Speaking of - Humane Society of Utah

Speaking of
4242 South 300 West • Murray, UT 84107
(801) 261-2919 • www.utahhumane.org
Animals
Summer 2015
The Humane Society of Utah is dedicated to the elimination of pain, fear, and suffering in all animals.
HSU is the #1 Charity in the State!
Page 3
Senator Gene Davis
An Exclusive Interview
Page 4
International
Animal
Advocate
Page 7
Having a Ball
on Kitty-Candid
Camera
Page 8
Plus:
Carmen and Company,
Have a Beer — Help Our Buddies,
and more!
Carmen and Company
Board of Directors
Craig S. Cook, President
Dr. Eric Belnap, Vice President
Dr. JoAnn B. Seghini, Secretary
Randy John, Treasurer
Directors:
Timothy R. Pack, Steve Starley,
Tim J. Williams, Susan Wood
Administrative Staff
Gene Baierschmidt, Executive Director
Paul Chapin, DVM, Veterinarian
Shama Chapin, DVM, Veterinarian
John Paul Fox, Chief Investigator
Pauline Edwards, Director of Clinic
Susan Carpenter, Director of Shelter
Jamie Usry, Director of Development
Heidi Myers, Director of Corporate Sponsorships
Deann Shepherd, Director of Communications
Carlene Wall, Director of Operations
Katharine Brant, Director of
Publications and Membership
Oliver Schmidt, IT Manager
Loraine Delgadillo, Business Manager /
Human Resources
Lisa Burningham, Volunteer Coordinator
Jessica Almeida, Animal Transfer Coordinator
Barbara Conrad, Foster Animal Coordinator
Rachel Kelly, Special Events Coordinator
Caitlin Lisle, Outreach Adoptions Manager
Guinnevere Shuster, Social Media 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
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
© 2015 Humane Society of Utah. All rights reserved.
We first heard about the Pit Bull/Lab-mix mama dog named Carmen and her seven
puppies in early March, when Sandy City Animal Services contacted HSU with a
request for our assistance. The mother and her newborn litter — the puppies were
only one day old! — were more than the Sandy shelter was equipped to handle, and
they knew that our fabulous Foster Department was specifically set up to deal with
situations like this one. Within moments of receiving the call, one of our staff members
was on the way to collect the precious package.
A Less than Promising Beginning
Investigation revealed that the little
family had been found in a plastic tub
next to the dumpster in the apartment
complex where the woman who turned
them in to the shelter lived, and no one
seemed to know anything about who they
were or how they got there. After making
fruitless inquiries, she called the nearest
Animal Control facility, and from there
they were brought to HSU.
Carmen and her seven newborn puppies were found
Even after being settled into a soft bed
abandoned beside a dumpster in March, and were
brought to the HSU Foster Department to have our
in a quiet corner of the nursery, Carmen
was still showing the post-traumatic effects staff work their customary miracles with the little family.
of the ordeal she had just been through
— giving birth to a large litter of puppies and then being abandoned in an open back lot
— and she was extremely skittish and defensive about her babies. We knew at once that
this was a case that would require kid-glove personal attention, so one of our foster staff
took all of the dogs into her own home to give the nervous mama plenty of solitude and
stability to calm her down and give her more self-confidence — and more trust in human
beings, which she evidently hadn’t had much reason to develop before.
Growth in Body and Spirit
After three weeks in this sheltered environment, everyone was positively flourishing.
The puppies opened their eyes and very soon after that started to flex their new muscles,
first crawling out of the nesting bed and then exploring their whole territory, vigorously
wrestling with each other and pouncing on toys, while all the time exercising their newly-discovered ability to growl.
After a rough start as a new
Best of all, Carmen herself had
mother, Carmen learned to
mellowed tremendously; she
relax, trust, and give and
receive love through her close now not only willingly allowed
the foster mom to pick up her
and caring relationship with
her HSU foster mom. Here
puppies and cuddle them, she
she snoozes comfortably in
herself had learned to accept
the lap of a staff member
hugs and stroking and was, in
while she waits for her own
fact, enjoying the sensation
fur-ever family to adopt her.
immensely.
