Lanark Animal Welfare Society Spring 2012 Newsletter

Lanark Animal Welfare Society
Spring 2012 Newsletter
ANIMAL WELFARE NEWS
“Why Should You Adopt an Animal from An Animal Shelter?”
Speech By: Kassidy Cavanagh
They are sometimes called puppy farms.
Do you know how many animals died last
They usually breed so many dogs that
year in Canadian animal shelters? I
they have many, many puppies and
believe there were about fifty three
cannot sell them all. The extra puppies
thousand animals that died or were put
go to animal shelters. Puppy mills are
down.
usually dirty, dark and smelly.
Mr. Synnott and fellow
Onto the next big reason, which is
classmates:
people who do not
My name is Kassidy
spay or neuter their
Cavanagh and I am
pets. If a pet is not
here today to make a
spayed or neutered, it
difference for animal
may get pregnant and
shelters and to
have babies. If the
convince you why you
owner cannot keep the
should adopt your next
babies or find homes
pet from an animal
for the babies, they
shelter.
often end up in
I am going to begin
animal shelters. It
by telling you why there
does not take long for
are so many animals in
some animals to have
animal shelters. The
many babies if they
first one of the main
are not spayed or
reasons is puppy mills.
neutered. You may
If you don’t know what
Kassidy & Rose
know of a farm where
a puppy mill is, I will
there are cats which
tell you. Puppy mills are places where
have
many
kittens
because they are not
people breed dogs just to sell the puppies.
spayed.
Continued on page 27
The Shipwreck
at Rideau Ferry
The search is over,
Dock & Dine on the Rideau
Steak, Pasta, Seafood
Exclusive Wine Menu
Casual Dress ~ Patio is Dog Friendly
Proud LAWS supporter
613-264-0812
Dallas Kennedy owner/chef
Celebrating 10 years in business
LAWS Board of Directors
Board Members ::
Eric Beere, Chris Colton,
Pam Knowles, Ellen Waller,
Jane Stafford,
Arla Casselman-Veinotte,
Liz Taylor
Newsletter Production :: Star Horn (okwari.ca) , Perth, ON
Printing :: Impression Printing (impressionprinting.ca), Smiths Falls, ON
President :: Judy Meyers
Vice President :: Dale Horeczy
Treasurer :: Joan Schapansky
Message from the President
We have had an amazing Fall and Winter
and we are looking forward to Spring! We
have had more fundraisers than ever. A
huge thank you to all the volunteers who
helped raise money with these
fundraisers.
We have had a record number of both cat
and dog adoptions. We have a new
program in place to photograph our dogs
and cats. Margaret Link of Margaret Link
Photography was our first volunteer
photographer. She came in January and
photographed all of our dogs and that day
most of the 173 cats... It was a marathon.
A group of both professional and amateur
photographers have volunteered to
continually update our photos. One
photographer will come in every Thursday
and photograph all new dogs and cats.
Jessica O'Neil our part time Animal
Behaviourist is giving training courses on
dog handling to our dog volunteers and
all staff. This is working very well. This
will enable everyone who works with our
dogs to handle them the same way,
therefore helping to get them trained
faster and adopted faster.
Our new Cat Condo is in place. It is a
very beautiful fully modified 40 ft
container. It is an open space for the cats
with lots of windows for them to see all
the comings and goings in the parking
lot. We now have 4 cat runs. This means
approximately 60 of our cats do not have
to be in cages.
Michael McLean the owner of McLean
Insurance has volunteered to lead a
committee to raise money to build a new
Shelter. The fundraising project will take
about two years. During those two years
we will be visiting other new shelters close
by to get ideas for building our shelter.
We would like to have the design in place
to start building as soon as the money
raising project is complete.
We wish to thank all those wonderful
friends who thought of us in their wills
and left money to the Shelter. We depend
on bequests to keep the shelter running
every year. Our fundraising only provides
Continued on page 29
LAWS is located on Glenview Road, off Highway 43 near Port Elmsley,
about 2km west of Smiths Falls.
2
Mailing Address ::
Lanark Animal Welfare Society
P.O. Box 156, Smiths Falls,
ON., K7A 4T1
Tel :: 613 283 9308
Fax :: 613 283 0982
Cruelty Line :: 613 283 9360
www.lanarkanimals.ca
YES...I would like to help LAWS help animals!
LAWS Donation Submission Form
Enclosed is my donation of: [ ] $100 [ ] $50 [ ] $ 20 [ ] $10
A Tax Donation Receipt will be issued for donations of $10 or more.
Please mail donation to:
Lanark Animal Welfare Society, P.O. Box 156, Smiths Falls, ON., K7A 4T1
Name:
Address:
Postal Code:
Tel:
[
[
[
[
LAWS Membership Form
] $15: Senior Citizen One Year (65 and over)
] $20: Adult One Year
] $ 35: Family One Year
] $50: Classroom One Year
:: Classroom Memberships will be commemorated with a
framed certificate suitable for display.
:: Corporate Memberships will receive advertising in kind in the
next issue of the LAWS newsletter.
:: A Tax Donation Receipt will be issued for donations of $10 or more.
Name:
Address:
Postal Code:
Tel:
Email:
If this is a gift membership, please provide the following details so that a card may be
sent:
Gift to:
In Honour of:
Occasion:
Recipient Address:
Postal Code:
Mail completed form to:
LAWS, Lanark Animal Welfare Society, P.O. Box 156, Smiths Falls, ON., K7A 4T1
On behalf of the animals ...Thank You
31
In Remembrance
LAWS has received
donations in memory of:
In loving memory
Companion Animals remembered
through memorial donations
ANNE CARTER
DARREN GRAINGER
DAVID CRAIN
JOHN MATHIESON
ROSEMARIE HAHN
RUSSEL GREEN
JANE HERRON
HARRISON NEWMAN
DOROTHY LEGGETT
CAROL ANN NOTMAN
IVAN NOLAN
FLORENCE HUTCHESON
JAMES EDWARDS
BARBARA SCHRUDES
BARBARA CAMPBELL
DORIS DICKINSON
BRANDA GRAHAM
MAJORIE BLAKELY
AUDREY FAIRFIELD
CHRIS CURRAN
BERNADINE EARLY
LYLE LEESON
KIETH HORNER
WILLARD MURRAY JAMES
MARY WEDGE
CLARKE THOMSON
MARJORIE PRITCHARD
ROBERT WALLACE
RENATE VOLLMER
KATIE HEROUX
INGRID LUEDERS
JEAN BONNEAU
E. NAYLOR
JULIE BERUBE
BLAIR BOULEAU
PAULA KOCIECKA
ANNA WHITE
PEGGY THAMPSON
RUTH MONAHAN
W.J. FORD - ODIE
JANE STAFFORD - CHIA
JOAN PALUBESKIE - ABBY
RICHARD LUEDERS - XENA
GAIL LEM - ELVIS
PAULINE & LARRY - RIGBY
DARLENE HENDRY - MISS CASEY
CATHERINE TAYLOR - MOLLY
LIZA DUHAIME - NIGEL
HELEN ORAM - TABBY
ELIZABETH TAYLOR - KNOWLES & CHARA
MICHAEL J. KRUCHKA - CHIEF
CATHY DUNNE - TAY BEAR, MOLLY &
SAMANTHA
JEAN MACPHERSON - BELLA
CATHERINE MCALLISTER - CASEY
JOHN DORATY - JAKE
KEMPTVILLE HEALTH UNIT STAFF - GOOSE
& KIT
JUDY MEYERS: ETHAN, SCHMOOLEY,
HANNAH
30
ESTATE OF IAN MCLEAN
ESTATE OF RITA AUGUST
ESTATE OF WALLACE MANNING
In HONOR OF:
CINDER & PENNY
BONNIE ST. JOHN
GREG ROBINSON
LINDA DRYER
CLIFF HOLZSCHERER
MARSHALL BOLT
ROSE ALEXANDER
CLIFFEN-MILLETT FAMILY
ELIZABETH READ
GEORGIA LILEY
NATALIE ROWE
LAURA HALL
MORGAN & BRAM BLENK
CELEBRATE BREANNA HOLSCHERER
CELEBRATE THE MARRIAGE OF JANE CONLEY & ROSS MCNAUGHTON
A Very Special Thank You To Our
Treasurer Joan Schapansky
Joan has volunteered at the shelter for
several years and the last 4 years has been
our Treasurer. She has been retired from
her paying job for a few years, but has been
working almost full time as the Volunteer
Treasurer on the Board.
