Its spring time, and are we ever busy. There has been a steady flow of traffic here for the past couple of weeks. Today alone, we took in 7 litters of kittens from Farmington Animal shelter, as well as 3 dogs. The kittens are all to young to be adopted, so they have been sent out to foster homes. Look for us to have lots of kittens available for adoption by the end of this month.
Some very special dogs have been adopted in the past few days as well. Patton, the big Pit mix who was suffering from a terrible case of mange, has finally gotten his forever home. I want to especially thank the medical staff here for all the hard work they put in on Patton. When he arrived, he had almost no hair left, and was really in bad shape. Great job everyone for getting him over his mange, and getting him adopted.
Also new around here is the thrift store remodel. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to get over there and check it out. IJst as a reminder to everyone, the proceeds from thrift store sales directly benefit the animals here at the shelter. Without that revenue, we would not be able to help all the animals that we do.
I should also remind all of you that this Saturday is our annual meeting. If you are a member of LPCHS, please come out this Saturday at 10am to vote on new board members, and here the reports from the directors of each department.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Smile On A Dog
Just a quick note before the weekend. We are bursting at the seams with dogs, as is just about every shelter in the four corners. If you have been thinking of adding a new member to your pack, now would be a great time to do it. We have many great dogs here at LPCHS, and some of those dogs are Pit Bulls. Dont be afraid, and if you don't believe me check out the picture below.
Looks pretty scary to me.
If you like what you read, please consider following this blog.
Have a great weekend.
If you like what you read, please consider following this blog.
Have a great weekend.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Lookin for some help
So I have already failed in my commitment to do one of these every week. That means that you get two this week, and I will get back on track next week. This one is going to be short and sweet. Stay tuned for the second one which I will hit the publish button on Thursday. It will make you laugh.
For this blog post, I need to make a request. As many of you know, we are preparing to build a dog play yard. This will be a place where large groups of our shelter dogs can go outside and be dogs.They will be able to run and play, and even take a little splash in the water on nice days. At some point we may even have it available for use by the public after hours.
The play yard will have a concrete walking path ( so staff and volunteers can get around ), agility equipment including a tunnel, and even a water feature. It will provide an area where potential adopters, can see the dogs as they are going to be at home, not how they are in a kennel with 50 other dogs barking. We are also planning on having a web cam that broadcasts the play yard all over so you can all watch the dogs while you are supposed to be working. Sounds great right?
Here is where you come in. Many of you have already helped to fund this project by attending last years Bark & Wine fundraiser. In fact, nearly 25,000 was raised for the project. That is fantastic, but I want to make this play yard something the whole community can be proud of, and that is going to cost money. What Im asking of you, is for a little assistance. Sure, you can donate money to help fund the project, but what I really need is favors.If any of you know of contractors who can do the dirt work, the plumbing, the concrete, or landscaping, who really love animals, then let them know about this project. Maybe they would be willing to give us a deal on the labor, or even donate their services. Thanks for the time, and if you know anyone who might be able to help, have them call me here at the shelter.
For this blog post, I need to make a request. As many of you know, we are preparing to build a dog play yard. This will be a place where large groups of our shelter dogs can go outside and be dogs.They will be able to run and play, and even take a little splash in the water on nice days. At some point we may even have it available for use by the public after hours.
The play yard will have a concrete walking path ( so staff and volunteers can get around ), agility equipment including a tunnel, and even a water feature. It will provide an area where potential adopters, can see the dogs as they are going to be at home, not how they are in a kennel with 50 other dogs barking. We are also planning on having a web cam that broadcasts the play yard all over so you can all watch the dogs while you are supposed to be working. Sounds great right?