By then the family was ready to be moved into regular foster
care until the puppies were weaned and ready to be put up for
adoption. All seven of them went to wonderful new homes of
their own right after being spayed or neutered, and we were able
to lavish our exclusive attention on Carmen, who still needed a
little more reassurance that most people aren’t so bad after all.
A few weeks later Carmen herself was spayed, and, as
of this writing, is now very ready to be the loving new member
Don Pedro, one of
of a caring family who will continue the good work we started
Carmen’s adorable little sons,
in her foster experience. Anyone interested in adopting
poses on the HSU lawn for
Carmen can contact us at http://www.utahhumane.org,
his good-bye portrait just
801-261-2919, ex. 215, or at [email protected].
before going home with his
own wonderful adopters.
Her personal secretary will be happy to answer any questions. v
To All Our Members and Supporters —
You’re the Most Wonderful People in the State
(And Because of You, HSU is the #1 Charity in the State!)
Now in its third year, “Love
UT Give UT” is a statewide
charity event organized by the
Community Foundation of
Utah for the purpose of raising
awareness of, and encouraging
public support for, non-profit
organizations whose services
benefit everyone in the state.
And this year, thanks to
caring, generous people like you, the Humane Society
of Utah became the number one charity among all
non-profits of any size in any category! We earned $24,964
from 871 donors, plus another $6,200 in matching grants
from local businesses and families, making us the most
successful of all the many worthy organizations that
competed for this year’s top honors. And that in turn
allowed us to claim another $10,000 in prize money from
the Community Foundation of Utah, thus giving us a
grand total of $41,164, which will be put to good use saving
animals’ lives and making their world a better place!
Here’s What You’ve Made Possible
As the largest and most effective animal shelter in Utah,
HSU is a private non-profit organization that receives no
financial support from taxes or other government sources,
and depends upon donations from people like you — both
on an ongoing basis and through special events like the
Love UT Give UT campaign, which this year took place on
March 26th. Here are some of the programs and services
that you enable us to offer:
• We are an “open-admissions” shelter, meaning that
our doors are always open to any animal that we
can legally accept. We work hard to ensure that
every healthy and treatable pet who enters our
facility will be placed into a loving home. In 2014,
we saved the lives of 10,481 cats, dogs, rabbits, and
other small animals, and, as of the middle of June
this year, we had already placed 4,412 pets.
• HSU’s Transfer & Rescue program helps ease the
burden on more than 140 partnering shelters in
the state by bringing some of their animals to our
larger facility, thereby saving animals who would
have had to be euthanized at the smaller shelters
because of limited space and resources. Over 1,561
animals have been transferred so far this year, and
we expect to save over 3,500 more in 2015.
• The Foster Department
of the Humane Society of
Utah plays a crucial role
in helping care for animals
in need of extra attention.
We have over 150 Foster
volunteers who care for sick,
injured, or infant animals
until they’re ready to be
adopted. More than 3,500
of these “special-needs” animals were cared for by
the Foster program last year.
• We performed over 10,000 spay/neuter surgeries
at our in-house clinic last year, for both shelter
animals and clientele from the general public.
• We maintain regular positive-reinforcement
training, enrichment activities, and behavioral
assessments to keep animals mentally and
emotionally healthy while they’re with us.
• Outreach Adoptions at off-site locations bring
our animals to a larger audience and educate
the public about the benefits to everyone of
opting to adopt from a shelter when choosing
a new family member. We have more than
1,400 active volunteers who assist in this and
other programs.
We’re Tops in the State —
Thank You!
HSU is proud and honored to be the #1 non-profit
organization in the entire state — it’s wonderful that we
raised so much funding and had such great support from
the community. We’d also like to extend very special
thanks and congratulations to the members of our staff
who put so much time and effort into organizing and
promoting our Love Utah Give Utah campaign — Lisa
Burningham, Rachel Kelly, Caitlin Lisle, Heidi Myers,
Lesley Pulispher, Deann Shepherd, Guinn Shuster, and,
most of all, Jamie Usry.
