September, 2016
Lakes Region Humane Society 
Fall Newsletter

Dear Friend,
 
You are receiving this newsletter from the Lakes Region Humane Society because you expressed interest in our non-profit shelter by adopting a pet, requesting a newsletter, attending an event or making a donation. THANK YOU for your support and interest. Please enjoy this extended, special edition newsletter!




Save the Date
Sa turday, October 1st, 4 pm - Barn Bash Dinner, 343 Stoneham Rd., Wolfeboro, NH. Held in an 1860's dairy barn atop Cotton Mountain, this dinner is as quaint and country as it gets! It features hot foods from local restaurants, silent auction and live folk music. Tickets are $50 pp, admission limited to 46 guests. This event is thankfully SOLD OUT.  

Sunday, December,  4th, 5 pm  - Holiday Dinner at O' Bistro, Wolfeboro. This elegant dinner is $55 per person and includes light appetizers, dinner, dessert, awards ceremony, silent auction and giving tree. 2015 event photos 

President's Letter

Dear Friends of the Lakes Region Humane Society,
 
As I read through the draft of this Newsletter, I am overcome by how lucky we are to have such wonderful staff, donors and volunteers. Since joining the Board, I'm continually impressed by the level of dedication and knowledge of our staff and volunteers. From responding to emergency situations, dedicating time to help train hard to place dogs, losing sleep for night-time feedings of fostered kittens and building really cool spaces for our cats to play and live - our team members, volunteers and donors do it all!
 
We are fortunate to live in a community where such kind-hearted people are willing to give of their time, energy and resources to help animals in need.  Thank you for being a huge part of that community and to each of you for your support of Our Little Shelter  with a Big Heart.
 
With warmest regards,

Ivette

Ivette Babylon, President, LRHS Board of Directors
 


Sweet Paws Rescue Project Update
All seven of the dogs that were held under protective custody at LRHS during the Sweet Paws Inn court case have found wonderful new homes! 
LRHS Touched by Community Involvement! 
 
Although at times this work can lead us into disheartening situations, more likely than not it touches our hearts in positive ways. There are many folks who provide support when asked, which is extremely important, but its nice to also recognize those who offer assistance without being prompted such as Tractor Supply Co., Hannaford Supermarket, Winni Paw Station, the  Tuftonboro Library, Ossipee Area Farmer's Market and Prospect Mountain High School. These are just a sampling of the local organizations who voluntarily lead fundraising efforts or encourage adoptions and visibility for our shelter by inviting LRHS to represent ourselves at their businesses.
 
Not only do we observe organizations uniting for the cause but are always moved to see children doing what they can to support the pets. Some sell lemonade and donate proceeds while others request birthday party guests bring gifts for shelter pets in lieu of presents for themselves. It is encouraging to see how many people, young and old, individuals and businesses, really care about the well-being of cats and dogs in need of medical care, nourishment, homes and love.
 
LRHS is also indebted to our volunteer Board of Directors who lead us in extensive fundraising events, continuously strive to plan the future well-being of LRHS and who are willing to jump in and lend a hand wherever they are needed.  Speaking of volunteers, thanks to this year's  efforts from school and teen groups, shelter dogs may now enjoy a 1/4 mile loop trail through our woods. This trail was dubbed "Teddy's Trail" in honor of a staff member's beloved dog who passed away unexpectedly this summer.
Top photo left to right: Louise Daigle, Dog Trainer/Vet. Tech., Colleen Gibson, Kennel Tech., Megan Fichter, Managing Director, Deb Watkins, Front Desk (and creator of  the Teddy's Trail sign) pose for a photo with Sandi Boyle, LRHS Volunteer Coordinator/Animal Care Tech., who was honored to learn that the new trail loop had been dedicated to her late dog, Teddy. 
Bottom photo: trail head. 

Tabitha's Story 

Tabitha came to us in May of 2016 after her owner noticed she had become pregnant. She was placed in a foster home and less than a week later, in the midst of Memorial day weekend, Tabitha went into labor. She labored though most of the night to no avail. Early in the morning she was rushed to the Meredith Emergency Veterinary Hospital where she received the cesarean that saved her life and the lives of her  5 kittens who we named: Chardonnay, Patron, Cliquot, Sapphire and Moet.

After her ordeal, Tabitha neglected to nurse her kittens so Sandi Boyle, Volunteer Coordinator and Animal Care Technician for LRHS, stepped up to foster the 5 newborns. Sandi bottle fed each of them every two hours, 24 hours a day. Sandi did an amazing job keeping up with them and because they were handled regularly  from the day they were born, they turned out to be incredibly affectionate and highly adoptable!

LRHS is proud to share success stories like these. We want folks to understand how much time, money, effort and love goes into each pet we re-home, but we don't do this alone. This particular story had many unseen heroes such as the foster home who took in Tabitha and cared for her through her pregnancy, the veterinarian who completed the surgery, Sandi Boyle who volunteered to foster the kittens for 8 long weeks, shelter staff who cared for and marketed these kitties until they found fur-ever homes, the adopters who opened their homes and their hearts to these babies, and lastly, the donors whose  generosity made the $2,000 emergency surgery possible.

There are so many stories like Tabitha's here at LRHS each year but we have limited space in this newsletter to acquaint you with them all. We post many stories and updates to our Facebook page, so if you'd like to read more about what we are up to, our Facebook page is a great place to visit.

Images below show: Tabitha (Mom), Tabitha's newborn kittens, a kitten being bottle fed and a kitten ready for adoption after 8 weeks of care.
What's New?

