Montour Falls Town Board Approves Kurtz Enterprises Site for

March 2011
Montour Falls Town Board
Approves Kurtz Enterprises Site for Shelter Location
It has been a long haul that is finally
coming to an end—or hopefully to a new
beginning.
We have long needed a full service shelter
to take care of Schuyler County animals.
The Schuyler County Legislature came out
in support of our desire to build a shelter in
August of 2010. We have been taking care
of Schuyler County dogs at the current Van
Zandt Road dog pound since August 2009.
We planned that the spay/neuter location
we purchased from Dr. Fielder in 2006
would be our eventual home. Mark Taylor,
project manager, dutifully answered
questions in meeting after meeting—Town
of Catherine Zoning Board, Town of
Catherine public hearing, and the Town of
Catherine Planning Board. After much
discussion and public airing of concerns
about the dog barking, hours of operation,
traffic impact etc, the Town of Catherine
did approve our request to built at our
current spay/neuter clinic location at 2386
CR 10, Alpine on November 16, 2010.
This should have been cause for
celebration, but the approval also came
with 9 restrictions imposed by the board
which would add considerable expense to
the building plan.
advantages and added growth potential of having a Shelter in that
space. Many thanks to the Town of Montour for having the
foresight to recognize the valued addition we would make to the
community.
We are thrilled to announce that our offer to purchase Kurtz
Enterprises has been accepted. Next steps—securing funding by
rolling out a capital campaign.
We Need a Full Service Shelter Because?

PetsMart or ‘by appointment only’ is our only adoption outlet for cats.

Cats fostered at Alpine must be packed up and caged two to three times
a month while spay/neuter clinics proceed—disruptive to the cats.
Because of these restrictions and what
looked to be prohibitive expense, we began  A real shelter in a central location would increase our volunteer pool.
investigating repurposing the
 A real shelter in a central location would increase adoption traffic.
Kurtz Enterprises/Marina Garden property  The current dog pound has rats, leaks and flooding problems.
owned by Jim and Kim Kurtz.

The current dog pound is antiquated, small, and limited kennel spaces
Thus began the same round of meetings in
mean many dogs must be boarded elsewhere.
Montour Falls. The meetings still all had  The current dog pound has had two water emergency situations in as
to happen, but there was a day and night
many months, resulting in use of bottled and tanked water as the well
was unavailable or contaminated.
difference in the acceptance level as the
Montour Falls Town Board recognized the  To name just a few reasons……………………!!!!!!!!!
Page 2
Kit Cat Connection Alumni
It is always exciting to hear that adoption graduates are doing great!
Meet Zara and Polly!
Dear Humane Society of Schuyler County,
I wanted to send a email to update you on my cat which I adopted from you many years ago when she was just
6 months old in October of 2006. She is now 4 years old, turning 5 in April.
When I adopted her from you she was named Liza. I remember she had 2 siblings who are both white and
black when I first met her. Liza was grey and white.
I was at the Petsmart in Ithaca where you were having an adoption event. I didn’t realize that day that I would
be adopting a cat, but I am so glad I did.
I renamed her Zara and she is the best cat I could ever have.
She stayed with me in Ithaca while I finished school and after graduation, we both took the trip to California.
Now we live in San Francisco.
She is incredibly smart. I even taught her a few tricks. She can give you the cutest high-five if you have a treat
in hand.
Attached are some pictures of her enjoying life. I hope you enjoy looking at them.
Thanks for all the great work you do in taking care of your animals and thank you for Zara.
Keep up the amazing work.
I wanted to let you know that
Polly is doing wonderful! We
just love her! She spends the
days with me in my tax
collecting office and tack room
of my horse boarding
business. She loves to sleep up
on the saddle racks by the
window in the sun! She seems
very happy to have a person to
spend her days with. I bring her
in her carrier from the house out
to the barn and she clearly
doesn't want to be outside but is
agreeable to going across the
yard in the carrier. This
morning she got right in the
carrier when I opened it as if she
knew where she was going. I
have included some photos of
her. Thank you for rescuing her
and letting me adopt her!
