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Celebrating 20 years saving lives. 2000 - 2020
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Adoptions at ROAR
Out of precaution for our staff and the public, ROAR will not be placing any adoptions until further notice. We will re-evaluate the situation in two weeks and provide updates as necessary.
P
lease know that your safety and the care of our animals are of the utmost importance during this difficult time. Our staff will continue caring for the animals, answering phones and checking messages.
If you are in need of assistance with feeding your beloved dog or cat, please stop by the shelter on Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. F
ood will be in the foyer
of the shelter during those hours
If you would like to help us restock our pet food pantry, please consider placing online orders with Amazonsmile or chewy.com and have them delivered to ROAR's shelter:
ROAR Donofrio Family Animal Shelter is located at:
45 South Street in Ridgefield, CT 06877
203-438-0158
Thank You! Please stay healthy and safe!
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Update from the Canine Company
We have been reaching out to our sponsors to check on how they are doing and wanted to share the following update from
"W
hile life has slowed down for all of us, Canine Co continues its essential operations of Invisible Fence and grooming."
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Please Help ROAR
ROAR is always in need of donations and we love receiving items on our Wish List!
We are especially in need of
dog leashes and bleach right now.
If you can help, please consider purchasing these items online and shipping them to us at our shelter at:
ROAR Donofrio Animal Shelter,
45 South Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
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Do You Have a Pet Preparedness Plan?
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Five Steps You Should Take to Plan Ahead
While ROAR is caring for our resident cats and dogs at the shelter, we are thinking of you and your pets while you are staying safely at home. Some have asked us whether they should have a preparedness plan for their pets? The short answer is YES! Please read the important information below and share it with friends and family.
In the event of a crisis or disaster, we urge everyone to have a preparedness plan in place. And, help get the word out! Remind community members that having a plan for pets is critical; individuals who become sick or require hospitalization will need to have someone to take their animals. If you can, please endure the current situation from the safety of your own home.
Some steps to take include:
- Identify a family member or friend who can care for pets if someone in the household becomes too ill to care for pets.
- Have crates, food and extra supplies on hand for movement and relocation of pets if necessary.
- Keep all animal vaccines up-to-date and have copies of those records available in the event that boarding becomes necessary.
- Ensure that all medications are documented with dosages and administering directions. It's a good idea to include the prescription from your veterinarian with the medications and your pet's to-go bag.
- Pets should have proper identification: a collar with ID tag and a microchip with current, up-to-date contact information.
Together, we will get through this!
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April is National Pet
First Aid Awareness Month
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15 Items You Should Include in Your Pet's First Aid Kit
As a pet owner, it's important to make sure you have a fully stocked first aid kit in your home in the event of an emergency or accident situation with your dog or cat. If you already have a kit, now is a good time to make sure the supplies haven't expired or run out. If you don't have a kit, it's the perfect time to make one since April is National Pet First Aid Awareness Month.
- Important phone numbers (veterinarian, emergency clinic, poison control, animal control)
- A copy of your pet's medical records
- Digital fever thermometer to take your pet's temperature
- Muzzle to prevent bites (do not muzzle your dog if he/she is vomiting)
- Spare leash and collar
- Gauze roll for wrapping wounds or muzzling an injured animal
- Clean towels for cleaning or padding. These can also be used to help restrain cats if needed
- Nonstick bandages or strips of clean cloth to control bleeding or protect wounds
- Self-adhering, nonstick tape for bandages
- Adhesive tape for securing bandages
- Eye dropper or large syringe without needle to give oral treatments or flush wounds
- K-Y Jelly (or generic version) to protect wounds, eyes
- Milk of Magnesia or activated charcoal to absorb poison (use only if instructed to do so by your veterinarian or a poison control center)
- Hydrogen Peroxide (three percent) to induce vomiting (always contact your veterinarian or poison control center before inducing vomiting; do not use hydrogen peroxide on wounds)
- Saline solution for cleaning wounds (saline for contact lenses works well for most purposes)
Other items you might want to consider: tweezers; scissors with a blunt end; disposable gloves; and cotton balls and swabs.
Also, make sure you know where your pet carrier is for cats and small dogs.
For more information, visit the
AVMA
.
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Volunteer Appreciation Week - April 19-25
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Thank you to our ROAR Volunteers!
Thank you to all of our
ROAR volunteers for all that you do for our adoptable dogs and cats!!!
There are many organizations in Ridgefield and our surrounding communities that have volunteers. Please remember to help thank them!