Here is where you come in. Many of you have already helped to fund this project by attending last years Bark & Wine fundraiser. In fact, nearly 25,000 was raised for the project. That is fantastic, but I want to make this play yard something the whole community can be proud of, and that is going to cost money. What Im asking of you, is for a little assistance. Sure, you can donate money to help fund the project, but what I really need is favors.If any of you know of contractors who can do the dirt work, the plumbing, the concrete, or landscaping, who really love animals, then let them know about this project. Maybe they would be willing to give us a deal on the labor, or even donate their services. Thanks for the time, and if you know anyone who might be able to help, have them call me here at the shelter.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Pit saves the day and her family
Pit Bulls, one of the most misunderstood breed of dogs in the world. In a loving home with proper training and socialization, they are awesome. In the wrong hands they can be awful to deal with and even dangerous. They have been banned from certain cities, crucified by the media, and tortured and trained to fight by others. We have all heard the horror stories, and seen the images, and as dog lovers it sickens us. In the shelter even the best of them tend to linger here because of these images and stereotypes.
What we don't hear enough of is the good things about them. How they are one of the smartest and most loyal breeds, and how they were once considered America's dog. In the 1800's they were called "nanny dogs" because they were left to look after children while the parents worked the farm.Although I don't own one, I have seen hundreds come through these doors over the years. Most of them were great dogs, and many of them were some of my favorites.There was April Mae, Bently, Guido, Pongo, and many many more. Good dogs all of them.
Today, I stumbled onto a news story about a Pit Bull named Baby. While the story is one that has been told many times, and involving many other breeds, this one is about a Pit Bull and deserves to be passed on. If you follow the link below you will see what a four legged hero looks like. If you like the story, please pass on this post to everyone you know.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/bizarre&id=8993492
Hope you enjoy it.
What we don't hear enough of is the good things about them. How they are one of the smartest and most loyal breeds, and how they were once considered America's dog. In the 1800's they were called "nanny dogs" because they were left to look after children while the parents worked the farm.Although I don't own one, I have seen hundreds come through these doors over the years. Most of them were great dogs, and many of them were some of my favorites.There was April Mae, Bently, Guido, Pongo, and many many more. Good dogs all of them.
Today, I stumbled onto a news story about a Pit Bull named Baby. While the story is one that has been told many times, and involving many other breeds, this one is about a Pit Bull and deserves to be passed on. If you follow the link below you will see what a four legged hero looks like. If you like the story, please pass on this post to everyone you know.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/bizarre&id=8993492
Hope you enjoy it.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Breaking the Silence
I made two resolutions for 2013. The first was to curb my evil ways and start eating healthier and lose weight. So far so good, I have lost around 15 pounds. My second resolution was to break the silence of this blog and commit to writing at least one time per week. Well it is now February 7th and it has taken until today for me to get some writing in. I cant say that every post will be groundbreaking or even interesting, but I am committed to do one a week from here on out this year.
To start off with, I want to let you know some great news about our 2012 stats. In 2012 the shelter received a total of 2895 animals as compared to 2820 in 2011. We were able to return 597 of those animals to their owners, a 10% increase over 2011. Adoptions were increased by 5% to a total 1815, and the number transferred to other facilities was 238. These numbers add up to the most important stat of all; the Live Release Rate or LRR.
The LLR is the number by which all open admission shelters ( we here at LPCHS are an open admission shelter ) are graded. This number is the percentage of animals that were adopted, transferred or returned to owner based on the total of incoming animals. Our goal every year is 100% live release rate. This number is of course nearly impossible to achieve. That would require that every animal that came through the doors was healthy and adoptable. Sadly this inst the case at all. In fact some of the animals we receive are to dangerous to people and other animals, and or to ill for are medical staff to cure.
The good news is, that our LRR was fantastic in 2012. For dogs the LRR was an outstanding 96%, while the LRR for cats was a record of 89%. This due to the hard work of staff and volunteers here at the shelter, and the generous support of this community. Compared to other shelters in the region we are head and shoulders above the rest. One nearby shelter has an LRR of around 35%, while still another is barely above 50%. These numbers may be a bit depressing, but take heart. Last year we were able to transfer in 367 animals from some of these surrounding shelters, and this year we hope to transfer in over 500.
Thanks for your continued support and I promise I will write more this year. I'm holding myself to it.
To start off with, I want to let you know some great news about our 2012 stats. In 2012 the shelter received a total of 2895 animals as compared to 2820 in 2011. We were able to return 597 of those animals to their owners, a 10% increase over 2011. Adoptions were increased by 5% to a total 1815, and the number transferred to other facilities was 238. These numbers add up to the most important stat of all; the Live Release Rate or LRR.
