Graham RichardMayor

A Division of PublicSafety Serving theCity of Fort Wayne

Meeting Standardsfor Animal Sheltering

and Control Set Forth by the

Humane Society ofthe United States

Newsletter of the

Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control

Fall 2007Helping People - Helping Animals

Bringing home a new dog orpuppy is a special time.Making certain your home andfamily are prepared for the petis paramount. To help keepdogs and owners together,Animal Care & Controllaunched a new pet parentingclass held once a month in theMary Koons EducationCenter. Pet parenting doesn’tcome easy for everyone,especially a novice pet ownerthat might not understand nor-mal stages of dog develop-ment.

Duke’s family attended to learn about using a crate for housetraining. They wereworried that using a crate might be cruel, but had heard that a crate could beequal to a dog’s den. The Harvey family recently adopted Ginger, a small terriermix with a big personality. She hadn’t done anything the family was overly con-cerned about, but said they wanted to be sure to be prepared.

Adoption Supervisor Allison Miller and volunteer Rebecca Gremaux created theparenting class, to target new dog owners with basic animal care information. Atthis stage, it’s important to focus on consistencies. The lecture with video coverscrate training, housetraining, chewing, jumping, and other basic house mannersthat every dog and owner should learn. Of course it wouldn’t be an Animal Care& Control presentation if we didn’t also share information on spaying and neuter-ing, City pet registrations, City leash laws, and pet vaccinations.

Pet Parenting sessions are offered the first Monday of each month from 6–7:30p.m. and are free to the public, although donations to the adoption program arewelcomed. While reservations are not required, seating is limited to 65 attendees.Dogs should not be brought to the program. For additional information, call 427-5511 or watch for sessions to be listed on our website at www.fwacc.org.

Allison Miller and Rebecca Gremaux

PET PARENTING CLASS KEEPS DOGSAND OWNERS TOGETHER

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It is amazing to see some of the progress we have madein saving animals’ lives in our community; our spay andneuter initiatives, HeadStart training program, pet par-enting classes, web site and education outreach, andlet’s not forget an amazingly successful adoption pro-gram. All are doing wonderful things! Most of these spe-

cialty programs are accomplished with your donor dollars. We havelong been a leader in our country with legislative and programmaticactivity designed to create a safer community and prevent unnecessaryeuthanasia.

The sad reality to that happy news is that too many cats and dogs arestill dying in Fort Wayne in spite of all our efforts. It was very telling forus when we recently offered a four-day Spay Day USA promotion tospay or neuter fifty pit bulls at absolutely no charge and only 18 pet own-ers wanted to take us up on the deal! There is always a silver liningthough, as our total cats and dogs altered through the event came to 126.

It is still not enough! We are embarking on some new initiatives here inFort Wayne to attempt to quell the stream of animals into the shelter.While we can find homes for many of these unwanted furry friends, thedemand cannot begin to meet the supply of homeless pets. Where dothey all come from? As we seek to increase spaying and neutering inour community pets, do we have the big picture? Are we doing all wecan?

We will be teaming with other animal-related organizations this year tomove toward more collaborative initiatives in the fight against pet over-population in Fort Wayne and Allen County. The formula to success maybe the coalition approach. We are not even sure we have a handle onwhere all these animals are coming from right now.

Other communities have addressed this issue with strong ordinances,as we have here in the Fort. While that is a help, it is still not the onlyanswer when the intake of dogs and cats to this shelter still exceeded14,000 in 2006. One thing we see in successful communities is the part-nership between the legislative authority of the government based ani-mal shelter and a larger volume of non-profit groups with animal relatedmissions. We seem to be missing that non-profit collaborative compo-nent in Fort Wayne and hope to see some excitement build with futureopportunities.

We continue to work toward betterment for animals here in the Fort andcan only do that with your help! Thank you for helping us help the animals.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Belinda LewisExecutive Director

Our Mission:Guided by the humane ethicand livability interests withinour neighborhoods, the mis-sion of Fort Wayne AnimalCare & Control is to ensurepublic health and safety aswell as prevent pet overpop-ulation, animal neglect, andanimal cruelty through edu-cation, rescue, and lawenforcement.

"We place more petswith people than anyother business or organization inNorthern Indiana."

ANIMAL CARE & CONTROL3020 Hillegas Rd

Fort Wayne IN 46808 Business Office (260) 427-1244

Fax (260) 427-5514

ADOPTION OFFICE:427-5502

Recorded pet information line:(260) 422-PETS

BUSINESS HOURS: 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. weekdays

and until 7 p.m. Wed.

