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Are You Ready?
The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins on June 1. Since June is also National Pet Preparedness Month, it's the perfect time to plan and pack for an emergency for your family and pets. After all, during the past few years, we've experienced devastating hurricanes and tornadoes, historic floods, uncontrollable wildfires, and fierce blizzards from coast to coast, leaving millions of people and animals without even the basic necessities.
According to The Atlantic*, more than 600,000 animals were killed or stranded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina alone, and that was over a decade ago. Last year's Hurricanes Harvey and Irma produced more than a million animals stranded and in need of help.
In an emergency, your pets will be dependent on you for their safety and well-being.
Ideally, your first aid and emergency kit for your pet(s) should include enough supplies to last five days per pet in case you have to relocate to a shelter or another location.
Supplies that are highly recommended to keep stocked
in your kit can include, but are not limited to:
- Pet medical thermometer
- Assorted bandages, gauze rolls and pads
- Tweezers
- Antiseptic
- Garbage & stool bags
- Disinfectants
- Pet Carrier
- Muzzle (even if you think your pet doesn't need one)
- Towels and blankets
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- Pet food
- Bottled water
- Collapsible pet bowls
- Leash/harness (even for cats!)
- Medications
- Medical, microchip, and adoption records in a Ziploc
- Numbers for local shelters, vets
- Current photo of your pet
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It's important to store your food and pet first aid kit in an airtight, waterproof container in a safe place
. Remember to write the expiration dates clearly and check back every few months to update or swap out your stock. If you have a tornado shelter or basement, keep your bin there. If you live in a flood-prone area, store it in a high place.
You may want to pack a few toys and treats to distract your pet too since natural disasters are stressful for animals and humans alike.
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Enter to Win a
ROAR Pet
Emergency Kit
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ROAR is giving away a Pet Emergency Kit that is full of first-aid items and other goodies to keep your pet safe and happy
in the event of an
emergency or disaster.
To enter to win,
send your name,
e-mail address and
phone
number to ROAR
at
ROAR will select and notify the winner on Friday, June 28. The winner will have 30 days to pick up his/her Pet Emergency Kit at the ROAR Donofrio Family Shelter located at 45 South Street, Ridgefield, CT.
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Sookie is such a sweet and loving cat! Although we do not know her story, it's very clear that she lived in a home at some point in her life.
This beautiful girl is two-years old and will make a wonderful pet to the lucky family who adopts her.
Sookie is spayed, micro-chipped and up-to-date on her vaccinations.
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DOUG
Doug is still available and is eagerly waiting to find his forever home! He is a very sweet and loving boy who is an all-around amazing dog. A two-year old, Black Lab mix, Doug LOVES people and other dogs.
When Doug came to ROAR, we noticed that he was limping. After further examination, we discovered that this poor boy needed ACL surgery on both of his hind legs. Doug already had one ACL repaired with great results. His second ACL will be repaired shortly.
Our friends at Wags and Menace Make a Difference Program Foundation made a generous donation that helped make all of this happen for Doug. We are so thankful and grateful!
Doug is up-to-date on vaccinations, is micro-chipped and is neutered.
Thank you for supporting our mission and helping to make a difference in the lives of so many less
fortunate
cats and dogs like Sookie and Doug.
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Steph with Trooper
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Steph Pagano started working as a volunteer at ROAR in 2005 to help walk dogs when the ROAR Donofrio Family Animal Shelter opened its doors. In October 2005, she joined ROAR's staff as its Office Manager.
In her current role as Associate Shelter Director, Business Affairs, Steph oversees operations, handles all donations, and manages ROAR's Pet Food Pantry, monthly donations to the Connecticut Mobile Food Bank and ROAR's Jessa Fund. She also runs the front desk with ROAR's official greeter, Willa the cat. In addition, she handles surrender calls, coordinates veterinary appointments for ROAR's dogs and cats, and works closely with ROAR's Executive Director and Board.
Q: You've been with ROAR since the shelter opened, first as a volunteer and then as a staff member for almost 14 years. What made you first want to join ROAR?
A: "I was looking for a volunteer opportunity to help support the local community, and heard about ROAR and its plans to open the Donofrio Family Animal Shelter. I've been a rescue dog owner for many years, and it seemed like a great way for me to support animal welfare and the local community. After volunteering for about six months, I had an opportunity to join ROAR as its Office Manager. The rest is history."
Q: Do you have pets at home?
A: "I have a 10-year old rescue dog named Trooper who came from ROAR. He is a huge part of my family and we adopted him when he was almost two-years old. Trooper is our second dog we've adopted from ROAR, and our third overall rescue dog."
Q: When did ROAR start its Pet Food Pantry and how does it work?
A: "ROAR started its Pet Food Pantry about 10 years ago to help pet owners who had fallen on hard times by providing them with donated dog and cat food so they could keep their pets.
