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FLUVANNA SPCA !

Supporting Pawsitive Pet Partnership Since 1989

Paw Prints WINTER NEWSLETTER 2016

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2016 NEWSLETTER, 1st Quarter

!From the adoption of two long-term residents to ring in the new year, to fun-filled events

sponsored by local business partners, 2016 is off to an exciting start for the Fluvanna SPCA!

! 2016’s FIRST ADOPTIONS: A bonded pair featured in our “12 Strays of Christmas” campaign, FIV+ cats, Dana and Artie, now have a home of their own in Maryland. These kitties wished and waited to be adopted for nearly two years at the FSPCA! Staff made sure their New Year’s wish came true by literally going the extra mile, volunteering to drive Artie and Dana up to Northern Virginia to meet up with their new adopter and complete their adoption!

Our first ever mega-adoption outing at FLOW AUTO of Charlottesville was a great success! A hearty round of thanks to their General Manager, Shawn Ayers, and the entire FLOW TEAM for graciously inviting the FSPCA’s fur-friends to their showroom and generously sponsoring ALL of their adoption fees! They took such great care of our animals and our volunteers – and helped pets like Nicolette, Phoebe, and Tinsley find furever homes! Even more special, for the animals that did not get adopted at the event, FLOW made sure those furry friends’ adoption fees remained sponsored even after the outing. What a great team! Thank you so much!

Our first event of 2016 was a delicious one! Our Lady of Peace Retirement Community kindly hosted a Pancake Breakfast Benefit for the FSPCA! This tasty event, organized annually by Pam Butler, OLOP Administrator, and Dana Fulk, Community Coordinator, raised funds and donations of supplies for the shelter. We also had some animals on-site to greet guests and cuddle with the residents. Add in music by radio personality, Jay Lopez, of Generations Radio 102.3 and 94.1, and it was purrfect, pancake-filled morning!

Renamed by their adopter as Nellie and Big O/Ollie, their proud momma shared with us: “Nellie is a bold explorer, completely unafraid of our dog. Both cats are super affectionate and love being brushed. They have bursts of energy and chase each other around the house in the morning and evening. Thanks so much to everyone at FSPCA for caring for these wonderful animals. They’re having a great time in Maryland, and I think Nellie will be ruling the roost pretty soon!”

2016: Off to a “PAWESOME” Start!

We were freezin’ for a reason at the 2nd annual Fluvanna Penguin Plunge! The FSPCA partnered with four other local nonprofits (Fluvanna Habitat for Humanity, Fluvanna Meals on Wheels, Lake Monticello Volunteer Fire & Rescue Squad, and the Fluvanna Aquatics Sports Team) to organize this frigidly fun community event! 75 “Penguins” and 10 “Chickens” participated and raised over $20,000 total for the five service groups! Thank you all who came out and supported The Plunge!

Revised Behavioral Assessments, Training Protocols &

Staff Professional Development

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The Staff and Board’s Shelter Committee have collaborated with a variety of community members over these recent months to update the procedures for behavior evaluations and training.

Based on staff professional development sessions generously provided and donated by Alison Wilson, Dog Trainer & Behavioral Therapist, of Bark Busters, evaluations and training now occur at the shelter with greater regularity and specificity than in years past. Each animal is assessed during intake for human sociability, food and toy possession, and interactions with other animals. In addition to regular informal observations, the staff performs these assessments again after 2 weeks in the shelter, and reassesses every 3 months. For trickier behavior evaluations, Alison provides her expertise on the dog’s behavior, which is then used to help determine the best approach to its care.

Each assessment serves as a snapshot in time. Together, they shed valuable light to help prepare each dog for their perfect forever home. We greatly appreciate all of Alison’s help, both with the animals and the training she provides to staff that cares for them!

These past months have marked new pages in the 27-year history of the organization, with many chapters still to write in the months and years ahead. Like every great team, FSPCA’s team members work together to make each new chapter an improvement on the last.

Most directly, FSPCA Staff has played a significant part by regularly meeting not only the most basic of our furry friends’ needs of shelter and nourishment, but also by developing their skills in identifying, monitoring, and evaluating animal health and behavior. In partnership with a dedicated county government working tirelessly to drive facility improvements and volunteer trainers providing guidance in behavioral and medical evaluation practices, these superhero staff members have had a tremendous impact on the lives of the animals we serve.