Page 3
PETSMART Charities Grant is a Success
In the fall of 2009 The Humane Society of Schuyler County was awarded a grant of $6,645 from PETSMART
Charities for what turned out to be a very successful project. We applied for funding to help defray the costs of
the spay/neuter of stray cats found by people in the community who wanted to keep them but didn’t feel that
they could afford the cost of vaccinations and sterilization. In the past we received grant funding for a
trap-neuter-return programs addressing feral cat populations, but this request addressed another need. We
were uncertain about the magnitude of the need and were, in fact, a bit concerned that we would not be able to
utilize all the funding we requested.
It turns out that our concerns were completely unfounded. The program has been an incredible
success. Through the PetSmart funding we spayed 101 female cats and 84 male cats for a total of 185
animals! It was a real win-win situation! The cats found good homes, the people who found them were glad
that they could make them part of their families and the number of cats coming into our adoption program
dropped dramatically in 2010.
In the background, however, is another message. One that is not quite so upbeat. Despite the fact that the
Humane Society has spayed and neutered well over 6,000 animals in Schuyler County, 185 cats that we know
of were abandoned. It’s clear that we need to continue to actively promote the importance of spay/neuter and
work to address the issues of abandonment. We will look for other funding to continue this very successful
program in the future and extend a huge thank you to PetSmart Charities for their continued support
Help us be a PETSMART partner by volunteering to man adoption days on
the weekend. Without a combined centrally located shelter, our cats and dogs
need this exposure to be adopted.
Please Volunteer!!! Call 294-2255
Page 4
Doggie Time!
Million Dollar Makeover
Remember this little guy from the last newsletter????
Muffin (short for Rag a Muffin) was found as a stray in the
middle of the road in mid November in the town of
Dix. Little Muffin was so emaciated you could count every
single rib. He had multiple wounds to his legs, was severely
matted and suffered from a skin condition. The shelter staff
spent an hour and a half clipping the matted hair and then
bathed him.
Muffin was clearly a lot more comfortable but looked like
he’d gone to a really bad barber. It was obvious that this little
man was very familiar with the whole routine of grooming
which leads us to think he certainly had a
much better life at one time. Unfortunately,
circumstances changed and his life took a turn
for the worse.
After several weeks of TLC, treating his
wounds and skin condition, Muffin went to be
groomed by Sandie Pappa of SanGary
Kennels. When Sandie had worked her magic ,
Muffin looked like an entirely different
dog! We didn’t even recognize him. So, now
Muffin is a very handsome little man who
found his forever home in February of this
year.
We all know ‘beauty is in the eye of the
beholder’ but who could resist a cutie patootie
like you. Congratulations Muffin!
How can I help the County Dog Shelter?
…..Walk the dogs.
…..Foster dogs.
…..We have limited shelter room and often must board overflow. Donate to cover boarding expenses.
…..Donate used bath towels, blankets, paper towels, bleach, wet dog food, Kong toys and peanut butter.
…..Donate to cover spay/neuter, vaccinations, micro-chipping and related vet expenses.
Defendant Found Guilty of Animal Cruelty
Page 5
On December 8, 2010, Daniel Bennett pled guilty to Section 353 of the Agriculture and Markets Law, Animal
Cruelty, a Class A Misdemeanor. The charge was based upon the defendant’s neglecting an adult male
coonhound by not providing it with food and water for weeks, which resulted in bony prominences associated
with the ribs and pelvic bones being visible, and considerable muscle wasting having occurred. The dog also
had an open, bloody, and festering wound, with dangling flesh, on one of his legs which almost went down to
the bone and which was many inches in size. The defendant ignored this wound and did not provide the dog
with any medical treatment.
The defendant entered his plea of guilty without a plea bargain guarantee from the prosecution, inasmuch as he
rejected the Chief Assistant District Attorney, Matthew Hayden’s offer which included jail, probation, and a
prohibition that the defendant not possess or own any further companion animals. The defendant was assured
by the court that if he pled guilty, he would received a no-jail promise, which meant he would be subject to
either a Conditional Discharge or Probation at sentencing. The matter was adjourned for the Schuyler County
Probation Department to generate a pre-sentence investigation, and the defendant was ordered to return to
court on February 9, 2011.
