Bide Awhile Animal Shelter News FALL 2015 Issue

Bide Awhile Animal Shelter News
President’s Message
As Nancy Mansfield passes the torch as
President of the Board of Directors, I happily
and humbly accept the responsibility. Nancy
has worked tirelessly these past three years
and Bide Awhile has grown under her careful
watch, and my thanks to her for being a
wonderful role model.
Everyone who volunteers at Bide Awhile has
their own story; their personal journey for
coming through the doors and proclaiming
that they want to help. My own started from
birth, it would seem. You see, when my
parents were expecting my arrival, they were
concerned with how my six year old sister
would take to no longer being the only child.
They thought perhaps the best thing to do
would be to get her a dog so she would have
a puppy to play with while their attention
was somewhat diverted to the new baby.
Enter Sparky, a puppy mill rescue.
Unfortunately for my sister, while she was
occupied with all the new experiences and
distractions of starting school, I swooped in
and claimed Sparky for my own. He was my
best friend and constant companion for the
next eleven years. Fast forward to present
day and I am still finding true friendship
with a rescue pet (that’s Murphy with me
in the photo).
FALL 2015 Issue
Some people would argue that the bond
between guardian and pet is present
whether you buy from a breeder or rescue
from a shelter. Having experienced both, I
can tell you that while the human’s bond to
the pet may be the same, the pet’s bond to
the person is very different. Often a rescue
pet must overcome many emotional hurdles
to love and trust a new guardian, and in the
worst cases, they have physical scars to
deal with as well. But once you have proven
that you are worthy of their trust, that
pet will love you like no other. It’s a most
rewarding journey that you take together.
When you find the one that has been waiting for you at a shelter, you will never regret
making the decision to save that life, and
they will never forget what you have done
for them.
As I begin my term as President,
I am mindful that our work is not
only for the cats and dogs.
Stephanie Willan
President
Shelters all over the world are brimming
with wonderful companion animals, just
waiting for good homes. Through no fault
of their own, these animals find themselves
without loving families; abandoned,
surrendered or abused. If it were not for
Bide Awhile and shelters like it, I would
have missed out on having a best friend
all of my life.
As I begin my term as President, I am
mindful that our work is not only for the cats
and dogs, it is also for the people who will
be the recipients of this wonderful gift of a
pet’s gratitude and loyal companionship.
I dedicate my service to all the deserving
dogs and cats waiting for their “furever”
families, as well as to all the people about
to find their next best friend.
Stephanie Willan,
President
Win $500 Cash
Now available at select outlets
Our 2016 Annual Pet Calendar is
now available at Bide Awhile and at
several retail outlets and vet clinics
in Metro. Each calendar contains an
entry form to win $500.
67 Neptune Crescent, P.O. Box 50029, RPO Southdale, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4S2
Tel: (902) 469-9578 | Fax (902) 463-6173 | Email: [email protected]
They are the people who will
always go the extra mile for
the well-being of the animals
in our care.
Darrold Gould
and disinfect all the cages and floors, they
also monitor and tend to each animal’s
health.
Executive Director’s Message
It takes many wonderful people to make
Bide Awhile the incredible shelter that it is.
One group of people who make this possible
is our animal care attendants.
Over the years, I have been very fortunate
to work with many staff members employed
in this capacity. They are the people who will
always go the extra mile for the well-being
of the animals in our care.
If you have ever been to our shelter, you
know how clean it is and you’ve seen how
well the animals are cared for. This is due to
the people working the front line, our animal
care attendants, whose tasks vary greatly
during the run of a day. As they clean countless litter pans, do many loads of laundry,
Always with a kind word and a soft touch to
make the cats and dogs feel safe, they do
everything from grooming and nail clipping,
to administering medications, to serving
up the correct food to animals who have
special dietary needs. Needless to say, the
animal care attendants work very hard.
We have many happy endings for the
animals in our care but we also have to
deal with some very sad cases, things we
have no control over. The one thing that I
am always certain of is that our animal
attendants will be here every day giving
100% to try to make the lives of these
animals better.