ADOPTION HOURS:12 p.m.-5 p.m. weekdays

and until 7 p.m. Wed

Also open for adoptions the firstSat of each month from

11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Animal Control Officer Assistance:Mon-Sun, 6 a.m.-1 a.m.

Emergencies only: 1 a.m.-6 a.m.

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Dear Animal Care & Control,

My family adopted Lover Boythis past June and all I can say

is WOW. He is a great dog. Ican’t believe someone gave him

up--how fortunate for us. Weare going to rename him,

but haven’t found that per-fect name yet. He loveshis new yard. He mindsso well--even leaving thewild baby rabbits alone

when he is told “no.”

We stopped at my mom’s already, so he could meet his new play-mate and they had a blast running around their 2-acre yard.Needless to say Lover Boy was exhausted. Oddly enough, hewas up at 6:30 the next morning readyto start over.

He never barked until last night whenthere was some action in a lot acrossthe street, and then, I appreciatedthat meaningful bark. I think he’ll bea great watch dog. He never evenbarked at the neighbor’s dog whenit was raising heck at the sight ofhim. Also, he seems to be com-pletely housetrained--I hope that’s true.Anyway, so far, everything is great. What a perfect fit.

Thanks so much for allowing us to adopt Lover Boy!

Lisa, Jasni, Angel, and Tyler

Lover Boy Adopted June 2007

If you are looking for aworthy service project for aclub or if you are a petlover willing to lend ahand, the following list ofitems is much needed byour department. We caredfor 15,919 animals lastyear, so supplies arealways on our list. Anydonation is immenselyappreciated by staff, volun-teers and of course, ouranimals.

Canned food for puppies and kittens and adult dogs and cats

Plain clay kitty litter

Bags of pine bedding

Towels, blankets, or bath mats for bedding

Blank note cards

Sturdy chew toys

Dog crates and cat carriers

Feed for guinea pigs, hamsters, parakeets and ferrets

Above all, we appreciatecash donations to help ussecure medical needs forsick, injured, and under-weight animals and to sup-port special programs ben-efiting animals.

�

�

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WISH LIST:

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The Animal Care & ControlAdoption Center is now open thefirst Saturday of every month from11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. to increasethe chances that pets will beadopted. Saturday hours aremade possible by numerous vol-unteers clamoring to help usplace pets into loving homes.Fifteen volunteers are needed torun each weekend adoption eventthat can draw upwards of 120families to our adoption center ina four-hour span. By increasingour hours, we have seen a steadyincrease in the number of animalsadopted.

While not every municipal animalcontrol department has a volun-teer program, we feel it is worthseeking the donations that it takesto bring volunteers in contact withour animals. VolunteerCoordinator Courtney Fanninghas what it takes to organizetroops of volunteers, and hasexpanded our program by 39%since taking over the coordinatorposition in January 2007.

Volunteers have many positionswithin our department. Somefeed animals and clean adoptionrooms while others greet cus-tomers or serve as adoption coun-

selors. Volunteers care for ouradoption cats at Kitty City, whichis our off-site adoption programlocated inside Pet Supplies Pluson Coldwater Road. Dogs thatneed an introduction to goodmanners get training from volun-teer HeadStart trainers, and dogsthat need baths get cleaned byvolunteers during Monday nightdog wash. From fundraising andeducation events, to assistingshelter veterinarians withspay/neuter surgeries, volunteersline up to lend a hand. In the end,animals and their new owners arethe better for it.

ADDED HOURS AND VOLUNTEERS BENEFIT ADOPTIONS

Bobby, a small two-year-oldbrown beagle/terrier mix wasmissing and reported stolen froman Arizona trailer court by his80-year-old owner,Lillian Brown.Bobby was Lillian’sconstant companionafter losing her hus-band of 48 yearsand then losing theirdog of 16 years.Lillian adoptedBobby from a localanimal shelter andquickly bonded to the lovable littledog.

Then on April 2, 2007, Lillianarranged for a neighbor to watchBobby while she went to a doctorappointment. The neighbors toldLillian that they had returnedBobby to her trailer, however,when she came home, Bobbywasn’t there. What Lillian didn’tknow is that her neighbors had

hidden Bobby and had planned tobring him to Fort Wayne.