The organization’s umbrella of support goes well beyond the walls of the shelter itself, as community members have opened their homes as extensions of the safe haven that the FSPCA provides. Whether through foster programs in service of those requiring around-the-clock care, a newly implemented Adoption Ambassador foster program that seeks homes within the community, or a growing number of adoption event partners expanding the FSPCA network out into the greater central Virginia area and beyond, so many have opened their doors and their hearts to these animals.

We consider every adopter and fosterer, every staffer and volunteer, every donor and partnering organization as part of one big extended FSPCA family. Like every extended family, no doubt it’s a challenge to keep up with each other on a regular basis, with the bustle of day-to-day life keeping us all much busier than we might like. On behalf of the rest of the team, I hope this newsletter helps to give you at least a brief glimpse into what’s been happening with the organization over these past months.

Of course, while messages like these can help to keep up with what’s new, there’s nothing like feeling the changes by connecting on a more regular basis. We invite you to visit the shelter in order to experience these changes in person, or at the very least, check in when we’re on your mind - our furry friends always love when family comes to visit! – Tony Borash, President, Fluvanna SPCA volunteer Board of Directors!

FSPCA: More Than Just An Animal Shelter A Message from our Board President: I remember learning as a child that a church is not a building, but a people- a community joined together in service of something greater than themselves. In the same way, while a shelter itself is a physical building, the FSPCA is something much bigger than the brick and mortar that makes up its four walls.

The FSPCA is a people, united in service of animals in need. The FSPCA is a team, banded together to protect Fluvanna’s cats and dogs that finds themselves between homes. The FSPCA is a community, with each member playing his or her part to provide these furry friends with the safety, security, and love that they deserve as they await their forever home.

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★ Revised Spay/Neuter Protocol that includes pediatric surgeries and the expectation that no animal is made available for adoption until they have first had this surgery (with only exceptions in regards to those for medical safety reasons, e.g. animal is heartworm-positive).

★ Revised Animal Care protocols, policies, and checklists and the creation of an Animal Care Team.

★ Increased animal care staffing and a building-level leadership “Operations Team,” led by the shelter's Manager (includes Animal Care and Kennel Leads). Our volunteer Board of Directors has assumed tasks and responsibilities of the former ED position related to work outside of the shelter. This reorganization has increased collaboration and streamlined communication between the staff, Board, county government, sheriff’s office, community, & service providers.

★ Establishment of daily morning meetings with staff, led by the Manager, that frame the work and desired outcomes for each day.

★ Operations Team Meetings held weekly that routinely include members from the Board’s Shelter Committee, a volunteer animal behavior specialist, ACOs, and/or other guest attendees. These meetings focus on maintaining mission, current animal care and needs.

★ Updated formal job descriptions and responsibilities for every role at the shelter by the Board’s Shelter Committee.

★ Revised animal adoption policies and intake protocols (including Owner Surrender Policy and Procedures), crafted by the Operations Team, ACOs, legal advisors, and the Board’s Executive & Shelter Committees.

★ Updates to all corporate documents by the FSPCA’s Board of Directors, in tandem with its legal advisors

★ Development of formal Safety Planning with the county government, sheriff’s office, and local animal response team (CART).

★ Networks of new rescues and sanctuaries both in- and out-of-state (ex. Mutts with a Mission, North Shore Animal League).

★ New septic system! New kennel doors! New outdoor pen cover! New paint! New furniture for the lobby, office, and treatment room!

Much more to come, so stay tuned...or stop in and visit us!

Bright Beginnings for Four Young, Deserving Dogs

After many months of staff and volunteer hours to make personal contact with 100+ rescues and sanctuaries across the country, four young dogs have the opportunity to experience, as one adopter put it, “what a dog’s life is supposed to be.”

In mid-late summer 2015, the four youngest of ten pit bulls seized in association with a 2014 case regarding an alleged dog fighting operation were accepted as transfers into reputable out-of state rescue sanctuaries that had the skills (and finally the space!) to accept these four dogs. Mere puppies when they were brought to the FSPCA, these four consistently and continually evidenced promise for successful lives as companion animals, identified through multiple behavioral evaluations during their stay.