We would also like to acknowledge that there were
many other amazing non-profit organizations that participated, and we humbly thank everyone who chose to
donate to the Humane Society of Utah. We applaud the
charitable nature of all Utahns and their support of so
many wonderful and deserving groups, and thank you
with all our hearts for choosing HSU as your favorite. v
3
An Exclusive Interview
with One of Utah’s Best Legal Champions for the Animals:
Senator Gene Davis
Senator Gene Davis (D-Salt Lake City) has dedicated over 28 years
of service in the Utah Legislature to standing up for issues that are
important to many of us, including the environment and animal
welfare. For the last three of those years, he has — among many
other things — worked to convince our legislators that cockfighting
was a problem that needed to be addressed from both a humane and
a cultural standpoint.
this bill for the third time, you would incur the wrath of a certain
segment of the population, yet you went ahead and did it anyway.
Could you tell us a little bit about why you were willing to go to
the mat repeatedly for a somewhat controversial cause?
G. Davis: Being successful always makes a legislator feel better
than having to walk away from an issue when it comes to the final
votes. As its sponsor, I did manage to get the felony cockfighting
bill through the Senate all three times. But the first year it died
in the House, just sort of laughed off the pages and voted down.
The following year, it was basically gutted — the House totally
eliminated everything we wanted to accomplish with it. This year,
it was also watered down to the point where it became almost
unrecognizable. As it ended up, cockfighting is a Class B
misdemeanor on the first offense, then it progresses to a Class A
misdemeanor. We don’t even get to the felony level until there’s a
conviction on the third offense. In retrospect, I wish we could have
got the bill through in its original form. We need to put an end to
this archaic and brutal activity once and for all in Utah. But this
is a beginning — it’s much farther than we’ve ever come before.
One of Many Steps Forward
Utah finally has a felony-penalty provision for cockfighting in our state!
The historic signing of the bill is celebrated by, from left, Sundays Hunt,
representative for the Humane Society of the United States, who helped us
press for passage of the law; Governor Gary Herbert; Senate Minority
Leader Gene Davis, the local legislator who has championed this issue for
three consecutive years; and HSU Executive Director Gene Baierschmidt.
(Senator Davis was presented with the HSU Animal Advocacy Award at our
June 20th Gala in recognition of his many services to the humane cause.)
As reported in the last issue of Speaking of Animals (Spring
2015), we were at long last able to get some kind of felony provision
for cockfighting passed in the Utah State Legislature. It had been a
long, hard, bitterly-contested struggle, and after it was finally over,
HSU Executive Gene Baierschmidt sat down for a casual interview
with the man who had sponsored and fought for the bill in the
Legislature for three years, Senate Minority Leader Gene Davis,
to gain insight into the Senator’s own feelings and motivations
regarding the bill. This is how that dialogue went:
Not Easy, but Worth It
G. Baierschmidt: Even though cockfighting is an outdated
“blood sport’ that pits live roosters against one another in
a gruesome fight to the death — for the sole purpose of
providing gambling opportunities and so-called entertainment to
some people — Utah has long been the only state west of the
Mississippi River where this activity carried no felony penalties.
This fact has made our state a magnet for cockfighters, who have
enthusiastically recommended Utah as the place to go for these
bloody competitions, knowing that they would face very lenient
punishment, if any, if they were caught. Incredibly, there are still
people right here who violently opposed the idea of bringing Utah’s
cockfighting laws up to the standard that exists in almost all the
rest of the country. You, as a politician, knew that in sponsoring
4
G. Baierschmidt: The Humane Society of Utah views this new
law as a small victory, but definitely a step in the right direction. Animal welfare legislation has been a priority to HSU for
decades, and your efforts and those of like-minded lawmakers
are instrumental and highly appreciated. In 2008, in fact, it was
you who helped us advocate and get passed a truly monumental
bill called “Henry’s Law,” which made the deliberate torture of
a companion animal a felony on the first offense. That was a
milestone in Utah’s legal thinking.