On June 2, 2007, Bobby wasrecovered from a FortWayne home by Citypolice and Animal Care& Control officers. Hewas recovered after anewspaper reporter, JillJones with The News inApache Junction,A r i z o n a ,traced the dogto Fort Wayne.

Lillian Brown told thereporter that she wasnever quite certain ifBobby had been stolenor if he slipped out a doorwithout anyone noticing.She suspected theneighbor who watched Bobbymight have taken the dog. Theneighbor rented space in the trail-er park but lived in Fort Wayne.

Bobby was taken to Animal Care& Control for a medical exam andreceived a donated microchip foridentification. EnforcementSupervisor Chad Schiebel workedwith Continental Airlines to securea free flight for Bobby back toArizona.

Our employees fell in love withBobby, and remind pet owners ofthe importance of microchips for

i d e n t i f i c a t i o n .Without the confes-sion obtained bythe Fort WaynePolice Department,ownership ofBobby might havebeen harder toestablish. LeadAnimal Control

Officer Roger Wilson drove Bobbyto Indianapolis on Wednesday,June 6, 2007 for his flight home,where Lillian was waiting withopen arms.

STOLEN DOG RECOVERED IN FORT WAYNE

Lillian Brown and Bobby reunited

Enforcement Supervisor ChadSchiebel worked with

Continental Airlines to sendBobby home

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If you are an animal-loving teen atleast 13 years old or more, thenyou are eligible to join ourExploring Animal Careers pro-gram. As a member, you will joinother teens who share yourcareer goal or hobby interest inanimal welfare.

When you join, you instantly havean opportunity to interact withadoption animals, explore variousanimal careers, and work on serv-ice projects that benefit homeless

animals. Older students are eligi-ble for leadership roles and candonate time to our adoption cen-ter after school and during sum-mer months.

Meetings are held on Tuesdaystwice a month, 6-7:30 p.m., fromSeptember to May. Call 427-2590to request an invitation to the firstnight enrollment meeting sched-uled for August 28, 2007.Enrollment is limited to the first 65students who sign-up.

Explorer listens to a heart beat at Purdue open house

CALLING ALL TEENS

When animal control officersresponded to a call from GaylordGaines, reporting that his dogLady had wedged her head insidea tree, we had no idea how severethe case would become. Uponarrival to Gaines’ home on EastDouglas Avenue, animal controlofficers Robert McCullough andRandy Thornton found the medi-um-sized border collie mix withher head completely trapped

inside a large tree in the back-yard. Lady was hot and clearly inphysical distress.

Animal Care Supervisor LauraRowe consulted with Gaines’ vet-erinarian before administering alight tranquilizer in hopes thatLady’s head could be freed.According to Rowe, Lady was inserious danger from possibleheatstroke or strangulation andhad been stuck in the base of thetree for about 45 minutes.

After relaxing the dog and still notbeing able to release her, wecalled the Fort Wayne FireDepartment for assistance.Firetruck 1 and Rescue 1 arrivedwith the equipment needed toenlarge the hole. Rowe support-ed the dog’s body and noted thatLady still attempted to wag her tailat the sound of her owner’s voice.About 30 minutes later, Lady was

free and appeared to be in rela-tively good condition.

“It was tense, and I’m glad wewere all available to give Ladyand Mr. Gaines the help neededto make the rescue,” Rowe said.“At one point I wasn’t sure Ladywas going to make it out alive.”

Lady has recovered and is safe toplay in her yard now that the holein the tree has been patched.

Rowe and McCullough support Lady's body during resuce

ANIMAL CONTROLFIREFIGHTERS TEAM UP TO RESCUE DOG

Lady recovers after successful rescue

When animals are adopted fromour shelter, they become house-hold celebrities in the eyes ofthose who love them. Owners fre-quently write to tell us about theirfamed adopted pets. They arepampered, adored, and celebrat-ed. They bring years of joy andlaughter to families, comfort toseniors, and friendship to children.Many are the superstars of theirneighborhood.

We hear that some of our adopteddogs hold prominence with cus-tomers where they accompanytheir owners to work. One teen entered his family’s adopted catinto a 4-H cat show and won first place. We are told that some ofour adopted dogs have become service dogs, while others havebeen featured in print ads and television commercials.

