Humanely Speaking Bangor Humane Society Newsletter Fall/Winter 2013 We Give Thanks By: Renee Ordway Like so many of you, the Bangor Humane the unwanted pet population. Thank you! Features Society uses this time of year to count our Several businesses in outlying areas wel- blessings and give thanks to the countless peo- come our Cats On Tour van on a regular ba- We Give Thanks ple, agencies and organizations that help en- sis providing us with an opportunity to reach sure that thousands of homeless and needy out to the people in those communities who Another Mega Success animals from our area find new paths and new may otherwise not be able to make a trip to homes every year. our Bangor shelter. Many cats get their sec- Raising the Woof! These lives would not be saved if not for the ond chance because of your generosity. commitment from our adopters, our donors, Thank you! Unexpected Gratitude our volunteers, and our cheerleaders. To the thirty-eight towns that work with us While saying thank you can’t begin to ex- to reunite pets with their owners or bring us press the level of our gratitude, it is what we the lost and abandoned pets from those In Every Issue want to do in this newsletter. towns. Our partnership with each is critical to So far this Fiscal Year, over 1,600 of you our mission. Thank you! From the Staff have chosen adoption and have become part It is impossible to overstate the importance of the BHS family through adoption. You of our donors - big and small. The level of Ask the Vet have adopted abandoned puppies and kittens, your commitment to this organization is truly healthy dogs and cats, and our treasured senior priceless. It takes a lot of money to save as Paws for Thought pets. Thank you! many lives as we do and to make sure that ne hundred of you have volunteered these animals get the care they deserve while Shelter Highlights/Events over 2,500 hours of your time. You they are with us. Whether you are donating O have emptied litter boxes, walked blankets, food, toys or money, your dona- From Purrs to Tail Wags dogs on the coldest of mornings, fed, watered, tions make it all happen. Thank you! cuddled, and cared for the animals residing at Seven hundred of you gathered together Our Guiding Principles BHS. Thank you! with us on the Bangor Waterfront in October There are 50 foster families that have nur- to joyfully celebrate our mission and our ani- tured over 250 of our most vulnerable animals mals through Paws on Parade. It is our larg- Our Mission to provide them with safe and comfortable est fundraiser of the year and your participa- The Bangor Humane Society places to rehabilitate, nurse their young, and tion not only helps reach our goals finan- champions the humane learn good manners so they too could get their cially but it bolsters our spirits. Thank you! treatment and adoption of second chance. Thank you! The media organizations that help us tell companion animals, provides quality care for homeless pets, We have several off-site partners that allow Continued to “Thanks” on page 5 and promotes animal welfare us to bring some of our adoptable pets into through education and their stores and businesses so we can increase advocacy. our adoption opportunities. Thank you! So many of you have generously chosen to Bangor Humane Society give to us through kennel or annual event 693 Mt. Hope Ave. sponsorships. Without your ongoing support, Bangor, ME 04401 the BHS could not continue to provide the 207.942.8902 www.bangorhumane.org level of service it does to the pets that come through our doors every day. Thank you! Visit us on Facebook! Our very, very busy veterinarians who, de- www.facebook.com/BangorHumane spite their many obligations, continue to give us their time and expertise to keep our pets BHS is proud to feed our pets healthy and to provide spay and neuter ser- Hill’s Science Diet food! vices so that we can do our part to decrease 2 From the Staff Working at BHS, I am thankful for: “...my co-workers. We’re like a family. Some days are hard and we even fight like family, but we’re always there for each other, pushing one another to do our very best and save more lives.” ~Kristin Hours of Operation “… being able to do important daily hands on care with animals.” ~Cody Monday — Friday: 12:00 p.m.– 6:00 p.m. Saturday 10:00 a.m.