Thank you for reading the SPCA of Hancock County's monthly email newsletter. This month we have some wonderful news about April's adoptions!
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A message from Nichola Redmond,
our Exectutive Director
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As you will read in this newsletter, we are celebrating a month of many adoptions. That means that many local households have a new family member and 65 formerly homeless pets now have a home and family to call their own. Of course, this is the most basic lifesaving equation. The SPCA of Hancock County has been operating in this way for many years - pets come to the shelter homeless and after receiving veterinary care, socialization and training, they leave belonging to someone.
The big impact of this equation is that lives are saved. That is our goal - and we accomplish it. At the SPCA HC we do everything that we can to ensure live outcomes, including (often expensive) veterinary care. Animals are rarely euthanized. When that happens, it is to relieve suffering in the case of terminal illness. We take our responsibility as guardians of the well-being of homeless animals seriously, and we do this in partnership with the community. Homeless animals are not an animal problem, but a people problem. Really it is a community problem. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the community to solve it, with the SPCA HC taking a leadership role in that effort.
Part of the solution is to ensure that shelters that provide care for homeless animals are fully funded. Without adequate funding, animals won't get the care that they need. I'd like everyone in the community who cares about the plight of homeless animals to consider their role in helping homeless pets. Please give so they can live. Thank you.
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Featured Adoptable Animals at the SPCA
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These animals are currently available for adoption and located at our facility at
141 Bar Harbor Rd., Trenton, ME 04605.
Adoptions can happen fast, so we recommend calling ahead to check current availability.
(207) 667-8088
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Birch
Birch prefers to be your one and only. Other cats and dogs seem to ruffle her feathers! When she knows she has you all to herself, Birch is affectionate and curious. She likes to play sometimes, but most of the time we find her snoozing on her bed. We suspect that she would make an excellent couch warmer! Birch is about 3 years old.
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Sloan and Miranda
Sisters Sloan and Miranda are still looking for a home together. These kitties are our longest term residents at the shelter now, having been here since September. While they're a bit shy with humans (especially humans they don't know), they get along very well with other cats. These special girls really need a home!
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Margot
Temporary Foster Home Needed! Margot arrived at the shelter lyme and heartworm positive and it's going to take a number of weeks to complete her treatment. Margot is an affectionate, easy dog who would prefer to spend her recovery in a foster home!
Although she may be able to live with dogs and is likely good with children once she's all better, for now during her recovery period Margot needs to be the only animal in her foster home. We're seeking a foster home near her vet's office, which is located on MDI.
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Milo
The sleek and handsome Milo is single and available! This 3 year old cat is cuddly, curious, and eager to join your household. He is a recent arrival to the shelter, and we have not had a chance to introduce him to the other cats yet. Milo is hoping he won't have to stay long... come and meet him to see if he's the one for you!
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Rescue
Sweet, bouncy Rescue still needs a home! Rescue is 6 years old. She loves her people enough to tell them how she really feels with her amazing squeaks and other vocalizations throughout the day. Toys? Meh! Who needs those when you have friends to talk to and food to eat?
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Peanut
This adorable little tortoiseshell kitty is bound to melt your heart. Peanut does not want to venture out of her snuggly bed, but she does want your attention! When we talk to her, she gets up and turns around, then starts purring and kneading her white paws into the blankets. Peanut is 4 years old.
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Maisy Mae
Maisy Mae is a friendly girl who loves to play tug. A great way to make friends with her is to share your snacks with her - she loves snacks! This playful girl is looking for a family and a home where she can have a good time and then maybe nap on the couch. She is a little picky about her dog friends, so if you have another dog at home Maisy would like the chance to meet them before committing. She is about 5 years old.
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Want more success stories and adoptable animal updates? Join the
Mid-Month Extras list by clicking the button below!
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May Wishlist Items
Looking for a way to help the shelter? These are items we particularly need this month.
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Easy Walk Harnesses, Medium and Large.
We are still very much in need of a handful of these front-clip harnesses. We only have a few of them and they are wearing out. The Medium and Large sizes fit the most dogs, and thus are the sizes that are most worn.
SnuggleSafe Warming Disks.
These microwaveable heat disks are incredibly valuable for kittens at the shelter. One disk heated in the microwave for a few minutes can keep a litter of kittens warm for ten hours. We need a few more of these to send home with kitten fosters. Find them online at Chewy or Amazon.
Soft Dog Treats.
We use soft dog treats to help the shelter dogs learn and practice important life skills while they look for homes. We also use them to help shy or nervous dogs understand that they can trust us to bring them good things. The shelter dogs appreciate most kinds of soft treats, which tend to smell more interesting than crunchy treats.
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April Adoptions: a Smashing Success
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We are celebrating our great adoption numbers for the month of April here at the SPCA of Hancock County!
In April, we adopted out 53 cats and 12 dogs.