Sadly, the evaluations of the other six dogs involved in the case deemed them not to be suitable for rehabilitation. While we at the FSPCA are dedicated to saving every animal that passes through our doors, not every situation allows for such an opportunity. Those six dogs were humanely euthanized in February 2015. The Staff held a quiet memorial service to mourn their passing and honor their memories, and will plant a tree in remembrance of them this spring.

The rescues that helped give these four pups the second chance they so richly deserved, reported back to the FSPCA that all four were successful in their transfer, and with additional evaluations and training, have since been adopted into well-matched, loving forever homes.

It took a unified effort on a variety of stages to ensure this second chance at a happy life for these four young dogs. We at the FSPCA are thankful for all of those who poured their hearts and souls into making it all possible. !

Recent Updates & Improvements!

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The POSITIVE POWER of SOCIAL MEDIA!

What do Virginia, Mississippi, and Massachusetts have in common? Our senior hound, BENNY, thanks to social media and one dedicated rescue cross-poster named Hilda! She saw this photo of Benny on Facebook and fell in love. Even though she lives in Mississippi and had never met him, she became determined to find Benny a home. After re-sharing his photo for many weeks, her posts reached a family in Boston that contacted us to adopt him. Animal Care Lead, Stephani, drove Benny from FluCo to Bean Town (500+ miles!) so that he could finally begin his happily-ever-after. Benny now lives in Boston and has a family to call his own.

Every “share” of our furry friends’ photos has the potential to help them find homes. Thank you, Hilda, for sharing Benny’s!!!

MUTT on a MISSION! In December, local nonprofit rescue, Mutts with a Mission, selected our playful pup JAXON to become one of their service dogs! This wonderful rescue group trains dogs to become service animals for military veterans and wounded warriors!

Since then, Jaxon has been working with his partner, and most recently, earned his In-Training vest! The rescue has also selected two more FSPCA dogs, Roberto and Skeeter, to train as service dogs!

Follow these Alums’ progress on the group’s facebook page! THANK YOU for selecting Jaxon, Roberto, and Skeeter, and giving them an amazing opportunity to shine, Mutts with a Mission!!!

A Truly HAPPY TALE!

Written in rhyme, this children’s book tells the tale of a fabulous feline (with diamond-shaped eyes!) that was adopted from the FSPCA! The story follows WIBBER’s adventures in his home with his "Meowmy," local author and Fluvanna County School teacher, Kaye Saoirse Pearse, and his fur- and feathered-siblings. Ms. Pearse donates a portion of every book sold to the shelter, so if you’d like to buy a copy, it’s available for sale at Happy Tails Pet Store and the FSPCA, and online via Amazon Smile.

Follow the continued adventures of Wibber Dibber Doo and friends on his Facebook page! THANKS again to Kaye Saoirse Pearse for immortalizing this Alum’s happy tale in a children’s book so it can be enjoyed furever!

Fluvanna SPCA Alumni Updates!

!The SOOTHING SOUNDS of MUSIC

We are mindful of the “acoustic atmosphere” of the shelter and its effects on both the animals and humans. To create a calmer environment, we softly play soothing music each night to help the cats and dogs relax and fall asleep. We also play relaxing music a few times during the day, as it has been beneficial to the animals, our staff, and our guests.

Thank you to the community members who donated battery-operated CD-players, D-batteries, and disks of music for cats and dogs for us to use!

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Thank You to our photographer, Claire Pieron of Adopt-a-Bella-Dog Facebook page, for sharing her talents every week. And thank you to our volunteer photo assistants, Helena Arouca, Cristina Nardone Thao Nguyen, Jennifer Wainwright, and Ralynn Welsh. We know it can be a real workout wrangling our cute (and wiggly!) fur-friends during the photo sessions, and we greatly appreciate their enthusiasm, stamina, and dedication to helping take the purrfect pictures of our furry friends! Special “Shout Out” to our office associate, Sandy, who is always ready and willing to step in and help our Photography Team!!! PS: Check out Adopt a Bella Dog on Facebook, which promotes senior pet adoptions and shares the adventures of senior pets, Bella, Benny, and Sir Greg (an FSPCA Alum)! ! !

“SHOUT OUT” to our PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM!

