Yuma considers ban on roadside sale of animals

An ordinance to ban the roadside sale of animals will be introduced at Wednesday's (12/17) meeting of the Yuma City Council. The Humane Society of Yuma strongly advocates passage of the ordinance and urges all Yuma residents to attend the session to show strong support for such an ordinance.
The meeting is at the Yuma City Hall at 5:30pm, Wednesday, December 17.

Humane Society of Yuma invites discussion on animal control issues

The Humane Society of Yuma is hosting a town hall meeting Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at the Yuma Center for the Arts in their Central Gallery from 6pm-7pm to discuss animal control issues in Yuma County. The public is invited to bring their comments, questions, or concerns about laws and policies regarding dogs and cats in our community. “A well-informed community makes for a better community,” states Shawn Smith, Executive Director.

Volunteer Recognition: Cathy Walk

We at the Humane Society of Yuma depend heavily on volunteers to carry out our mission.  We could never hope to give the amount of recognition and praise each and everyone of our volunteers deserve.  We have decided to recognize the best of the best by awarding a Volunteer of the Season  (to be awarded quarterly).  

Our first recipient is Cathy Walk per the recommendation of our departing Director of Development, Elkie Wills. 

For three years, Cathy has been a dedicated weekly volunteer. First, getting cuddly with the cats at PetSmart.  Every week, we could count on Cathy to clean, play and organize the cat room at PetSmart.  After a year and many hugs later, Cathy decided seeing those sweet sad eyes can take a toll on the heart.  She found office work tugged a bit less at her heart strings.   I don't know what I did without her before she started helping in my office.  From thank you's to database input, to making crafts (she likes that one the best) , Cathy has helped me organize and execute on a weekly basis.  Of course, her dedication doesn't end with volunteering.  She is also the proud parent of Zonie (formally a guest at the HSOY).  Zonie hit the jackpot with Cathy and Bob Walk as her new parents and I can say the same for myself.  I hit the jackpot with such a hard working volunteer.  Lots of wags to you Cathy!

New spokeswoman glad to speak out for animals

The November 16th edition of the Yuma Sun

  There's a new voice speaking out for critters in Yuma.

  She's Shanen Aranmor, the new spokeswoman and development director for the Humane Society of Yuma.

  Aranmor says she's always loved cats and dogs and is thrilled for the chance to make a difference in the lives of so many furry friends.

  "I am just so excited. Everyone that knows me says 'This is perfect for you.' I just can't help smiling."

  The Humane Society's executive director, Shawn Smith, celebrated Aranmor's arrival and stressed how sad he is to lose Elkie

Wills, who is moving to San Diego.

  "Shanen was just the perfect candidate. She's articulate. She's passionate," Smith said. "You can tell she's not afraid to just jump right into it all. I think a national search wouldn't have popped up a better candidate."

Read rest of article

1983 Jeep for sale

1983 Jeep CJ-7. This jeep is in great shape and perfect for four-wheel fun of just running around town. The engine is a 4.2 Liter and runs great. The mileage is 139,171. The donor took great care of this jeep and performed meticulous maintenance. So take off the top and enjoy the cool months ahead. $4500 obo

All proceeds to the Humane Society of Yuma.

Interested? email: ssmith@hsoyuma.com
Serious inquiries only please.

Thank you Tacit Pest Control

Thank you to Pete Coronel, owner of Tacit Pest Control, for going above and beyond to keep the pests away from our pets.

HSOY to take pet safety in Heritage Festival's 12 Days of Christmas

During Yuma's 12 Days of Christmas celebration, the Humane Society of Yuma will team up with the Heritage Festivals to provide Yuma’s pets and the parents with a special gift for the season…SAFETY! On December 15, HSOY will be downtown offering a Pet Safety Day to make sure their pets find their way home if they ever stray.

Activities

~Microchipping $20.00
~Pet Tag Engraving $5.00
~Lost Pet Photos $5.00 or no charge with purchase of a tag or microchip.
~Leashes and collars See prices on product
~Pets 911 Information Tips on keeping your pet safe or tips on if they get lost

Thank you Yuma County Team Penning Assoc.

