Calendar Proceeds to Benefit Coalition: HUMAnE!

Gig Harbor Firefighters Pose with Pets for Charity Calendar

Tongue wagging and heavy salivation is often synonymous with flipping through firefighter calendars. But for the Gig Harbor Fire Department’s calendar, it’s pets doing the drooling.

Calendars that feature firefighters and their four-legged friends are now available for purchase. The calendar showcases both career and volunteer firefighters posing with both dogs and cats.

Kim Owen, owner of local pet boutique FC Pawprints, came up with the idea for a firefighter pet calendar as a fundraising tool.

“Most of them have pets, and they are very pet-friendly,” Owen said. “Hopefully the community buys them (the calendars) and helps support the local fire department.”

All proceeds will go to the Gig Harbor Firefighters Association and Coalition: Humane, a group that provides low-cost spaying and neutering for Pierce County animals. The calendars cost $15 each and can be purchased at FC Pawprints and at department headquarters on Bujacich Road NW and prevention headquarters at 6711 Kimball Drive.

Firefighters were more than willing to show off their four-legged friends, Owen said. There were more volunteers signed up than there was space in the calendar.

The photo shoots took place in March, and most of the shots were taken near fire trucks and within the department’s training center.

Working around firefighters’ busy schedules is tough enough, but throw in a dog or cat, and it added another element. Dogs perched on a fire truck may be cute, but keeping them still was just one of the challenges that presented themselves.

“We have to kind of do the photography on the fly,” Owen said.

Owen quickly realized great ideas don’t always pan out when animals are part of the equation.

One such idea was to show firefighter Andy Cochrane rescuing his cat, Parker, from a tree. The problem? Owen said Parker weighs 27 pounds and, as a result, she couldn’t find a branch big enough to hold the cat.

“We tried, but the cat had nothing to do with it,” Owen said.

Firefighters plan to sign calendars at the Borders in Uptown Gig Harbor. Dates have yet to be finalized.

Happy Spay Day!

Happy Spay Day 2010! Thanks to our awesome staff, working hard to spay and neuter 30 dogs and cats today at the Coalition: HUMAnE Spay & Neuter Clinic.

A great way to celebrate and support spay/neuter is to attend Whiskers Wine & Dine on March 12. It's easy to make your reservation online this year (if you haven't already)!

The auction committee has been hard at work and we have some really great items to offer up including many fabulous wine-related items, a Holland America cruise and several overnight stays at exciting destinations like Palm Springs, Maui, California Wine Country and the Oregon Coast.

Hope to see you on March 12!

Job Openings at Coalition: HUMAnE

Coalition: HUMAnE is seeking several individuals who love animals, enjoy working with the public and want to help reduce the pet overpopulation problem. We currently have an opening for a Clinic Coordinator and Administrative Assistant. Full job descriptions can be found for Clinic Coordinator and Administrative Assistant. To apply, please send your cover letter, resume and completed application to mail@coalitionhumane.org. No phone calls please. Resumes will be accepted until February 16, 2010.

Take Five Minutes to Help Save Washington's Homeless Pets

Contact Your Legislators Now

Senate Bill 5329/House Bill 1406

This bill will succeed ONLY if you let your state legislators know that you want the bill passed this session and you gain their support. Please make sure your legislators hear from you by January 15, 2010.

This is a critical time for the bill. SB 5329 and HB 1406 are in the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, respectively. The spay/neuter assistance bill must pass through committee to survive in the 2010 legislative session.

Whether you're an individual that just cares about animals, or you represent an animal welfare organization, shelter, municipal or county animal care and control agency, take a few minutes to contact your legislators to urge their support for passage of the companion animal spay/neuter assistance bill, SB 5329/HB 1406.

Please go to this page for help contacting your legislators.

An unseen army provides resources for pets when money’s short

An unseen army provides resources for pets when money’s short

Nancy Wall can’t get a certain dog out of her mind.

It belonged to an acquaintance with whom she lost touch. She’s heard that the person lost her job, and the dog developed a painful infection and needed care the owner couldn’t afford.

That got Wall to wondering how many pets are suffering for the same reason. Wall, who lives in Tacoma, wanted to know if there was a way she could help.

“I guess my bottom line is, I’m retired. I don’t have a lot of money, but I would be willing to give to an organization if that money is going to these purposes,” she said. “What’s out there?”

