
Cat Condos area. Cats were always
especially important to both Patrick and
his late ex-wife, Colleen Caron.
accepted the offering from Pumpkin and Patrick, “Colleen Caron
and her generous gift will always be remembered by us. We’ll be proud
to honor this thoughtful act with special recognition for Ms. Caron in the
new cat adoption center which is currently under construction here at the
Humane Society.”
Pumpkin purred her approval of the plan. v
7
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As I
A Great Year for the Animals
— One just ending, Another on the Way!
— by Gene Baierschmidt
HSU Executive Director
As almost everyone has probably noticed by now, one of
the most important developments in HSU’s recent history
began in the early spring of this year, when we started the
first major renovation of our new facility since it was built
in 1992. Our plans call for great expansion of the clinic
and foster departments, as well as completely new and
innovative cat and dog adoption areas — these latter
designed to maximize the comfort, positive emotional
state, and adoptability of the many wonderful animals
waiting at our shelter for good new homes of their own.
Many Outstanding Achievements
During all of our exciting plans for the future, we also
continued to maintain our high level of service and
accomplishments for the animals in the present. For the
third consecutive year, we have not had to euthanize one
single adoptable dog, and the overall combined adoption
rate for all our animals stayed at about 90%. The number
of vaccinations administered in our clinic continues to
soar, and by year’s end we will easily have performed more
than 10,000 spay/neuter surgeries — again.
Highlights in other areas included the following:
v The press conference held in mid-July to announce
the $1.1 million donation from Robert and Teresa
Kay, a Vernal couple who are especially devoted to
dogs, was covered by all four major television stations
as well as the Salt Lake Tribune and Vernal’s local
paper.
v HSU Communications Specialist Carl Arky appeared
on KSOP Radio’s weekly public service program, did
an interview with KSL about not keeping dogs strictly
outdoors, and also appeared on the Doug Wright
Show and assisted the Tribune with an article about
adopting older dogs.
v We provided live footage of groundbreaking ceremony
for he new expansion project and did videos on the
Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Department’s volunteering
at HSU, Strutt your Mutt, dogs being flown
from a Texas shelter for adoption at HSU, and our
acceptance of dogs from authorities in Texas who
had rescued the animals from a hoarder.
v We accepted and adopted four puppies who had been
fostered by actress Denise Richards (Charlie Sheen’s
ex-wife).
v We collaborated on the donation of two new dog
8
houses from Overstock.com, and hope to get them
involved with our upcoming Super Adoption and
perhaps also our December telethon.
Planning for the Future
Just seeing the completion of the new building
additions will be an enormous triumph for HSU in 2012,
but we have no intention of simply resting on our laurels
once that’s done. We’re already outlining other projects
for the future which will involve all departments and close
interaction with the community as a whole.
One of the areas in which we will again be active deals
with legislation that impacts animals, whether in a positive or
negative way. For example, during the last legislative session
HB 22, sponsored by Rep. Jim Dunnigan (R-Taylorsville),
was passed. This bill modifies the types of fireworks that
can be set off in Utah, and also allows them to be set off
throughout the entire period of the year from June 26th
through July 26th. (The previous law stated that fireworks
could be purchased at any time, but could only be used
immediately before, during, and immediately after the
4th and 24th of July.) Apparently the fireworks industry
donated large sums of money to certain lawmakers in order
to get HB 22 passed, and the supposed rationale behind
this bill is that allowing new types of fireworks and
extending their time of legal use will bring more revenue
to the state of Utah.
But from a humane point of view (among many others),
this law is ridiculous. As HSU stresses in press releases and
interviews every summer, many dogs are deeply traumatized
by the exploding noises and bright lights of fireworks, and
many of them, in addition to suffering extreme emotional
stress, frequently run away in panic and become lost. HB
22 only exacerbates the problem because now these
disturbances can go on continuously for an entire month.
In the next legislative session we plan to introduce
a bill that would repeal HB 22 and, at the very least,
return restrictions on fireworks to their previous status. We
understand that many other legislators were also unhappy
with the new law, so we’re hoping that — with your help —
we’ll have favorable results on this issue in the 2012 session.
Thanks to All of HSU’s Loyal Supporters
In summation, because of what all of the animals’
faithful friends do to show their support of our mission,
we’ve had a banner year and fully expect to keep right
on following the same kind of track next year and far into
the future. As 2011 draws to a close, we’d very much like
to extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who
made so many good things possible — and will keep on
making HSU the premier facility for all animals in the
state of Utah. v