The Treasurer's position is the most time
consuming and difficult position on the
Board. Joan has worked tirelessly many,
many hours a week to make sure our
finances are always in order. She works
with the Board and Manager to review
expenses, every week, balance the cash, she
is in contact continually with the Bank, she
handles all of our Raffle ticket sales in the
Fall. The list goes on and on.
Joan is now retiring from the Board.
Fortunately, she will continue to volunteer
at our fundraisers, to foster little dogs who
are too frightened to be in the shelter, and
to continue to give us support when we
need her.
'Shine'
Bluetick Hound/Beagle
We are now replacing Joan with 3 people
from the Board. We wish that Joan now has
a real retirement.
Thank you from all the staff, and Board
Members.
The Board of Directors
Like Us on FACEBOOK
We want to help LAWS with feeding &
finding homes for our 4-legged friends.
If you are a LAWS card member then this
is an opportunity to help.
In the year 2012, we will donate $5 for
every wine kit made on-site.
Join us in helping make a difference.
House wines starting at $59.99.
Fermented on site. Large selection to
choose from.
3
Inner Peace:
If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring
aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and
boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day
and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved
ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame
without resentment,
If you can conquer tension without
medical help,
If you can relax without alcohol,
If you can sleep without the aid of
drugs,
...Then You Are Probably
The Family Dog!
Melanie Young :: LAWS Animal Welfare Advocate
It's been 6 months now that I've been
doing the job of LAWS Animal Welfare
Advocate. The decision to withdraw the
LAWS affiliation from the OSPCA was
not an easy one. All the pros and cons
were discussed and contemplated at
great length. The decision resulted in a
new position which I fortunately have
been given the responsibility for. And I
tell ya' there have been good days and
there have been bad days. There have
been some "Oh My God" days, some
"Are You Kidding Me!!" days and a lot
of "Your Welcome, That's What We Do"
days! I went into this job with the idea
that it was the animals of Lanark County
I'd be helping. Little did I know that
with helping the animals came the
4
gratification of helping the people of
Lanark County also. Sometimes people
just need some support, a little teaching
in the proper care of animals. So far, all
the animal caregivers I've come across
have been more than willing to do what is
required. They appreciate a helping
hand, and that is where I come in. No
matter what the situation I treat all
people and animals with the respect and
attention they deserve. At LAWS we are
not just an animal shelter, we are a
shoulder to cry on, we are a last resort,
we are the answer to some people's and
animals's prayers. On a daily basis, I find
myself repeating the words "That's what
we do at LAWS".
Continued on from page 2
a portion of the overall total needed to
run the shelter. The bequests provide
the main portion of our money.
Thank you again to Hills Pet Foods for
providing all the dry food for our cats
and dogs for the entire year.
Thank you to all of our friends who
donated canned food, bleach, paper
towels, radios for the rooms, cleaning
supplies, office supplies etc. This is so
important to the smooth running of
the shelter.
Thank you to all of our Donors who
donate money to the Shelter
throughout the year. We couldn't go on
without your support.
Please read all our good news in this
Newsletter. We have listed some of our
upcoming fundraising events. Please
check our EMC Column and web site
for up to date information. We have a
new writer for our EMC Column. She
wishes to remain anonymous. She is
doing a great job and we thank her very
much. We also have several volunteers
who will be submitting articles for the
EMC Column. Thank you!
We also have several volunteer Graphic
Designers who are going to take turns
putting together our four Newsletters
every year. This newsletter was done by
Star Horn of Okwari Essentials Art
Studio (www.okwari.ca). Thank you
Star.
Our Volunteer Co-ordinator Jane
Stafford, one of our Board members
has developed our Volunteer program.
When she started 13 months ago we had
3 cat volunteers and 2 dog walkers. We
now have 55 regularly scheduled
Volunteers. With the increase in Dog
and Cat numbers these Volunteers are
essential to the smooth running of the
shelter. Thank you to Jane and the
great group of Volunteers.
We wish to thank our devoted staff again
and again... They work tirelessly to
make sure every one of our
approximately 200 animals are fed,
cleaned, petted, talked to and loved
every single day. In addition to doing
their regular day shifts, they foster dogs
and cats in their homes, they come in
when a staff person is sick and we are
short staffed, they come to our
fundraisers on their days off... They
are a very devoted, caring group of
people.
And thank you to our Board of
Directors. We have 10 Board members
who Volunteer their time to make sure
the Shelter is running smoothly, funds
are raised, Shelter Manager has the
necessary staff and support to manage
the shelter staff and make sure our dogs
and cats are well cared for every single
day, taking care of our website,
managing our finances, publishing 4
newsletters a year, sending out our
membership cards to every new
adopter, sending thank you cards to
everyone who donates to us, attending
every fundraiser put on by the Board
and community, managing our Animal
Welfare Advocate program, and many
more projects throughout the year.
Judy Meyers
President of the Board
29
Continued from page 25
volunteer with the shelter for 10 years
and is a former board member of five
years.
The shelter, as a no kill shelter, works
with dogs, cats and any other animal
that comes their way. Founded 30 years
ago, initially LAWS was an independent
society with a small shelter just outside
of Lanark Village. In 1986 LAWS
purchased one acre of land on
Glenview Road and, with the help of
600 supporters, built a small shelter
which housed 12 dogs and a few cats. A
cat wing was added and over the years
other additions have been created
which enables the shelter at any given
time to house over 200 cats and 50
dogs.
LAWS provides emergency shelter for
approximately 1,200 animals a year.
LAWS receives no government funding
of any kind. Its operating expenses are
met through donations from members,
supporters, adoption fees and
fundraising activities such as garage
sales, raffles, craft sales, bequests from
wills and other initiatives. LAWS is
run under the supervision of a small
paid staff assisted by volunteers.
Remember if you have lost a cat or dog
and you live in Lanark County, please
check the LAWS website, or call the
shelter. LAWS now serves all of the
county and your lost pet may be at the
shelter. Contact information is below.