The LLR is the number by which all open admission shelters ( we here at LPCHS are an open admission shelter ) are graded. This number is the percentage of animals that were adopted, transferred or returned to owner based on the total of incoming animals. Our goal every year is 100% live release rate. This number is of course nearly impossible to achieve. That would require that every animal that came through the doors was healthy and adoptable. Sadly this inst the case at all. In fact some of the animals we receive are to dangerous to people and other animals, and or to ill for are medical staff to cure.
The good news is, that our LRR was fantastic in 2012. For dogs the LRR was an outstanding 96%, while the LRR for cats was a record of 89%. This due to the hard work of staff and volunteers here at the shelter, and the generous support of this community. Compared to other shelters in the region we are head and shoulders above the rest. One nearby shelter has an LRR of around 35%, while still another is barely above 50%. These numbers may be a bit depressing, but take heart. Last year we were able to transfer in 367 animals from some of these surrounding shelters, and this year we hope to transfer in over 500.
Thanks for your continued support and I promise I will write more this year. I'm holding myself to it.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Help Us Build a Play Yard
If you haven't heard yet, our annual fundraiser, The Bark & Wine, is coming up on Saturday October 20th. This years event will be highlighted by guest speaker Sergeant Major David Dantzler and his dog Iram, whom he rescued while on a combat tour in Iraq. Aside from this heartwarming story, the focus of the event is to raise money to benefit the animals we care for here at the shelter. Each year we choose a project for the shelter that we need help funding, and the proceeds from the event go to doing just that. In the last two years we have funded the remodeling of our cattery, and our dog isolation unit as the focus for funds raised at the Bark & Wine event.
This year, we hope to raise money for behavior modification and training for the animals in our care. You will have to attend the event to hear the whole plan, but the main focus will be to raise money for the building of a multi dog play yard.. This play yard will provide a place where as many as 20 dogs may be playing at one time. A chance for them to relieve kennel stress, and improve social skills prior to adoption. Many other shelters are using these yards to increase adoptions, and provide much needed stress relief for the dogs they care for. Here at LPCHS, we like to stay current with best practices in the sheltering world, and a multi dog play yard will help keeping us on the cutting edge. Most importantly it will help all the wonderful dogs who come through our doors, especially those who need more time to work out the behavioral kinks they may have come with.
The play yard is going to cost us over 15,000 dollars. A few days ago, one of our supporters called me with an offer to help. She said that she wanted to start a pre event pledge drive to get this play yard built. She has graciously offered to do a matching donation of up to 1,000 dollars. So Im asking all of you, to help get this play yard built. Lets do this together, and make a play yard here at the shelter, that the whole community can be proud of. Even if you cant give more than 5 dollars, every little bit will hel. Remember she will match every dollar up to the first 1,000 so please give if you can, and please join us at the Bark & Wine on October 20th. follow the link below, to make a donation for the play yard, and thanks for your support of LPCHS.
This year, we hope to raise money for behavior modification and training for the animals in our care. You will have to attend the event to hear the whole plan, but the main focus will be to raise money for the building of a multi dog play yard.. This play yard will provide a place where as many as 20 dogs may be playing at one time. A chance for them to relieve kennel stress, and improve social skills prior to adoption. Many other shelters are using these yards to increase adoptions, and provide much needed stress relief for the dogs they care for. Here at LPCHS, we like to stay current with best practices in the sheltering world, and a multi dog play yard will help keeping us on the cutting edge. Most importantly it will help all the wonderful dogs who come through our doors, especially those who need more time to work out the behavioral kinks they may have come with.
The play yard is going to cost us over 15,000 dollars. A few days ago, one of our supporters called me with an offer to help. She said that she wanted to start a pre event pledge drive to get this play yard built. She has graciously offered to do a matching donation of up to 1,000 dollars. So Im asking all of you, to help get this play yard built. Lets do this together, and make a play yard here at the shelter, that the whole community can be proud of. Even if you cant give more than 5 dollars, every little bit will hel. Remember she will match every dollar up to the first 1,000 so please give if you can, and please join us at the Bark & Wine on October 20th. follow the link below, to make a donation for the play yard, and thanks for your support of LPCHS.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Reflecting on 10 years
Last Month I celebrated my tenth anniversary of coming to work for LPCHS. I'm happy and proud to say that Ive never worked anyplace else this long. The fact is, that I love this place. When I came here, I had no intention of staying more than a year or so. I certainly didn't think Id make a career of it, but that is what it has become. Even more than that, it has gotten in my blood, it is a passion. Im not sure when or how it happened, but somewhere along the line, it did.