– 6:00 p.m. “...getting hands on learning in animal care and for experi- encing the reward of changing one animal’s life at a time. Board of Directors Every match made is a life saved.” ~Mariah Emily McIntosh, President “… being a part of each animal’s life while they await their new family.” ~Paulie Amy Faircloth, Vice-President Steve Thomas, Treasurer/Past President “ ...being able to help find wonderful homes for so many animals, including the Lani Naihe, Secretary two amazing pets I’ve adopted from BHS myself.” ~Alicia Anne Marie Storey, Past President David Cloutier, DVM “... the cute, fuzzy animals I get to work with every day.” ~Aron Shirar Patterson Bob Williams “… our foster care program that helps save so many kittens and Renee Ordway alleviate a huge burden on staff; for afternoon dog walk, -it’s my John Kenney favorite time of day-; and for having a job that isn't about me. It Lanni Moffatt makes me happy and keeps me going.” ~Kimberly Matt Nye Jeff Russell “…working with such compassionate staff and volunteers that are Buddy Angst so dedicated to saving so many lives every day.” ~Brittney Our Staff “...the slow season! And, for getting to work with such dedicated local veterinari- ans who choose to give back to the community through their relationship with Executive Director BHS, helping us save so many lives.” ~Alayne Suzan Bell “… all the awesome staff I get to work with and who made me feel so welcome Shelter Operations Manager when I started.” ~Moriah Chris Young “...being able to experience an 80% adoption rate this past year (the highest in our Office Manager & Bookkeeper agency’s history) all because of the extraordinary support from the community Deborah Hawkins around pet adoption.” ~Chris Director of Development & Public Relations “...dedicated Sunday volunteers who are an integral part of our family.” ~Sarah S. Stacey R. Coventry “...being able to work with fabulous people so dedicated to getting animals into Adoption Counselors loving forever homes.” ~Deborah Brittney, Kristin, Keren, Moriah, Sarah R., Paulie, Alicia “...a dedicated group of staff & volunteers...and the end of kitten season!” ~Suzan Animal Technicians “ ...special donors who fill our immediate needs and truly make a difference. Like Sarah S., Aron, Cody, Mariah, the woman who asked how she could help and then generously donated much Kimberly, Jill needed kitten supplies within hours.” ~Keren Veterinary Technician “...every donor, community partner, volunteer, staff, adopter, and Alayne Newton Paws participant who join us in helping make matches and save lives every single day!” ~Stacey Foster Care Coordinator Kimberly Patterson “… being able to start each work day with happy, wagging tails!” ~Sarah R. Volunteer Coordinator “...snuggling kittens on a bad day.” ~Jill Brittney Littlefield 3 Your Donor Dollars Matter... Another Mega Success! Highlights from the Second ASPCA Mega Match-a-Thon Event By: Kristin Harmon We celebrated our Second Annual and “it’s a perfect match.” ASPCA Mega Match-A-Thon on Octo- Making matches like Chico’s would not be possible with- ber 18th, 19th, and 20th. We are so thank- out the support of our amazing community. We are thankful ful for the outpouring of support, the to have wonderful media outlets (WABI, WFVX, and number of adoptions reached, the won- WKIT ) that help promote our mission by not only talking derful long-term residents that found about our Match-A-Thon, but who also partner with us to equally wonderful owners, and being highlight a weekly Pet of the Week. It all makes a difference. able to team up with other shelters and Mike Dow from Kiss 94.5 was onsite for the event to host a media outlets to help save more lives. live remote. He did a wonderful job in helping create an ex- This year, the ASPCA generously citing atmosphere and inviting the public to the event. gave us a $7,500 grant to help us with Additionally, we were happy to team up with the Old A lucky adopter finds her purrrfect match! our expenses during the Match-A-Thon. Town Animal Orphanage who brought 19 cats with them for The funding support allowed us not adoption at the event. All 19 cats were adopted in less than only market the event to the masses, but also helped us pro- eight hours! vide every animal with a collar and ID tag, a microchip, a The ASPCA Match-A-Thon was a statewide event as the medical exam, spay/neuter surgery, and vaccinations! We Greater Androscoggin Humane Society participated simulta- were also able to lower our adoption fees, while keeping all of neously, inviting local southern and central shelters to their our adoption policies and screening in tact to adopt each ani- site location for the event. It is evident that partnering and mal out into a loving new home. working together indicatively helps save more lives. We are A whopping total of 125 animals found homes during the grateful and delighted that we were able to help each other three day event! One of the first matches made was with a achieve the same common goal of saving more lives! staff favorite and long-term resident canine named Chico.