Lanark Animal Welfare Society is
located on Glenview Road, just off
Highway 43, about 2 kms west of
Smiths Falls. The shelter is open
Monday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4
p.m. Write to us at P.O. Box 156,
Smiths Falls, ON K7A 4T1 or contact
us at 613-283-9308, or email
at [email protected]. Visit our
website at www.lanarkanimals.ca
Please also check
out www.AdoptADog.TV featuring some of our canines up for
adoption.
If you have lost a dog or
cat please check our
website or phone or visit
the Shelter. If you have
found a dog or cat please
visit our website to find
the number of your Local
Animal Control Officer.
Melanie Young, the Lanark Animal Welfare Society’s
animal welfare and right’s advocate holds at left
Arielle and at right Athena, two cats up for adoption at
the shelter. Read on to find out more about LAWS new
28 approach to animal welfare.
Thank You Fundraisers!
Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who helped us raise money
from October through February to keep the Shelter going.
'Charlie'
'King'
1.) LAWS Perth Bazaar: $3213.25 Thank 10.) Pet Valentine Photos at Picture It
you to Francis Batoff and her great group Studio : Feb 14 $300 raised - Thank
you to Dalene & her team, organized by
of Volunteers
Liz & Cathy Taylor, next Photo Day July
2012.
2.) Pet Expo- Merrickville, $2300
Thank you to Paws A Bit and group for
11.) Smiths Falls Shoes: $125.00 raised
putting this on every year for LAWS.
through Gift Wrapping presents. Thank
3.) Women's Fair Fundraiser for Interval you to all Staff.
House: We raised $434.00 at our booth.
We gave all of our unsold baked goods to 12.) Maclean Insurance Auction of All
Star Tickets: $810 our first money raised
Interval House.
for our New Shelter.
4.) Pictures with Santa Smiths Falls:
13.) Whitehouse Perennials: 2nd year of
$574.00 plus $575.00 donation from
fundraising for us through sale of their
the employees of County Fair Mall
flowers: $450.00
5.) Pet Valu Carleton Place: Pictures with
14.) Our biggest fundraiser of the year:
Santa: $375.00 thank you to staff.
Raffle Ticket Sales hit an all time high:
6.) Santa Parade Smiths falls: $100 prize $17293 Costs of mailing and printing
for most original float. Thank you to our tickets: $2331 Profit: $14,962.00
Board member Chris Colton for
Children who did fundraising for
designing and decorating the float.
LAWS:
:: Sierra 12, Logan 10, donated $25 to
7.) Carleton Place Women's Business
the animals .
Group: $154.00 Thank you to Board
:: Glen Tay Public School grades 1 and
member Liz Taylor.
4-5 donated canadian tire money, food,
8.) Royal Bank and staff Diane Thomas bones, laundry soap, litter and canned
and Linda Dryer. They each raised $500 food for the animals.
for LAWS through their volunteer work -The grade 1 class also made treats at
school for the cats .
with LAWS .
:: Rideau Vista Public School in Westport
donated a whole bunch of towels and
9.) Scrapbbooking: $500.00 raised Thank you to Mississippi School for the blankets .
space & Scraptease for assisting.
Continued on page 6
Next Scrap Day - April 7th - contact Liz
Taylor for details.
5
Continued from page 5
:: Kaylin McNeely 12 year old from Carleton
Place donated all their money raised from
their christmas exchange.
All the kids picked a charity and placed them in
a basket. Her charity was picked and they raised
315.00.
UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS:
1.) Feb 25: Janis Joplin Concert at the Perth
legion - Show to be held in Carleton Place &
Smith Falls in upcoming months
Photos this page: Dave Pringle, Metroland Media
2.) Bunny Pictures for Easter at Picture It
Studio: change to Summer Photos July (see
above)
Susan Wilkes
Scrap day see above as well
3.) Margaret Link Photography: Pet Portraits: Sunday, April 29, 11-5 pm. PAWS A
BIT Pet Boutique, 135 St Lawrence St. Merrickville
4.) This summer look for LAWS at Movies Under the Stars in Smiths Falls.
5.) April 28 th Festival of the Maples: Book sale and DNA Your Dog sale.
6.) May 26: 8 am - 12 noon Garage Sale at Curves in Smiths Falls
6
L to R: Judy Meyers, Board Member, Ellen Young, Board Member,
Francis Batoff, Volunteer, Chris Colton, Board Member, Helen Young,
Volunteer
Continued from cover page
Sometimes animals end up in shelters as well because they were abused or
neglected. It is hard to believe, but some people abuse an animal by punching or
kicking it. Some animals are also neglected, which means that they may not get
enough food or water for days, and maybe no one pets them.
When you think of an animal shelter, you likely think of cats and dogs. But,
sometimes they have other kinds of animals too. The animal shelter that I visit
sometimes gets guinea pigs, rabbits, and lizards. Once they even got a spider. This
animal shelter is located in Smiths Falls and it is called “LAWS”, which stands for
Lanark Animal Welfare Shelter.
If you have a pet, you know that it takes
time and money to care for that pet.
Can you imagine how much work there
is if you have a lot of animals. When we
adopted cats for our barn at the animal
shelter, there were over one hundred
cats there. They also had many dogs as
well. Can you imagine having to care
for that many animals!
All that work at an animal shelter takes a
lot of people, food and supplies. That is
Photo: www.elizabethandjane.ca
why the shelters always like people to
volunteer to help out. Some people volunteer to clean cages, feed the animals or walk
the dogs. Other people donate money or supplies to help out. So, even if you can not
adopt an animal, there are ways you can help the animals.
I think the best way to help is to adopt an animal because then you also get a new
friend. You are giving an animal a second chance and saving their life. We adopted
my dog Rose at the local animal shelter. The people who owned her before us left her
tied to the fence at the animal shelter. She was pregnant and very skinny. After she
had her puppies, we adopted her. She is very happy and much fatter now. She is very
friendly and loves to be played with. She was one of the lucky animals who found a
new home. And there are many more just like her waiting for caring families.
I would like to see more animals being saved by being adopted from the shelters.
Like I said, they have lots of different kinds and breeds of pets. It is also cheaper to
buy a dog at the shelter than at a pet store. You might pay $1,000 at a pet store;
however, you can get an animal for under $100 at an animal shelter and it will already
be spayed or neutered.
hope more people give the animals from the shelters a second chance and adopt
them. There will then be fewer animals that have to be put down. Personally, I can
tell you that adopting an animal will make a big difference in your life and the dog, cat
or other animal or new friend you adopt.Thank you for your time and have a good
day. -Kassidy Cavanagh
27
MONEY MATTER$
As of December 31st, we completed
the 7th month in our fiscal year.
Our revenue totals $293,906, and
expenses total $401,362, resulting
in a deficit of $107,456.
As you can see, we have experienced
considerable increases in expenses,
and have real challenges ahead.
Historically, our expenses have almost
always exceeded revenue, but we have
been fortunate in that our supporters
have remembered us in their wills. As
a result, we have been able to depend a
great deal on investments during
periods of financial challenges, and we
are currently in that situation.
Nevertheless, we must be ever
vigilant and financially responsible,
GREAT News! :: BIG community challenge!