Dog trainer, Louise Daigle, and Volunteer Coordinator, Sandi Boyle, collaborated to prepare a special Dog Walking Orientation Course for volunteers. Participants begin with a 2 hour orientation which includes information on reading dog body language, handling shelter dogs, equipment, communication and safety. If they haven't already, volunteers are then required to log 15 hours of cat care, 15 hours of general dog care, take 5 successful staff supervised walks and pass a brief written test. Once attendees have accomplished all of the above tasks, they are LRHS certified dog walkers and receive a special tee shirt and their very own safety whistle!  It may seem like a lot of hoops to jump through to walk a dog but since the inception of this  program LRHS has not had any dog walking incidents which is good news for us, volunteers and the pets. If you'd like to become a LRHS Certified Dog Walker simply call and ask for Louise, we hope you do!

LRHS's Maintenance Person, Gary Dean, has been with us since last fall. Since then he has taken over snow and trash removal, building and equipment repairs and landscaping tasks. He has worked to better utilize basement and barn storage and work space, helped to relocate our generator and has added cat climbers and window perches to the cat rooms, which the cats frequent regularly. These additions provide the cats with yet another form of comfort and enrichment during this stressful and transitional time. Gary also worked hard to transform one of our cat rooms into a kitten specific quarantine room with double sized kennels and storage closets, you can never have enough storage closets! Since January, we have taken in a total of 71 kittens and 54 cats. Our original cat quarantine area can only accommodate 7 cats at any given time which limits our ability to take in a large number of cats and kittens at one time. Having a separate quarantine area for kittens, who are more vulnerable to contagious diseases, allows for a medically safer environment and grants us the ability to assist a greater number of cats and kittens.

LRHS is launching a brand new website. The web address www.LRHS.net will remain the same but the updated site is more interactive and includes online forms so that volunteers, adopters and folks needing to surrender a pet can submit required paperwork instantly without having to print, hand-write and scan/email, fax, mail or drop off forms.  We hope you will take a moment to review the new site! 

 
Lakes Region Humane Society 

P(603)539-1077  

F(603)539-1012

 

www.lrhs.net  


 
PO Box 655, Ossipee, NH 03864

11 Old Rt. 28, Ossipee, NH 03864 


LRHS Is Here for YOU! 

Dog Training - Year round, group classes or private consultations ranging from $60-$150.

Nail Trims  - by appointment, $12.

Microchipping - by appointment, $30.

Low cost carriers/crates- $10 cat carriers, $25 dog crates.

Havahart Trap Rentals  - $30 refundable deposit.

Volunteer Opportunities  for animal lovers 14 year of age or older.

Military Discounts  - $20 off dog and $10 off cat adoptions for veterans.

Senior-to-Senior Discounts
If you are 65+ years of age and adopt  a cat or dog 7+  years of age, you will receive $20 off a cat adoption, or $40 off a dog adoption.

Lost & Found Pet Assistance -  Call us to report a found or missing pet.

Pet Advice -  Feeling overwhelmed with pet ownership? Call our trainer to discuss ideas on how to correct unwanted pet behaviors.

Pet Library  - "check out" our free educational library. 

LRHS Wish List   

Chopped Chicken  Canned Dog Food
Industrial String Mop Heads

Mr. Clean Magic Sponges   

Chicken Pate Canned Cat Food             

Paper Towels

Dawn Dish Soap            

Laundry Detergent                  

Toilet Paper

Dish Sponges                         

Dryer Sheets 

Scratching Posts

Instant Rice 

Pumpkin Puree 

Baby Food-Poultry Based 

Contractor Trash Bags

 



 
Marketing Opportunities 

LRHS is accepting advertisements for the 2017 Spring  Newsletter. $100 entitles you to a business card sized ad. These newsletters are printed and mailed to over 2,500  local animal lovers. 

eNewsletters are sent via Constant  Contact, shared to the Facebook page and Website, and are viewed by thousands of pet owners!

If interested in advertising or sponsoring a fundraising event, contact LRHS Director, Megan Fichter, at 603-539-1077 or mfichter@lrhs.net
LRHS Board of Directors
 
Ivette Babylon - President
Susan Raser, Co. V.P.
Joanna Fuller, Co. V. P.
Karen Coan, Treasurer
Katie Adjutant
Barbara Schmidt
Carla Copeland
Elaine Luke
Holly Williams
Joanne Walsh
Linda Pacheco
Lindy Viscio
Susan Cullison
Mary O'Brien
Nancy Auletta
 
Advisors to the Board
Carole Hunt
Jim Allan
Judy Lawless
V. Richard Ward Jr., Esq.
Pet Education Station

Low Cost Spay/N euter Program
Rozzie May is a non-profit organization that specializes in low cost spay, neuters, and vaccinations in the state of NH and in Western ME.
 
Ask Your Vet About...
F lea and tick  preventives  such as Frontline, Vectra or Revolution which are key in providing your pet extra protection against pesky, disease carrying, ticks and insects.
Reports of Lyme Disease  in people and pets has been on the rise in NH. Ask your Vet about the Lyme Disease Vaccination for your dog! Sorry owners, this vaccination is not available to humans, yet. 
Heartworm pills should be administered orally each month, all year round. These pills can be obtained from your Vet. Mosquitoes carry Heartworms, and a simple bite can transmit the Heartworms to your pet. 
General Pet Care & Cost    
 Below: Shelter cats enjoy new wall      climbers and window perches. 


Below: kittens enjoy double wide quarantine kennels while awaiting medical processing.  


Below: new kitten Quarantine Room


Sneak Peek
LRHS will soon be launching a website, here's a peek at the home page.