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Pets for Vets® --
ROAR -- Ridgefield, CT Chapter
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We are thrilled to introduce Pets for Vets® - ROAR CT Chapter's latest match - John and Moose! We are so happy that Moose found his forever home with John and Nancy. Thanks to trainers Mary-Jo Duffy and Evelia Rivera along with foster parents Paul Noonan and Michael Burke and partner Jane Morrison for making this match possible! And, as always, thanks to our friends at Blue Buffalo for making Happy Tails like this one possible.
Moose is a very special little dog. Read how he is helping John:
"When our 10-year old granddaughter, Carly, started on her campaign to have me apply to Pets for Vets® for a companion dog, I just went along with her not knowing that she was serious about it. Carly knows about my PTSD and my dark moods and nightmares. She really believed that a companion dog could help me, so she filled out the application and sent it in. We then heard from Didi Tulloch, Director of Pets for Vets® - ROAR CT Chapter, who invited my wife and me to meet with her to tell us about the program and interview us. She also paid us a home visit. Fast forward a couple of months, and Didi delivered us Moose. Thank you to our trainer Mary-Jo Duffy for helping us all transition to living together and giving us great training tips to be great dog parents.
Moose has impacted my life in many ways. When Moose was with us only about two weeks, I had one of my bad Vietnam nightmares. Moose jumped up to my head and started licking my face to wake me up. I couldn't believe he could do that, but I was grateful to have him in my life.
My focus is no longer on me and my memories. I have started to enjoy going to the park with Moose to get him exercise. It's giving me something to look forward to everyday. I'm getting exercise and getting out of the house. He loves going there and we're socializing, meeting other people and other dogs. When we come home, he sits on the recliner with me and sometimes we take a nap together.
Playing with Moose is also lifting my spirits and reducing my stress. I'm always thinking of new ways to play a game with him and he seems to really look forward to playing with me.
Moose is very loving and loyal to me and my wife, Nancy, as well. The entire family loves him, especially our four granddaughters. They love to run with him in the park.
Recently, I had surgery and am now recuperating at home and getting physical therapy. Moose does not want to leave my side. When one of the therapists was checking my vital signs, she wanted to let Moose stay nearby. When she put the oxygen clip on my finger, Moose just laid over my hand. She then put the blood pressure sleeve on me and he just moved up and laid over my arm very protectively. That's when Nancy took him for a walk so the therapist could work. He never even growled at her. He was just watching out for me in his own way."
Speedy recovery to you, John!
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Fun Pet Activities for Your Kids
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Cat & Dog Quiz Contest for Kids!
Please have your kids choose one quiz each. Completed quizzes can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to our shelter at ROAR Donofrio Family Animal Shelter, 45 South Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877, ATTN: quiz.
Quizzes that are 100 percent correct will be mailed a Car Magnet. Anyone that participates will be mailed an animal temporary tattoo (shelter will choose). Have fun and good luck!
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Help Us Decorate Our Shelter
with Your Puppy Coloring Pages
Do your kids need a home school break? Maybe the adults need one too!
Download our puppy coloring pages here. After your kids are done coloring them, mail or email their pages back to us so we can decorate our shelter with their artwork.
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April 11 is Dog Therapy Appreciation Day
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ROAR's Therapy Dog Program
So far in 2020,
ROAR's Therapy Dog teams have provided over
200 hours of visits with
seniors in elder care facilities, young readers in one-on-one reading programs and children with special needs in area schools.
In March and April, we had to postpone visits that put smiles on faces, but we will be back when it is healthy/safe.
The 2020 spring session for ROAR's Therapy Dog Program will start on May 2 (tentative). All gentle and social dogs are potential candidates. If you are interested, please email Kerry Dobson at [email protected] for deta
ils.
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Activity for Kids & Adults
If you or your kids would like to send a thank you note or draw a picture for one of our ROAR Therapy Dog teams, please mail it to the shelter or you can email it to
[email protected].
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Why Do You Do What You Do?
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"I do what I do because it feeds my soul. I love how the dogs serve as connectors to others, especially those who are often feeling so vulnerable, whether it is a child, an elderly person, or someone recovering from addiction. When the people we are visiting thank us for doing what we are do, I often tell them it is not only a win-win situation, but a win-win-win situation. Our time together benefits the dogs, the person we are visiting, and me. I think it is times like these, as we deal with the effects of COVID-19 and the isolation that comes with it, that we realize just how important that connection to each other truly is."
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Molly F., Volunteer & ROAR Therapy Dog Team Member
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A huge THANK YOU to the
Ridgefield Thrift Shop
for including ROAR in their grant donation program. The generous funding that we received from RTS will help our well pet exams for the shelter animals before they are adopted to their forever homes!
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