It's time! BARK in the PARK will be Saturday, September 26th at Detert Park in Jackson. Don't miss the chance to Strut your Mutt (in costume or out), meet with animal experts, vendors, and other dog owners, and view adoptable dogs from Amador County Animal Control's Adoption Center as they walk the "Ruffway". New attractions are being added all the time, including a bake sale. All proceeds benefit A-PAL Humane Society, without whose generosity success stories like

Thomas O'Malley (Tail of the Month) would not be possible.

CALENDAR of EVENTS

2015

JANUARY

ADOPT a WORKOUT

PARTNER

FEBRUARY

ADOPT a SENIOR SWEETHEART

MARCH

SPAY and NEUTER AWARENESS

APRIL

TRAP/NEUTER/RELEASE

MAY

BACK in BLACK

ACAC&AC OPEN HOUSE

Saturday, the 30th

JUNE

WHISKERS & WINE

Saturday the 13th

Food Bank PET FOOD DRIVE

JULY

DOG DAYS of SUMMER

AUGUST

$9 for 9 LIVES for 9 DAYS

SEPTEMBER

BARK in the PARK

Saturday the 26th

OCTOBER

ORANGE & BLACK!

NOVEMBER

GIVING THANKS

From animals and their people

DECEMBER

HOME for the HOLIDAYS

LINKS

DOGO:

A great idea for Bay Area Shelter dogs.

WEEDS & the DROUGHT:

What dog owners should know about foxtail, burclover and puncturevine

Q & A: Margaret Blair, SECOND CHANCE DOG RESCUE

MARGARET BLAIR, owner and principal trainer of Twin Cedar K-9 in Amador County, is nothing short of a celebrity in the animal community. We are proud that she and her advocacy, Second Chance Dog Rescue, is one of our Paws Partners. Here is a recent Q & A with Lisa Peterson, Animal Control volunteer and staff member on the newsletter.

$9 for 9 LIVES: Success Report

Last month, for the whole month of August, we joined Best Friends Animal Society for its annual cat adoption promotion, $9 for 9 LIVES. During that month, Amador County Animal Control & Adoption Center, combined with The Feed Barn for A-PAL, placed 13 kittens and 8 adult cats into new homes, for a total of 21. At nine lives per feline, that comes to 189 lives -but who's padding? Let's keep this promotion going and growing In the years to come and soon, we may truly be able to Save Them All.

THOMAS O'MALLEY: Well Worth the Effort

Thomas O'Malley is a very handsome cat. At first, however, his future as a "fine Irish gentleman" was not assured. Found in Sutter Creek and turned in to the shelter as a stray, the staff discovered right away that he had bowel problems. He wasn't defecating on his own, so medications were given to him to help ease the problem. When that didn't pan out, he was taken to Dr. Alison Pillsbury, who did a full workup on Thomas, finding an old injury to his pelvis and bowel. She felt that, if he had a section of bowel removed surgically, he might be able to process his food in a more regular way. The surgery was expensive - about $2200 - so Susan Manning of A-PAL was called in. She was able to convince the A-PAL board that such a fine cat was worthy of this costly surgery. The luck-of-the-Irish, plus the extra effort of our shelter staff, Dr. Pillsbury and A-PAL have come through for Thomas. The surgery went well, and Thomas was deemed available for adoption to the right person willing to work with Dr. Pillsbury to keep things moving as they should. That person came along on a Saturday, but wanted the weekend to think about the important step of adopting an animal needing long-term care. Thomas didn't have to wait out that weekend. His new 'mom' called back first thing the next day and was approved for adoption immediately.

Thomas O'Malley: a worthy cat who, with the help of a group of extraordinary friends, will now get the normal life he deserves as a Kitty of Property - his own home!

DO YOU HAVE A GREAT ADOPTION STORY FROM OUR SHELTER?

We'd love to hear from you. Send your story, with photos if you have them, to Lisa Peterson.

petreher1@yahoo.com