It gives me great pleasure as Chair of
the NEW fundraising committee – to
announce our 2-year mission to build
a much needed NEW shelter for the
great folks at the Lanark Animal
Welfare Society.
Over the next 24 months will be
reaching out to our surrounding
communities in Perth, Carleton Place,
Smiths Falls, Kemptville, etc. to ask for
your support to help make this dream
reality. As you are aware – Laws
presently receives NO government
funding support at any level.
Laws is going to be counting on the
generous support of area residents and
26
business owners. This is a very serious
challenge for our community. The
outstanding team at Lanark Animal
Welfare Society is in desperate need of a
new facility to house and care for lost,
abandoned, neglected and abused
animals in our community. We will
leave ‘no stone unturned’ in our drive
to make this happen for our
community in the next 2 years.
Your support is greatly appreciated.
LAWS FINANCIAL REPORT
and are determined to reduce
expenses wherever possible.
The Board is in the process of examining
all projected expenses to determine how
we can best reduce these, from the largest
to the least.
As well, we will be negotiating cost
reductions with suppliers, have put
procedures in place to require varying
approval levels before expenditures are
made and will continue to work at
increasing fundraising efforts.
As supporters, we hope that, as you are
able, you will continue to volunteer
your time and your financial support.
Weekly, we list goods in the EMC that we
need at the shelter. Some of you are
wonderfully
generous, and we
thank you.
Of course, we also
need your continued
financial support,
whether by
donations or by
remembering us in
your wills.
Joan Schapansky
Treasurer
For more information about our “NEW
Shelter Fundraising Project” and how
you can donate – please visit us on-line
today at:
www.NewShelterForLaws.com
7
'Anna '
Basenji/Shiba Inu Mix
Perhaps you think training will
interrupt the wonderful relationship
you share with your dog. Sure, it does
bark annoyingly when you take it out
on walks, and you do have to lock it up
during dinner parties given how it
snarls and growls at your friends four
year old, but that’s all ok, because that’s
what dogs do right? Ummm….not
really. Sorry to burst your bubble but
in spite of not being a human being
your dog should be expected to be
polite. His antics might seem adorable
to you, you might think it’s cute when
he jumps up at neighbours and
scratches up doors, but your dog’s
victims wouldn’t agree with you.
You might think you don't want to
exercise the sort of authority required
to tell him to behave, and that’s all
quite all right really. Being the owner
of a dog doesn’t require you to
suddenly transform into a whipswinging ringmaster and you are right
in denouncing the idea of establishing
whom the boss is when dealing with an
animal.
Where you are wrong, however, is in
your basic understanding of dog
training. You need to realize that
training your dog is not about proving
how much better you are than it, you
are not trying to teach it ‘human rules’
and thereby attempting to make it
more ‘human’, training is not a
method of ‘humanizing’ a dog. What it
is, in fact, is a way of improving the
relationship you share with your pet,
and of course a means of making it
8
The Importance
of Dog Training
By Maryanne Oney
Dog Attendant at LAWS
more sociable.
‘What’s the point of that?’ you might
ask. Well, here is the thing. Most of us
spend the larger portion of our day toiling
in the office, drinking our 42 oz soft
drink, reading those balance sheets. The
little time we get with our family and pets
we try to merge with some sort of
socializing. We go to the park for a stroll
on a lovely evening after work, or to a
friend’s house to watch a movie. If our dogs
are unfriendly then on all these occasions
we keep it back home, alone, such that in
no time it’s in no way a part of our life at
all.
Now, like human beings your dog too
gets lonely, it gets lonely and depressed and
awfully sad especially when it’s left all alone
in a dark house where there isn’t anyone to
pat his tired little head.
So you see, ultimately due to your
aversion towards training you, keep your
dog from enjoying the sort of company and
activities it would like to.
Obedience training is a means of letting
your dog cope better with it’s immediate
environment. It grants every dog an easier
life and makes them easier to live with.
Training your dog will give you more
opportunity to spend more time with your
beloved pet, no matter where you are going
and who you are going with.
So get in there and give your dog a nice
pat and take it out for training. A few
magic words like ‘heel’, ‘down’,‘stay’,
‘come’ and ‘sit’, will change your
relationship with your favourite
companion forever.
Animal Welfare Takes A New Approach
EMC News - The Lanark Animal Welfare Society is taking a different approach to
animal welfare – an approach that thus far has proved phenomenally successful.
Responsible for the wellbeing of animals for the entire Lanark County, LAWS is
focused on promoting the welfare of animals in a positive manner. In doing so, the
shelter’s animal welfare and right’s advocate, Melanie Young, is working with the
public to both educate and help them understand the responsibilities of pet care.
This approach utilized by Young, has been “so successful,” stated Judy Meyers,
president of the board for LAWS. The new position was created after the shelter
discontinued their affiliation with the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals, approximately six months ago. Through the OSPCA the shelter was
responsible for animal welfare in Lanark County and paid a fee each year to have an
animal cruelty agent trained by the organization. The connection also allowed them
the opportunity to call on the chief inspector for help with cruelty cases if need be.
With the de-affiliation the shelter will continue to be responsible for animal welfare
for the county. LAWS recognizes there will still be cruelty issues and they will be
handled through local law enforcement. Depending on the severity of reported
incidents, police may be called in.
Young will be responding to
reports of abuse and neglect
towards animals called in to
the Animal Welfare
Reporting Line
(613-283-9360
and emailed to
[email protected])
and will also be providing the
public with information on
the laws of Ontario and the
Criminal Code of Canada as
they pertain to the care of
animals. A courtesy call and
drop by to assess the
situation will be undertaken
by Young. If the folks are not
cooperative and/or if she
feels an animal might be in
trouble as a result of
whatever might be taking
place, the police will get
called in.
Young received training for
her new role last spring
through the OSPCA.
Previously she had been a
Continued on page 28
25
L.A.W.S. fostering
Message from LAWS Board Member :: Liz Taylor
Our family recently fostered Wizard a
beautiful black 4yr old Main Coon cat. I
have been volunteering at the shelter for a
year, helping with the cats. We already had
two 17yr old cats who are indoor and
somewhat set in their ways. We have had
them since they were 5 weeks old. We felt
that there was no possibility of adopting
anymore cats.
I am very honoured to be one of the Board Members & when I joined the board; my
main focus was on fundraising for the shelter. This is a very exciting & sometimes
challenging task, but thanks to the fabulous community support we always have great
success, and thank you to everyone who holds their own fundraisers for the animals at
LAWS.
There are many different ways to help with fundraising, one being attending the
events, but if you are looking for some personal ways, here are a few examples:
Car Wash, Garage Sales, Neighborhood BBQ, Book Sales, any music event, having a
birthday yet you already have everything – have people donate to the shelter, fashion
shows, a penny drive at school or work, plant sales, craft sales & many other ways!
I heard about the LAWS foster program
and decided to follow up on it. It is a winwin deal for potential pet owners, those
that want to help out and great for the
animals. My husband and & decided to
foster Wizard, now renamed Merlin.
When I first picked him up he was purring
before I had completely got him up in my
arms; I was somewhat hooked there.
What is fostering? You have the animal in
your home and care for them. If there are
vet bills, LAWS picks up the cost. You can
then see how the pet fits into your family
and how all adjust, but at the same time
not the final commitment. To date, most
foster pets have been adopted, if not by
the foster family by a friend or neighbor; a
truly great program.