On February 9, 2011, the People argued that the defendant should be placed on probation, due to his
substantial history of run ins with the law, and because of the condition of the coonhound. The defendant
argued that he was not responsible for the dog, inasmuch as the dog was located at property owned by his
father, and that he should receive a sentence of only a Conditional Discharge. The court fined the defendant
$750.00 and assessed $205.00 in surcharges, and gave him a Conditional Discharge. A restitution hearing has
been set for the purpose of determining how much the defendant must pay The Humane Society for the cost of
the dog’s medical treatment and boarding fees totaling approximately $2,700.
Jester—Still Looking for a Deserving Home
The story is becoming only too familiar. An elderly woman's health
fails. She finds it necessary to move into senior housing but sadly,
cannot take her dog. So, the woman leaves the dog with a family
member to care for him. A few months pass, the family member doesn't
want the dog and soon he finds himself stray, on his own and in poor
health. That's exactly what happened to the little guy we now call
Jester. Jester, an older Chihuahua/dachshund mix was found wandering
in the road in early November. He had such a bad yeast infection that
his body was badly covered with scabs and sores - so much so that he
resembled a small armadillo rather than a cute little Chihuahua.
We were able to trace Jester to his original owner when the Animal
Control Officer recognized him. His owner shared his history and
choking back tears said that she felt the best thing for her little dog was
to sign him over to The Humane Society so we could find him a good
home where he could live out his golden years. She thanked us for
taking good care of him and passed along a note for his new family
whenever they come along saying that she loved him and thanked them
for taking good care of him too.
Jester was taken to the vet, given medications for his skin and ear infections and medicated baths. At 8 - 10
years old he also was experiencing some pain in this back. The x-rays revealed that two of Jester's discs were
fused and would sometimes press on nerves causing him pain. He is on a small daily dose of medications to
make him more comfortable and alleviate the inflammation. Jester has been neutered, has had some dental
work done and is waiting for his new forever home.
Page 6
Thank You! Thank You!
WFLR wins Facebook Contest
Our friends at WFLR have always been very
supportive of our programs, most recently
working hard to win a company sponsored
contest to recruit new friends to WFLR’s
Facebook page. Their winnings were
donated to the Humane Society of Schuyler
County and the Shelter of Hope in Yates
County.
The Humane Society of Schuyler County
Receives Canine Influenza Grant
As a recipient of a recent grant funded by Petfinder.com and
Intervet/Schering Plough, The Humane Society of Schuyler
County will receive up to a 4 month, supply of canine
Influenza vaccine to aid in the prevention of this highly
contagious disease for all of the shelter dogs in its care.
“We are thrilled to have been selected as a recipient of this
Watkins Glen First Grade Gift grant”, comments Georgie Taylor, President. “Our shelter
space is extremely limited and the current building provides no
We want to thank the first graders from
way of isolating healthy, adoptable dogs from incoming stray,
Watkins Glen Elementary along with teacher seized and abandoned animals with an unknown medical
Jennifer Titus for collecting toys and food for status. This puts our entire population at much greater risk of
the animals in our care. They delivered
contracting disease so very stringent vaccinations protocols are
about 20 grocery bags of goodies for our cats imperative in our environment. This grant will help us to
and dogs.
maintain a healthy shelter population and ready dogs for
Thank you for caring about animals.
adoption as quickly as possible.”, says Taylor.
Pasta Night at Glenora Winery
66 Diners showed up on a wintery January
night to support the Humane Society, enjoying a Chef prepared, design your own pasta
dinner——proceeds of which were given to
the Humane Society. Thank you Glenora!
United Way Grant
We just got word that we are once again a
United Way agency, receiving a grant of
$2100 from last year’s fundraising efforts.
PETSMART Partners
We wish to extend a special thank you to our
PetsMart Partners at the Ithaca and
Horseheads stores. PetsMart has given us a
valued adoption outlet for dogs and cats, has
rewarded us with well over $20,000 in the
last ten years in spay/neuter grants, adoption
rewards, Photos with Santa and Wish Tree
donations. We appreciate the part they play
in our lives. Please help maintain that
partnership and volunteer on Adoption Days.