FSPCA’s 2016 ADOPTION FEES (includes routine vet care)

Puppies (under 12 months) $250

Adult Dogs (1-6 years old) $100

Senior Dogs (7+ years old) $10

Kittens (under 12 months) $100

Adult Cats (1-6 years old) $75

Senior Cats (7+ years old) $10

DID YOU KNOW?

★ The FSPCA has 11 Staff Members total. This includes one Manager, an Animal Care Lead, and a Kennel Lead (the latter two share shift management responsibilities).

★ The FSPCA routinely has between 100-150 animals in its care at any given time.

★ The animals eat around 2,500 pounds (over one ton!) of food every month.

★ Costs for just dry food alone can add up to as much as $2,000-$3,000 each month!

★ Volunteers donated an estimated 2,380+ hours of their time in 2015.

★ Last year, 151 Foster Families provided love and care to 301 animals.

★ The FSPCA spends a minimum of $125 for every kitten and cat and between $170-$220 for every puppy and dog to provide them routine veterinary care. “Routine Vet Care” entails: spay/neuter surgery, microchipping, vaccines and boosters, heart-worm or feline aids and leukemia testing, de-wormer, flea/tick preventative, heart-worm preventative for dogs.

★ Specialized treatments and surgeries due to illnesses or injuries that an incoming animal might bring with them are costs in addition to what we spend on routine care. For example: AXEL (featured above) arrived at the FSPCA with a traumatic injury to his left hind leg that required surgery, amputation and post-surgery care, in addition to the standard of routine vet care. (FYI: Axel is all healed now and ready for adoption! He’s just 2 years old & 7 pounds of sweet playfulness!)

★ The FSPCA’s veterinarian, Dr. Jim Starkey of Tucker Veterinary Clinic, donates 100% of his time and expertise at the shelter to our animals and staff! In addition to weekly visits, he is on-call whenever the shelter needs him for consultation or to further assess an animal. All this, in addition to running his own practice – Our Hero!

★ Fluvanna County’s contribution to the FSPCA for pound services equates to $5 per Fluvanna resident per year. While this contribution can support basic operational costs for a pound, that sum alone cannot sustain the achievement of expectations set by our community for the FSPCA as a nonprofit, no-kill, animal welfare organization. Donations, fundraisers, and sponsorships are required to meet and sustain this ceiling of expectations.

!THANK YOU!

The following local businesses, facilities, and organizations graciously hosted adoption outings, donation drives, fun(d)raising events, meetings, and/or training sessions, or they generously sponsored an event or project for the FSPCA in recent months:

Alli Fun Day, Altar’d State, Armstrong Landscaping, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Castle Hill Cider, Crate & Marrow, Flow Automotive of Charlottesville, Fluvanna County Administration, Fluvanna Dog Park, Fluvanna Middle School, Fluvanna Parks & Recreation Department, Fluvanna Public Library, Fluvanna Public Works Department, Fluvanna County Radio Control Flying Club, Fridays After Five, Happy Tails Pet Store, Keswick Vineyards, Lake Monticello Golf Course, Layz-S-Ranch, Luck Stone, Mulch Monkeys, Oakland School, Orvis-Charlottesville, Our Lady of Peace Retirement Community, Pampered Pets, Papa John’s-Lake Monticello, Petco-Charlottesville, Sir Speedy Printing & Marketing Services-Charlottesville, and Thistle Gate Vineyard!

Please support them as they have supported the homeless pets in our community!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

April 16th 9AM-1PM: Rabies Clinic

April 18th 10AM-10:30PM: Fundraiser @ Lake Monticello Papa John’s (monthly event)

April 24th 5:30-6:30PM: Foster & Volunteer Information Session @ the FSPCA

May 7th (time TBA): Adoption Outing @ Orvis, The Shops at Stonefield

May 14th 12-3PM: Adoption Outing @ Petco

May 15th 12-3PM: Adoption Outing @ Keswick Vineyard’s Yappy Hours

May 16th 10AM-10:30PM: Fundraiser @ Lake Monticello Papa John’s (monthly event)

May 28th (time TBA): Adoption Outing @ Layz-S-Ranch’s Strawberry Festival

May 29th (time TBA): Adopt-a-Thon w/ North Shore Animal League @ the FSPCA

June 4th 12-3PM: Adoption Outing @ Petco

June 18th 6-8PM: Whiskers & Wine Party @ Thistle Gate Vineyard

June 25th 9AM-4PM: Wings & Wheels 4 Paws

Dallas is 1 ½ years old and 50 pounds of exuberance. He just loves to be loved – & would really love a home of his own!

