Shelter Partners devotes one month a year to encourage the adoption of senior pets. In truth, ADOPT A SENIOR PET is a promotion worthy of all twelve. At our shelter, both dogs and cats qualify as "senior" from age 5 and up. For senior humans (65 and up) who want to adopt one senior pet, we offer a special "Seniors for Seniors" half price adoption fee all year around. As always, the
Grey Muzzle Organization is dedicated to ensuring that senior dogs find loving homes all over the country. So, if you are still on the fence about whether to commit to a senior dog adoption, have a look at the many stories in their
Resources section, where you will find an abundance of how-to information and testimonials that can help you successfully ADOPT A SENIOR PET.
|
|
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
ADOPT 'THE ONE'
MARCH
SPAY and NEUTER AWARENESS
TCWC WILDLIFE WORKSHOP
Friday the 24th
at the Feed Barn
APRIL
TRAP/NEUTER/RELEASE
BIRD REHABILITATION
Saturday the 1st
at the Paws Center
BIRD REHABILITATION
Saturday the 8th
at the Paws Center
MAY
Find your MISSING PET
WHISKERS & WINE
Friday the 19th at
Jackson Rancheria
JUNE
FELINE FRENZY
CORKS for CRITTERS
Thursday the 22nd at Volcano Union Pub
JULY
ADOPT a SENIOR PET
AUGUST
$9 for 9 LIVES for 9 DAYS
SEPTEMBER
ADOPT your MVP
PAWS & CLAWS (TCWC)
at American Legion Hall
BARK
in the PARK
Saturday the 30th at Detert Park, Jackson
OCTOBER
ORANGE & BLACK
All Treats, no Tricks
NOVEMBER
GIVING THANKS
Animals and their people
DECEMBER
Bring JOY to your WORLD
SANTA PAWS
Saturday the 2nd
at the Feed Barn
|
|
 |
|
|
TOP TEN REASONS to ADOPT a SENIOR PET
|
|
HEROES: Seeing them through
|
|
|
Both the Great Pyrenees and the Anatolian Shepherd are celebrated livestock 'guardian' dogs. Both breeds are described by the American Kennel Club as loyal, steadfast, powerful and intelligent. Both breeds (and the mixtures thereof) are prized in our agricultural county as first-class ranch dogs. So how does a magnificent Pyrenees/Anatolian mix, valuable enough to have been microchipped, end up struggling along a rural county road in winter, underweight,
matted and abandoned?
The question is difficult to answer, but, even throwing out the unkindest scenarios in favor of more compassionate ones, the conclusions are nonetheless heartbreaking. Once he was brought to the shelter, this dog's condition revealed a sad but all-too-often recurring explanation; he was old, arthritic, and incontinent-no longer useful as a working dog. His owner(s), whom he had served all his life, could not face the final, painful step of seeing him through to the end. This happens once or twice a year at ACAC & AC, and is one of the few truly sad events that still occur in many animal shelters, despite the efforts of modern facilities like ours to dispel the long-held public misconception of the 'pound' as a miserable death row for animals, full of tragic outcomes. This outcome was not tragic simply because a noble canine life had reached its end; it was tragic because his people were not there for him when it did.
Those who met him here were first struck by his commanding stature. In his prime, he would have tipped the scales at 100+. A look into those intelligent brown eyes was a direct view into the heart of a stalwart and noble being. He was chipped, but the registered information on the chip led to nothing. No one returned the shelter's calls. No one was looking for him.
A decision process began. Perhaps a breed-specific rescue could afford the expensive medication needed to control his incontinence, but on top of this were other issues. His back legs were weak, and it was clearly painful for him to get to his feet. Faithfully, he always did, whenever anyone stood in front of his kennel. His specific age was unknown but it was clear he was quite old. He was having trouble breathing. It took several days to come to the decision that he would not be a candidate for rescue. Volunteers and staff were as kind to him as they could be; one of the volunteers coming in almost every day just to brush him and share some time in the winter sun. He said later this dog reminded him of his beloved Airedale who, when the moment came to say goodbye, had looked into his eyes as if to say "It's OK. You can let me go"
.
Our hero came to the end of his long and loyal life among strangers.
Whatever the reason your pet or working animal might suffer this heart-wrenching end, we urge you not to leave it to others, or to fate. Find the 'stuff' it takes to make that difficult decision in your animal's best interest, and be on hand for the process. Yes, it will create a painful memory, but that pain will always go hand-in-hand with the affirming knowledge that you did the right thing. You will, in fact, be a better person.
|
|
|
Your pet's health: PET OBESITY
|
|
In recent months, an unusual number of animals showing up at ACAC & AC have been seriously obese. Pet obesity has become a critical problem in the United States.
