Greetings!

Good fortune continues to flow to AnimalSave and the work we do for the animals. We are enormously grateful to all those who help with your time and financial support.

Several years ago AnimalSave looked at what would be the most effective solution to preventing the large number of dogs and cats showing up in the shelters, coming to AnimalSave's Foster/Adoption program and other animal-welfare organizations. The only reasonable answer was low-cost, effective and efficient spay/neuter services.   In 2008 AnimalSave purchased the 33-foot, state-of- the-art, mobile spay/neuter clinic. Since that time we have altered 6,412 dogs and cats. Conservatively estimating half were female with the ability to have two litters per year and an average of 5 offspring per litter, this work has prevented the birth of 32,060 kittens and puppies in our community. Many would not have lived and most of the survivors would have ended up in the already overcrowded shelter system or had very difficult lives in the wild.

Many of those animals that fall through the spay/neuter net, make their way to AnimalSave's Foster/Adoption Program. AnimalSave took a look at its Foster/Adoption Program a few years ago. We determined we could be most effective and use our limited funds most efficiently by focusing on taking in litters of kittens and puppies. In this way, we can have a more significant effect on the lives of homeless animals. By taking in whole litters, we are able to ensure they receive the important early vaccinations, worming and other medical attention; and that they are spayed/neutered before they're adopted out. In addition, the little ones are able to stay in an intact litter for as long as possible. This is extremely important as they are able to learn valuable socialization lessons from their litter mates. Sometimes we are able to get the mother and the babies. This gives them a huge advantage as they transition to life with humans. In the loving foster homes in which they are placed, their early experience is safety, love, and training. All of this makes them ready for their adoptive families and means we have an extremely low return rate. While we continue to take older, single dogs and cats in our program, experience has shown our focus on the young ones is how we do our best work for the long run. Since our Foster/Adoption Program began, AnimalSave has found loving homes for 3,355 dogs and cats, puppies and kittens.

When the Pet Adoption League closed its doors in 2008, its founders approached AnimalSave about taking over the pet food distribution program it had been operating. AnimalSave stepped up and took on an expensive program to help low-income pet owners with short-term, supplemental pet food assistance. The intention was to help them get through a bad spot. As the economy continued to slow, the bad spot for many continued and many more folks needed assistance. Since AnimalSave began its Low-Income Pet Food Assistance Program, we have distributed over 100,000 pounds of dog and cat food.

While we know we can't solve all the difficulties animals and their people experience, we know we do make a significant difference and appreciate your help making this good work possible.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Niehaus

Executive Director

For current information on all our
available cats please click here. 

Fill out an application if you're interested
in one of these wonderful cats     

Coming soon... adorable pit/lab puppies available in early March.  

Fill out an application if you're interested. 

How to Communicate with Your Dog  - Part I

Whether you have a new canine companion or you and your dog have been together for a while, it's helpful to know the meaning of your dog's communication methods so that you can adjust your own behavior as needed and so that you can be assured of your dog's feelings. Dogs make vocalizations and gestures using their face and body just as humans do, in order to express their feelings. And while some of these gestures can appear very similar to our own, they can have very different meanings. In this article, you'll learn a range of interpretations for your dog's messaging and you'll learn how to communicate effectively with your canine pal.

Spend some time just watching your dog. Learning your dog's habits, mannerisms, and movements through observation will allow the process of understanding her behavior to feel more natural and there will be plenty of things she does that will make sense to you without explanation. Just as every person is unique, so is your dog, and knowing her particular way of being is something that only you can understand fully.

• Be aware that much of a dog's language or communication skills are subtle.
• The importance of learning canine language resides in the fact that you will be able to respond to any problems she expresses before they become more marked. Not noticing small signs of stress or unhappiness can soon lead to more aggressive or distressed behaviors.
• Remember that this is a two-way learning process. Dogs have to learn our behavioral cues as well, and knowing this is just as important because it will affect how you respond to your dog, causing you to be more careful about your own gestures and posture.
• Note that a dog's ability to signal may be hampered by the breed in question, for example, if a dog has squat ears, a docked tail, etc.

Happy Tails  

 After one month in the Cat Nap Room, one month outside at a mobile home park, 2 months who knows where, Ebony aka Puss-Puss-Pretty-Kitty-Kat was reunited with her family! Jennifer and Savannah came in last week to borrow a rat trap (pet rat, that is) and went into the cat room just because. Jennifer had given up on trying to find her 15 year old black cat who was missing for 4 months. Jennifer came in today to thank us again and to report that Puss-Puss has resumed her spot on Jennifer's bed. Now that's a happy ending for sure!

Volunteer Needs: Foster Homes

contact Debra@animalsave.org