Thank you to the Yuma County Team Penning Association for the generous donation of $1600 made during their 5th Annual Straw Stewart Memorial Team Penning and Ranch Sorting.

Help us reverse the trend of increased euthanasia

As reported in the Yuma Sun, we are fighting a full-scale war to reverse the trend of an increasing trend of the number of unwanted pets must be euthanized, but we cannot win without the full support of the community.

Don't breed or buy while shelter pets die: Adopt. There are so many pets waiting for forever homes here at the shelter, there is no excuse to either buy or breed pets in Yuma. When you purchase pet, you are providing a financial incentive for the breeder to breed another litter. When you breed a litter, no matter how responsible a breeder you are or how thoroughly you screen your clients, every puppy born there is a shelter who must wait one day more here at the shelter and one less empty kennel that would have given another dog another day's reprieve.

Don't litter: Spay/neuter: Every kitten or puppy born either enters our shelter, displaces a shelter pet from a loving home or lives a miserable life on the streets. While the number of pets that we adopt is no doubt important, it pales in comparison to the critical need of spay/neuter.

Giving up needs to be your last option. Giving up needs to be your last option. When a life change or other crisis arises in which surrendering your pet appears to be the only option make sure to do your research for alternatives. Searching the internet for counsel on your particular predicament will provide a wealth of information. "pets and a new baby," "coping with pet allergies," "moving with a pet," etc.

If you decide that the situation can not be rectified, you must understand that there is no a
alternative to surrendering your pet to us. When you consider the suffering and misery the life your pet would lead on the streets or the anguish and almost certain death he or she would face in the desert, the risk of a painless euthanasia is unarguably the better option.

If you want to help us reduce the number of unwanted pets and the number of pets we are forced to euthanize, please consider joining us.

Master craftsman Bob Nalley provides custom-made steps for spay/neuter trailer

Our spay/neuter trailer, located behind our main office, was in desperate need of some steps. So Bob Nalley stepped up to the plate and constructed custom-made steps. Thanks to Bob, low-cost spay/neuter has become even more accessible in Yuma!

Bob Nalley stands behind the steps he crafted for our spay/neuter trailer.

HSOY urges Council to ban roadside sale of animals

The Humane Society of Yuma calls on the public to urge the Yuma City Council to ban the roadside sale of animals.

Last June, HSOY Executive Director Shawn Smith went before the City Council to make the case for the ban.

This Tuesday (August 12), Smith will again address the issue with the Council during a work session.

The roadside sale of puppies not only poses an animal and public health concern but exacerbates the tragic epidemic of pet over-population, the consequences of which we are, sadly, all too familiar with.

We ask all those who to email the City Council in support of the ban (contact information below) and forward this email/posting to others and ask for their support as well.

Council members contact information
· Larry.Nelson@yumaaz.gov
· Ross.Hieb@yumaaz.gov
· Cody.Beeson@yumaaz.gov
· Paul.Johnson@yumaaz.gov
· Raul.Mendoza@yumaaz.gov
· EmaLea.Shoop@yumaaz.gov
· Leslie.McClendon@yumaaz.gov


If you support the Humane Society of Yuma and its mission to “ensure the humane treatment of all animals, reduce the number of homeless pets, and promote the value and importance animals contribute to our lives and community,” please consider becoming a member.

Memberships begin at only $25 a year.

Visit www.hsoyuma.com/join for more information.

HSOY microchips all dogs adopted, offers service to community

Thanks the Yuma Community Foundation, the Humane Society of Yuma microchips all dogs that are adopted from the shelter. The public is invited to microchip their dogs at the Humane Society of Yuma for $20. Cats will not be microchipped by The Humane Society of Yuma at this time.

A grant was received from the Yuma Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Arizona Community Foundation (Sturges Charitable Trust) to assist in the hard costs of the microchip. These funds help the Humane Society of Yuma provide microchips to adopted dogs without having to raise the price of adoptions.

