In this issue:

• Chair's Note
• May Member Spotlight
• Gettin' Certified in Humane Feline Care
• Closing Soon: 2023 Grants & Training Awards
• People Power at 2023 One Voice Conference & Expo
• Welcome New Members
• Member Events in June

You now have a voice in Lansing.

Think about the year 1919. No television, no internet, no cell phones. World War I had just ended the year before during the height of a national pandemic. That was the same year that Michigan passed the Dog Law of 1919, the law that still governs how dogs are treated in our state.  

Here’s the Dog Law of 1919 text: AN ACT relating to dogs and the protection of livestock and poultry from damage by dogs; providing for the licensing of dogs; regulating the keeping of dogs and authorizing their destruction in certain cases; providing for the determination and payment of damages done by dogs to livestock and poultry; imposing powers and duties on certain state, county, city and township officers and employees.  

It’s difficult to believe, but 104 years later, we’re still operating under this law, the primary focus of which is the protection of livestock. And, all along, dogs and cats lacked a voice in our state capital.

Until now. 

As of May 1, Michigan Pet Alliance will work with Midwest Strategy Group, a contracted lobbying firm that will represent MPA, its members and Michigan’s pets.  

That means we’ll now have a voice for the animals in Lansing daily, representing our members throughout the state, from the UP to Grand Rapids, from Charlevoix to Detroit. This partnership allows us to reach out to MPA members to let them know a phone call to their legislator at a critical point in the process could have a real effect on policy. The voice of our members will now become a chorus that can be heard on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. 

Soon, MPA will be in Lansing providing testimony on Teddy’s Law, which refers to a brace of bills, HB 4881 and HB 4882, that would make it easier for Michigan residents to adopt animals that have been used by laboratories and are no longer needed for research.

We’ll be submitting a letter with the signature logos of 59 animal shelters and home-based rescue organizations in Michigan that support the bills, which are named for a beagle rescued from a laboratory four years ago, to the committee members considering the legislation.  

There's still time to add your organization's logo to the letter to legislators to show your support for Teddy's Law. Reply today with your logo and tell us you want to show your support, too.

You can also help by reaching out to a shelter director or friend and encouraging them to join MPA. Their membership will give them a voice in Lansing. Michigan dogs and cats are counting on it to pass laws that protect them today.

Jennifer Wright and Biscuit, who was isolated and held in a shelter for seven months as live evidence in her abuse case

When Jennifer Wright was growing up, the only pet her family had was a parakeet named Vern. 

Fast forward to 2011 when Jennifer decided she would like to add a dog to her family of two sons and a daughter.

One day, Jennifer saw a dog being mistreated by an employee of a mall store selling puppies. She complained to the manager, who offered to sell Jennifer the little chocolate dachshund for half the store’s retail price of $2,500. 

Jennifer immediately wrote a check and Tootsie Roll went home with her. 

“I didn’t know anything about puppy mills, but I’ve learned a lot since then,” Jennifer said. “So, when I decided to adopt a friend for Tootsie Roll, I started applying to rescues. 

“Rescue after rescue turned me away because I had an in-ground pool in my backyard, so I said to myself, I‘ll start my own rescue, and I did just that.

Jennifer, who is a registered nurse (RN), gathered a small group composed mostly of other RNs, and together, they founded Dachshund Haus. RNs still make up four of the nine board members today. 

Jennifer was also fortunate to have mentors from previous dachshund rescue organizations, such as Gabe’s Gang and Long Dog Retreat, and from professionals at area shelters, such as Patricia Trevino from River Rouge Animal Shelter. 

“We started with just two foster homes. Now we have 34 foster homes and 374 other volunteers who do things such as visits, fundraising, transports, processing applications and whatever else is needed,” Jennifer said. “We’re like a little corporation and we all help out wherever we are needed and whoever has time.”

One well-known volunteer for Dachshund Haus is Bryan Edes, a former Detroit policeman and now owner of Michigan Insurance and Financial Services. 

”Bryan is my insurance agent, and when he found out I run a dog rescue, he offered to help,” Jennifer said. “He told me he is a pilot with his own plane and to let him know if I needed anything.” 