The answer is: good veterinary clinics, and a few groups operating on limited means.

“There are always people who need help paying for their vet bills,” said Marguerite Richmond of the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County. “In the past, there have been resources here and there, but any time a resource pops up, it gets used up. Small groups have seen the need and raised the money, but the money can go really fast.”

The Humane Society doesn’t provide veterinary care beyond the animals brought in for adoption. But it is seeing the recession’s effects.

“I know our emergency food bank has a high demand,” Richmond said. “We keep putting out the call for food donations.”

They’re not choosy. They’ll take open bags of dry food or the canned food the cats snubbed.

They’ll also take unused pet medicines. They can use them for the animals in their care.

A surprising number of veterinarians do the same, as part of their effort to stretch care for low-income clients.

At River Road Animal Hospital in Puyallup, they’re happy to pass food donations on to the Seniors With Pets Food Bank.

People are contributing more lately to the collection jars on the counter, employees said. Anyone can also join the employees in giving to the slush fund they maintain for needy pets.

River Road has not turned a sick animal away, they said, but it can’t do it alone.

“There are a couple of groups around the area that do help out with financial stuff,” said employee Rosie Lettich. “We have lists of e-mails and numbers.”

She, like staff members at other clinics, declined to share the names of the groups. If we publicized them, she said, the groups would be inundated with more requests than they can handle. If you’d like to give to one, your vet can give you contact information.

Those groups can be lifesavers, said Karam Walia of Affordable Animal Hospital in Tacoma, so they call on them only when they must.

“In most cases, we will give someone an estimate and try to make it work with whatever means they have available,” Walia said.

That might mean relying on a medical opinion up front, rather than expensive tests.

“If things don’t clear up, then they’ll come in for the diagnostic,” Walia said.

It’s the same at All Creatures Animal Hospital in Puyallup.

“People are more cautious about spending the extra amounts on extra procedures and calling in specialists,” said assistant Bethany Gapsch.

Gapsch and Walia remind pet owners that money spent on vaccinations, spaying and neutering prevents expensive problems later.

That’s where the good news kicks in. Coalition: Humane offers reduced-price spaying, neutering and vaccines to low-income owners. For information on scheduling or donating, go to www.psnp.org or call 253-627-7729.

Noah’s Pet Project gives free vaccinations to the pets of low-income, senior and homeless people. Veterinarian Liane Sperlich of Brown’s Point Veterinary Clinic takes her skills and supplies to 601 N. Oakes St. from noon to 2 p.m. the second Saturday of the month. That’s today.

There are no appointments, said Lisa Dillon of the clinic, and there is no phone number. Simply show up and hope the donated supplies last.

Noah’s pets are always better off for gifts of cash, food, medicine, even used leashes, collars and beds.

“People bring them to us,” Dillon said. “It’s so sad sometimes, because they have lost their pets. But their animals are in heaven, thanking them for doing that.”

Kathleen Merryman: 253-597-8677

kathleen.merryman@thenewstribune.com

Coalition: HUMAnE Welcomes Lorrie Kalmbach-Ehlers

The Coalition: HUMAnE Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Lorrie Kalmbach-Ehlers has accepted the position of Executive Director for Coalition: HUMAnE. Her start date

will be October 26. Lorrie has an extensive and varied background in the nonprofit sector, including many years of volunteer work with animal welfare organizations.

Most recently, Lorrie served as Director of Outreach and Operations for the nonprofit organization Salish Sea Expeditions. There she was an important member of the management team with responsibilities in many areas including strategic planning, budget and finance, fundraising and development, marketing and supervision of staff and volunteers.

She is passionate about the mission of Coalition: HUMAnE and is looking forward to her work with the organization. Lorrie also serves as President of Bullseye Dog Rescue, an allvolunteer

organization. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Wildlife Biology. Lorrie

lives in Port Orchard with her husband RJ, her 5 year old son Rogan and many pets!

Please join us in welcoming Lorrie to the Coalition: HUMAnE team!

Spay/Neuter Super Advocate!

Thank you to Sally Andrews from Ballet and Business Forms (and Puyallup Animal Rescue). She's always supporting Coalition: HUMAnE and Spay/Neuter - even at her Rotary clubs' mini golf fundraiser!