MICROCHIP FACTS:
• The microchips used for animal identification are approximately the size of a grain of rice and each contains a unique code.
• Each microchip is injected, much like a vaccination, between the shoulder blades of the pet and remains under the skin for the rest of the pet’s life.
• Lost pets are often brought to veterinary clinics and shelters where they are scanned for a microchip using a hand-held scanner.
• Once the microchip is located the pet’s unique id code is displayed on the screen.
• 24PetWatch maintains the database linking information about registered pets and pet owners to their unique id codes.
• The veterinary clinic or shelter calls the 24 PetWatch Pet Recovery Centre and indicates the animal’s microchip number, allowing 24 PetWatch to find details of the pet’s owner.
• 24 PetWatch will call you to let you know your lost pet has been found.
• 24 PetWatch offers you the support of the Pet Recovery Team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days per year.

Enter the 'Dog Days of August' Charity contest

Hospice of Yuma gives to HSOY in their time of need

The Hospice of Yuma's thrift store was severely damaged by a roof collapse caused by torrential rainfall last week and had to be closed indefinitely. Although they are already making plans to relocate, the damage to and resulting closure of a popular thrift store is no doubt a tremendous strain to both revenue and volunteer resources for the local non-profit.

Despite this time of need, the Hospice of Yuma donated a number of glass display cases to the Humane Society of Yuma for our own thrift store which is to open soon on the corner of 4th Avenue and 24th ST. One of these display cases has already been placed in our shelter's main office to display a variety of merchandise.

Not only did they generously donate these cases but Hospice volunteers aided HSOY personnel in the delivery of these very heavy yet quite-fragile cases.

We look forward for an opportunity to return the favor.

2008 BetterYuma.org Golf Classic to benefit New Shelter Project

Betteryuma.org will host a three-person golf scramble to raise money for the New Shelter Project on September 13, 2008 at the Desert Hills Municipal Golf Course.

The entry fee will be $450 which includes greens fees with cart,
premium lunch, golf shirt, gift bag, cash skins and prizes and special prizes
for ladies’ teams. To aid the pace of play, the tournament is
limited to 108 players (36 teams of three).


To register a team, download the registration form

Keep your pets safe this Fourth of July

The loud explosions and commotion surrounding Fourth of July fireworks displays cause pets to become frantic and frightened. Every year, our shelter sees an influx of dogs who either run off during July Fourth celebrations or who escape their usual confines only to be brought into our shelter.

The Humane Society of the United States offers these tips to keep your pet safe on the Fourth

• Resist the urge to take your pet to fireworks displays.
• Do not leave your pet in the car. With only hot air to breathe inside a car, your pet can suffer serious health effects—even death—in a few short minutes. Partially opened windows do not provide sufficient air, but they do provide an opportunity for your pet to be stolen.
• Keep your pets indoors at home in a sheltered, quiet area. Some animals can become destructive when frightened, so be sure that you've removed any items that your pet could destroy or that would be harmful to your pet if chewed. Leave a television or radio playing at normal volume to keep him company while you're attending Fourth of July picnics, parades, and other celebrations.
• If you know that your pet is seriously distressed by loud noises like thunder, consult with your veterinarian before July 4th for ways to help alleviate the fear and anxiety he or she will experience during fireworks displays.
• Never leave pets outside unattended, even in a fenced yard or on a chain. In their fear, pets who normally wouldn't leave the yard may escape and become lost, or become entangled in their chain, risking injury or death.
• Make sure your pets are wearing identification tags so that if they do become lost, they can be returned promptly. Animals found running at-large should be taken to the local animal shelter, where they will have the best chance of being reunited with their owners.

-HSUS' July Fourth fireworks

Sale of valuable jewelry and coins to benefit new shelter

Vicki Kerley, who has already made several generous contributions to the New Shelter Project, has donated many pieces of gold and diamond jewelry and gold coins from her own collection to help build the new shelter. Following her lead, others have donated many of their pieces. Paul Bensel, of Paul Bensel Jewelers has agreed to appraise all the pieces and showcase them for sale at his business until September 1 with all proceeds going to the New Shelter Project.

July 20 update:

"The Carats for Cats and Canines" event will be held from July 28 to October 17 at Paul Bensel Jewelers at 3000 S. 4 Avenue.

