The Official Newsletter of the Alliance for Responsible Pet Ownership
June 2001
News from the Adoption Front
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The Official Newsletter of the Alliance for Responsible Pet Ownership
June 2001
News from the Adoption Front |
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The call came in on the phone line. A litter of eight puppies that someone wanted to get rid of. Board member Linda Coyne agreed to have ARPO take the puppies as long as the mom dog was spayed. When it was confirmed that the caller didn’t have the means to pay for the spay, Linda quickly offered ARPO resources. Two days later, a board member went to pick up the pups and was greeted by a sight that made her cringe. Mom was attached to a section of privacy fence by a four-foot chain. She could not reach the dog house that was available for her and the pups. Dog food, which had been thrown on a concrete pad without a bowl, was trampled into feces, which was everywhere. No water bowl was in sight. The puppies were lethargic and their coats were covered in something oily. At the last minute, the owner wanted to keep one pup and wanted to know if we would pay to have their “mean” dog (staked out behind their garage) neutered.
The pups were rushed to the vet, who confirmed that they were extremely anemic due to intestinal parasites and were covered in kerosene! Worse yet, they had ingested the kerosene. These little guys were kept at the vet’s office for a week before being pronounced fit. However, even after three bathes, their skin was still secreting kerosene. Only time would cure that.
Three weeks from the time they were picked up, all pups were safe in loving new homes. ARPO worked with Animal Control in Hancock County to force the owners to clean up their dog area and to bring their pets up to date on vaccinating.
Thanks to the phone line and your generosity, we were there for Pixie, Trixie,
Ranger, Rex, Archer, Eddie, and Magnum.
Through the end of May, ARPO board members have answered 546 calls for assistance through our phone line. Most calls are for help in placing a family pet or stray that was found. Some of these cats and dogs found their way into the ARPO system, if space was available in our foster care, or were listed on our adoption website. Other calls were directed to resources such as breed rescue groups and no-kill shelters. Perhaps most gratifying are those callers who are able to keep their pets in their homes after receiving behavioral advice from our board members.
We also answer calls for information on feral cat colonies and spay/ neuter programs. The phone line is one the few overhead costs ARPO has, but one of the most important because it allows us to talk one-on-one with people who have animals in need.
June through August are our busiest months of the year, which means our vet bills skyrocket. We need your help! The animals we care for generally come from neglectful backgrounds. We rarely get by with just updating shots. Usually, adult cats and dogs need to be spayed or neutered, wormed, treated for fleas and ticks, and groomed. Often there are other, more severe problems, such as eye wounds, mange or ringworm, abscessed teeth, ear infections, heartworm, and stomach ailments. Adoption fees just do not cover the costs of veterinary care. Your past support has made it possible to help many of Indy’s most vulnerable pets. If you can send a donation today, we will be able to help even more dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens.
q Towels (new or used)
q Iams kitten food
q Iams puppy food
q Cat litter
q Dog beds (all sizes)
Items may be dropped off at Petsmart on Saturdays from 12-4 p.m.
Our first garage sale of the season was a big success, netting us almost $600. Thank you to board member Debbie Haynes, who hosted the sale, as well as the following volunteers: Bea Boxley, Tracy Wilkerson, Stephanie Clancy, Sandi Grove, Kathleen Garrett, Kathy McKeen, Jennifer Churchill, and Tammy6 Layton.
Our next sale will be August 11. If you have items you want to donate, if you are interested in helping out (setting up beforehand), working during, or cleaning up after the sale), or for more information, please call the ARPO phone line at 774-8292.
June 22, 23, and 24 is the annual PetsMart Adoptathon. We will have extended hours at the Castleton store and will also be at the West 86th Street store on Saturday. Come adopt one of our wonderful cats and dogs.
If you would like to join our volunteer and foster home ranks, please let us know! We will have adoptions every Saturday, noon to 4 pm throughout the summer at the Castleton PetsMart. In addition, at least one Saturday a month we will be at the Michigan Rd. and 86th St. PetsMart – also from noon to 4 p.m. All current volunteers will receive a mailing or e-mail with details. You can also check our website.