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A Proud Supporter of LAWS
Our Team is committed
to providing you,
Our Valued Customer,
with the very BEST
ownership experience.
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237 Lombard St,
Smiths Falls ON
613-283-4612
with Merlin but Merlin just backed
down. He is a treat and perfect addition
to our family.
Now, at my shelter volunteer shifts, I
realize that the majority of the cats are
the same way. They love to be held, love
to play and as they are around so many
cats they adjust well to families with other
pets and children. They just want to be
Back to Merlin for moment; he is a well
part of the group. I encourage you to
adjusted and fantastically mannered cat.
foster, considering adopting. Ask one of
He knows he is just part of the group,
the staff about specifics, consider what
loves to be on your lap, play and after just characteristics your new pet would need
over a month the “seniors” allowed him to to fit into your family routine as opposed
snuggle up with them. He doesn’t go after to just the color or breed. It took a
their food when they all get fed so long as rescue cat to teach me this, and I thought
we are watching; only scratches on the
I was a cat person already.
scratching post (which is new in our home
for him as our cats are declawed). He does Thank you LAWS,
not instigate fights, our male was assertive Taffy, Buster, Merlin
Diane & Will Thomas
24
A few upcoming exciting fundraising events to watch for:
On Saturday February 25th local singer/songwriter Shelley Montreuil (known best as
the lead singer for the jazz/rock/blues group TELL MAMA) will personalize this
legendary late 60's/early 70's blues/rock singer in a production entitled; AN
EVENING WITH JANIS JOPLIN. The "premier" presentation of this production will
be staged at the Royal Canadian Legion in Perth with show time set for 7:30pm Tickets
for this show are $60 and are available at: Shadow fax and Tickets Please in Perth. This
show will continue to travel to Carleton Place and Smith Falls in the following months.
There are sponsorship opportunities for these events, please contact me at
[email protected] for further details.
March will bring a Spring Scrapbooking Day – anyone who came to our New Year one,
knows it was a fabulous day & if you missed it, start printing your photos & get ready
for March – Date to be confirmed – watch our website under events.
April will bring a fabulous day of photos with your Bunny , this will be hosted by
Picture it Studio in Carleton Place – a special thank you to Dalene for the wonderful
day of Valentine Pet Pics – a fabulous fundraiser for us. How about a Spring Fashion
Show for the whole family?
Fundraising is one of the many ways you can help the animals at the shelter, keeping in
mind we receive NO government funding. We count on you, our community members
to support & help the animals any
way you can.
9
:: THE SHELTER REPORT ::
Thanks to the combined efforts of the
very dedicated staff, volunteers and
LAWS Board Members as well as those of
the loyal and generous supporters of
LAWS, the shelter continues to be a very
busy, productive and nurturing
environment.
During the
visit, the
Veterinarian
can now see
and tend to a
much larger
number of
patients (on
any given day,
one vehicle
'Persius'
could perhaps
Beagle
bring 3-4
crated cats and one crated or tethered dog
at the most, to the Vet Clinic…). Now, the
Vet usually sees, in-house and on average,
18-20 cats and 4-5 dogs, all in one visit!
Our new Dog Adoption Procedure is
proving to be successful with the public as
well as being very beneficial for our
canine residents. Clients are now getting
individualized attention and help in their
search for a companion and the dogs are
being spared the continuous flow of
people (strangers to them) walking
through the line of outdoor kennels
The animals are tended to in a timely
which, sadly, kept them in an agitated
fashion which increases the likelihood of a
state of unrest.
healthier animal population.
The new Cat Condo/Cat Run has arrived It allows for staff to be present and
and is presently being enjoyed by some of proactive at the shelter rather than being
on the road and away from the shelter.
our feline friends. They are provided
with plenty of light and the cat trees are
strategically positioned by the windows to The Vet’s follow-up care instructions are
allow the cats to leisurely bask in the sun passed on directly to the persons
responsible for these animals’ care on that
and watch the comings and goings of a
day, which helps in promoting reliable and
busy shelter life.
dependable follow-up care.
Our partners in Animal Health, Smiths We are very fortunate to have a group of
photographers that visit us on an
Falls Veterinary Services, now visit the
shelter once a week to check- in on our alternating basis. These volunteers aim to
animal population. We are all so grateful capture the “true essence” of our cats and
dogs. These beautiful pictures are then
for this service for many reasons:
posted on our website.
The animals, specifically the cats, are
spared the stress of having to leave their
We are very excited about a partnership
“safe place” which gives their immune
system a better chance at fighting viruses that is being established with three Pet Valu
stores (Almonte, Perth, Carleton Place
and disease.
and Smiths Falls) from the area! These pet
stores are soon to become LAWS’ Pet
Adoption locations where you will be able
to adopt cats/kittens on the premises.
Please look for our LAWS’ logo poster!
Continued on page 11
10
Continued from page 22
I started volunteering at the Lanark Animal Welfare Society in December 2011. When
I signed up to work with the cats I envisioned time spent cuddling and playing with all
the wonderful kittens and cats. Rainbows and Lollipops!
What I wasn’t prepared for was the sheer number of cats at the shelter – almost 200! I
hadn’t given any thought to how many litter boxes, food and water dishes and blankies
would need to be cleaned and changed. At the end of my first shift I was astonished –
how can so few staff and volunteers possibly care for so many? And yet they do – they
show up rain or shine –weekends, Christmas and New Year’s – 7 days a week. Why
would they choose this – because they need us.
What I wasn’t expecting was the payback – from the purr of appreciation from cuddling
Lumina, to the laughable antics of Skiddaddle. The immense satisfaction from Sheila
telling me 7 cats found their Forever Home last week. But mostly from knowing I
made a difference in the life of a cat that day and when I leave at the end of my shift I
leave knowing that they are safe and cared for while they await their new homes.
Donna M.
Smiths Falls and Merrickville Veterinary Services
136 Wellington St. W.
P.O. Box 89
Merrickville , Ontario
K0G 1N0
613-269-4779
Serving the needs of both your small and large animals
for over 35 years.
455 Hwy 29
Smiths Falls, Ontario
K7A 4S5
613-283-4531
Volunteering at the shelter is hard work. Recently, I have had time to volunteer six
days a month at the LAWS shelter.
I watch the staff whirl quickly through their morning duties like a dance. They speak to
the dogs and each other with patience and love even though some of the dogs can be a
little contrary. I smile and do what I can to help. As hard as the work is, doing it is a
pleasure. The positive energy makes the work seem effortless and I find myself singing
while scooping poop. WHAT!?
For the past decade or so, I have made a fairly good living doing a relatively easy job,
comparatively. I am at the tail end of my working career, thinking how wonderful it
would be to be retired. I have friends that are retired and I was feeling envious. Not
anymore; I have found a place that energizes my inner peace. A place in which I feel I
make a difference in the innocent hearts of some of my new four legged friends.
Sheryl T.
Being a volunteer with LAWS has been a rewarding and exciting experience. It allows
me to help the animals by caring for them and socializing with them so that they may
be adopted. Some days at the shelter are hard because you see some of the animals
come in knowing that they once had a home where they were loved. By volunteering
with LAWS I know that the animals are being cared for, socialized and cuddled just the
way any animal should be.