Over these ten years, there have been many laughs, and lots of tears, and probably a few words spoken that are not fit for print. Overall the journey has been a great experience. The best part, has been watching the changes that have been made here at our shelter. We have gone from barely keeping our heads above water, to the premiere shelter in the region. We have made euthanizing animals for space, a distant memory. We started a low cost spay/neuter program that has reduced our intake by over 10% in the past 18 months. We have transferred out over 800 dogs through the Petsmart Charities Rescue Waggin program, where they have gone to Boulder to be adopted. We have gone from having just a few foster homes, to well over a hundred. These changes and others, have been tough, but the end results have been so worth the effort, especially for the animals in our care.
To wrap up id like to walk down memory lane a bit, and mention some of the animals and people who have made my time here so great.
Lets start with he dogs. There was Radar, Wing nut, Sarge, and Calvin, German Shepherds all of them, and special for many reasons. Who can forget the mighty Khan, an Anatolian who ruled the roost around here for quite a while. There was Brutis, and Knuckles, and Vinny the Nose. Gila, Pepsi, Paco, Okie, and Bucket. Who can forget big ol Buster, and Old Red, and the notorious little Wagman.
If you know me, than you know I am a dog guy by heart, but there have been lots of cats that have stuck in my memory. At the top of the list would be none other than Tilly. She was an 18 pound white cat whose attitude was less than stellar. One day I discovered that Tilly loved nothing more in life than playing ping pong. Every morning for the next 3 months, we would bat the ping pong ball around the room until she was adopted. There was Samurai, And Chester both large orange tabby's. I remember Snizzlefritz, and Fat Jack as well as Leo, Monster and my old friend Cosmo.
As for the people, there are to many to mention all, without leaving some out. Instead I will just say thanks for the memories and all your support. Here is to ten more years, I cant wait to see what we've accomplished in 2022.
Over these ten years, there have been many laughs, and lots of tears, and probably a few words spoken that are not fit for print. Overall the journey has been a great experience. The best part, has been watching the changes that have been made here at our shelter. We have gone from barely keeping our heads above water, to the premiere shelter in the region. We have made euthanizing animals for space, a distant memory. We started a low cost spay/neuter program that has reduced our intake by over 10% in the past 18 months. We have transferred out over 800 dogs through the Petsmart Charities Rescue Waggin program, where they have gone to Boulder to be adopted. We have gone from having just a few foster homes, to well over a hundred. These changes and others, have been tough, but the end results have been so worth the effort, especially for the animals in our care.
To wrap up id like to walk down memory lane a bit, and mention some of the animals and people who have made my time here so great.
Lets start with he dogs. There was Radar, Wing nut, Sarge, and Calvin, German Shepherds all of them, and special for many reasons. Who can forget the mighty Khan, an Anatolian who ruled the roost around here for quite a while. There was Brutis, and Knuckles, and Vinny the Nose. Gila, Pepsi, Paco, Okie, and Bucket. Who can forget big ol Buster, and Old Red, and the notorious little Wagman.
If you know me, than you know I am a dog guy by heart, but there have been lots of cats that have stuck in my memory. At the top of the list would be none other than Tilly. She was an 18 pound white cat whose attitude was less than stellar. One day I discovered that Tilly loved nothing more in life than playing ping pong. Every morning for the next 3 months, we would bat the ping pong ball around the room until she was adopted. There was Samurai, And Chester both large orange tabby's. I remember Snizzlefritz, and Fat Jack as well as Leo, Monster and my old friend Cosmo.
As for the people, there are to many to mention all, without leaving some out. Instead I will just say thanks for the memories and all your support. Here is to ten more years, I cant wait to see what we've accomplished in 2022.
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