Bide Awhile would not be what it is today
without the past and present animal care
attendants. Without them I would never be
able to do my job. We all thank you.
Darrold R. Gould
Executive Director
fundraising update
Well, we certainly had a great summer
full of events and fundraisers. We want to
thank all of you who came to show support,
to those who walked or ran in the Blue
Nose marathon, who picked up a club for
golf, raised a paddle at the auction, chased
the ace or donned those beautiful bowling
shoes. Thank you to all who donated to or
sponsored our events. We would not be a
success without you, and what success we
have had. But we are not stopping yet.
The 2016 Bide Awhile Calendar makes a
great stocking stuffer for only $10; they are
available at several locations and events
around HRM as well as at our shelter. Just
look at those gorgeous pictures and think
of the lives saved by your support.
This year we were the recipients of the
proceeds from Making Spirits Bright,
Halifax’s Premier Holiday networking and
cocktail party held on Nov 25th. For more
information: MakingSpiritsBright.ca.
The Holidays are all about giving so watch
for our Giving Tuesday campaign online
Dec. 1st.
Looking for an easy way to get all that
baking done? We will be holding a Bake
Sale during the Holiday Open House on
Dec. 13th with lots of homemade sweets
and treats.
Feeling lucky? Bide Awhile’s Chase the Ace,
Game 4, started on Oct 29th and will be
held every Thursday evening from 6-8 p.m.
at Pilot’s Pub in Woodside.
Keep an eye out for future fundraisers such
as Grafton Street Dinner Theatre and Blue
Nose Marathon 2016. If you would like to
find out more about our fundraisers and
events please visit our website.
Thank you for your continued support.
We look forward to seeing you at our
future events. Thank you to our volunteers
and supporters who make our events
successful!
Stacey Chisholm,
Fundraising Chair
Sometimes we forget how easily we read dog body language without even thinking about it. This is a learned skill and children need
to be helped to understand when a dog is not friendly. For example
when dogs bare their teeth some children can interpret this as a
smile. Teach your child what a relaxed and happy dog looks like.
Adoption Stories
A Paw on My Arm
Fourteen years ago, I went to Bide Awhile to look
for a kitten.
I’d grown up with a wonderful black cat,
Pepper, who lived to be 21. It took a while
for me to be ready for another cat, but on
that day fourteen years ago, I was ready.
I wanted a tabby. I’d always admired their
markings and I had my heart set on a lovely
little tabby kitten.
There were so many kittens in the kitten
room. It was an embarrassment of riches;
there happened to be many tabbies there,
and I was a bit at a loss which one to pick.
I petted several, and held one little silver
grey tabby in my arms before putting him
down on a ledge. While I looked around to
see which kitten I’d pet next, I felt a paw on
my arm. It was the little silver grey tabby,
patting my arm, trying to get back over to
me. I picked him up and said, “That’s it.
He’s the one.”
I called him Teddy. He was such a funny
kitten. He pounced at himself in mirrors.
He hunched up his back and hopped around
on his toes. He played peek-a-boo. He then
snuggled up with me at night, his gentle purr
right next to my ear. Everyone remarked on
how handsome he was, his beautiful silver
and white doe-eyed markings around his
bright green eyes, his softly striped tail, his
symmetrical two-white-toes-two-grey-toes.
He grew into a sweet, but slightly fussy adult
cat. When we adopted another kitten from
Bide Awhile, he was surprisingly accepting.
He treated him as many older siblings treat
their younger ones; with barely-concealed
disgust at times, but great love and understanding at others. Once, Teddy was high up
in a closet, getting settled in for a nap. Little
kitten Cricket came over, looking up at him
plaintively, meowing. Teddy looked down
from his perch, then resignedly jumped
down from the closet and led Cricket to the
couch, where they both curled up together
for a sleep.
It was an embarrassment of
riches; there happened to be
many tabbies there.
