Coalition: HUMAnE in the News!

Pit bull lovers pull together to polish image

KATHLEEN MERRYMAN; THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Published: 01/14/09  12:05 am

At last, someone's come up with a pit bull program that won't send
people into apoplexy.

Four groups of folks who love pits are sponsoring "The Responsi-Bull
Project," which begins Thursday.

These people are given to puns, which indicates a sense of humor.
That's a great relief where pit bull-type dogs are concerned. If you
can think of any dog that prompts more divisive debate, please let me
know.

Andrea Logan of Pawsitive Alliance (I warned you about the puns) is
coordinating Responsi-Bull, which offers free spaying and neutering, a
free workshop for owners and a four-week obedience course.
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It aims to cut the number of pit bulls born into bad homes and raised
to be aggressive. Along the way, organizers hope to rehabilitate the
breed's image. Pits can be good dogs, Logan said, not a gang fad. Not
teeth on a leash.

"Pit bulls have become the breed of choice for many irresponsible
people, and consequently are flooding animal shelters," Logan said,
speaking nationally. "An estimated one third of dogs entering our
shelters are pit bulls or pit bull mixes, and 90 percent of those dogs
will not find a home."

Responsi-Bull Project's first step, Pit-Fix, is to reduce the supply
of dogs crummy owners can exploit.

Starting Thursday, Coalition Humane Spay & Neuter Clinic will alter 30
pit bulls for free. Using maximum breeding math, Logan estimated this
could prevent 8,000 pit births.

There are strings attached to the free alterations, but they are
easily untied, said Coalition Humane board President Holly Bukes. By
state law, the clinic at 2106 Tacoma Ave. S. in Tacoma can perform
free or low-cost spaying only on pets of low-income Pierce County
residents.

"Call anyway," said Bukes, a pit bull owner.

The number is 253-627-7729.

People who don't think they qualify often do, Bukes said. Others get
referred to spay and neuter resources.

Altering dogs is a kindness all around, Logan said. The 2002 Texas
Severe Animal and Bite Surveillance Summary found unaltered dogs were
responsible for 82 percent of serious attacks. Of aggressors in fatal
attacks, 97 percent were unaltered.

Joseph Hunt, a Tacoma Animal Control and Compliance officer, sees it
all the time.

"Yesterday an officer was out with a female in heat, and two males
fought each other over the female," Hunt said.

He has been referring pet owners to Pit-Fix and the two training programs.

BullsEye Dog Rescue will host Pit-Ed, a free workshop on pit bull
ownership. BullsEye co-founder Lorrie Kalmbach-Ehlers will teach the
class from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Positive Approach Dog Training, 1501
S. Center St., Tacoma. Contact her at 360-981-7080 or
lorrie@bullseyerescue.org for a spot.

BullsEye and Positive Approach are co-sponsoring Train-A-Pit, a series
of four obedience classes. Train-A-Pit has a registration fee of $40,
but owners get $10 back at each class they attend. It's a deal. The
class is a $150 value.

Sessions begin Jan. 24 and meet Saturdays from 4 to 5 p.m. and 5:30 to
6:30 p.m. at Positive Approach. Kalmbach-Ehlers is taking
registrations. Her first rescue dog was a pit bull, and she's had
nothing but pits ever since.

This is Responsi-Bull's second time around, said Logan, who rounded up
$3,000 in donations to pay for it. She's hoping to put it on four
times a year.

Already the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County is seeing
results from combined efforts to reduce pit bull euthanasia. Tacoma's
new animal control rules penalize owners of dangerous and unaltered
dogs. Pit bull rescue groups are working to save, spay and train, and
find homes for dogs that can be good family members. Veterinarians are
making spaying and neutering affordable.

None of these efforts can succeed alone. But Marguerite Richmond of
the Humane Society said that together, they are saving animals.

In 2007, she said, 1,145 pit bulls came into the animal shelter. In
2008, that number was down 32 percent, to 774.

In 2007, Humane Society workers put down 673 pit bulls. In 2008, that
was down 40 percent to 404.

Now that's what you call a dog treat.

Kathleen Merryman: 253-597-8677

kathleen.merryman@thenewstribune.com

Surely, we need no more finicky, aloof furballs

Surely, we need no more finicky, aloof furballs

THE NEWS TRIBUNE

Published: December 12th, 2008 12:05 AM | Updated: December 12th, 2008 06:29 AM

Let’s give a big Christmas cheer to the people who are pushing passionately toward one noble goal: a Pierce County free of unwanted ankle-scratchers, tush-sniffers and tail-chasers.

