Kennel Chronicles   E-Newsletter: April 2008

Dear Friend,

Please help the Kentucky Humane Society (KHS) by forwarding this free monthly e-newsletter to your animal-loving family and friends!

In this Issue:
Join KHS for DOG DAY IN THE PARK Tonight!
WAGGIN' TRAIL 5K - The Animals Need YOUR Help!
Pets Looking for Homes
New & Improved Summer Camps for Kids
S.N.I.P. Clinic Increases Goal to 11,000 Spays/Neuters!
To the Rescue!
Ask the Experts: Dog Eating Habits
PAW PRINTS: Volunteer News & Updates

Join Us for DOG DAY IN THE PARK Tonight!

DOG DAY IN THE PARK
Wednesday, April 16
Louisville Slugger Field
Gates open @6 p.m.
Game Begins @7:05 p.m.
*Dog ticket sales benefit KHS!

Two-legged and four-legged fans are invited to come watch the Louisville Bats game tonight at the 4th annual DOG DAY IN THE PARK!

Enjoy America's favorite pastime with your dog while helping homeless pets! Tickets are $3 per dog and $6 per person. Space is limited, so call (502) 212-BATS now to secure your tickets. If space is still available, tickets may be purchased at the gate. Click here for more information.

DOG DAY IN THE PARK is presented by:

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WAGGIN' TRAIL 5K
The Animals Need YOUR Help - Fundraise From Home!

Homeless Pets Depend Upon Your Support...
Start Raising Money NOW!
Click here to get started TODAY.

Calling all animal lovers! The WAGGIN' TRAIL 5K is just one month away, and we need YOUR help to meet our fundraising goal of $125,000!

Helping the Animals!
REGISTER ONLINE TODAY and start raising money for the animals. You truly can make a difference! For example:

• $50 provides one day's worth of food and water for 25 pets in our care
  
• $100 provides supplies for 10 surgeries at the new low-cost S.N.I.P. Clinic
  
• $250 provides a medical exam, vaccinations, flea and tick preventatives, and spay/neuter surgery for one homeless pet
  
• $500 provides gas for KHS' rescue vehicles for one week
  
• $1,000 provides rehabilitation for an abused or neglected animal with major injuries

It's So Easy to Fundraise From Home!
With our online fundraising system, it's SO EASY to raise money...even in your PJs! Plus, you'll earn prizes as you help KHS improve the quality of life for companion animals in our area.


Just follow these easy steps:

• Create Your Own Personalized Fundraising Web Page — It’s quick and simple! Click here to get started now.
  
• Get Your Friends & Family Involved! — Import your personal e-mail address book and create personalized invitations asking friends and family to make a donation or become a member of your team!
  
• Find Out How You’re Doing— Access donation and e-mail communication reports that detail activity to your personal fundraising page.
  
• Make a Difference for the Animals AND Earn Prizes for You! — Your prizes accumulate as collected pledges increase. So, the more money you raise for KHS, the more prizes you earn and the more animals you help!
  
• Come Out, Have Fun & Collect Your Prizes! — Join us at the WAGGIN’ TRAIL 5K on May 17, collect your prizes and enjoy a day of celebrating the human-animal bond!
  

Click here to listen to our radio commercial on 102.3 The Max.


Start your own web page today - it only takes a few minutes! Click here to get started now. The animals need you!


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Pets Looking for Homes
Support the WAGGIN' TRAIL 5K and help KHS find homes for thousands of needy dogs and cats! Here are just a couple of our adoptable pets...

KHS Offers New & Improved Summer Camps - Register Your Child Today!

Educating the Next Generation About
Responsible Pet Ownership!
Click here to find out more.

Your child has the chance to learn about caring for pets in a fun and educational way! KHS hosts its 21st year of summer camp with some new twists.

The ever-popular ANIMAL ADVENTURE CAMP, offered weekly June through August, will include new activities for children ages 6 to 12.

KHS also introduces a new camp specifically for dog lovers – CANINE COMPANION CAMP! Children ages 6 to 12 can bring their own four-legged friends with them to camp in June!

With a new location, one-day field trip and more activities, CAREER DISCOVERY CAMP will be informative and entertaining for young people 11 to 15 years of age.


Click here to learn more about all KHS camps.

Reserve Your Child's Spot TODAY!
Click here to download a registration form, or call (502) 515-3149 to register your child by phone.

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The S.N.I.P. Clinic Increases Its Spay/Neuter Goal to 11,000 Surgeries!