New media partner: YumaNewsNow.com

The cats and dogs at our shelter have a new media friend! YumaNewsNow.com is featuring an HSOY animal on their website and keeps Yuma informed of HSOY events. Thanks!

Great adoption story? Enter Hill's Second Chance Contest

Here's great opportunity to make a difference for homeless pets. All you have to do is share your favorite pet adoption story in the Hill’s Second Chance for Love Contest. Your story could inspire more adoptions and help all of us reach this year’s goal of saving 1 million pets. Plus, you could win up to $10,000 in prizes for our shelter!

Enter the Second Chance Contest now at this website:
www.HillsPet.com/SecondChance

The Humane Society of Yuma feeds and recommends Hill's Science Diet.

Generous donation cools kennels this summer.

Bradley Holcom of AB Builders(from left to right), Lenore Anaya, Alex Gallardo, owner of Sellers Crane Service, and Jorge Silva, owner of JLE Service in San Luis pose with three of the many appreciative dogs who enjoy the donated kennel cooling.

Hawgs for Dawgs thanks

Thank you to Scott Pearce of the Yuma Vehicle Safety Institute, the Rough Riders and all the riders that attended our Fun Run on Memorial Day. We raised over $1,500.

Desert Rose Retirement Community fundraiser

Desert Rose Retirement Community fundraiser
Originally uploaded by HSOYUMA

The Desert Rose Retirement Community held a doggie show that raised $1,200 among the residents for the shelter along with other toys and goodies for our shelter animals

Harkins Theatres helps HSOY spread message

When you go to the movies this summer, you'll see messages from HSOY. This is the third year that Harkins has provided us free advertising space in their Yuma theaters. This is a great way for us to education and inform the Yuma residents of special programs and how to be a better pet parent. Thank you Harkin's Theatres!

Executive Director of HSOY urges public to voice support for dog park.

HSOY Executive Director Shawn Smith is asking residents of the City of Yuma and the public at large to write City Council members and the Mayor in support of the much needed and anticipated dog park. He writes,

Dear friends,

The Humane Society of Yuma is working with the City of Yuma's Parks and Recreation department to open a dog park. It's long overdue for this community, and we all know how the game is played..."the squeaky wheel gets the grease." The City is nearing the end of it's budget review, therefore, now is the time to create a little noise!

I'm respectfully requesting that all of you to take a few minutes and write our City Council Members and/or Mayor to show support for the park. The proposed location is behind the Pacific Ave Wal-Mart.

We're seeking financial support from Wal-Mart, and although it looks promising, there are no guarantees. In any case, our growing, progressive, and wonderful city would certainly benefit from such a project!

Please write and ask your friends to write as well!

Respectfully,
Shawn

City Council members emails are listed below.

• Larry.Nelson@yumaaz.gov
• Ross.Hieb@yumaaz.gov
• Cody.Beeson@yumaaz.gov
• Paul.Johnson@yumaaz.gov
• Raul.Mendoza@yumaaz.gov
• EmaLea.Shoop@yumaaz.gov
• Leslie.McClendon@yumaaz.gov

We blew past $100,000 yesterday and we're still counting.

The Humane Society of Yuma was overwhelmed yesterday with a flood of support from the community on the last day of the April $100,000 matching donation challenge. We're not done adding it all up but it is certain that our wildest expectations were exceeded. Yuma's outpouring of generosity and compassion during the entire month and especially in the final days and hours, has left many of us stunned. Here are only a few of the many instances of community support our shelter saw yesterday.


-Yuma Catholic High School students donated over $400 they had raised in their "Pennies for Puppies"

-Gila Vista Elementary students donated $440 they had raised from holding a car wash.

-A six year-old boy came to our shelter and donated the entire contents of his piggy bank: $1.85.

-A founding board member of the HSOY came by and wrote a very generous check.

In addition to the support that came to us through the door and the mailbag, the level of online giving was unprecedented. Over $7,000 was raised online with $6,000 of which within the last week.

Stay tuned for forthcoming updates. Thank you a hundred thousand times over.