G. Davis: That one was a very important piece of legislature
to bring forward, because I know as well as you do that a large
proportion of our citizens are deeply disturbed by such behavior. Because of Henry’s Law, when people see flagrant animal
abuse they’re now able to report it, the police are able to take
serious action, and the courts are able to render a decision with
the firm hand of the law on their side. In a growing number of
households, people consider their pets, or animal companions,
to be full-fledged members of the family. The need for laws to
protect these animals is necessary not only on a private level, but
an overall social one as well. Multiple studies have proven that
there is a strong correlation between committing violence against
non-human animals and committing violence against other
people.
How to Build a Good Man
G. Baierschmidt: It’s not entirely common to see a man in your
position show such a well-developed sensitivity to purely ethical
aspects of legislation, rather than focusing on economical issues
or taking positions just for the sake of guaranteeing his or her own
re-election. What experiences and influences in your background
have made you the sort of human being that you are today?
G. Davis: Actually, I grew up on a chicken farm! But my
continued on next page (Davis)
Mattie the Dog Stars in New Commercial —
Promotes Homes for Pets and People
Mountain America Credit Union has launched a new loan campaign
for first-time home owners, which at the same time also seeks to
promote the adoption of shelter pets. The heartwarming television
commercial was filmed right here at the HSU facility, and its star was
none other than Mattie, the beautiful yellow Lab who was adopted from us in 2006. (Mattie, a professional local actress, has been
featured in our Winter and Spring 2015 newsletters.) The goal of the
program is to help both people and shelter pets find new homes.
Mattie portrays a shelter dog who
catches the eye of an apartment dweller
who can’t adopt her until he moves into
his new home, which he’s able to do with
a first-time home buyer loan obtained
through Mountain America. (For details on
the program, and to see the fabulous video,
visit www.macu.com/firsthome.)
the actual filming took place in order to re-familiarize her with the
surroundings and — most important! — to reassure her that she
wasn’t being surrendered again, and would go right straight back
home after each shooting session. As usual, Mattie turned in a stellar
performance and used her irresistible charm to make viewers aware
of the great advantages of adopting a shelter pet.
Happy Endings for Everybody
A Seasoned Professional
Readers of Speaking of Animals will
recall how Mattie was adopted from HSU
by the loving Groll family shortly after she
had been turned in after weaning a litter
of puppies. Her new mom, Cherie Groll, is
a part-time local actress who started taking
Mattie with her to film sets after teaching
her some basic skills and tricks. Mattie
was spotted by a perceptive agent, and
has since been featured in TV shows and
commercials, movies, and live appearances.
When Mattie was asked to do the MACU
spot at the Humane Society, Cherie brought
her to visit the shelter several times before
In May Mountain America Credit Union produced
a wonderful new commercial promoting loans for first-time
home buyers, which they chose to film at the Humane Society
of Utah! They will donate a portion of all funds received from
this program through the end of July to HSU. (And just look
at the beautiful smile on that dog’s face — of course you
recognize it! The canine star of the commercial is
none other than Mattie, the HSU adoptee who’s
already been featured twice in our newsletter.)
“We see a lot of people who either can’t
keep their pets or can’t adopt one because they
live in an apartment or rental unit that doesn’t
allow companion animals,” says Heidi
Myers, HSU Corporate Sponsorship
Manager. “We’re thrilled that Mountain
America thought to involve HSU in this
campaign, and we look forward to seeing this
partnership facilitate memorable moments for
the public and for the animals in our care.”
The Humane Society will regularly
feature a sponsored “Mountain America
Pet of the Week” throughout the program’s
run from May 11th through July 31st, 2015.
A portion of new loans closed through the
Mountain America First-time Home Buyer
Loan Program will be donated to HSU.