And now, we have one of our adopted dogs being featured in apublished children’s book. Moose on the Loose, written by PatriciaKnaebe, is a charming story of how a lost puppy finds a lovinghome. The real Moose is a golden-eyed, toy-loving, gentle giantthat was adopted by Patricia Knaebe and Bill Hadlock seven yearsago. Patricia’s book about Moose celebrates their special puppy’sjourney from the shelter, to a new home, to receiving his name. Weat Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control are smiling at yet anothershelter animal turned adopted idol. To purchase a copy of Mooseon the Loose call 427-5508.

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PET PARENTING CLASSESat Animal Care & Control Oct 1 & Nov 56-7:30 p.m.

WALK FOR ANIMALSat Franke Park Pavilion #1Oct 7, 200712:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

ANIMAL CONTROLCOMMISSION MEETINGSat Animal Care & ControlOct 10 & Nov 14 4 p.m.

CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSEFOR THE ANIMALSat Animal Care & ControlDec 12, 20073-7 p.m.

ANIMAL CAREERSEXPLORER MEETINGS at Animal Care & ControlOct 2 & 16, Nov 6 & 206-7:30 p.m.

ADOPTED IDOLSCALENDAR

SNAP, Spay Neuter Assistance Program is a donation based fund that provides financial assistance to low-incomeresidents of Allen County to help cover the cost of altering a pet. For more information call (260) 427-1244.

� Applicants must be the legal owner of the animal and show verification of need.

� Applicants may apply for assistance for no more than two animals in a five year period.

� Applicants must show proof of current rabies vaccination for each animal.

� A co-pay is required:

— $10 per male cat

— $15 per female cat, or male dog, or female dog weighing less than 89 lbs

— $20 per female dog weighing more than 89 lbs

SPAY NEUTER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

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Biscuit-crunching, treat-munching, four-legged fidos are sittingup and begging to join Walk for Animals 2007 scheduled forSunday, October 7. With pet owners in tow, dogs everywhereare invited to take a 2-mile non-competitive autumn stroll throughFranke Park as a special fundraising event for Animal Care &Control.

Your feet will help us beat animal cruelty and neglect througheducation. Don’t miss this tail-wagging way to celebrate the joysof pet ownership while raising funds that will create a betterfuture for animals. With or without a pet, you’ll have a dog-gonegreat time and make a difference for animals that are counting onyou.

Brochures and pledge sheets are available at Animal Care &Control, local veterinary clinics or online at www.fwacc.org.When a business sponsors you with a gift of $100 or more, thebusiness will receive a certificate of appreciation suitable forframing. Businesses interested in vendor and shirt sponsoropportunities should call 427-2590 for more information.

DOG PACK TEAMSAny group of four or more walkerscan form a Dog Pack. Organizefriends, family, co-workers, or anyfavorite group. Name your pack,choose a leader, and take on thespirit of the day, raising money to pre-vent animal neglect and suffering.

Dog Pack members need to:• Pre-register $8.00• Separately check-in upon arrival• Separately turn in $25.00 or more in pledges

Dog Pack members receive:• A shirt based on individual pledges raised• A gift bag• A Dog Pack group photo e-mailed to the pack leader• A chance to win grand prizes based on your individual pledges

Don’t miss the chance to double your fun by wearing coordinat-ing Dog Pack gear or by carrying a banner to identify your pack!

WALK FOR ANIMALS 2007

Schedule of Walk forAnimals Events:

SEPT 28, 2007:

Pre-registrations due: $8 per individual or $20 per family.

• All participants must register and turn in a minimum of $25 per individual walker or $100 per family.

• A family is limited to five residing in the same household with no more than 2 adults. Children are age 17 or under.

• A child under age 14 may register and collect pledges as an individual and have one adult chaperone that registers, but is exempt from collecting pledges.

OCT 7, 2007:

Walk Day – All donations should be turned in at the walk.

• 12:30 p.m. Vendor booths open, walkers check-in, monies turned in.

• 2:00 p.m. Walk starts, led by media sponsors and Dog Pack Teams.

• 3:00 p.m. Refreshments, prizes, and more.

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WALK FOR ANIMALS 2007 - PLEDGE FORMPre-registration is encouraged - Checks payable to Animal Care & Control, Education Dept.

______________________________________________________________________________________Name

______________________________________________________________________________________Address

______________________________________________________________________________________City ST Zip

Sponsor Address Zip Paid

A minimum of $25 in pledges is required to participate. GRAND TOTAL

Mr/Mrs J Bowser 2259 Persian Court 46800 $20