HSOY thanks last year's "Cuddle Mobile" sponsors

The Humane Society of Yuma would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of our "Cuddle Mobile." We are now searching for a new round of sponsors. The Cuddle Mobile is our mobile command center, so to speak. Besides showing up at HSOY events, it shuttles our animals back and forth from Petsmart. Last year's sponsors include

• Sellers Crane Service
• Sherrell Judish of Realty Executives
• United Yuma Fire Department.

We are looking for individuals and/or businesses to sponsor our vehicle at the $500 level. Inquiries should be emailed to Elkie Wills at ewills@hsoyuma.com

HSOY thanks last year's "Cuddle Truck:" sponsors

The Humane Society of Yuma would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of our "Cuddle Mobile." We are now searching for a new round of sponsors. The Cuddle Mobile is our mobile command center, so to speak. Besides showing up at HSOY events, it shuttles our animals back and forth from Petsmart.

Last year's sponsors include

• Sellers Crane Service
• Sherrell Judish
• Realty Executives
• United Yuma Fire Department.

We are looking for individuals and/or businesses to sponsor our vehicle at the $500 level. Inquiries should be emailed to Elkie Wills at ewills@hsoyuma.com

Xi Alpha Omega donates pet supplies to shelter

Xi Alpha Omega on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Thank you to the Xi Alpha Omega for donating office supplies, bowls, blankets, towels, kitty litter, crates and more during the last week of March.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Yuma Sun: HSOY closer to funding goal

The top story in today's Yuma Sun (March 24, 2008)

A campaign to raise money for a new, expanded animal shelter in Yuma County is nearly one-third of the way toward its $3 million goal, thanks to sizable donations from generous area donors.

"The new facility has 18,000 square feet to accommodate the animals and that's 10,000 more than we have now," said Elkie Wills, spokeswoman for the Humane Society of Yuma.

The new shelter will provide better services for dogs and cats including: exercise and training areas, a chasing area, indoor and outdoor kennels, a public education area, and a low-cost spay/neuter clinic, Wills said.
continued...

Yuma Kennel Club holds dog toy drive for HSOY

The Yuma Kennel Club members and friends collected the above dog toys over two months to brighten the lives of our shelter dogs.
Pictured above, from left to right, are
Edie Sturdivant, Loma Clark, Rikki Weiss and Cookie Wagter each holding a shelter dog.

All Adoptable Dogs Microchipped

All dogs adopted from the Humane Society of Yuma are now receiving microchips before they leave. Many puppies get confused when going to a new home and this is a great way for us to know where they got lost from if their parents havne't had time to get their collar and tags yet. Thanks to the Yuma Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Arizona Community Foundation (Sturges Charitable Trust fund) for assisting is in funding this life saving program. The quicker we can get animals out of the shelter, the better for them and the new animals coming in that need the space. If the public is interested in getting their pets adopted, see our event calendar for future clinics. Microchips are $20 per dog. No cats at this time.

Heeler puppies at Petsmart this Saturday.

Five heeler pups, who have been in foster care, will be available for adoption Saturday, March 8 at Petsmart starting at 10 am.

Golfers: Register for the Fore Paws Classic, April 12th

Registration is now open for the Fore Paws Classic Golf Tournament to be held on April 12th at Las Barrancas Golf Course.

HSOY No Longer Accepting Food Donations

The Humane Society of Yuma is no longer accepting dog or cat food donations. We are started a partnership with Hill's Science Diet that will keep our pet's healthier, save us money and offer adopters a 5 pound bag of food with adoption. We still are in need of kitty litter, office supplies, newspaper, blankets and cleaning supplies. Thank you for your consideration!

Rabies and Vaccination Clinics Start This Week

Why do you need a Rabies Vaccination and License?

• IT IS THE LAW!
• IDENTIFY YOUR PET AND GET THEM HOME FASTER!
• HEALTH AND SAFETY OF YOUR PET!

See the Humane Society of Yuma's calendar of events for dates and locations.
Make sure to bring your dog on a leash and cats in a carrier.
Fees are $15 for vaccination; $13 for altered animal license; $25 for unaltered animal license; $20 for microchipping.
Refreshments will be served and everyone who is seen will be entered to win a PetSmart gift card.