The Humane Society of Utah is
a progressive shelter working to convey a
positive image of adoptable pets through
creative marketing efforts like this one. We
expect to receive 12,000 animals in 2015 who
will need good new homes of their own. v
Davis continued from previous page
taught me, by his own example, to love, care for, and respect all
life for its own sake. Sure, it was a farm life, and nobody there
was a vegetarian. But my granddad seemed to instinctively
understand that the way you treat any living beings, whether
you’re raising them as companions or for other purposes, has a
noticeable effect. Just from an agricultural point of view, he
believed that you simply ended up with a better product when
humane and respectful methods of care were the norm. Certainly
his dogs and cats and other “pets” were never abused — and
neither were his chickens or any of his other “farm” animals. I
think that, as a society, all of us recognize that the way we treat
one another makes a better community, and I think that the way
we treat animals is also a reflection on how far we have progressed
toward creating the kind of community in which we all want to live.
G. Baierschmidt: What advice do you have for your constituents who are interested in animal welfare and other social issues?
G. Davis: The first thing to do is to become informed. Look at
the issues and the candidates and find out exactly where they
stand on things you care about, and then the next thing to do is
VOTE! Vote for the ones who are willing to help you. If there’s a
piece of legislation that you’re interested in, or even if you think
there should be a law that doesn’t currently exist, contact your
legislator and see what can be done to make your voice heard.
That’s what lawmaking is really all about.
G. Baierschmidt: On behalf of the Humane Society of Utah and
all animal welfare advocates, we most sincerely thank you, Senator
Davis, for your past support. We look forward to continuing to
work with you and being on the forefront of animal welfare issues,
as well as keeping alive the dialogue and public’s awareness of the
importance of humane interaction between our species and others.
Epilogue
At this Wags to Wishes Gala on June 20th, we were proud to
present Senator Davis with a plaque in recognition of his special
contributions to Utah’s social progress. During the ceremony, HSU
President and General Counsel Craig S. Cook said, “A great deal of
the legal advances that have been made for Utah’s animals in the past few
years are the result of the efforts of one man who is in a position to change
things, and that man is Gene Davis. He has consistently acted with
foresight, compassion, and courage — three qualities that are necessary to
good leadership, and which all too seldom appear in many public servants.
It’s a very rewarding pleasure for us to honor Senator Davis tonight with
this small token of our appreciation.” v
5
3rd Annual “Wags to Wishes” Gala —
Better than Ever!
On Saturday, June 20th, the Humane Society of Utah brought
the annual “Wags to Wishes” Gala back home by transforming
our shelter grounds into a beautiful venue aimed at one
spectacular evening of fundraising. And we could not have
asked for a better turnout!
Presenting Sponsors
The Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation
American Dog Rescue Foundation
The Humane Society of the United States
Animal lovers from across the state and intermountain west
arrived in their best cocktail attire to show their support for
the life-saving programs of the HSU. We are proud, elated and
grateful to report that the sold-out event netted a record-high
$117,000!
For the third year in a row, we were fortunate to be joined
by our Presenting Sponsors — a joint collaboration of the
Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation and American Dog Rescue
Foundation, with additional support from the Humane
Society of the United States. These three organizations have
provided unwavering support and extensive resources for HSU’s
fundraising events and life-saving programs. Without them, we
truly would not be able to make a difference in the lives of so
many deserving pets!
Arthur E. Benjamin, the founder of both American Dog
Rescue and Arthur E. Benjamin Foundations, commented that
this was the best “Wags to Wishes” Gala ever. Arthur states,
“HSU is among the five best animal organizations that I know of in
the country and they know how to throw a party too!” He added,
“My guest, Dr. Melissa Tucker of Utah Veterinary Center, was
blown away by HSU and knew nothing about the organization
prior to the event. She was visibly moved by the commitment of the
attendees, volunteers, and staff.”
In addition to our Presenting Sponsors, the remarkable
evening would not have been possible without the other
generous Supporting, Event and Table Sponsors listed here.
We are also grateful to the animal-loving celebrities who
provided the entertainment for the evening: Guest of Honor
Gus Kenworthy (see the following article), Auctioneer Larry
Flynn, and Masters of Ceremonies Dan Evans and Kerri
Kronk from Fox 13 News.
Of course, we would like to extend a very special
thank-you to those of you who attended the event;
without you we never could have raised so much
money to do so much good for the animals. Lastly,
thank you to the dedicated staff, volunteers and
Special Events Committee members for their hard
work in putting the whole magnificent event together.