We can use your help with holding the dogs, playing with the puppies and kittens, setting up the cages for the cats, brushing our adoptable animals, talking with the public, and a variety of other tasks as part of an adoption event.
We have been invited to participate in the Zionsville Fall Festival. We will have a table and may be able to bring some of our adoptable dogs. The event is scheduled for September 8th and 9th. The event runs from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday the 8th and noon until 5 pm on Sunday the 9th.
And, as always, we have more requests for help than we can handle due to limited foster space. Please consider opening your heart and home to and extra dog or cat, puppy or kitten – on a temporary basis – and help ARPO give an animal in need a chance at a new, loving home.
If you can help with any volunteer activity or would like more information about being a part of our foster program, call ARPO at 317-774-8292.
Are you looking to add a companion animal to your family? ARPO has many wonderful adult cats and dogs waiting for you. Log onto www.adoptarpo.org for pictures and stories of our fantastic pets (don’t forget to click on the banners that support ARPO). You may also call our phone line for more information.
Adoptions through May 31, 2001:
55 DOGS
Socks was pregnant when her owners moved and left her behind to fend for herself. For a while, she survived by living under a deck and scrounging food from the neighbors. Finally, someone called ARPO, and Socks was allowed to have her babies in the security of a home. Unfortunately, Socks and her kittens had ringworm, and it took many months of baths and medication to clear it up. All of the kittens found good homes, and it seemed to be Socks’ turn, but there was a setback. Socks was diagnosed with irritable bowel disease (IBD). Although she still has this condition, a special type of food controls most of the problem. She is currently in a home with another cat and a dog. But Socks is not terribly fond of the dog and should probably be in a “cats only” home. As her name implies, Socks has four white feet. She also has a white bib and the rest is a light gray tiger-stripe. She is quite beautiful, very regal, and exceptionally friendly. Looking into her large, expressive eyes, you can almost hear her ask, “Will you be my family?” Please call today.
Reminder: Please renew your animal membership or donate to ARPO in order to stay on our mailing list. Since our last newsletter, a number of you have been gracious enough to renew or donate. Due to rising postal costs, we must hear from you or we will need to delete you from our mailing list. And if you have an e-mail address, let us know! E-mail is a great way for us to keep you up-to-date on ARPO happenings without postage or printing expenses.
We’re thrilled to announce that 9 out of 10 kittens we reported on in the last newsletter have found new homes. They were found abandoned in a duplex in February. Only the mom cat, now known as Boots, is still looking for a new home. Please visit her picture on our website or call for more information.
“Herman hissed when he saw Samantha for the first time. He has been an ‘only child’ for 2 months now and he felt his position threatened.
Herman came into my apartment when he was 6 weeks old, a little gray extra
energetic kitten with the loudest purring I have ever heard. I couldn’t keep up
with him and felt bad he was alone all day long; each day I had to trick him not
to follow me to the car, so I decided to find a little partner for him.
I met Samantha at the end of November in the vet’s office. She had a lot of health problems, the latest being ringworm. She was really pretty—a long haired, orange, brown, and white tabby, shy and sweet. I signed the adoption papers and waited until she would be released to go home. It proved to be a long wait. . . at some point I was afraid I’d never get her, but finally two weeks ago I brought her home to Herman.
My vet recommended keeping them separated, which worked for a week or so; then I broke down and let them meet. Herman got over his initial jealousy and now they are chasing each other through the apartment, wrestling and competing for my attention. At first, Herman was a bit reserved with me, waiting to see if I would spoil Samantha more than him. But since there’s room for all three of us on the couch, he curls happily next to Sam and starts his purr motor louder than ever. Sam gained half a pound in two weeks, and there’s no sign of ringworm. She is not shy anymore; she’s developed an appetite for corn on the cob and has taken over the house.
My thanks go to Herman and Samantha’s foster moms, Kim and Stephanie, to Debbie who helped me find my two kittens, and to ARPO for rescuing them.
Post Office Box 6385, Fishers, IN 46038
317-774-8292
www.adoptarpo.org
adoptarpo@hotmail.com