Bark In the Park

1 Feb

We want you to join us for our first annual Bark in the Park, March 24, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Woodlawn Park. This is our official announcement about the event so please share this news with friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, basically anyone that you talk to! We are looking forward to this event and anticipate it being a great success!

The Talk About It! program will conduct the Bark in the Park/Perrito Grito pet fiesta at Woodlawn Lake Park, a neighborhood where stray and free roaming dog and cat overpopulation is particularly acute.  The event will include adoptable shelter and rescue dogs and cats, a low-cost vaccination clinic, a free spay/neuter clinic, and many family-friendly activities to help local residents learn about responsible pet care and making their dogs and cats members of their family.

We already have secured three event partners! Texas Public Radio is serving as our media sponsor for the event. Lucy’s Doggy Daycare and Spa will be offering free pet nail clippings to event attendees, and San Antonio Pet’s Alive will be hosting one of the pet adoptions at our event. This event is coming together quickly and we are loving all the support we are receiving from community companies, for profit businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

We are still looking for event sponsors and volunteers so if you know of anyone in the area that would like to participate as a sponsor or volunteer please email us at talkaboutitsa@saafdn.org 

Why are we doing this?

Since 2007, the San Antonio Area Foundation has been committed to helping San Antonio achieve its No Kill goals by supporting programs that help achieve San Antonio’s Animal Care Strategic Plan. These programs include low cost or free spay/neuter surgeries, super adoption events, public awareness and education, and grass roots events to promote responsible pet care.

In 2007, the Area Foundation developed the Animal No Kill Fund to support programs and increase community awareness, education, and action, especially in the areas of adoptions and spaying and neutering of dogs and cats. As a result, more than 140,000 dogs and cats have been sterilized; over 50,000 dogs and cats were adopted into area homes; and euthanasia numbers have dropped from 50,000 to under 19,000 annually in San Antonio over the past four years.

Over the past year, our Talk About It! grass roots events produced 468 spay/neuter surgeries from 14 spay/neuter clinics, organized 10 “Pet Fiestas” that included dog training and information sessions with a total of 5,000 event attendees, and visited over 3,000 homes in the block walking program and contacted 35,177 households to inform them about upcoming spay/neuter events.

Keep your heads high and your tails waggin’ San Antonio!

 

 

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The Case of the Not so New Pet

17 Jan

Many families across San Antonio added furry family members this past holiday season. As families get back to the normal grind of work and school, this puts your new pet friend in an unfamiliar position… they don’t have anyone to play with.

During the holiday the whole family had lots of time to spend with the new cat or dog spoiling them with lots of love and attention. Now everyone has to go back to their normal routine, leaving your new animal friend without much needed supervision.

In most households this means they are restrained by a baby gate, held up in a laundry room, let loose in the backyard, left to have free rein of the house, or even tied up out in the yard. While these actions are done with the best of intentions, it is important to remember that your pet is not just new to you, but also new to your environment as well. This could be a recipe for bad behavior and acting out.

Just like people, pets adjust to schedules and as they get used to your regular working hours their habits will improve. This does not mean that there won’t be instances where a shoe is chewed, presents are left on the carpet, a fence is busted through, or a door is marred by claws.

There are a few ways that you can prepare your new pet for their new time alone.

  • Leave your pet food and water.

 

  • Put newspaper down in the area that they will be staying.

 

  • Make sure the area you plan to leave your pet is free of choking hazards and things are picked up off the floor, to avoid any chewing issues, remember if you leave it within reach they will get into it.

 

  • Leave plenty of pet safe toys out for your pet to keep themselves entertained.

 

  • Give your pet some music to listen to while you are gone. The silence in the house may cause your pet some anxiety.

 

  • Make sure you walk the perimeter of your fence to make sure your yard is secure, patch any holes in the fence as needed. (Here are some tips from the Humane Society if you do chain your dog on better ways to keep your dog in your yard, Unchain Your Dog Tips)

 

  • Let a neighbor or two know that you have a new pet, what it’s name is, and a picture is always helpful just in case they get out of your yard/house. If you want to get creative you can create your very own pet announcements, which are a cute way to introduce your pet to friends and family, check out our friend Thicket’s. This could be a fun family project all you need is a picture of our dog, glue, markers, construction paper, stickers and anything else crafty!

 

  • Be prepared for the unexpected! No one ever plans to come home and find their pet missing so be prepared for the consequences by having your pet spay/neutered, vaccinated, and micro-chipped.

 

Now that covers one part of the “not so new pet” but what about the part where the kids have lost interest and forgotten all of their responsibilities? A great idea would be to create a pet care chart for your kids to follow with a list of things for them to do with their pet each day.

Make sure to check out our online events calendar for the latest things to do with your pet! Coming up this Saturday is Pucks and Paws, human tickets are $15 and pet tickets are $5! Bring your dog to the game to help the Rampage break a world record for most dogs at a sporting event! $5 of your ticket purchase goes back to Alamo Area Partners for Animal Welfare. One dog per person. All dogs must be on a leash Hope to see you out there!