About a week after their talk, Jennifer got a call from a shelter in Indiana about a little dachshund named Dobie who was wearing a red collar. That collar meant Dobie was marked for killing, because he was paralyzed. 

Bryan sprang into action, and soon little Dobie was safe with Dachshund Haus board member Debbie Bashford, living his best life. Now, Bryan regularly flies rescue missions to Ohio, Illinois and Indiana, bringing dogs back to Michigan for whatever they need to be ready for their forever home.

Pilot Bryan Edes flying a dachshund rescue mission

Jennifer Wright and Dobie

“We do go above and beyond for our dogs,” Jennifer said. “They are our main focus.”

She’s proud that Fancy, the first dog Dachshund Haus rescued, is still alive and living in her forever home with her RN mom. 

Over the years, Jennifer received many requests to rescue corgis, so two years ago, the Dachshund Haus board of directors added corgis to their mission and to their name, now Dachshund Haus and Corgi Rescue. It’s the largest dachshund and corgi rescue in Ohio and the only one in Michigan. 

Tootsie Roll just turned 12 and still lives with Jennifer. Together, they celebrated the occasion with a pup cup from Coach's Ice Cream in Sterling Heights, where her four dogs are well known.

Jennifer Wright and Tootsie Roll celebrating her 12th birthday with a pup cup.

September 11 of this year will be the rescue’s 10th anniversary. Jennifer estimates that they’ve helped more than 2,000 dachshunds and about 40 corgis. She’s proud that the rescue organization she founded is widely known as a safe place to surrender or adopt a dog.

“If they come to us, they have lost their owner for some reason. We never want to put a dog in a position where they will lose their owner again.”

Congratulations to the volunteers and staff from the following organizations for completing MPA's feline certification training bundle and for earning their certification as feline humane caregivers:

• Paws for Life Rescue
• Detroit Animal Care and Control
• Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society
• Together We Save

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about improving the quality of care for felines.

Over the course of two days, students learned all about feline body language, stress-free cat care, enrichment and stress reduction, behavior assessments, behavior modification and management, and clicker training and positive reinforcement.

"Right after the first class, our volunteers started putting what they learned into practice," said Courtney Protz-Sanders, executive director of Paws for Life Rescue. "They were trying different enrichment and stress-reduction ideas, like catnip-infused bubbles and rearranging cage setups."

The feline certification bundle is available in person or online to shelters and home-based rescues throughout Michigan. There is a companion certification bundle available for canine care.

Additional cat care training options:

• Creating and Managing a Well-rounded Cat Program
• Creating a Successful Barn Cat Program

Time is running out to apply for a 2023 cash award and/or training grant. Submit an application for any or all of this year's awards. It's a simple, short application. There is no cost to apply, but the application closes on Monday, May 22.

The 2023 Better Together Awards and Grants program recognizes those who demonstrate their ability to accomplish more and how their programs and operations are Better Together in the following categories:

• Better Together Community Outreach Award ($3,000 grant)
• Better Together Creative Programs Award ($2,000 grant)
• Better Together Fundraising Award ($2,000 grant)
• On-site Cat Training Grant ($1,000 value)
• On-site Dog Training Grant ($1,000 value)
• Scentwork in a Shelter or Foster Home ($400 value)
• Karen Brocklehurst Volunteer of the Year Award

Don't forget to register for the 2023 One Voice Michigan Pet Alliance Conference & Expo before early-bird registration closes on June 4.

Scholarships are available to MPA members. Applications are due by July 31, 2023.

Now, you can get even more out of your conference experience this September. Continuing education credits are approved for CAWA from the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) of one CEU for every hour of class attended and from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). CCPDT has approved two CEUs for trainers and 2.5 CEUs for behavior consultants.

