Dear Friends and Humane Society Supporters,
Happy Holidays! As you can see, our newsletter format has changed a little. It's new and improved! Also, our website will be changing. Our new website should be available sometime in the first couple weeks of December, keep checking in! www.HelpSavePets.Org
 You can see also, our logo has changed. Now, more colorful, Help Save Pets really shows off!
Also, as 2009 comes to a close, look for our annual Appeal Letter - arriving in your mailbox very soon! The contributions gathered through the appeal letter are very important to help this rescue organization get through the spring. It's our biggest fund raiser -- so your generosity will be much appreciated!
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Our 1000th Adoption of 2009!
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Help Save Pets was happy to send our sweet puppy Abigail home to a family on Saturday November 21st, 2009 as our 1,000th Adoption this year! Congratulations to Abigail and her new family, and to all of HSP's hard working volunteers who helped make this happen!
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| What are our Numbers? |
As of December 1st, Help Save Pets has adopted out 1,020 homeless cats and dogs to families willing to provide love, care and shelter. Thank you so much to everyone who has adopted this year and helped save an animal in need!
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Plainfield Television
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Our Plainfield
Community Television weekly broadcast which highlights our homeless
animals is in danger of being discontinued. The broadcast and infrastructure used to produce the broadcast is funded by the Village of Plainfield,
which like many municipalities is experiencing a revenue
shortfall. While there are several options under discussion, we do
expect to be off the air after December 6.
As
we explore options, Help Save Pets is looking for someone who has some
experience with broadcast production and would like to help. We don't
know what the future holds, but if someone can help us out, we can try
to negotiate a plan with the village knowing that we have someone who
can work with us.
All
of the equipment used for the broadcast is owed by the village and will
continue to be available. At issue is where the equipment will be
housed and who can produce our segment. We're looking for anyone
interested in pursuing options to get HSP back on PCTV so we can show our animals to you once again! Please contact Charlie if you think you can help or have any questions
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Mama Gabrielle will need your love!
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Gabrielle and her puppies were living in a crack house when she was rescued by our sponsored Humane Investigator, Cindy Williams. Gabrielle was severely under nourished and her six puppies had literally taken all they could from her. Gabrielle is approximately 2 years old and her puppies will be available the first week of December. She needs a home as much as her sweet puppies. She's very loving and she wants to meet you!
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'Pilots For Paws' for Help Save Pets!
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As some of you may remember, a few
months ago HSP's editor-in-chief, Rebecca Pearson, had included a
human/pet special interest story in our newsletter about a program
called Pilots For Paws, a group of pilots who volunteer their time
and planes to fly special rescue animals to safety. Little did
we know that HSP would be utilizing this program ourselves!
Just
recently, we had rescued a sweet teenage hound mix pup named "Lindy".
Shortly after Lindy was adopted, her owners brought her back to
us, because Lindy was regurgitating any food she would eat. The
vets at Animal Care Center ran some diagnostic tests, and determined
that she had a rare congenital condition called megaesophagus, which
means that her throat muscles could not constrict sufficiently to
move food down into her stomach to digest it. The only way to
keep her alive is to begin a special feeding regimen with a
gruel-like food, a technique that is both time-consuming and must be
done for the rest of her life.
Fortunately, there was someone
familiar with this feeding program, knew of little Lindy and was
willing to take this responsibility on for her sake; however, this
person lives in Tennessee, over 9 hours away! So, Pilots for
Paws was contacted, and sure enough, a pilot who flew out of Lewis
University Airport agreed to fly Lindy to her new home! Many
thanks to Jim, the HSP volunteer who transported Lindy from
Animal Care Center at 7 a.m. on a Monday morning to Lewis Airfield in
order to put her on the plane in time for her flight! Lindy is
doing terrific in her new home in Tennessee, where she is getting the
care and feeding that she needs!
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Becoming a Humane Investigator
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Help Save Pets would like to thank our sponsored Humane Investigator, Cindy Williams for all of her time, effort and care in rescuing needy animals from bad situations. Being a Humane Investigator is a lot of hard work, but it is very rewarding. If you're interested in learning what it takes to become a humane investigator, click here.
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Candle Light Bowl - February 13, 2009
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HSP will be holding a Candle Light Bowling event on Saturday February 13. Since it's the day before Valentines, you can take the whole family out to show your love for animals!
There will be 3 games of bowling with pizza and
pop. There will also be prize raffles and a 50/50 draw.
Help Save Pets will send out information closer to the date of the event, but if you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mindy.
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"In the month and a half I've had Phil, he has gotten a lot bigger.