Keep your Heads High and Tails Waggin’ San Antonio!

 

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You Can Save Rudy like Santa Saved Rudolph!

15 Dec

A lot is happening with the No Kill effort in San Antonio right now.  It’s really a “perfect snow storm” for pets like Rudy.

The What? The City of San Antonio Animal Care Services (ACS) has a very specific plan to achieve 70% Live Release, with very specific operational plans and specific dollar estimates to achieve them.  The City has put its money where its mouth is, too.  They have budgeted $250,000 in FY 2012 to incentivize rescuers to take more animals. 

The Who? The City Manager, Sheryl Sculley, and Deputy City Manager responsible for ACS, Erik Walsh, are both highly engaged in the Live Release effort.  The City also placed Joe Angelo, whose team from the Budget Innovation and Design Office developed the strategic plan, as the Interim ACS Director.  Gary Hendel is now the Director of Operations at ACS.  Ms. Sculley and Mr. Walsh recognized that ACS needed more management support and they are providing it.

The How? We have two high powered rescue groups-the San Antonio Humane Society and Austin Pets Alive!-who are part of the strategic plan and the solution.  The strategic plan outlined a big emphasis on finding and growing “high volume pet placement partners” based on the success models with Austin Pets Alive! in Austin and the Nevada Humane Society in Reno.  APA began rescuing dogs and puppies from ACS in August and ACS will present a contract to work with them to the City Council in January.

At the same time, the San Antonio Humane Society set up an owner surrender stations at ACS and took over a small building to hold dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens out of the shelter to transport to their facility at the end of the day.  Since August, the SAHS has quadrupled the number of dogs and cats that they rescue from ACS.  The SAHS is also working with the City to establish a permanent off-site retail adoption location.

  • The Live Release increase has been very encouraging.  Dramatic, really.  The Live Release Rate at ACS has slowly and steadily increased from 11% of intake in FY 2006 to 31% in FY 2011.  In the last six months of FY 2011 there was a 65% increase in live releases!  This is not a one month spike—it shows that the plateau is moving upwards. 
  • Beginning in October, Live Releases have taken off!  In November, ACS achieved a 52% Live Release Rate—the first time that more animals were saved than were put down—with 1,065 live releases.  This is unprecedented in San Antonio.

We truly believe that the plans that the City has with the Humane Society and Austin Pets Alive! are the best opportunities that we have seen since the beginning of the No Kill effort in 2006 to make a significant impact on euthanasia at Animal Care Services.  A quantum leap, really.

Here’s how you can help make a difference in the No Kill world.  Give Me Five!

Our Save Rudy on-line fundraiser is asking you to make a donation to the Animal No Kill Fund between Dec 16th and Dec 23rd. Once you’ve made a difference, get 5 of your closest friends to make a donation also. Then have your friends pass it along to 5 others.

Follow the link http://www.razoo.com/story/talkaboutit and make sure to share with friends!

Donate Now

 

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The “Big Fix”: Spay Neuter Clinic

1 Dec

This is from Dr. Shannon Espy, SNIPSA Executive Director, writing about the “Big Fix” spay/neuter clinic held at St. Mary’s University Learning and Leadership Development Center on November 12th.

What an amazing day! With your help, SNIPSA successfully spayed/neutered 230 dogs and cats for families on the westside of San Antonio. And 91 of those were female dog spays! Volunteers poured in from all over the city—both college and high school groups needing community service hours.

We were out of there in record time around 8:30, which is quite a triumph compared to other late evenings. Consumed were 80 pieces of fried chicken, 100 tamales, and 20 barbeque plates (which a volunteer had to retrieve last minute—obviously some hungry folks).

One family we served had 35 dogs, most of which originated from prior litters. We managed to spay 10 of her females and will be assisting her with the others over the next few weeks. Residents are becoming increasingly familiar with our service in that area. Positive word of mouth from neighbor to neighbor leads to people calling our phone line weeks in advance to schedule for an upcoming Big Fix.

People are motivated to become responsible pet owners and see the value of what we are doing to reach No-Kill. I can’t tell you the number of times when we knock on a door or leave a flyer in a fence that we have an owner come out and say, “This is a blessing I have been waiting on- thank you so much for taking the time to do this.” They invite us in for tacos, want to share their cooking or simply ask how they can help. They are amazed we care enough to call back and check on their pets following surgery and again tell us how grateful they are. 

I want to pass this on to our volunteers and donors, because you are the driving force that makes this possible. In the midst of the busy day, it is often hard to reflect on the goodness you are doing.

But truly this is the solution—I have no doubt in my mind. Sterilizing animals before they reach the door of a kill shelter is what will give every homeless dog and cat a fighting chance. It is with a sincere heart that we thank you for your long hours, your willingness to get dirty, your willingness to stretch out of your comfort zone and be stewards to other people. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we give thanks to you for supporting SNIPSA in its outreach.

Care. Adopt. Neuter.

 

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