We’ll be doing it again next summer, so you can look
forward to yet another evening of fine food, fun, inspiration,
and the company of other wonderful people who care about
animals as much as you do. We’ll see you then! v
6
Supporting Sponsors
Fox 13 News
Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation
Wasatch Front Subaru Retailers
Event Sponsors
Advanced Veterinary Care
Best Friends Animal Society – Utah
Utah Food Services
Table Sponsors
ALT 94.9
American Family Insurance
ASET
Candi Wadsworth
Children’s Academy Preschool
Craig and Elena Cook
The Dog Lodge
Edelman Financial Services
Linzi Kay
Robert & Teresa Kay
KeyBank
LilahV Jewelry
Mountain America Credit Union
Tito’s Vodka
Wyoming Whiskey
Wasatch Front Subaru Retailers
As guests entered the evening’s event, they posed
for pictures to share on social media to raise
more awareness for the Humane Society of Utah.
Arthur Benjamin and his beloved dog Tex told us that they are already looking forward
to next year’s event! Tex, who is currently the K9 Mayor of Salt Lake County, said that
raising money for his furry friends at the “Wags to Wishes” Gala was an absolute honor.
Gus Kenworthy —
International Animal Advocate
When Gus Kenworthy arrived at the Humane Society of
After receiving a picture of a family of stray dogs by his
Utah on June 19th, patrons were meeting new furry friends,
friend, Robin, Gus left the Athlete Village, and traveled by
volunteers were walking dogs, and the events staff was busy
gondola and bus across Sochi to meet the dogs in person.
making last minute preparations. Most people at the shelter
He was immediately smitten with the sweet mother and her
that day did not realize that this reserved, humble young man
adorable puppies, vowing then and there to do whatever it
entering the building had in fact won an Olympic silver medal
would take to save them from euthanasia and bring them back
in slopestyle during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi,
to the United States. News of Gus’s mission quickly reached
Russia. But it was not his Olympic celebrity that had prompted
the media and Sochi government officials began receiving
our staff to invite Gus as the official Guest of Honor for the
negative publicity as a result. Because of the high-profile nature
Gala happening the next day — it was his selfless
of the case, the family of dogs was
and heartwarming dedication to animals that
held at a government facility where
had made headlines around the world.
Gus was refused access to them even
while other adoptions were cleared.
It was a dream come true for Gus when he
Gus had to return home empty-handed,
arrived in Russia representing Team USA in the
but his friend, Robin, stayed behind
2014 Winter Olympics. But his excitement was
for an extra month to work with the
quelled by a sad reality that had troubled him for
Humane Society International and
over a year since the trial events in Sochi in 2013.
attempt to cut through the red tape.
Gus had been
After the extremely unfortunate
made aware of the
passing of one of the puppies, Robin
epidemic of stray
Gus
vowed
to
do
was finally allowed to bring the
dogs in the area
whatever it would
remaining five dogs back to the U.S.
and he heard that
take to save a
family of stray dogs
the government
Gus acknowledges that he has
from euthanasia
was euthanizing
received numerous compliments and
and bring them back
all stray dogs in an
comments from people across the
to the United States
—and
he
made
good
attempt to clean
world who were inspired to adopt
on his promise!
up the city and
a pet after hearing his story, yet he
create a positive
remains modest about his role as a
public appearance.
celebrity animal-welfare advocate.
For Gus, who
We know that he has saved the lives of hundreds of
Gus played with many dogs while visiting the Humane Society
had always owned
dogs across the globe because so many people were
of Utah. Pictured here is Scout, a sweet black Lab that was adopted
pets his entire life,
inspired by his story. We thank him for his big heart
by a large family the same day this photo was taken.
Gus said it best: “There is a negative stigma surrounding
the thought of this
and commitment to homeless animals, wish him well
shelter
animals
being
unwanted
and
bad
when
senseless killing was
in his future goals and Olympic endeavors, and hope to
really they are amazing, wonderful pets.”
heartbreaking.
see him again at next year’s Gala! v
Have a Beer — Help Our Buddies!