He was always my cat, though he grew to
love my husband’s warm lap. As the years
went by, we discovered “Old Man Ted”
had some health issues. He had a heart
murmur, and developed arthritis in his
paws. After Cricket developed cancer and
died, Teddy would often wander the house
aimlessly, meowing.
As he passed his 14th birthday, his health
declined and his arthritis became severe.
Eventually, after fighting the long fight
against ill health and pain, we made the
difficult decision to euthanize him.
We have two other cats from Bide Awhile
- a brother and sister we adopted over two
years ago. They are bringing us the same
love and companionship our other Bide
Awhile cats gave us. I will always support
Bide Awhile and be thankful for the
wonderful pets we met there.
Susan Whistler
Annual United Way
Workplace Campaign
Did you know that you can
indicate Bide Awhile as a
charity on your form?
Use our registered charity#
889459095RR0001
Your cat’s best friend may not be another cat. Cats are very
territorial creatures and often vehemently defend their turf.
And even cats who have gotten along in the past may start to
rub one another the wrong way. Don’t feel pressured to get a
new companion for your feline friend unless you want one.
Our Little Bean
Since Bean was adopted in February, she
has kept her shelter name (there really was
no better name for her).
She still LOVES her food and has adjusted
well to her new home and her two brothers.
It has been discovered that Bean likes her
belly rubbed, has the loudest purr but most
of all loves her food!
Bean has brought a new dynamic
to our house.
Bean has brought a new dynamic to our
house and we are thankful she is the one
we ended up bringing home...there were so
many beautiful and fun-loving cats that day.
In the picture above, Bean is relaxing on a
snowstorm morning with her little brother
Stanley (not shown). They still aren’t totally
sure of each other but we feel with time
they will be good friends. Sarge, Bean and
Stanley’s older brother (90 pound black lab)
is very easy going and kind to them and is
actually a little scared of Bean... even though
she has given no reason for him to be.
Thanks for all you do at Bide Awhile! Tara,
Jessie, Stan, Sarge and Bean.
awesome Fundraisers
On an ongoing basis we often get donations •
from employees and individuals who
organize fundraising activities on our behalf.
These are just a few of the interesting
projects:
•
• This year we were the recipients of the
proceeds from Making Spirits Bright, a
premiere networking and cocktail party •
with a live auction. This event, with
quality entertainment and food, was held
Awhile - just give them our bus.#:
at the Westin in November.
889459095RR0001
Companies such as Scotiabank and
Encana have donation match programs.
Employees have raised money on our
behalf that was matched.
Children have asked for donations and
money for Bide Awhile when having a
birthday party.
•
A volunteer requested author signed books and
received a great selection!
•
We were the featured charity at Auction House
in September. Between the daily food auctions
and our live auction night over $7000 was
raised. Many great local products and services
were donated.
Employee donations through United Way Thanks to all for your thoughtful efforts!
are an excellent way to donate to Bide
Bide Awhile Volunteering
Bide Awhile and #GivingTuesdayCA
Volunteers are critical to our work
at Bide Awhile for the past 46 years
i nvite you to join a movement to
celebrate giving and encourage
Volunteers make our fundraising efforts
successful, they devote time to socialize
our animals, they help us to give back to
our community through programs such as
pet visitation.
more, better and smarter giving
during the Holiday Season. How
will you give back on December 1?
GivingTuesday.ca
Bide Awhile Craft and Bake Sale
Will be held downstairs at Bide Awhile Animal Shelter
during our Open House on December 13, 2015.
We always need additional help
on committees and at events
If you have three hours or more per month
that you can give, you can help! Some areas
of need include: baking for our sales, selling
or delivering calendars, selling tickets at
Chase the Ace, or promoting our shelter at
events.
Why not make one of your New Year’s
resolutions to volunteer some time to our
cause? Sharing your time, energy, and skills
will reward you with tremendous satisfaction and help the animals at Bide Awhile.
We appreciate every volunteer and thank
you sincerely for your continued support!
For more information on the current
volunteer opportunities, go to our web page:
www.bideawhile.org/content/how-volunteer
Collette Saunders,
Volunteer Coordinator
www.bideawhile.org
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