He's a huge cuddler, and in typical boy fashion, loves attention from
girls. He stays with me up at school and gets a lot of attention from
the friends I have over. Since his vision isn't very good, he doesn't
play very much, but when he does he likes to chase strings, and attack
his catnip mouse. As for food, he's a pretty picky eater. He loves
any gravy meals, specifically those with turkey or chicken. Despite
the my over-curious dogs, he is definitely dog and other animal
friendly. Phil is an absolute joy to have around, and I love having
the opportunity to take care of him up at school with me."
~ Brandon
For those of you who aren't aware of Phil's story -- Phil came to us infected with FiP, Feline Infectious Peritonitis, a virus that infects cats and is always fatal. Phil has lost his vision and although he is currently a happy and somewhat active cat, his health will eventually decline and unfortunately Phil will not be able to live the long life he so deserves.
Help Save Pets put out a call for help to find a household willing to give Phil a home. Since Phil's condition is viral and contagious, Phil could not live in a home with any other cats. There were many cat lovers who stepped forward to send well wishes for Phil, but none who could take him.
One of our temporary care providers, Randi Amato took Phil in, despite severe allergies and kept him for a few weeks. Phil was lucky however to make an impression on Randi's son Brandon, who now has Phil with him while he is away at school, and brings Phil back to visit every so often! Thanks to Randi and thanks to Brandon for all you've done to make Phil's life happy, no matter how short it will be.
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Injured Animals
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WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND AN INJURED ANIMAL
~ www.tcwh.org
Sick or Injured Wild Animals
The first consideration is your own safety. Sick or injured animals do not understand your good intentions, and will typically defend themselves vigorously. This is true even of animals in grave condition; teeth, beaks, and talons remain functional to the end. Many animals can be picked up using a towel and a cardboard box. Drop the towel over the animal. Once unable to see, the animal should become calmer and easier to handle. Then pick up towel and animal together and place into a box or other container. Do NOT attempt to remove the towel; the animal will become frightened once again, and both of you and the animal wil be exposed to harm. Keep the container in a dark, quiet place. Do NOT attempt to feed it, although water may be offered but never forced. Incorrect diets are dangerous to wild animals. Also, medical examination will be facilitated if the animal has an emtpy stomach. Bring the patient to [your local wildlife rescue organization] during recieving hours. Note that most patients will not be harmed by an overnight wait.
Baby Wild Animals
Motto: Put it back! Leave it alone! The season for baby birds and other wild animals is virtually year round in [some] areas. [Hospitals] receive numerous inquiries each day from people who have found baby birds or other animals that seem to need help. In order to decide just what sort of help is appropriate, it is important to remember that nests are only for eggs and infants. Very young babies are sometimes dislodged from their nests by storms or other interferences. Hairless (or featherless) babies with eyes closed should be replaced into their nest. If you cannot locate the nest, put birds or squirrels in a wicker basket with some dry leaves and hang it in a nearby bush or tree. Other animals can be placed in a basket or shallow box on the ground in a shaded spot. In almost all cases this will keep the youngster safe until the parents return or it is mature enough to get around on its own a little better. Once this is done, be sure to leave the area; Mom will not approach with you nearby. Do not worry -- the old tale about a mother animal not accepting her baby back after it has been touched by a human is not true; most birds have no sense of smell, and the other animals are always always happy to see that their babies are safe. If you find a baby animal and are truly unable to reunite it with its parents, please take the time to bring the orphan to a wildlife care facility near you.
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Please be sure to patronize the following veterinary clinics that have
contributed a great deal of time and boarding space to provide our HSP
animals with shelter and care throughout the year:
Animal Care Center - Plainfield
Mallard Point Vet Clinic - Channahon
Oswego Animal Hospital - Oswego
Hinsdale Animal Hospital - Hinsdale
CARE Animal Emergency - Plainfield
HSP would like to extend warm wishes this holiday season!
Sincerely,
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| Featured Article |
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If you can donate any of our much needed items, it would be greatly appreciated!
We Need:
Kitty Litter
Kitten Food (dry or canned)
Nebulizers - Do you have one in a spare closet?
Puppy Food (dry or canned)
Towels and/or Blankets
Printer Ink Cartridges for HP #45 and #78
ANY Empty Printer Cartridges we can use for an Ink Credit through Staples
Fabric - leftover sheets of fabric are useful for making little scarves for our new adoptive animals. Do you have a yard or more of left over material?
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| Look For Us! |
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HSP will be at Barnes and Noble on Sunday November 13th, 2009 from 10 - 1pm, wrapping gifts and accepting donations for Help Save Pets.
Come do a little holiday shopping and see us at the Barnes and Noble located in the Kensington Center, 12700 S. Rt 59, Plainfield IL.
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