Brandy B.
23
Why We Volunteer : : how you can too!
How time flies! It has been exactly one year since I volunteered to take on the task of
volunteer coordinator. At that time we had 3 cat and 2 dog in-shifts covered. Now
we are pleased to say, we have 26 cat and 27 dog, much appreciated, volunteers. They
are all regularly scheduled for a once weekly shift. Another 8 new volunteers joined
us this past orientation session and are eagerly awaiting their first training shift.
L.A.W.S has always had a good number of long time valued supporters that help us
with our fundraising events. Many of this year’s new volunteers have joined their
ranks also. This past year we have been very lucky to have some amazing people
volunteer to help us with shelter maintenance, photography and help develop an
educational program and too.
As we endeavor to fundraise for a new shelter, we will be having many, many more
events than before. Extra help planning and coordinating events, setting up and
tearing down before and after events, and working at the events will be needed as is
our much appreciated bakers and craft makers. If you would like to help, please go to
our website volunteer page and fill in the Volunteer Form.
We still have lots of spots available for those volunteers that wish to help in-shelter
with the animals. Tasks include: helping staff clean cat rooms and dog kennels,
laundry, dishes, dusting, dog walking and much more. If you are at least 16 years old
and are able to volunteer for one regularly scheduled shift a week, please fill in a
Volunteer Form at http://www.lanarkanimals.ca/programs_volunteer.htm
Applications may also be picked up at the shelter.
Questions concerning
volunteering can be sent to me
Supporting LAWS
Our Municipal Partner
at [email protected]
for 25 Years
I look forward to hearing from
you.
Jane Stafford
Save a Life
Spay/Neuter and Licence
LAWS Board member
your Pet
Volunteer Coordinator
I volunteer at LAWS as a dog kennel assistant. I have to say it has been a real eye
opener for my head and for my heart. I didn't really appreciate the amount of work
that is involved in running an animal shelter. At times it can be hard, labour
intensive, back breaking, and emotional work. I know I am tired after 3-4 hours so I
cannot imagine after 5 days a week at 10 hr days... The staff are always very thankful
that you come in to help and always have a smile on their face to greet you. They have
taught me many things about the dogs from behaviours to medical conditions. I am
always anxious for my next shift because I love being surrounded by the animals and
the staff that love them unconditionally. In all my life I have never experienced the
passion and dedication that the staff put into their workday, all for the love of
animals. Those are the kind of people I want to be around.
Continued on page 23
Catharina B.
22
~
Continued from page 10
Here now, is a look at the Intake and
Outcome numbers of our animal
population, according to species, for the
period of November 2010 to February
2011 in comparison with the same
period this year, November 2011 to
February 2012.
CATS
NOV. 2010 to FEB. 2011
NOV. 2011 to FEB. 2012
Incoming: 138
Incoming: 212
Claimed: 2
Claimed: 6
Adopted: 152
Adopted: 236
DOGS
NOV. 2010 to FEB. 2011
NOV. 2011 to FEB. 2012
Incoming: 60
Incoming: 120
Claimed: 25
Claimed: 36
Adopted: 32
Adopted: 69
In addition, we presently have 26
animals in Foster Care: 21 cats and 5
dogs
We are always looking for foster parents
to care for the animals, cats and dogs,
that simply cannot be in a shelter
environment for one reason or
another. For some cases, it can be very
traumatic and detrimental for them (ie:
a family pet that is surrendered because
of a death or an illness in the family or
an animal that needs special care, away
from the shelter in order to get back to
health). If you are interested in
fostering please go on to our website,
www.lanarkanimals.ca, to fill out a
Foster Application or drop by the
shelter to fill one out.
In closing, I would like to express my
gratitude to all of you that support our
efforts at LAWS, by enriching the
animals’ lives, in numerous ways.
Thanks to you, we can nurture them
back to health, care for them and most
of all, thank you for allowing them the
second chance they so deserve!
Nicole Lapratte-Patry
LAWS Shelter Manager
11
The Cat Run Saga :: by Eric
When we enter the parking lot at LAWS we are reminded
of the long story from last year regarding the cat run.
I became involved in the autumn of 2011 when I
volunteered to take on the task of expediting the delivery
of this unit which by that time was already many many
months past the date it had been promised.
My thoughts were that I would make some follow up
phone calls and get some pictures emailed to verify
progress and ensure the delivery and installation went
smoothly. It was approaching the busiest time of year for my wine making business
but I was confident I could provide both commitments with the time that was needed.
If only life could be so simple.
The first phone calls to the supplier went well and my first impression was that he
understood that these delays were causing the animals and staff considerable stress and
that the final touches would be completed within a few weeks. He sent me some
pictures of the “progress” and I think my jaw must have bounced off the floor.
Reality set in. This was going to take much more work and time than I had thought.
The container was just that – a container with some openings cut out for a door and
some windows. Yikes!
One lesson that was quickly learned was not to share unsubstantiated progress reports.
More than once I caused my fellow board members to roll their eyes when I
enthusiastically reported that we could expect delivery by the “end of this week”. At
one point I had a contractor prepare the site as a priority
because delivery was in “a few days”. In my defense it is
difficult to monitor progress from several hundred miles
away and my frequent requests for updates had the
negative effect of causing the supplier to stop answering
my phone calls and responding to my emails.
Finally I received the call – the work was just about
finished, the truck was booked and we would be seeing
the container before noon Friday morning. “Finally”, I
thought. “Why would he call and volunteer this
information if it wasn’t true?” I then thought to make a
quick phone call to remind them that the container
needed to be loaded a certain way so it could be unloaded
easily. My previous euphoria quickly changed to disenchantment - the container was
not finished and no truck had been booked. More time passed.
Continued on page 13
12
Why We Volunteer at the LAWS Animal Shelter
'Georgie Girl'
Early Sunday morning Kelly and I step into the Observation Room; a
room filled with pens for cats almost ready for adoption. A young
female seems to recognize us and purrs while she rubs her face against
her cage. A cage full of kittens start to mew and jump over each other
with excitement. It’s almost feeding and playing time.
We sweep up the floor and prepare food for each cat. As each cat eats
breakfast in its cage, Kelly and I plan out the order of cleaning. Our
goal is to make sure each cat gets as much out-of-cage playtime as we
can fit in before the shelter opens. And we need to make sure that we
spend time scratching, grooming and socializing each cat while it is
out of its pen.
We let out a cage full of kittens and an older male tabby. The kittens
leap around the room from cat tree to counter to cage top. The older
male stretches on the floor and starts to lick the head of a passing
kitten. All is good.
The next group let out are some young females. We distract them with
toy mice and sponge bouncy balls while we clean their cages. An older
female sits on a cat tree and watches the wind blow leaves across the
lawn.
The cleaning goes well. Most of the cats make eye contact and are
responsive to human touch. A few shy away so we give them space to
explore the room before we gently put them back in to a clean cage.
All the cats have had their out-of-cage socializing time and the cages
are clean. We are now ready for visitors.
Kelly and I have been volunteering each week for a few years now.
We are amazed at the dedication and compassion of the LAWS staff.
