June, 2014 
Lakes Region Humane Society Newsletter

website dog
Dear Friend of LRHS,
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!
Upcoming Events:

 

Tuesday, June 17th- Classic Car Cruise Nights at Clark Plaza in Wolfeboro--these car shows will be held every Tuesday evening from 6 pm-8 pm all summer long (weather permitting). A representative from LRHS will be selling 50/50 raffle tickets at these shows with 50% of the proceeds to go to the pets at LRHS. We hope you will come on down and pay us a visit. 

 

Tuesday, August 5th- Volunteer Appreciation Dinner will be held at LRHS from 5-6:30 pm. LRHS Volunteers are encouraged to attend so that we can show our thanks for your time and talents. 

 

Friday, September 19th- "Play Fore the Pets" Golf Tournament at the Kingswood Golf Club in Wolfeboro, NH. This event is coordinated by Board Adviser, Jim Allan, and is open to everyone. It features a continental breakfast, lunch, 18 holes of golf with a cart, and amazing prizes! We hope you can join us. 

 

Friday, September, 19th- "Helicopter Golf Ball Drop", this unique addition the the Golf Tournament is orchestrated by Board Adviser, Jane Milligan. Tickets are sold in advance and on the day of the drop. If your ball is dropped from the helicopter and lands in or closest to the hole, you win $1,000! You do not have to be present to win. 

 

October, Date TBD-LRHS Barn Bash 2014. This event is held in an old dairy barn on Woleboro's Cotton Mountain and includes: a silent auction, live music and a hearty New England dinner-BYOB.  

 

How Technology Benefits LRHS

LRHS has an active Facebook page with over 2,695 "likes". This page helps us promote education for pet owners, fundraising campaigns, upcoming events, adoptions, and lost and found updates-free of cost!

 

By sending "email blasts" instead of printing and mailing invitations, newsletters, and fundraising challenges, LRHS could save thousands in marketing costs each year while cutting down on paper waste.

President's Letter

 

Dear Friends of the Lakes Region Humane Society,

 

We ended 2013 very successfully here at LRHS. We challenged our donors to match some of our fundraising efforts to help us pay down our mortgage, and we had some much needed extra help from our long-time supporters, Dr. Peter Gray and the late Mrs. Ellen Gray. They helped us pay off a large portion of our mortgage, and we feel confident we will be able to pay it down   completely over the next two years. This will give our non-profit organization a great feeling of financial security.

 

Aside from a successful financial year, we also had a great year for adoptions of many sweet and deserving dogs and cats. We have had several transports from South Carolina and have brought up many beautiful animals that had been abandoned and left with no future. To see them go to homes with loving, happy families has been my favorite observation in my role as LRHS President. I love stopping by the shelter at adoption time and seeing the love and happiness in the faces of both the new family members and the hopeful dog or cat. The purpose of our work here at LRHS doesn't get any better than that.

 

As we move forward into 2014 with our exciting plans for new and classic fundraisers, we hope to see our loyal donors and participants at our events, as well as many new friends who have joined us in support of our work here.  We hope to make 2014 a year of many events for all types of supporters and to continue to make everyone aware of how important our work is for the animals in need that enter our shelter.

 

We were all saddened by the loss of one of our long time dedicated volunteers, Peg Kayser. She was a kind and selfless person, who helped our organization grow into what it is today. Her efforts will always be appreciated and remembered.

 

We continue to maintain our mission of caring for abused and abandoned animals by providing the best care possible given by our dedicated staff and volunteers. Without them we could not do what we do, and we want to thank them, as well as our donors and participants at our fundraising events, for making this all happen.

 

Thank you so much for all you do for the animals that pass through the doors of our shelter. We truly appreciate your support. Without it we would not be able to be here to help all those animals who need us.

 

Regards,

 

The Animals at "The Little Shelter with the Big Heart" and Mardy Fulgham, President, LRHS Board of Directors

 

Below: Mardy Fulgham with her dog, Gus.


 

Beware of Porcupines!

From spring through fall, especially at night, porcupines come out to eat and mate. It is important to keep your dog on leash, not only because it's a law in NH, but because if you don't, this could be your dog. Most dogs who encounter a porcupine become repeat offenders, this is painful for the animal and time consuming and expensive for you. 

 

It is important to take your dog to a Veterinarian as soon as possible after he/she has been quilled. Quills will continue to burrow into the body if left untreated, and if they hit an artery or organ they can cause serious damage to your pet. 

 

Click here to learn more about porcupines.

Director's Update, Megan Fichter

 

Has it really been a year since I began at LRHS? Last May when I was first introduced to the position of LRHS Director, there was so much to do I could barely catch my breath! Through NH Humane Society Federation meetings, chats with other Humane Society Directors, free Animal Welfare webinars, Humane Society of the United States training classes, NH Dept. of Labor trainings, and ASPCA grants and resources, we have learned so many new things! 

 

LRHS now has a new 2014 handbook with fresh policies and procedures, a recognizable and conformed branding, new website, over 1,000 new "likes" on Facebook, new "Dog Behavior Rehabilitation Program", and more.

      

LRHS has 2 ambitious fundraising goals for 2014. The first being to completely pay off our mortgage; we bit off a large chunk of it last year, but we still have $40,000 to pay off.  

The second fundraising goal we have, is to raise funding to continue the new "Dog Behavior Rehabilitation Program". Issues such as fear, cage aggression, anxiety, general loud and unruly behaviors, all contribute to a longer length of stay in a stressful kennel environment, which can cause the animal to become a danger to itself or others. 

While we provide our furry residents with quality food, water, shelter, love, medical treatments, and exercise, we have not been meeting their training or rehabilitation needs which is why LRHS has employed a professional dog trainer to spend 20-30 hours a week working with our special cases, as well as the rest of the dog population. She will focus on basic K-9 manners, exercise and mental enrichment. The purpose of this program is to:

A) Shorten the average length of stay for shelter dogs and find them homes faster.