According to the
Association for Pet Obesity Prevention
(APOP), 59% of cats and 54% of dogs in the US are either overweight or obese.This preventable condition in your beloved pets can increase their risk of osteoarthritis, insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and respiratory disease, kidney disease, and several types of cancer. As if that wasn't enough motivation to keep your pet at a healthy weight, overweight and obese pets have a decreased life expectancy of up to 2.5 years. How can you tell if your pet is at a healthy weight? View a PDF with weight guidelines and diagnostics from APOP here.
If your dog or cat is overweight, it is recommended to cut their food intake by 25 percent and increase their exercise level gradually day by day. Watch the number of treats you give your pet each day - these can be very high in calories. For cats, do not "free feed", but give meals at specific times of the day. To increase your dog's exercise, slowly build up to a 30-minute walk, twice a day. It's harder to force cats to exercise, so you need to play with them more, using cat toys or try a laser pointer. Optimally, your cat should be moving for at least 20 minutes a day. Remember that cats are most active when the sun is rising and setting, so playing with them during these hours will enhance greater weight loss.
APOP's website has weight loss tools for your cat or dog. Also at APOP, an informative caloric count in popular treats for your pets. Your vet will also have good tips and can recommend a tailor-made weight loss regimen for your pet. Your "coffee table" dog or "couch cushion" cat will be on their way to a better life as a healthy pet.
|
|
|
|
Spotlight on Staff: KELLY REASON
|
|
|
"It is a shelter, not the pound." That statement sums up why Kelly Reason is the Director of the Amador County Animal Control & Adoption Center.
Raised in Coos Bay, Oregon, Kelly moved to Tucson, Arizona at age 18. She was the Security Coordinator at an in-patient mental health hospital there for 17 years before moving to El Dorado Hills in 2001. Kelly started at the shelter in 2005 and became Director in 2013.
Seeing animals find new homes is one of the reasons she loves being at the shelter. Another is the staff. "We have a wonderful team here," Kelly says. "Everyone is focused on the care of the animals. They all do a great job."
Luckily for those animals
, The Rusty Fund
is also a program that Kelly wholeheartedly supports.
Dealing with people who don't take care of their animals is the downside of her job. She believes education is the key to changing pet owner's minds. Educating the public has helped increase the number of animals getting spayed and neutered, although there is still a ways to go before we see the results we want: a significant reduction of unwanted animals coming in to shelters. It is a slow process. Good thing Kelly understands the importance of a sense of humor in this often frustrating job.
Kelly has two grandchildren. Her household includes 4 dogs and one cat. As for future travel plans, Kelly would love to go to Ireland.
Running a shelter is not an easy job. We are fortunate to have Kelly at the helm.
|
|
|
WHISKERS and WINE: A Wild Success
|
With a safari theme and prizes for costumes and wildlife calls, a great time was had by all who came to celebrate the many accomplishments made by A-PAL, the animal shelter, volunteers and donors in 2016. We learned that the shelter has had a 42% decrease in cat intake and a 27% decrease in dog intake over the last 9 years. The current save rate for animals entering our shelter is also an impressive 91%.
Partnerships save lives and this fun dinner raised more than $10,000 for life saving
A-PAL p
rograms. We were thrilled to have Chaim Gur-Arieh introduce his MIXED BREED wine to benefit the animals. This delicious wine is for sale at the Kitchen Store in Jackson and at Pokerville Market in Plymouth. A portion of the proceeds from every bottle sold will be donated to A-PAL Humane Society.
Mark your calendars for May 18,2018 - the next WHISKERS & WINE event.
|
IF 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.
|
KEEP 'EM COOL this summer!
|
|
|
|
RED ALERT! Thinking of becoming a VOLUNTEER?
|
The need for volunteers
at Amador County Animal Control & Adoption Center has reached a critical level. I
f you think you'd like to join our ranks, please, drop by to the shelter at 12340 Airport Road in Martell and request a volunteer application. We desperately need dog walkers, but anything you are able to do will help immensely. You can review
the
APPLICATION for VOLUNTEER WORKER
here, but you will need to fill out an original pink copy, available from the shelter.
|
PHASE 2 of the original building plan for ACAC & AC's new facility called for a barn. That project has stayed on the shelf since the shelter was completed (in 2005), until a recent endowment from the estate of a local and generous animal benefactor got things moving again. Look for an article
in an upcoming Newsletter
on the past, present, and future of this project, plus details on how you can help get our barn built.
|
UPDATE:
The firm that will design the barn has been chosen and will be onsite before the end of the month to take measurements for the customized design.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
