Greetings!
I am honored and excited to have been named the 12th President and General Agent of your Rhode Island SPCA and I look forward to leading the Society into its 151st year and beyond. One of my primary goals is to hold a belated celebration to recognize the Society’s 150th anniversary, which would have been celebrated last year except for COVID-19. The work of the Society over the past 150 years deserves to be honored and celebrated and I am looking forward to once again being in a position to hold events and celebrate.
I am deeply aware of the impact that the loss of Dr. Ernest Finnocchio, our President and General Agent Emeritus has had on this Society and on the animal welfare community in Rhode Island. I will do my utmost to honor his memory by continuing the essential work of the Marvin Fund, by expanding the services available to low and moderate income pet owners and by being accessible to you, our supporters and friends and to those in need of our services.
Dr. Finnocchio, had two gentle and obedient canine companions, Marvin and Molly, that were adopted from the RISPCA and often spent time with him here at the Society’s offices. My family also has a rescue dog that was adopted here. We adopted Lily, when she was about 4 months old and she is now 2 years old. Lily is friendly and fun loving with plenty of energy and some lingering puppy tendencies. I suspect that Marvin and Molly would judge her behavior to be less than ideal, but with love, patience and good training, all of which we have in abundance at the RISPCA, I hope (and expect) that Lily will be able follow in Marvin and Molly’s paw prints and become an effective pet ambassador for the Society.
Starting next month, Lily will have her own column in this newsletter named “Lily’s Pad” in which she will highlight staff and will have an opportunity to report on the status of her ongoing training and to share training tips and suggestions.
Thanks for all you do for the RISPCA. I am looking forward to 2021 and hope to get to know many of you.
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Wayne M. Kezirian, Esq.
President and General Agent
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During this very brisk winter, Raymour & Flanigan is warming up the season with the Snow Paws Donation Drive from 2/15 - 3/15 for the Rhode Island SPCA. There is a chance to win Raymour & Flanigan gift cards, and other wonderful prizes with each wish list item, or monetary donation made! You can swing by one or more of their 7 participating locations in North Attleboro, the North Attleboro Outlet, Millbury, Seekonk, Warwick, the Warwick Outlet, and Waterford to show your support. Have fun, support all the animals, and cozy-up inside with our friends at Raymour & Flanigan during this Snow Paws donation extravaganza!
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Grapes & Grains has a strong connection to our community and loves to give back. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, they could not host the popular “Taste For Tails” event that has benefitted the RISPCA for many years. They hope the event will be back next year but in the meantime they still continue to find ways to help. We’re happy to share that we are the chosen organization for their “Give Back” Wine Program! During February, when you purchase a bottle of Culpeo Organic Malbec Curico Valley, 10% of every sale will be donated to the RISPCA!
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Pawsitive Fashion from Choodly |
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Looking to make a difference, and shop online for some dog lover couture? Meet Choodly, where you can exceed both of these needs. At checkout, use the promo code “RISPCA”. With every transaction that uses this code, a portion of proceeds is donated to the RISPCA. Before you know it, your chic “send dog pics” sweatshirt will be on it’s way to steal the scene.
Make a statement and a difference today while using the promo code “RISPCA” at your check out while shopping on Choodly!
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February is All About LOVE |
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During February, it’s all LOVE at the Rhode Island SPCA! All month, we’ll share our love of our animals, love of our mission, love of our staff, and the love of adoption. Staff (who we love so much) Animal Sweetheart Picks, Meet our Staff Interviews, lots of Happy Tails, and our Paw In Love Adoption event 2/10 - 2/14 where adopters get the chance to spin our wheel of love and win prizes including Rumford Pet Express gift cards and the chance at a free adoption!
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Join us as the RISPCA's Colin H. from our Development Department brings you on a virtual tour of our shelter! |
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Thank You Johnston PetSmart |
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Our friends at the local PetSmart stores have been a source of support for many reasons over the years.
From sponsoring our events, to donating much-needed supplies, they never disappoint! In-kind donations such as these allow us to put our donor dollars towards animal care and our critical programs and services.
Today, we thank the people at the PetSmart Johnston location for their generosity by surprising us with a truck-load of goodies for our animals over the holidays!
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#1 Timothy Hay
#2 Rice Filled Heating Pads
#3 XXL Kongs
#4 Lint Rollers
#5 Cat Litter (non-clumping)
Since our shelter is temporarily closed for visitors, please order these items through our online Amazon Wish List or our Chewy Wish List! Our staff, volunteers and animals thank you!
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Thank You Lawrence Airsystems |
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Cathy, our Cat Program Manager, loves to adopt out cats as pairs...especially if they're young under-socialized kittens like Howard. As a shy singleton, he was tended to bite because he didn't have litter mates to learn proper play. He was paired and adopted with another, and as you can see they are doing very well together. Sometimes #twoisbetterthanone!
From their new family: "When he first arrived, he preferred to spend his time alone, he was under-socialized. He scattered at noises, didn’t like being pet, and was all around very nervous. This is him today, a little over a year after I got him, a completely different, confident and cuddly cat. I knew he had it in him, and to watch him become himself has been so incredible. And if you remember you placed two kittens together: you absolutely made the right choice placing them with one another. They are inseparable. ~ Thank you so much."
FIFTY-TWO animals adopted in January! A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who chose to adopt at the Rhode Island SPCA this month. Have a Happy Tail you'd like to share? Send your happy tails & pics to Happy Tails.
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Starting Next Month! Stay tuned for "Lily's Pad! A monthly column featuring the President and General Agent's shelter dog, Lilly! Follow her training tales as she gives you a sneak peak at RISPCA happenings!
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Update Next Month! You may have seen this facebook post about a dog that was surrendered to the RISPCA by his owner. Misinformation fueled this post to go viral. We will have an update for you next month!
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We Are the Rhode Island SPCA ~ There are many organizations throughout the country and the world that have “SPCA” and/or “Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals” as part of their name. We often hear from intended local donors who believed that they had made a donation to the Rhode Island SPCA but had mistakenly directed their donations to an unrelated organization. The Rhode Island SPCA is an independent organization and we are not affiliated with any other SPCA. If you find our work to be worthwhile and plan to support our efforts, please be sure that you direct your contribution to the Rhode Island SPCA. ~ Thank you for your support
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Celebrating over 150 years of
"speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves"
est. 1870
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Founded in 1870, the Rhode Island SPCA is the oldest humane organization in the state of Rhode Island and the third oldest in the United States. 2020 marked our 150th anniversary of providing critical programs and services for the animals and people in our community. As a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, we rely on donations from individuals, businesses and foundations and we are not affiliated with any national humane organization.
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Rhode Island SPCA | 86 Amaral Street Riverside, RI 02915
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