A spay or neuter surgery takes less than a half hour to complete, but the benefits last more than a lifetime -- preventing thousands of dogs and cats from suffering in the future. The KHS S.N.I.P. Clinic is launching its second phase to further combat the local pet overpopulation crisis and meet community demand for low-cost spay/neuter services. The area’s only full-time, public spay/neuter clinic is increasing its 2008 goal to 11,000 surgeries.

Thanks to private donations and a $25,000 PetSmart Charities grant, the S.N.I.P. Clinic was able to purchase additional veterinary equipment, as well as add new medical staff, including two part-time veterinarians and two part-time veterinary assistants. Now, the clinic will double its number of surgeries per day, as well as schedule appointments only one to two weeks in advance.

Click here to read more.

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To the Rescue! Stories & Updates
YOUR support of the WAGGIN' TRAIL 5K helps animals like these!

A gray and white shorthaired cat was found by a local police officer after he wandered up to the deck of the officer’s home in Louisville, Ky. The young feline was dazed, wounded and desperately in need of medical attention.

Looking for help, the officer took “Spynx” to the Louisville Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Services (LVSES) in Middletown, Ky. Two staff members, veterinarian Dr. Laura Kinnicutt and technician Bethany Fackler, immediately knew that they had to take care of the cat, even if he was a stray.

“He only had injuries to his legs, so we knew that he had a great chance of making it,” said Fackler.

The LVSES veterinary team easily sutured a cut on one paw, though an injury to one of Spynx’s front legs was much more severe.

“He had what we call a de-gloving injury,” Fackler said. “This just means that all the skin had been pulled back off of his foot.”

Fackler and Kinnicutt bandaged the injured limb and gave Spynx pain medication, hoping to make him more comfortable. This was when the two decided to let KHS take over. Kinnicutt drove Spynx to the KHS main campus, leaving a kind donation as assistance for covering the treatment that he would need.

After examining Spynx, a KHS veterinarian determined that he may have been hit by a car and, unfortunately, his left front leg would have to be amputated. Once out of surgery, Spynx was placed in a temporary foster home where he received plenty of attention and care during his recovery. He adjusted well to life as a three-legged cat and soon was placed up for adoption at a KHS Feeders Supply adoption site.

Spynx found a loving home last week on Thursday, April 10! Stay tuned for an update on this sweet cat in a future issue of KENNEL CHRONICLES.

Look for more rescue stories and updates in the next KENNEL CHRONICLES and our quarterly newsletter, the PAW STREET JOURNAL!

Click here to download the current issue of the PAW STREET JOURNAL.

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Ask the Experts: Dog Eating Habits

Question:
Our black lab graduated from your "Manners for Life" class almost one year ago, which was the most wonderful thing for the dog and us! But, he literally inhales his kibbles without chewing at all and sometimes ends up vomiting afterwards. How can we get our dog to chew his food? - The Williams family


Answer from the KHS Behavior Training department:
There are a couple of things that you can try to slow down a frantic eater. First, try portioning out his food at meal time and only feed him small cupfuls at a time. You also can try wetting his food with some water (or broth) and letting it get mushy. This will force your dog to chew and eat slower, as well as allow the food to digest better.

Another option is the Buster Cube, a hard plastic cube with a hole on one side. You just insert kibbles or small treats into the cube, and the matrix inside will randomly drop out the food pieces as your dog pushes it around, allowing him only a few kibbles at a time. You may need to roll it around at first, so your dog understands how it works, but once he figures out the cube, your canine companion will love it! You can even feed an entire meal from the Buster Cube.

You also could consider purchasing a special type of bowl called the Brake-fast. It's a plastic bowl with bumpers on the bottom that dog has to eat around. This will help prevent him from grabbing a large mouthful of food at once.

Click here or call (502) 253-2883 to learn more about KHS behavior training and view other tips.




Do you have a behavior, veterinary or pet care question? Send an e-mail to info@kyhumane.org to submit your question to KHS, or call (502) 253-2883 today.

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PAW PRINTS: Volunteer News & Updates

Click here to read this month's news and updates for KHS volunteers.

Thanks for all your help!

Submit Your Pet's Story & Win a Special
Pet Care Package!
Do you and your pet have an interesting story to share? We want to know how your pet(s) has affected your life! Click here to submit your pet’s story and photo today. If your story is published in KENNEL CHRONICLES, you and your pet will win a special KHS pet care package!

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The Kentucky Humane Society advocates the humane treatment of companion animals through leadership and proactive solutions to pet overpopulation, including adoptions, education and spay/neuter efforts.

For more KHS updates, click here.

Not a KENNEL CHRONICLES subscriber yet? Click here to sign up today!


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