Watkins Glen Middle School Raises Funds
for the Humane Society
The Watkins Glen Middle School art classes raised $300 for
the Humane Society by selling handmade Christmas ornaments
over the season. What a wonderful gift to brighten this bleak
time of the year. Thanks for thinking of us!
Moose Pancake Valentine Breakfast
The cooks at the Moose are fantastic as are our volunteers—all
of which resulted in a very successful ‘Day before Valentine’s
Day’ breakfast. Volunteers bussed tables, served coffee and
juice, sold HSSC logo goods and tickets, washed dishes and
mopped floors. Thanks to all our volunteers for turning out
and working so
hard. Special
thanks to
Annette Martin
for keeping us
organized.
The breakfast
netted us over
$1700 and is
always a lot of
fun.
Dr. Frank Fielder
Dr. Frank Fielder died on January 20, 2011 at the age
of 96. With his passing, the Humane Society of
Schuyler County lost a wonderful, supportive friend.
While some of us knew him as clients of his veterinary
practice, others met him for the first time as volunteers
for the Humane Society.
Dr. Fielder graciously offered his veterinary offices as
a location for our first spay/neuter clinic. Beginning
on Jan 8, 2001, five volunteer vets worked in five
different rooms for five days to spay and neuter 221 of
Schuyler County’s dogs and cats. Amid memorabilia
of Dr. Fielder’s life in Australia, he and New Zealand
volunteer vet Cameron Knight were able to trade
reflections about that special part of the globe, an
added treat for volunteers.
We eventually purchased the building in 2006, but all along the way, he allowed us to use it to spay and neuter
Schuyler County animals. When fielding questions or giving directions about our clinics, it was always
obvious how many lives he had impacted. Most of the time, all you had to say was ‘Dr. Fielder’s Fingerlakes
Veterinary Clinic’ and they knew right where to go, having known him or having been a client of his practice.
As a final gift to us, he generously made provisions that our remaining mortgage be forgiven upon his death.
Those of us that volunteered for clinics and cat care saw him on a regular basis—polite and always the
gentleman. He was grateful for small favors like carrying bags, a box of green tea or shoveling snow. My
own special memory will always be his graciously written thank you notes after receiving a gift basket for a
birthday or Christmas. He made simple gifts sound like they were treasures. We hope he knows what a
treasure he has been to the Humane Society in helping us build a legacy of spay/neuter services in Schuyler
County.
The Humane Society has received donations in memory of these beloved friends of animals:
Dr. Frank Fielder
Heather Yuhasz
Eunice Ferris
Sandy Dalrymple
Gerald Loughlin
Linford Freese
William Barnes
Shirley Nichols
Memorial donations were received for these beloved animal companions:
Jennie and Cassie
Tamar
Erin
Tipper, Jubal and Friend
Snowball, Tasha, Buddy and Radar
Baby
Max
Maid Marion
Macy Grey
Queenie
Juliette
PRESORTED
HUMANE SOCIETY OF
SCHUYLER COUNTY
STANDARD NON PROFIT
US POSTAGE PAID
2386 CR 10
MONTOUR FALLS, NY
Alpine NY 14805
PERMIT NO 427
Phone: 607-594-2255
VISIT OUR
WEBSITE
www.schuylerhumane.org
Visit us often for news and
upcoming events
Calendar of Events——Volunteers Needed!
Cans for Cats and Canines
Can Drive and Bake Sale - Collect and sort cans - easy to do and a great fundraiser.
Location: Wright’s Beverage
Date: Saturday, May 21st
Time: 9 am to 12 pm
Montour Falls Fireman’s Parade
Walk the dogs, get some exercise and share candy, dog and cat treats along the way.
Location: Montour Falls Parade Route
Date: Saturday, June 4th
Time: Line up at 4:00 in Montour Falls
18th Annual Watkins Glen Boat Race
Redesign and paint this years boat, rowers, boat towing and boat baby sitting needed.
Location: Watkins Glen Seneca Harbor
Date: Saturday June 18th
Time: Lineup generally starts around 12:00.
Call 594-2255 to Volunteer