Quarterly Newsletter Fall 2004 Issue Number 11
Second Chance Animal Sanctuaries
PO Box 293 Wellsboro, PA 16901
570-724-7919 570-724-4077
SECOND GLANCES
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Quarterly Newsletter Fall 2004 Issue Number 11 |
No Excuses
I just received a new pet catalog that contains just about everything necessary to keep our pets healthy, well-trained, safe and welcome in our neighborhood. With the many different and varied types of training aids there doesn't seem to be any excuse for allowing a dog to bark uncontrollably. With the many new types of "invisible fencing" (fences up to 25 acres) and other remote training collars (ranges up to 150 yards) there isn't any excuse for letting your dog invade your neighbor's domain. If you own an outdoor cat you can now help save the wild bird and animal population by having your cat wear a collar with a bell. The new cat collars are designed to stretch or breakaway if they become entangled in a fence or brush.
There isn't any excuse for allowing your dog or cat to be hungry or thirsty when you are gone away because now there are new time-release pet food and water dispensers (up to 5 feedings a day and 96 hours). With all the new training aids we don't have an excuse for letting our pets do things to aggravate us and make them a less-loved member of our household. There are new innovations that will keep our cats from unwanted scratchings and our dogs from soiling the new sofa or carpet. We can now use special scented pads to make housebreaking a new puppy a much easier task.
Even when we feel like spoiling our pets by giving them extra treats, biscuits or bones there isn't any excuse for not giving them "healthy snacks". Many 'Made in the USA' snacks are now made of healthy ingredients. One catalog example is a blended beef bone that is 50% real carrots.
Dogs can now have a safety harness (seatbelt) for riding in automobiles and it's much simpler now to tell if your dog is sick by using the new pet digital ear thermometer.
Going by the number of pages the catalog has devoted to pet clothing--we just don't have any excuse for a poorly dressed pet. The catalog has everything in it from a tux complete with top hat to waterproof fleece boots, fleece sweaters and waterproof parkas.
Last, but certainly not least, we haven't any excuse for our pet not getting a good night's sleep, because the renowned mattress maker Simmons now makes Simmons' Orthocare controlled support dual foam pet bed.
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Dear friends,
As we wade through the continual deluge of rain and mud, Fall arrives soon and Second Chance is, as usual, tending to countless calls from people finding themselves with motherless kitten litters, stray dogs, stray cats, etc. We have been successful with finding foster homes or adoptive homes for a number of these calls, but it becomes quite disheartening when I talk on the phone with yet another 'victim' of an animal dropped off in his/her yard. Our hearts go out to these people who take the time and compassion to provide care for these unfortunate creatures and make the effort of contacting us to try to find a better life for these animals. Of course, the animals are the true victims, and we continue to follow our mission of providing for a positive, nurturing home for as many as we can. It becomes more and more imminent each day for us to obtain as little as a few acres of land with which to begin to build a facility. We have faith that this will happen in time, and we continue to 'march on' doing what we can. We are making a difference!
On a different note, our summer activities were very positive as we appeared at various festivals throughout the months and increased our list of memberships and foster homes. W currently have several generous foster homes temporarily taking care of animals whose owners cannot care for them at this time as well as a few who are 'fostering' motherless kitten litters who each need to find a home soon! A few of us attended a Pet Adoptathon near Berwick, PA where we were able to talk with those active in other parts of the state, gathering tidbits and useful information as well as acquiring more contacts for the future. The Adoptathon idea is one that we may pursue in the future.
Three teenage girls in Tioga, PA who had learned of our activities and wanted to assist our cause also pleasantly surprised us. They placed donation cans throughout their community, held a pet food drive, and plan to hold a school dance to benefit our organization. They even gave themselves the name 'Second Chance Teens'! It truly means a great deal to us when youth become involved and share in the compassion toward our furry friends. They are the future of animal welfare, and we feel blessed to have these girls on our side!