This month, we're exploring the sessions and speakers in the People Power track, which includes five breakouts:

• Foster Care: Beyond the Basics to Reduce Length of Stay
• Great Volunteers: Getting Them, Keeping Them, Being One
• Your People Power: Building a High Performance Team
• Customer Service: Building Relationships to Support Your Mission
• Human Talent: Recruit, Hire and Retain the Best

Our field cannot assist a single pet without also helping people, but so often our skills and talents are primarily animal focused. The People Power track at this year's conference focuses on improving your organization's people skills, as well as volunteer and foster care programs.

Foster Care: Beyond the Basics to Reduce Length of Stay

Empower your people! Create or improve your foster care program to increase lifesaving and reduce length of stay. Learn how to identify animals most in need of foster care, build a database of fosters for all your animal needs, explore hospice programs, develop a foster care ambassador program and train them to become adoption counselors.

Great Volunteers: Getting Them, Keeping Them, Being One

Volunteer programs are two-way streets that consist of mutually beneficial relationships. Volunteers need to feel valued. Organizations need volunteers who support their mission. Learn to create or improve your volunteer program to more efficiently recruit, retain and recognize volunteers.

Your People Power: Building a High Performance Team

While virtually everyone pursues it, true teamwork is elusive in most organizations. To build a cohesive and high-performing team, the path begins by establishing trust. Learn how to accomplish that goal and assist your team as they begin to use conflict constructively, become committed to team goals, hold one another accountable and obtain desired results.

Customer Service: Building Relationships to Support Your Mission

Being customer focused is not just about great customer service, but offering a great experience for the people you serve through every interaction. Learn why and how to provide great customer service in order to get more animals adopted and save more lives! In this session, we will discuss how customer service makes us feel, why it can be so challenging in animal welfare, why it is important and how to do it right.

Human Talent: Recruit, Hire and Retain the Best

The key to helping animals is building a great team of people to provide great customer service, but finding and keeping excellent talent is harder than ever. Learn strategies and tactics for attracting and keeping the right people for your organization.

Joni Baker, Greater Hillsdale Humane Society

Carla Brazell, Charlevoix Area Humane Society 

Monica Cook, Charlevoix Area Humane Society

Jason Curtis, Kent County Animal Shelter

Kathleen Eichberger, Kent County Animal Shelter

Jacquie Gingras, Charlevoix Area Humane Society

Greater Hillsdale Humane Society

Chelsi Hall, Kent County Animal Shelter

Rachel Jensen, Pleasant Hearts Pet Food Pantry 

Kent County Animal Shelter

Emily Loper, Charlevoix Area Humane Society

Jazmine Matelsk, Charlevoix Area Humane Society

Jenna Meseke, Kent County Animal Shelter

Emily Messinger, Kent County Animal Shelter

Jaci Ortiz

Caren Peltier, Charlevoix Area Humane Society

Pleasant Hearts Pet Food Pantry 

Edmund Resor

Emily Reynolds, Charlevoix Area Humane Society

Michael Ryan, Charlevoix Area Humane Society

Sanilac County Humane Society

Carol Schmidt, Sanilac County Humane Society

Karen Schrauben

Megan Stowe, Charlevoix Area Humane Society

Stacy Williams, Greater Hillsdale Humane Society

Andrea Van Dyke

Michigan Pet Alliance is looking for volunteers. Check out a few of the opportunities currently available:

Tabling Events - coordinate opportunities for MPA to have a booth or table at events around Michigan

Marketing - lend your marketing skills and talents to help MPA grow

Online Research - find upcoming events for member organizations and record the event name, date, location and website address

Please remember to update your contact information in your online MPA account to keep receiving all membership benefits and our latest news. 

Add info@michiganpet.org and membership@michiganpet.org to your contact list or address book so our communications land in your inbox, not in your junk/spam folder.

MPA Vision:

To achieve the best quality of life for Michigan’s companion animals. 

MPA Mission:

To work in collaboration and speak with a single voice to eliminate abuse and neglect of Michigan’s companion animals and to save all healthy and treatable homeless companion animals through training, technical assistance, education, and advocacy.

313-731-2244

info@michiganpet.org

 michiganpet.org 

Michigan Pet Alliance is a 501(c)3 charitable organization as defined by the IRS

(EIN 20-0399162) and is a GuideStar Exchange Platinum Participant.