B) Adopt out well-mannered dogs in order to generate even better word-of-mouth about LRHS thus promoting more adoptions and reducing returns.

C) Provide adopters, community members, and potential pet surrenders with professional dog training classes and behavior education.

LRHS has recently begun a "Doggie Field Trip" program. We invited community athletes and outdoor adventurers to pop by and take a shelter dog with them on a walk, run or hike. Our hope is that this will curb anxiety, reduce energy and boredom issues in our dogs while growing stronger community bonds and animal advocates. 

 

Please consider donating to the Dog Behavior Rehabilitation Program so we can continue to offer the most quality of care and programming to our shelter pets.  

I can't thank you enough for the selfless, generosity you all have shown to help us continue the good work here at LRHS!

LRHS thanks the ASPCA 
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals awarded LRHS the Julie Morris Scholarship Grant in order to send Megan Fichter to the 2014 Humane Society of the United States Animal EXPO in Daytona Beach, FL this past May. This event was full of educational seminars geared toward animal welfare, rescues and humane societies and was attended by representatives from animal welfare organizations, not only from around the country, but from around the world as well. 
 
 
Contact Us: 
 
Lakes Region Humane Society  P(603)539-1077  

F(603)539-1012

 

PO Box 655, Ossipee, NH 03864

11 Old Rt. 28, Ossipee, NH 03864 

www.lrhs.net

mfichter@lrhs.net

Contents 
  • Upcoming Events
  • Technology and LRHS
  • President's Letter
  • Cooper's Story 
  • Bandi's Story
  • Porcupines--Ouch!
  • Pet Education Station
  • Director's Update

Cooper's Story 

Cooper came to LRHS as a young puppy  from a Shelter in Tennessee along with his siblings. His brothers and sisters quickly found homes while young Cooper remained. One of the people who adopted his brother came back and adopted Cooper;  a short time later she returned Cooper  because she felt two dogs was one too many for her to handle.

 

Cooper was adopted a second time and was again returned when the couple broke up. When he returned he had developed a strong fear of men. Cooper's new-found fear made him jumpy, and being back in a kennel environment fed his already high anxieties. He began lunging at the bars of his kennel  and barking at potential adopters when they came by, a behavior we call "Cage Aggression".

 

It was soon discovered that, on top of everything else, Cooper had heart worms. He was given an aggressive medical treatment to kill the worms which made him feel very sick. He was put on "doggie bed rest" for 4 weeks. When he was retested, he was still positive for heart worms.

 

If Cooper stayed at LRHS his behavior was  going to continue to go downhill. We posted a plea on Facebook asking for a Foster Parent to take Cooper home and work on his fear of men and his general anxiety. Matt and Jamie Ham, along with their dog "Kissimmee" came forward and took Cooper into their home  from October to November. They gave him exercise , training, and love, but a foster home is not a forever home. Just before Thanksgiving Cooper's time with the  helpful couple was up and he came back, yet again, to LRHS.

 

LRHS  posted another Foster ask on Facebook. This time we were answered by Jared Welman, formerly a dog trainer and currently a Wakefield Police Officer. Jared stepped up and took Cooper into his  pack which already consisted of 3 Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. This was a perfect situation for Cooper to be in. For one thing, Cooper is a dog's dog, he loves playing and observing other dogs. Since Cooper wants to please people but doesn't seem to know how, he has learned to take his cues from the pack and has worked through many of his prior issues under Jared's care, although he may always be a little jumpy.

 

Just after Christmas two wonderful miracles occurred: Jared decided to officially make Cooper a permanent member of his pack, and Cooper tested negative for heart worms !

 

Cooper spent a tough first year of life traveling from TN to LRHS, battling heart worms and bouncing between the kennel and homes.  We all really miss his gentle and playful antics  but Jared is kind enough to bring him by to say hello every now and then. Cooper looks great! He loves his new home and he's at ease with his new brothers and sister. He gets tons of exercise and is, needless to say, well cared for.

 

Since adopting Cooper, Jared has gone on to join the LRHS Board of Directors!

 

LRHS would like to extend our sincere thanks to Jared, the Hams, the Kindness Animal Hospital, and 
those of you who donate to the Saving Grace Fund for helping Cooper find happiness. 
 

 

Above: Colleen Gibson, LRHS Kennel Tech. posing with Cooper and Cooper's new dad, Jared Welman.

Bandi's Story
LRHS recently learned that although it's legal to place an FIV positive cat in a home in our neighboring states of ME and MA, it is not legal in NH. We would like to extend our deepest thanks to the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland for being kind enough to take our FIV positive girl, Bandi, into their facility in order to find her a home.
 

LRHS tried for over a year and 7 months to find Bandi a home without any luck. Just 3 days after she was relocated to the ARLGP, Bandi found her forever home!

 

Below: Beloved "Bandi"

Pet Education Station
Low Cost Spay/Neuter 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...                Flea 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 rising in NH. Ask your Vet about the Lyme Disease Vaccination for your dog-today! 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. Mosquitos carry Heartworms, and a simple bite can transmit the Heartworms to your pet. 

 General Pet Care & Cost

ASPCA Dog Care Guidelines

ASPCA Cat Care Guidelines


Above: Megan Fichter, LRHS Director with shelter dog, Sprocket.   

Help Burn the Mortgage!
 
With the help of generous donors, LRHS has made great strides in paying down our mortgage debt from $240,000 in 2008 to our current balance of $46,000. 
 
Our goal is to completely pay down the mortgage by 2015. This will allow LRHS to spend those extra dollars on pet care and programming rather than interest.