We strongly believe that our few hours spent with the cats and dogs each
week are vital to their well-being. Our hope is that a cat that has
even fifteen minutes of nurturing can sustain itself with happy
memories for the rest of the hours spent in a cage. But those few
minutes of happiness are nothing compared to the feeling it must have
when adopted by a loving family. We love to hear stories of the cats
and dogs that made it out of the shelter and in to a forever home.
In a perfect world there would be no animal shelters and there would
be no unwanted pets. But until then we’ll give the little critters the
best quality of life we can. And at the same time help to educate our
community on the importance of spaying and neutering their pets so
fewer animals get sent to the shelter. Randy and Kelly
21
Continued from page 19
indicated above, many factors led to this
change and others. The dogs who live in
shelters are often under-stimulated.
Despite the best efforts of staff and
volunteers the dogs can become highly
stressed, anxious, frustrated and/or
depressed. Allowing spectators to pass by
their kennels all day long, only increases
these reactions and elevates stress
throughout the shelter. Knowing that
the dogs in the kennels are under an
extreme amount of emotional/mental
stress, they are likely to misrepresent
themselves to observers.
implemented. Shelter staff and Adopters
must work together to do the following:
• Both- Accept that not all dogs will have
the right genetic make up to do the job
(i.e. be a pet in every family)
• Both- Define the adopters individual
needs/wants clearly
• Shelter Staff- Identify possible canine
candidates accurately (requires a educated
assessment of every dog in the facility)
• Shelter Staff- Explain each dog’s specific
needs (known behaviour/training, health
and exercise requirements) and the
resources that will be required to provide
For example: A quiet Beagle curled up
for them
on his bed giving puppy-dog eyes
• Adopter- Choose an appropriate match
appears to be a low energy, mildfrom the identified candidates (this is
mannered dog. What his observers don’t where the Adopter’s individual preference
know is that he is just not used to the
comes in to play)
loud bark of his neighbouring dog and • Adopter- Provide a mutually beneficial
he’s very scared. Once removed from the life for the dog and their family (this will
kennel area he’s a very busy boy with a
address mental, emotional and physical
tendency to jump-up and knock over
aspects)
anything in his way. This Beagle is not
the right match for his inquirers, but a It is only with the proper implementation
perfect match for the family who passed of an adoption program such as this that
him by due to his apparent “quiet”
most unsuitable situations will be avoided.
nature.
This is just one example of how the canine
Had this dog gone to the home seeking a world is shifting and continues to evolve.
quiet dog, he would be forced to
As human needs and desires change, we
continually disappoint his owners and be are experiencing a canine revolution. The
classified as a “bad dog”. His new owners way canines have been effected by this
would also be faced with only a few
change is not favourable. Dogs are having
options: be continually disappointed
a difficult time understanding what their
and tolerate the dog’s current behaviour, new roles are, and we have not yet taught
attempt to resolve the behaviour through them what is expected and how they fit in
training and behaviour work (which they to our modern society. We must begin to
were not prepared for), return the dog set up our canine homes for success. With
to the shelter or rescue, or euthanize. In the implementation of new education and
order to avoid situations like these from adoption programs such as above we are
occurring a number of aspects have to be well on our way to securing a happy future
considered and changes need to be
for man’s best friend.
20
Continued from page 12
Then came another call – to Judy this time. “The container was finished and
was being picked up on Wednesday”. Sounds good but we have heard this before
and seeing is believing. I phoned the trucking company directly and was mildly
shocked that they indeed where loading as we spoke and would be arriving later
that same day. It is now the peak of the Christmas wine making rush so leaving
my business for the day to make sure things go off without problems was not an
option. Our ‘go to gal’ Melanie is simply the best. Capable, positive, reliable –
I could go on. She took charge when the unit arrived. It was dark and raining,
the truck could barely back into the entrance and eventually got stuck which
blocked the traffic on Glenview. The list of issues and phone calls that afternoon
seemed endless but patient persistence
wins the day.
The end result is the best part of the story.
The cats have a spacious sunny place to
hang out and play in while they wait for
their forever homes.
13
SPUD THE HERO!
Hi All- Here is a feel-good story about our dear old Spud aka Bud.
Just to refresh you memories. Spud is the
hound that was with us coming on to a
year, was put in the Perth parade & the
young lady that walked him fell in love
with him-acually I think Spud chose her
but she bugged her parents for a week
until they decided to give him a try.
First nite there Spud marked his territory
in the house (to be expected) & slept with
Taylor in her bed that nite. Has fit in with
their other 2 dogs, loves to be outside, has
wandered off but comes back.They live on
a huge farm but he does not leave the farm
property.
Just before Christmas their cocker spaniel was out in the field & was lured to the far
end & into the bush by coyotes. They rolled him & was going in for the kill when the
dog yelped. Spud heard the cry & charged across the field into the bush scaring off the
coyotes & allowing the cocker spaniel to hightail it home covered in snow, burrs & a
puncture in his butt!
HOW GOOD IS THAT!!! Don' t think Spud will be coming back to LAWS.
Just a hound! Really a HERO!
Adopting : : A Canine Revolution
Dogs have had a place beside humans for at least fourteen thousand years. The
evolution of the domestic dog is an incredibly fascinating journey to follow. Hundreds
of different breeds were developed for hundreds of different uses or jobs. Throughout
history, no dog was without a job or identifiable duties. Canine duties have ranged
dramatically over the years but for every job there was a canine skill set to match.
Selected breeding ensured that these qualities were retained and that dogs possess the
task specific skill set to successfully carryout out its job. Humans chose their canines
based on who was genetically best suited to fulfill certain duties (these became
identifiable breeds).
Working with the dog’s innate abilities and not against them allowed for a symbiotic
relationship between man and dog. Where does that leave the today’s average dog
owner? With over five hundred breeds (and mixes of each) the majority of humans are
no longer selecting canine mates for the specific purpose in which the breed was
designed for. In most cases, preference is primarily identified by the dog’s physical
characteristics, followed by it’s perceived temperament. Very little thought is given to
the canine’s specific breed tendencies and needs. This often results in the
mismatching of dogs in human homes. Behaviour and temperament issues quickly
become too much for the owner to handle and the dog is often sent away. The
unbelievable overpopulation of dogs and overcrowding in shelters and rescues has
forced most shelters to make the difficult decision to euthanize a large number of the
animals in their care.
Reputable breeders work passionately to preserve the integrity and purity of specific
breeds, and other (not so reputable) breeders cross any and all dogs that may produce
a favourable pet. Of course, our human needs have also changed since the birth of the
German Shepherd, Border Collie and Chow Chow. Most modern day dogs are
brought into homes for the strict purpose of “pet”.
The roles that humans and canines play in each others lives has changed. We no
longer have to work as teams with our dogs to provide our families with safety, food, or
income. Instead, dogs have become a personal choice and most are considered
honorary members of the family. Unfortunately, without a “job”, most of todays dogs
are overindulged and insufficiently challenged. Our relationship, although not
lacking in love and good intention, lack in symbioses. We have become distanced from
our once intuitive ability to interact and communicate with our canine counterparts.
As a result we are experiencing a Canine Revolution.