No, we don’t mean the Sheriff’s Department vice squad. We’re talking about spay-and-neuter evangelists.

They preach a vital message: More than 8,000 animals were needlessly put down in the county last year.

We love them because they, like us, realize the planet has too many cats. The difference is that we think “too many” equals one: the clueless clawbeast who’s likely playing tetherball with our tree ornaments right now.

What say we have him neutered again. Knock him down a few pegs.

We also love these folks for their tacky sense of humor. To wit, the Peninsula spay/neuter group that holds an annual “spay-ghetti” fundraising dinner under the title: “It’s hip to snip!”

Now the Coalition:Humane clinic, which opened in March, is celebrating its first Christmas in Tacoma with a $5-off special for male cats and dogs.

It’s called “Deck the Balls.” One of the group’s veterinary assistants conceived the name. Call 253-627-SPAY to find out more about the discount.

We’ll let you write your own fa-la-la-la-lyrics. Ours wouldn’t pass the censors. Suffice it to say “collie” rhymes with “holly.”

Heartwarming Tale from the Humane Society

This is a great story from Kathleen Olson, Executive Director of our local humane society - The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County.

Mike and his dog became homeless in August. The dog ended up at the shelter when he escaped a yard where Mike had left him with a friend. Mike walked to the shelter on Sunday after chapel services at the Mission and was relieved to find that we had his dog in a safe, warm kennel. The Tacoma Rescue Mission helped Mike with housing and assistance to get medical issues resolved through the Veteran's Administration. We were able to find a foster home to care for his dog until he has housing again.

UPDATE: Mike stopped by today to get his dog’s neuter certificate. He has housing now where he will be able to take the dog. He also has a pass so that Anu can go on Pierce Transit with him. He is enrolled in training classes for him and the dog.

We did not recognize Mike when he came in, as his hair is neatly trimmed and he is much healthier following the assistance he received from The Tacoma Rescue Mission and Veteran’s Administration.

So now you know the rest of the story.

Spay/Neuter Veterinarian(s) Needed!

Coalition: HUMAnE, located in Tacoma, WA, offers many opportunities for the right candidate. We are a nonprofit spay & neuter clinic primarily dedicated to sterilization. Coalition: HUMAnE operates using the nationally recognized Humane Alliance model (www.humanealliance.org). We are looking for full or part-time veterinarians to work as a team with the staff and board of directors. The clinic is operational Monday–Thursday. No nights or weekends, minimal administrative duty. Position is available starting January 2009.

To apply please contact board@coalitionhumane.org.

National Feral Cat Day - October 16

Happy Howl-O-Ween!

Coalition: HUMAnE will recognize National Feral Cat Day by partnering with the Humane Society to spay and neuter up to 100 cats free-of-charge to their caretakers on October 30. More information can be found at www.coalitionhumane.org.

Clients may come from any county; there are no residency requirements. If your organization knows of traps available for loan, please let us know at info@coalitionhumane.org. We anticipate a need!

National Feral Cat Day was launched in 2001 by Alley Cat Allies, a national advocacy group for feral and stray cats. Alley Cat Allies is the foremost authority on a program called Trap-Neuter-Return, a humane method of care that improves the lives of outdoor cats. With Trap-Neuter-Return, outdoor cats are humanely trapped and brought to a veterinarian to be evaluated, spayed or neutered, and vaccinated. Cats that have undergone the procedure are ear tipped – a small portion of the ear is painlessly removed for identification.

GIG HARBOR PUTS ON THE DOG DURING THE 6TH ANNUAL HARBOR HOUNDS EVENT

Come on out and support Coalition: HUMAnE!

Every dog has his day in Gig Harbor, Washington, especially during the
annual "Harbor Hounds Walk the Town," a fun romp that celebrates
canines by the sea. This year's tail-wagging affair takes place on
Saturday, September 27, 2008.

Dogs and their devotees come from far and near to participate in
Harbor Hounds, a benefit for the Prison Pet Partnership Program,
Coalition: HUMAne (formerly Peninsula Spay/Neuter Project) and Gig
Harbor Mid-Day Rotary.