ROAR is very fortunate to have the generosity of The Blue Buffalo Company to feed our resident cats and dogs with high quality food and treats. When we receive donations of unopened bags and cans of pet foods from individuals, we can make those available to the Pet Food Pantry. Our goal is to help make it possible for all pet owners to feed and care for their dogs and cats when they fall on hard times so they can keep them.
Our Pet Food Pantry is open to all pet owners. Anyone who needs support can stop by any time during open hours to pick up donated food. We have an open-door policy. There are no questions asked."
Q: How does ROAR work with the Connecticut Mobile Food Bank?
A: "On the second Friday of every month, ROAR joins the Connecticut Mobile Food Bank in the parking lot at St. Andrews Lutheran Church, located at 6 Ivy Hill Road in Ridgefield, CT. One of our ROAR volunteers, CJ, along with her two daughters, load and transport donated pet food from ROAR's Pet Pantry to St. Andrews. They set up a table next to the Connecticut Mobile Food Bank truck with donated dog and cat food, and hand it out to pet owners."
Q: What is the Jessa Fund and how does it work?
A: "As part of our Community Outreach, ROAR established the Jessa Fund to help pet owners who are experiencing financial hardships and need assistance with veterinary services, such as vaccinations, spay/neuters, medications, etc. Anyone who is in need of this support can contact
me
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Steph with Willa (her assistant) at the front desk
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at 203-438-0158 to further discuss the situation."
Q: How can individuals make donations to ROAR's Pet Food Pantry and the Jessa Fund?
A: "Individuals can drop off dog and cat food at our shelter right inside our front doors anytime we are open or can leave it outside our doors if we are closed. Our shelter is located at 45 South Street, Ridgefield, CT. We accept opened and unopened bags of dry dog and cat food. Canned dog and cat food must not exceed its expiration date. Please note that any opened and/or expired bags of food are donated to Wildlife in Crisis."
Individuals can make donations to the Jessa Fund by visiting the
donate
section of our website at www.roar-ridgefield.org, and selecting "Jessa Fund" when they fill out the donation form."
For additional information about ROAR's Pet Food Pantry or the Jessa Fund, please contact Steph at [email protected].
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Why Do You Do What You Do for ROAR?
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"One of my favorite things about volunteering at ROAR is participating in the exact moment when an animal makes that indescribable connection with their new family. It's exciting. It's special. It makes the day and it stays with you."
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-
Andrea,
Board Member and Volunteer
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S!
May
We are so happy to have received some responses from our cat adopters. Thank you for sharing your cat tales with us! This one goes back 10 years! As we cat people know, cats can be finicky pets sometimes. Some don't adapt well to change and can be thrown off by a relocation. Not these two! They seem to go with the flow as long as they are with their loving family. Read more about their journey below. Many thanks to the 'B Family' for making Ocean & Mr. Chips a part of their family, and thanks to our friends at Blue Buffalo, Cornell University Veterinary Specialists, Canine Company, Adam Broderick Salon & Spa, and Fairfield County Bank for making happy tails like this one possible.
"Good Morning! I have meant to write forever, and saw your post on Facebook, so here's our little story... THANK YOU!! We were lucky enough to adopt these two in August 2008. We were moving back to the US and my eldest (nearly seven at the time) was none too happy about it. And in a delightful example of excellent parenting, the bargaining chip became...adopting a cat, in fact two, preferably, and I came to you and met Ocean and Mr. Chips. It was love at first sight, well at least for me, but they've never told me otherwise.
Having never had a cat, I had no idea what to expect, but they were and still are, perfect. They bonded quickly with our dogs, who have since passed away, and very quickly became part of our family. They moved to Florida and back to Connecticut with us, taking every move in stride. They have been a complete and utter joy to us!
We're not really sure how old they are, they're not telling us, but a we've had them ten years, the guess is somewhere between 13-17 years old. They still act like kittens! They are completely inseparable, rarely is one without the other.
There is not a day that goes by that these two don't make us smile, thank you so much for letting us be their lucky adopters!!
Most sincerely,
A, J, H and C"
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Fairfield Hills Campus, 3 Primrose St., Newtown, CT
11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
303 West Ave., Norwalk, CT
*ROAR will be at the museum's adoption event during its "Dogs: More Than Pets" exhibit run.
Family event starts at approximately 4:00 p.m.
720 Branchville Road, Ridgefield, CT
(Ancona's Wines & Liquors parking lot)
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
16 Bailey Ave., Ridgefield, CT
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Team ROAR to Compete in
World's Longest Bocce Marathon
The "Ridgefield 8" are gearing up to top the previous "World's Longest Bocce Marathon" record of 32 hours and four minutes. Team ROAR will be taking on Team BGCR (Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield), as they plan play for 36 straight hours. The record will shatter at approximately 4:00 PM on Saturday, June 22.
During the final hours and after the enshrinement ceremony, a family event is planned offering music, food, refreshments and bounce castles for the kids. Come join the fun! More info on this event can be found
HERE.
To donate directly to ROAR as part of the Ridgefield 8 Bocce Event, please
DONATE HERE
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As Always ... Thank You to Our Sponsors!
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