One way which this can been observed is through the application and adoption process
at shelters and rescues. It was less than five to ten years ago when anyone interested
in a dog could just walk in to almost any shelter and take a stroll through the rows of
dog-filled kennels. The individual would then decide which one he/she wanted,
provide some basic information, make payment, and leave with their new dog. As
14
Continued on page 20
19
MO
Mo mastered stairs this morning,
although it was quite a challenge last
evening.
He probably has never seen a mirror
- his reaction last night when he saw
his reflection was a laugh!
He does not like being left alone in
his crate, but he will just have to
learn.
Charlie Moe will be a challenge to
train, but he is a sweetheart and a
good dog.
The Weirs,
Kanata, Ontario
MAGIC
Hello everyone!
We adopted a 3-4 y/o Black Lab back in
September 2011 named Magic. Just wanted to
leave you a message on how well he is fitting in
our home!
The first day we brought him home he slept
beside me while I watched TV. From then him
and the family have all created amazing bonds.
We renamed Magic to Dallas, and he has grown
to this name over time. We noticed he loves to
play with his tennis balls and loves to run off
leash out in the back yard!
He is very laid back inside the house and has a
lot of love to share with everyone. When we
first came to meet Dallas, we brought along
our 9 y/o Border Collie/Retriever and she
ignored him during the meeting. After weeks
of living together she has grown to love her new
companion and has become more happy and
energetic that now she had a friend to play
with. Every night she asks Dallas to play with
her and throws toys to him. Dallas seems to
love it here, this really was a great match!
Thank You to all the staff at LAWS!
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The Shane Family
HAPPY ENDINGS : : Winter 2011
SONNEY
Hi,
SKY
January is a good month to adopt a
dog - the Christmas rush is over,
and there will be no January blahs
with a new dog in the house. We
decided to bring in a new dog, and
selected "Sky" from the LAWS web
site. He is a strong, healthy, young
Husky mix, and can run like the
wind. He loves the open spaces on
our farm, and being able to explore
without limits on his freedom.
Adopting him was easy, and he fitted
in well with our other pooch.
He's our seventh animal from
LAWS, and already is family. Now
the cats may disagree, but with time,
they'll lose their fear of Sky and be
his friends, too. Our thanks to the
shelter staff for making the adoption
fun.
Ted Hitsman, Sarah Barney,
and family
STELLA
Just wanted to let everyone at LAWS
know that it was as if we were waiting on
Stella all along!! She didn't need
anytime to adjust, she walked into the
house, looked around and settled in. I
had such a hard time chosing a kitty but I
really think she chose us. She quite
frequently acts like a dog...whenever we
are gone and come home, she comes
running and meowing to be picked up. She LOVES us all and we love her, she is
never without a lap to lay on. She loves to
play as you can see and is great with both
our 3 yr old and 3 month old daughters. We are SO happy that we could give her a
home and are SO lucky for all that she
gives us in return.
Cheers,
The Gow Family
We had said we'd send pics of Sonney and
his new home, well here they are!
He is such a sweet and handsome boy
with a wonderful character. He is making
friends with our other dog Cosmo, an 11
year old female. He enjoys his walks,
and several 'snoozy' spots around the
house. Thanks for introducing us, we are
enjoying the newest member of our
family.
The Kaitt Family
Dutch
Hi there,
We are thrilled to have Dutch in our
home. We couldn’t ask for a better
Christmas gift. What an easy going nd
18lbs of loveable teddy-bear cat. His
favoured spot is under the Christmas
tree, but also the rocking chair. His
brother Herman was less thrilled but
adjust pretty fast to him. We hope to
convince some of our friends to adopt
from LAWS.
Happy Christmas and a peaceful 2012.
Sue and Willie
Continued on page 16
15
Continued from page 15
FRANKY
GIZMO
We had recently lost our Lhasa Apso of 16 years
and we were thinking about adopting another
dog. We visited the LAWS website and saw
Gizmo - a 5yr old Lhasa Apso mix and right
then I knew we had to have him. We visited
Gizmo at his foster home and totally fell in love
with him. Gizmo is now one of the family
and brings us such joy and happiness every
single day. He is an amazing companion and we
love him dearly. Thanks to Laws for giving us
such an amazing friend.
Debbie and Jeff L
To the Staff at L.A.W.S. Scrawny, underweight and a boat load of
potential health issues did not scare off our
daughter Sarah when we brought her to the
shelter in the fall of 2011 to pick out a
kitten. One look into "Peanut's" big green
eyes and she knew he was meant to be hers. Now called Franky, he is growing well,
strong and healthy. Our two dogs are his
constant companions. He has found a
playmate in our 1 year old Papillion Gabe,
and a warm and cozy cuddle buddy in our 9
year old Husky Rosie, who was overjoyed to
have a kitten again. Franky is sweet,
affectionate and has just enough imp in him
to keep us all going. Thank You L.A.W.S.
for giving him a chance, and us a wonderful
addition to our family.
The White Family
16
CHEWBACCA
RusticBenches.ca
Check out our Pet Feeders!
MISS PRISS/MISSY
Hi All,
Just wanted to let you know that
little Miss Pris( I call her Missy)is
doing great. I am so glad I decided
to stop and see your dogs late
December. She is a sweet little girl
and I just love her. She fits right
in and is very comfortable here.
She is a real sweet heart. Thanks
again for such a wonderful pet.
Sincerely,
Judy Stiege
Hello...
We just want to let you know how
Chewbacca, now Fred, is doing!
Fred is definitely a big suck for
attention and is very cute!
Barney (our other dog) and Fred
will at random times just decide
to play a game of chase around
the yard and then come back
panting like crazy! Barney might
be a big dog but he is very gentle
with Fred. When we first got Fred
we did not think he looked like a
Chewbacca but now we see what they meant with his long hair and almost like a scruffy
beard! His favourite treats are mini milk bones and every now and then a tiny piece of
meat. He still needs to work on some training but we are working hard at it! Fred is the
best snuggler imaginable and if you stop petting him for one second he wiggles around
trying to get your attention to pet him more! Fred is a great new addition to our
family!
Thank you LAWS staff,
The Bell family
PANCAKES
We bought Pancakes (Or Carla) from
L.A.W.S on September 5th 2011, and I
thrilled that we did. Once the lady took
us to the room I fell in love with this
one kitten. She was sitting on the table
and once she saw my face she jumped
down and was pawing and meowing at
my leg. I was sold, We just could not
leave without her. It was love at first sight. So that day we took her home where she
would be loved, cared for, and have a safe and happy home to call her own. As we
were paying the lady at the desk explained that Pancakes was a Tote kitten. She was
left on their door step with 9 other cats raging from kittens to 2yrs old. The holes in
the box were so small. She was the only one to survive. We both thought "how could
anyone do that to a animal !?!" When we brought her home, she knew that this was
home and that she had a family. If we are one the couch she will jump up and curl
right in between us, or lay on your chest, stomach and in the middle or your legs.
Pancakes will show her love to mommy and daddy by licking your nose when we come
home and meet you right at the door meowing. Her favourite thing to do is look out
at the window and meow at the birds and squirrels, its the cutest thing. Pancakes is
the newest edition in our little family and both love her with all our heart.
Thank you L.A.W.S. for all the care and support that you did and do. We cannot
thank you enough.
With all our thanks and love Ryan C, Ashley M & Pancakes (Carla)
17