The action begins at 10 a.m. as hounds and humans stroll two miles of
picturesque Gig Harbor waterfront between Donkey Creek Park and Skansie
Brothers Park, stopping along the way for water, pats and chats. The
frisky festivities continue until 3 p.m. with a mix of entertainment,
contests, demonstrations, information, vendors, and food.

Pooch-loving participants can pick one of three ways to register for
Harbor Hounds. The $30 Top Dog fee, limited to the first 100
pre-registered dogs, includes a 2008 Harbor Hounds t-shirt and a
commemorative Harbor Hounds 2008 color poster. The $24 Standard rate
($26 on event day) comes with the t-shirt, dog bandana and goodie bag.
The $10 Hound registration ($12 on event day) provides the bandana and
goodie bag.

A Letter to Our Friends & Supporters

The Coalition: HUMAnE Spay & Neuter Clinic has been open since March 3, 2008. The clinic staff has seen over 1,700 animals in this short period of time! What an amazing accomplishment and contribution toward pet overpopulation in our region. Although we announced from the beginning that we were following the Humane Alliance model, it appears that now is a good time to provide some reminders and additional information about Coalition: HUMAnE (formerly Peninsula Spay/Neuter Project).

Thank you for taking the time to read,

Coalition: HUMAnE
Board of Directors

Coalition: HUMAnE Spay & Neuter Clinic

What we are:

-A Humane Alliance model clinic: www.humanealliance.org

-A giving nonprofit that would like to help as many people as it can get their pets altered at affordable prices.

-A business that relies on cash flow to stay afloat. Everything we offer at a discount or for free, we must find a way to pay for ourselves - through fundraising. Our clinic is self-sufficient based on fees for services, i.e. if we collect our low fees, it will cover the cost of rent, salaries, utilities, expenses, etc.

-A clinic that is able to offer discounted services to certain populations, thanks to our fundraising efforts as well as the generosity of funding from grants and local organizations such as the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County and the Dugan Foundation.

What we are not:

-A feral cat clinic. FCSNP in Seattle is its own model, but is not the model we selected for our community. We will serve feral cats to the best of our ability. Without an available project leader early in the planning of the clinic we have had to start small, but plan to grow this area.

-A full service vet clinic. We are limited by state law as to what services we can provide, and who we can serve.

-Offering the same services as PSNP did.

-A small, all-volunteer organization working out of our homes. We now have the obligations that come with running a freestanding spay/neuter clinic – including the payment of rent, salaries and supplies.

Regarding free-roaming and feral cats:

-We set aside up to 5 surgery slots every day for free-roaming cats. These cats are provided with our Project Catnip package which includes sterilization, rabies vaccination, ear mite treatment (if needed), ear tip and tattoo.

-We ask that caretakers bring in their own cats. We recognize that transportation is an issue for some people and hope to address that when resources become available.

-We have discussed the idea of special free-roaming cat clinics and have always supported this idea.

-We no longer provide free TNR services to caretakers with transport to Seattle’s Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project.

Feral Cats in Our Community:

One challenge that feral and free roaming cat supporters encounter are convincing others about the benefits and success of Trap/Neuter/Return programs. Even if Coalition: HUMAnE altered every unowned cat and kitten it doesn’t stop the killing of those same cats. If a person does not want a free roaming altered cat on their property they have a right to remove the cat.

As the laws are currently written, animal control officers are mandated to respond to calls and remove cats if requested. Our laws do not protect free roaming altered cats. It is up to all of us to put our energies into addressing cat overpopulation and work to educate our friends, neighbors, co-workers and government about the economical and non lethal methods of reducing cat overpopulation.

Coalition: HUMAnE has made a commitment to providing the highest quality service and medical care for animals at the lowest prices possible. Our pursuit of the nationally recognized and proven Humane Alliance model will ensure that we optimize our operations, maintain the highest levels of medical protocol and keep costs to a minimum.

In Closing:

Coalition: HUMAnE’s mission is to promote and provide spay and neuter services in order to address pet overpopulation. Our clinic will sterilize thousands of dogs and cats every year. The board of PSNP together made the decision to open a Humane Alliance model clinic.

For more information on that, feel free to visit www.humanealliance.org. There's a good video link here that explains the program:

http://humanealliance.org/HA2/what.htm We hope you will agree that all animals matter. We invite you to come and tour the clinic if you have done so already. We are sure you'll be please at the work going on there.

Questions and comments may be directed to board@coalitionhumane.org.