Animals pat life

On the 10th (11th, 12th and one for good measure!) day of Christmas, Animal Friends gave to Icarus, Igor, Idris and Irina four spay/neuter surgeries! These young cats were brought to Animal Friends through our Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) Program.  The TNR Program is a means of humanely controlling cat populations. Feral cats are trapped using humane box traps, brought back to Animal Friends to be spayed/neutered, vaccinated and ear-tipped by our vet. After they've recovered, the cats are then returned to their colony for continued care by the caretaker.  This is the most humane way to control the problem of cat overpopulation.  Icarus, Igor, Idris and Irina were part of a colony of feral cats and trapped as kittens. They could not have been more lucky! Instead of being returned to their colony, these four got a new lease on life! They instead were admitted by Animal Friends and became four adoptable kittens. Not all feral cats are as lucky as Icarus, Igor, Idris and Irina. Most feral

On the eighth (and ninth!) day of Christmas, Animal Friends gave to Verdana and Tahoma two spay/neuter surgeries! Verdana and Tahoma made their way to Animal Friends through a Humane Investigations case. Their former owners had released these two baby rabbits into the wild to fend for themselves. On that winter night they were rescued, their lives would be forever changed. Not only would these two kits be given a second chance to find a loving, forever home but they’d be given a longer, healthier life because they would be spayed/neutered. Each pet brought into Animal Friends is spayed/neutered before being cleared for adoption. We know spaying/neutering is not only necessary for each pet’s health and well-being but it’s the compassionate, proactive way to combat the pet overpopulation crisis in our region . And, we won't stop with the animals in our care. For more than 20 years, we’ve been committed to ensuring that affordable spay/neuter services are available to every pet owner

On the sixth and seventh days of Christmas Animal Friends gave to Pixel and Honey two spay/neuter surgeries! The need for accessible and affordable spay/neuter programming comes in all shapes and sizes. But one particularly heartwarming story comes to mind. It’s about a client of our community outreach program and her two dogs, Honey and Pixel. But we’ll let the staff member who experienced it firsthand tell you about it … I headed out to a client’s home to pick up a little Chihuahua, Honey, to be brought back to Animal Friends for her spay. As I’m putting Honey into a carrier, I see a small Shih Tzu, Pixel, out of the corner of my eye. The poor guy was covered in mats from nose to tail. It turns out someone had left him on my client’s front porch and tied it to her door. She couldn’t turn her back on Pixel so she took him. She knew he needed help. But no matter how many times she tried to take him to a groomer she couldn’t get him into a carrier. You see little Pixel was in so much pa

On the second (third, fourth and fifth!) day of Christmas Animal Friends gave to Jackie and her kittens four spay/neuter surgeries! This is Cavatelli, Jackie, Rigatoni and Penne. A pregnant Jackie was rescued by a Good Samaritan, Rebecca. Rebecca found Jackie as a pregnant stray and brought her into her home so she could have a safe place to nurse and care for her kittens. Rebecca brought Jackie to Animal Friends to be spayed through our Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Program. As a result, Jackie got us to our goal to spay/neuter at least 10,000 animals in 2013! Not only that, Jackie’s three kittens were our 10,001st, 10,002nd and 10,003rd surgeries of the year! Animal Friends knows that low-cost spay/neuter programming is the only way to proactively relieve the pet overpopulation problem in our region. Jackie and her kittens were lucky to have been found by Rebecca. But not all pets are as fortunate to escape from the abuse, neglect and unwarranted euthanasia of pet overpopulation. But we can’t

  On the first day of Christmas Animal Friends gave to Sugar a spay surgery! Sugar was rescued her from the house next to her current home. Her family noticed their neighbors had moved away but they didn’t take Sugar along. Upon investigating, they found that Sugar was indeed abandoned. She was found tied to a bedpost in the empty house. So they brought her home and intended to find a family for her. But, Sugar quickly worked her way into their hearts and has been with them ever since. So her family brought her to Animal Friends to be spayed through our Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Program. As a result, Sugar got us to our goal to spay/neuter at least 10,000 animals in 2014! Not only did Sugar’s family spay her to give her a longer, healthier life but they also compassionately and proactively ensured Sugar would never contribute a litter or pups to the cold statistics of pet overpopulation. You can provide affordable, high-quality surgeries to those who need them most. Click here to donate n

Since it was such a hit at Halloween, Animal Enrichment Specialist Suzanne was at it again for Thanksgiving with another great set of activities and opportunities to explore for our animals.  First up were our feline residents!   Alphonso decided to go sailing in the Mayflower, finally realizing his dream of being a pilgrim. The Mayflower was a repurposed cardboard box with some catnip sprinkled in the bottom to entice the kitties to explore. Alphonso then spent some quiet time in a teepee. We don’t think he learned how to grow maize but he certainly enjoyed his time relaxing. Our bunny residents got cornhusk leaf piles and lettuce cornucopias to chew and play with over the holiday weekend. Trust us, they were extra thankful! Our shelter dogs moved the activities outdoors, despite a wet weekend.   Dogs like discovering new things and using their noses. Adding something unexpected to their routine mentally stimulates them and builds a more confident pup.  Pools full of colorful toy bal