Our various programs--GrandPaws, Coins for Critters, Cartridge Recycling, and H.O.P.E--have continued benefiting animals and their owners in various situations. (For more info on these programs, please visit our website listed on Page 1.) These programs are funded through donations of food, money and time from members and other supporters.
Thank you once again for your support, and as usual, we are always open to any suggestions, volunteers to man booths, dog biscuit bakers, craft makers, etc. You are always welcome to attend any of our board meetings. They are held on the second Tuesday of each month. Please call (570) 724-7919 for more information.
Sue Cook, President
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Summer
Memberships
Janette & Ed Hicks Larry & Barbara Biddison Judy & Frank Coole Nancy Harman & Terry Bryant Jacqueline Knaus Linda Lane Bev & Bill McKnight Jackie West
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Summer Donations Courtney Hughes Paige Hughes Kelsey Kaufmann Steve Worthington Larry & Barbara Biddison Bev & Bill McKnight Nancy Harman & Terry Bryant Pine Creek Decorative Artists
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| Hi! My name is Babe. I live with a very nice lady who loves me bunches. One day she got sick and had to go into the hospital, so our neighbor took me to this place that had lots of dogs. She left me there and told me it was Doggy Day Camp, and as soon as my owner got better I*d be coming home. They have been taking very good care of me. I like seeing all the other dogs and people but I missed my owner very much. One day a nice lady and her husband from Second Chance Animal Sanctuaries asked me if I wanted to go for a ride in the car. They took me to a place that had lots of people walking around and lots more people in beds. Then I saw my owner! I was so happy! The nice lady who took me for a ride in the car told me we were at the Green Home. My owner was so happy to see me, she petted and petted me and I even sat on her bed with her. The nice lady told me we had to leave so my owner could get some rest. We went for a ride in the car again and went back to Doggy Day Camp. She told me that as soon as my owner was feeling better I could go back home with her. I like it at Doggy Day Camp but I can*t wait until my owner gets better so I can go back home with her! |
Kasey's Kat Kolony
2003. The goals of a feral cat
colony are to control the population and to improve the health and quality of
life of the colony cats by implementing the Trap/Neuter/Release program.
The Trap/Neuter/Release or TNR program has been proven more effective than euthanasia. Organizations that use the TNR program in the city find that when the cats were euthanized, in a matter of months a new colony would form in place of the destroyed animals. But when the colony was sterilized, the population number stayed the same. TNR works like this: all the cats are humanely trapped in a box trap (either over time or in one mass trapping) and taken to a vet as soon as possible to receive rabies and distemper shots and to be neutered or spayed. The vet will usually keep the animal over night for recovery and the next day the animal is released back to its home. In order for the TNR program to work and for the colony to survive, the colony must be maintained by someone who feeds and waters the cats at least once a day and ensures that the cats have adequate shelter.
Every issue of our newsletter will give a new "chapter" in the life of this cat colony, which we have endearingly named "Kasey's Kat Kolony".
"When I first discovered the colony I didn't realize that there were so many cats or that they weren't anyone's pets. All the kitties are either all black or black and white and it is hard to tell sometimes whether you are looking at the same cat or not.
I knew the first step in helping these critters would be to start feeding and watering them everyday. Every morning before work I take a bucket of food and a gallon jug of water and fill up three different food and three water dishes scattered about their living area. Most days, the cats eat about five pounds of dry cat food a day. I was purchasing a 20-pound bag of cat food every four or five days. However, Second Chance started supplying the money for the food and now the SPCA is providing us with any surplus that they have donated.. I supplement their diet with a treat of canned food once a week. The feeding became very difficult during the winter. The cats knew that their water would freeze fast and most would come out to get a drink as soon as I put the water in the dish. I had to keep getting new water dishes because once the dish froze it usually cracked and was no longe r any good. I did find a water dish called a 'solar sipper' that is supposed to absorb the sunshine and help stop the water from freezing, unfortunately, that only works to about 20 degrees, any colder and that freezes also. It is very sad to go up in the morning and see little paw marks in the center of the bowl where they dug aside the ice to get a drink.