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FSPCA’S ADOPTION FEES (includes routine vet care)

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WAYS YOU CAN HELP

WE are their Shelter. YOU are their Future.

Fluvanna SPCA ! 5239 Union Mills Road ! Troy, VA 22974 ! (434) 591-0123 ! www.fspca.org

WISHLIST ITEMS: Kitten & Puppy Milk Replacement Formula ! GoPro Camera (to record canine evaluations) ! Lupine Martingale-style Collars (medium, large) ! Cleaning Supplies (ex. laundry detergent) ! Linens ! Cat & Dog Treats (no rawhide, please) ! D-batteries ! Plastic Airline Dog Crates (all sizes) ! Plastic Water Storage Tank w/ fittings (200 gal., part of safety planning) ! Gift Cards for Lowe’s or Walmart ! Donations to Medical and Spay/Neuter Funds (www.fspca.org/donate.html)

Saving lives is a team effort, and we rely greatly on the support of teammates like you. Your donations make the difference in the lives of homeless pets in our care!

From the FSPCA STAFF: Thank you to all the volunteers, fosters, adopters, and donors that helped Fluvanna’s homeless animals in 2015! Because of you, we were able to find 521 animals furever homes, reunite 139 animals with their owners, and transfer 57 animals to our rescue partners! We’d love to help even more homeless pets find loving, permanent homes this year. In order to make this a reality, we’ll need your renewed support and outreach on the behalf of these animals in need. We can always use help with dog walking, cat socializing, and animal grooming, as well as with animal photography, spay/neuter transportation, and event volunteers. Another big way volunteers and donors can help is by assisting with shelter building repairs, upgrades, and yard work. Please consider sponsoring a project such as: construction of an additional dog play yard or outdoor “catio,” painting an interior and exterior space, or some simple landscaping. You wouldn’t believe the positive effects these small upgrades will have on the animals in our care! On behalf of the FSPCA Staff, thanks for your support, and we hope to see you at the shelter soon! - Meaghan Szwejkowski, Manager "

VOLUNTEERS are essential to the FSPCA. Here are some ways folks currently help the shelter and its furry friends: maintaining social media sites, photography and graphic design work, doing yard work and landscaping, painting and decorating the shelter, advising on medical care, animal training, assisting with bookkeeping and financial planning, providing legal and policy advice, serving on one of the shelter’s committees (Events, Finance, Outreach, Shelter), serving on the Board, socializing cats and walking dogs, organizing or helping at adoption outings and special events (ex. rabies clinics), transporting animals to/from spay/neuter surgeries.... just to name “a few” current examples! "

To find out more about Volunteer opportunities, attend one of our upcoming Volunteer & Foster Information Sessions (next session is Sunday, April 24th from 5:30-6:30PM at the shelter). To sign up to volunteer at the shelter, call or email our Manager: 434-591-0123, manager@fspca.org. To volunteer for a special event, email our Events Committee: events@fspca.org! !

FOSTERS also play a critical role in the FSPCA’s rescue work. Fostering can make all the difference in allowing a puppy or kitten to grow to adoptable age, helping an injured animal heal in a quiet, secure environment, give a stressed animal a break from the shelter, or give extra TLC to an animal who needs to learn how to trust again. “Short-Term” fostering includes Day Trips, Weekend Sleepovers, and Fostering-to-Adopt (up to 30 days). “Long-Term” is typically more than a month and includes our Adoption Ambassador program.

Adoption Ambassadors! We received an ASPCA grant to participate in this national campaign! Adoption Ambassadors are akin to “Super Fosters” - you can learn more about the campaign here: http://aspcapro.org/ambassadors. So far, we have had 4 successful Ambassador Adoptions: dogs, Marina Melania, and Suzy, and kitten, Tinsel! The following FSPCA fur-friends are in Adoption Ambassador Foster Homes now: dog, Tyson, and cats, Sable, Smokey, Frankie, Christopher, and Noel. If you’d like to become an Adoption Ambassador, or learn more about fostering, in general, attend our next Volunteer & Foster Info Session or email: manager@fspca.org.