It used to be typical for the SPCA to adopt out an average of 30 cats and 2 or 3 dogs each month. Over the past couple of years, we've been steadily improving our protocols, and adoptions have been increasing as well. It's now more typical for us to send home 45+ cats and 5-10 dogs monthly. This uptick in adoptions translates to an increase in the overall number of animals we are able to help each year.
The SPCA of Hancock County is a lifesaving shelter, which means that we only euthanize to end suffering. Our live release rate for 2018 was 98.8 percent, which is typical for our shelter. We often step in to assist animals who have been living in shocking conditions, and who have received inadequate care. These animals have a long road to recovery, even with all the attention and medical care we can provide. At times, we have struggled in an attempt to save tiny puppies whose mother had such poor nutrition through pregnancy that she could not nurse them. At others, we've spent weeks working to befriend dogs who shook with fright at the sound of our voices, and then months finding them homes.
This is why we celebrate when we have a month like April. We know that each one of those 53 cats and 12 dogs had a safe place with us when they needed it most, and that we can now offer the next 65 animals such a safe place.
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Grab your muddy dogs and bring them in for a scrub-a-dub-dub!
Open 7am - 4pm
7 days/week
Quarters, $1, and $5 bills accepted
(no tokens)
$5 = 6 minutes
You may notice that the Pet Wash is undergoing some repairs this spring. It is still open for use! Everything works except the shampoo dispenser, and hopefully that will be repaired soon.
We've placed bottles of pet shampoo in the Pet Wash for your use (or you are always welcome to bring your own).
If you have any questions or difficulty with the Pet Wash, please let us know! You can knock on the shelter door even if we aren't open.
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The SPCA HC Turbo Fund needs your help to provide medical care to a sweet dog named Dibby.
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Dibby's life has been quite the roller coaster. An active border collie/lab mix, Dibby played a little too hard in his family's yard one day and came up lame. He'd torn his cruciate ligament (part of his knee). This can be challenging for a family to handle in the best of times, but Dibby's family was in the midst of separating. They made an effort to keep him comfortable, but as often happens with family upheavals, Dibby found himself in a home that wasn't prepared to cover the medical expenses to repair his knee or the time it takes to rehab a dog after such a surgery.
Dibby was surrendered to the SPCA of Hancock County, and we had him examined by the vet. Sometimes torn cruciate ligaments can be managed without surgery - but in Dibby's case, the vet recommended surgery as his best option for recovery. He was also prescribed medicine to treat his skin and ear infections. Luckily, Dibby was a good sport about his special baths and ear medicine.
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Above: Shelter volunteer Lea Lane bringing Dibby in from a very gentle, slow walk.
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Dibby's skin and ear infections cleared up. He quickly endeared himself to shelter staff with his ebullient personality. It's very hard to keep such a cheerful dog on strict rest. Even though we're providing him with distracting things to chew on and other quiet activities, Dibby wants to be up and moving around.
The SPCA of Hancock County has a fund specifically to help cases like Dibby: The Turbo Fund. The Turbo Fund relies on donations by community members. Created and named in honor of the kitten Turbo, the Turbo Fund exists to fund medical care in extraordinary cases that the shelter otherwise could not afford.
But the Turbo Fund doesn't have enough to cover Dibby's surgery. That means we can't schedule his appointment yet, so Dibby is waiting at the shelter. We're giving him as much attention and care as we can in the meantime, but Dibby needs your help to fill the Turbo Fund so that he can have his surgery.
The surgery will cost approximately $4,800. We already have $700 in the Turbo Fund. Can you make a donation to bridge that gap for Dibby?
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You can also donate toward Dibby's medical care
by calling the shelter at:
(207) 667-8088
Or by sending a check to the shelter at:
SPCA of Hancock County
141 Bar Harbor Rd.
Trenton, ME 04605
Whichever method you choose, please make sure to let us know that you would like your donation to go toward Dibby.
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Kennels Sponsored:
These community members have chosen to Sponsor a Kennel at the SPCA. Kennel Sponsors receive email updates about their kennel's "tenants" throughout the year as well as our gratitude!
Virgina Reams, Lobby Cat Condo
Cheryl Curtis, Canine Kennel #2
To sponsor a kennel, visit our website or call us at (207) 667-8088. Kennel Sponsorships last one year and are renewable.
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Pets Sponsored:
These sponsorships contribute to the care of the animals at the shelter. Can't adopt? Sponsoring that adoptable pet you love is another way to help!
Adoptable cats Sloan and Miranda
Kelly Griffith
We are seeking sponsors for adoptable pets!
To sponsor an animal by phone, please call us at (207) 667-8088.
To sponsor an animal online, click the button below to go to Petfinder and choose a pet to sponsor. Your name will appear in this feature and on our Sponsors Board at the shelter facility.
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Business Sponsors
Thank you to these businesses! Their generous support helps us help the animals.
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