In addition, during the winter the snow would get pretty deep and I thought (I don't know if this is true or not) that maybe the kitties could retain more body heat if they didn't have to walk through deep, wet snow. So I would take a shovel up the road and shovel paths from where they were sleeping to their food and water dishes. I also took up some hay and stuffed it around areas that I knew they were staying in to try to block out wind and make a warm bed."
To Be Continued.........
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Rainbow Bridge | |
Just
this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet
goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and
play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and
comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those
who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember
them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss
someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and
looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers.
Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs
carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you
cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses
rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once
more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never
absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
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During the past three months Second
Chance Animal Sanctuaries has |
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Fragile Circle
"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan."
Irving Townsend
Letters of Complaint
Dear Master:
The cat is despicable. She doesn't do any tricks and never
comes when you call and I've been there and I know she can hear you. We need to
face facts: It's time to get rid of the cat. Before the cat's arrival, meals
were very festive times. I would sit and stare attentively at your lips,
trembling slightly and drooling. You would play the game of pretending to be
cross and demand that I leave the area, but whenever you cooked dinner your
children would slip me food under the table. Now, though, the cat is allowed to
jump on the table - actually physically walk on the table! You don't yell at the
cat, you just pick her up and put her back on the floor, and I know you don't
see it, but she always gives me a haughty look as she walks past me.
And speaking of meals, I have always been satisfied to eat the gritty pellets of meat byproducts you bring home in the giant bags, right? Have I ever once, ever, failed to finish a meal? But now I find out that the cat is being served lobster and salmon and crab - and she never consumes all of it! This means there are little containers of delectable snacks lying around and how can I be blamed for making sure they get eaten? Why do you get so mad? As long as the pet food is going to the pets, isn't that what's important?
Then there's playtime. I think we can clearly see that I am a big dog, descended from a noble line of hunters accustomed to chasing prey and attacking it. Haven't I nearly managed to take down a few cars as they've driven past the house? The cat is about the size of a squirrel and in my view should behave like one, but when I attempt to chase her, she hunches up and spits at me! This can't be sanitary.
And shouldn't she be declawed? I'm very concerned about the potential for damage to the furniture and my nose. Speaking of sanitation, do you realize that the cat goes to the bathroom in the house? And not in the drinking basins like you do, but in a sandbox in the basement. What are we going to say if some woman brings her baby over to play in the sandbox and the cat has been using it as a toilet? I used to police the thing for you, but you put it up out of my reach for some reason. I'm not the only one who believes the cat is an evil person. Here's a note from the hamster:
| To: Master of the house From: Hamster Subject: Cat Please tell cat to stop staring at me while I work. Signed, Hamster, Department of Rodent Wheels |
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I also tried to get a note from the fish, but apparently it believes that everything happening outside its bowl is some kind of reality-TV show. I don't understand why the cat is allowed up on the bed and I'm not. I am far more cuddly than any stupid cat. I think her purring sounds unhealthy and may be a sign of tuberculosis. And why doesn't she ever get a bath? She smells like saliva from licking her paws - you'd never catch me licking such ridiculous places. I often smell wonderful from rolling in
road kill, yet you give me baths all the time! And speaking of sleeping, sometimes I'll be taking a nap and she'll come right up and lie down beside me. Usually I'm too tired to do anything about it, but then later the other dogs smell her on me and crack a lot of jokes at my expense.
So, not to exaggerate, but the cat has brought the family to complete ruin. I'm sorry I have to be the one to bring it to your attention, but now that I have, I think we can all agree that we should go back to the way it was, when I was the No.1 pet.
Yours truly,
The Dog
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Editors Note : At the time of this printing we have not received a
rebuttal from the cat
If we do we will gladly print it in a future issue