2015 Utah Beer Festival to Benefit HSU
Come support the Humane Society
of Utah on Saturday, August 15th, at
Salt Lake City Weekly’s Utah Beer
Festival 2015! The Humane Society
of Utah is proud to have been selected
as the beneficiary for this year’s event.
HSU will receive 25% of all of the
festival’s proceeds for the animals!
We need help with volunteers for the
event. If you are interested in helping
us earn funds for the shelter through
a volunteer shift at the Utah Beer
Festival, please visit www.utahhumane.
org/beerfest and fill out the volunteer
application for the event.
If you just want to attend and
benefit the animals through your ticket
purchase, get your tickets at www.
utahbeerfestival.com. v
7
SMILE! You’re Having a Ball on Kitty-candid Camera —
The Humane Society of Utah is both honored and delighted
to be one of the first 13 animal-welfare facilities in the entire
country to have installed an interactive, web-based site that
allows users to play with our shelter felines in real time from
any Internet-connected computer anywhere on the planet!
We’re Feline Groovy!
We launched the robotic cat toy system on our Internet
site, www.utahhumane.org, in late April, and the results were
both immediate and overwhelming. By the end of the first
day all the major news media had picked up on the story,
and people were happily waiting in the
queue for hours to get their chance to
control the movements of the toys —
and therefore, the responses of the cats
— with a simple click of the mouse.
The system’s creators, Reach-in
Technologies, donated one of its iPet Companion units to
HSU as part of the company’s efforts to promote the use of
21st-century technology in the service of animal welfare. The
goal is to provide active playtime for the cats, give the public
an opportunity to view the actual living quarters at HSU’s
Kitty City at any time of the day from 10 AM to 9 PM, and
increase the number of adoptions and supportive donations.
To engage in a play session (and have fun watching the
felines’ antics while waiting for your turn at a two-minute
session with the controls), simply go to our website and click
on the iPet Companion banner. You’ll then be placed in a
virtual queue where you can be entertained by all kinds
of furry escapades until it’s time for you yourself to start
making things happen. Of course, users are welcome to
join the queue again as often as they like.
Your Mouse + Our Cats =
Endless Benefits for Everyone
iPet Companion offers participants on both sides of the
camera emotional, psychological, and strategic positives,
including the following:
• Provides new opportunities for internet-based
adoption opportunities while giving animals
the chance to engage in healthful, stimulating
exercise
• Allows members of the community to view
and interact with our animals even when
unable to visit the facility in person
• Gives visitors a chance to see that our animals
are healthy and well-cared-for, and that our
shelter is clean and transparent in its operations
• Increases the visibility of adoptable animals
by offering exposure to potential pets
8
and so are the cats!
• Reminds site visitors of the great need of shelter
animals to find homes, and also of the joys of pet
companionship
• Diverts people from going to pet stores or
breeders when seeking a companion, thus saving
the lives of many homeless shelter animals
• People who otherwise could not interact with
animals because of age, illness, allergies, or lack
of transportation now have the chance to do so
via iPet Companion
• Increases our animals’ visibility and connection,
which we hope will increase the chance that people will take the next step and adopt a pet!
One of the Kitty Citizens plays with a computer-controlled toy from
iPet Companion that’s been installed in our feline adoptions area,
while two comrades watch with interest and prepare to join in the fun.
You can be a part of the games yourself with just a click of your mouse!
Round-the-Clock Fun
“Seeing the residents of Kitty City on iPet Companion
is a unique and powerful tool to help people envision what it
would be like to have the cats in their own homes,” says HSU
Communications Director Deann Shepherd, “to say nothing
of showing what riotous fun playing with a cat can be.” Because
the site is web-driven, it’s accessible from 10 AM to 9 PM
Mountain Standard Time seven days a week, wherever internet
communications are accessible. “We’re looking forward to using
this technology on many fronts — in our education programs,
outreach adoptions, pet-facilitated therapy, perhaps even putting
the site up in the waiting rooms of public places,” says Deann.
So why not put your mouse into our cats’ lives right now?
The idea is a paws-down winner. v