PAW RINT EWS - Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary

[Pages:17]PAW PRINT NEWS

Summer 2010

This photo is of the existing three-sided storage

Safe Haven Plans a New Building

barn that has been a fixture at Safe Haven since we first moved to the Cronin Ranch in 1996. As old and dilapidated as it is, this building has served us well. However, as our

needs grow and as demands for our services

increase, we see the need for something more functional and streamlined. This building has

been something that the leadership of Safe Haven has envisioned for a number of years now.

It is time to make it a reality!

The board appointed a Building Committee to come up with a design concept for the new building, which will sit atop an existing 60' concrete slab. The purpose of the building will be to house isolation pens for sick cats and dogs, and strays that come to us without any paperwork or history. At the other end of the structure we will have wellness pens where we will hold animals recovering from surgeries, mothers that are whelping, and small dogs and puppies that come to us in the colder months. In the center of the building there will be an infirmary where pets can receive vaccines, micro-chipping, etc. This particular area will also have a dog wash. The whole building will be climate controlled. We hope to have an artist's rendering of the building available by the time of our Fall Open House. Watch for updates on this exciting new building addition that we hope to break ground on in 2011.

An initial rough estimate of the cost for such a facility is $90,000-$100,000. We will be seeking donations of materials and services from our community, and applying for grants to help pay for this. Fundraisers will also be held to benefit the building fund. If you have a special skill or would like to donate to this project, please call 575.527.4544.

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Summer 2010

CATNIP ? Good or Bad for your Cat?

Some cats can't get enough of catnip, but is too much dangerous? A catnip toy may be one way of getting an overweight cat to engage in some much-needed exercise. Fluffy sniffs the rug, shakes her head, then rubs her chin and cheeks on the carpet. Purring, she flops to the floor and rolls her body in figure eights. Springing to her feet, she dashes across the room, chasing an imaginary mouse. Has Fluffy gone mad? No, it's just that old cat magic at work -- catnip. What is it in catnip that makes cats go, well, crazy? The secret lies in the leaves which, when crushed, release a special oil.

Reactions to catnip range from excitement to relaxation to anxiety. No two cats react in the same way. When the substance's scent is released, it triggers a pleasure center in the cat's brain. This chemical is what gives cats their catnip "high." Not all felines respond to this fanciful feline flora, however. "Cats usually have a catnip gene," says Dr. Carol Tice, DVM, of the Cat Clinic in Cary, North Carolina. "They are either born with the potential ability to recognize and react to catnip or they are not." If your new kitten is ignoring her new catnip toy, there's another potential reason: Catnip has no effect on very young cats. "The range in kittens is probably 3 to 8 months of age for it to work, " says Tice.

Catnip also is often called a feline aphrodisiac. "The behavior induced in some cats by catnip can resemble some of the behavior you would

see when a female cat is in heat," says Tice. Even if your cat does respond to catnip, not all reactions will be the same. "There's no typical response to catnip, though it makes most cats goofy," says Tice. "Catnip makes some cats roll, some nudge, some mellow, some hyper and some irritable; a normally placid cat may suddenly become aggressive with other cats. It may also stimulate the appetite or even reduce anxiety in some cats as it can have a calming effect."

Can your cat get too much of a good thing? Tice says no: "It's perfectly safe and not addictive. I don't know of any catnip hangover.'" How long the effect lasts will depend both on the individual cat and how much the cat has inhaled. The effect usually doesn't last longer than 15 - 20 minutes.

Grow Your Own Catnip

Sow the seeds outdoors in the early spring, in lots of sun. Seeds take one to two weeks to germinate. Catnip can also be grown from cuttings placed directly in the soil. After a plant has flowered, cut off four to eight inches. (The plant will grow back and might return the next season if the winter isn't too severe.)

To dry catnip, strip off all the leaves and discard the stems. Spread the leaves two inches deep on trays. Set them in an area with good air circulation. "Stir" the leaves twice a day for two to three weeks. When leaves become brittle, crumble and make flakes, store them in an airtight container. To let your cat enjoy it, sprinkle it on the floor, perhaps at the base of her scratching post, or tie some up in an old sock for a quick toy.



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One of the long term dogs at SHAS is Tasha. I've been walking her for

A Senior

four years! Tasha (a black chow mix) & Oscar (a bearded collie) were surrendered together. When Oscar was finally adopted, I knew Tasha

Lady -- Ms. Tasha

would miss her long time sidekick. She looked for Oscar in every pen as we walked.

Now in her golden years, Tasha must wonder when it will be her turn

to have a soft bed to sleep on and become a "couch potato" in that

special person's home. Tasha takes a short time warming up to By Olivia Solomon people. Less so with men, since a man was her first owner. Actually,

Tasha loves anyone that gives her attention. That's why, wherever

Charles (the sanctuary manager) goes, Tasha's eyes

follow. If he is within eyesight, the leash will pull

towards that direction.

So if you're a guy or gal and you want a great lady companion to snuggle up to at night, foster or adopt Tasha. She gets along with many dogs but does have preferences.

Tasha will always have a home at Safe Haven but as she gets older she needs a special person or family to share the rest of her days with. Isn't it time to give Tasha a chance? Are you the one?

Olivia Solomon is a regular volunteer and walks the dogs for Safe Haven.

Items We Would Love to Have More Of:

Monetary donations always appreciated Pedialite - unflavored Galvanized metal buckets ProForce disinfectant from Sam's Club Canned cat food Clumping kitty litter Clorox wipes HP22 and HP27 Inkjet Cartridges Frontline Plus Flea and Tick products Laundry Detergent Wire Dog Crates ? Large Dishwashing Liquid Sponsor for Quarterly Newsletter

Landscaping Services & Plants Paving stones Pine Sol and other cleaning supplies Carpet remnants Chain link fencing Gift cards to pet stores, Sam's Club or Lowe's

Home Improvement

Plastic Coat Hangers Trouser and Skirt Hangers Aluminum cans for recycling Large furniture items and household

furnishings

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Summer 2010

Senior Felines

Chelsea

The Cattery at Safe Haven is home to many cats of varying ages, colors and dispositions. Among them are some long-timers who have lived at Safe Haven for a number of years. These cats are among the most gentle and personable and we all scratch our heads as to why they are still with us. Senior in years maybe, but mellow and just waiting for a loving home. If you or someone you know is looking for a lap cat to share affection with you, one that doesn't need a lot of high maintenance, then perhaps one of these felines might be just right for you.

Leslie Presley

Can't adopt at this time? Consider becoming a sponsor of one of our senior cats or dogs. Your donation will go towards more creature comforts for these elderlies.

Speaker

Puzzle from Safe Haven

In late 2008, after losing my beautiful Cavalier Penny Farthing to cancer, I went to Safe Haven seeking a small dog. Alas, only big ones ... but Charles Burns, their great manager, said "I've just left the Shelter ... hurry up there ... they've a little dog who sounds about what you want. He's pretty sick but they're working on him."

And there, in a warm room, lay what I knew was my blueprint dog ... sort of. Left eye oozing pus, nose running with green slime, filthy coat ... certainly too sick to be adopted right away but to Animal Service Center's credit they worked heroically and after neutering and micro-chipping he was mine.

He'd been on Bataan for a while but though no one had called, someone must have once loved and trained him for he proved obedient, Mensasmart and totally housebroken. Lhasa-Poo? Shih-

Tzu Poo? Whatever, a charmer. Did he escape to follow some doggy floozie? Did his owner die, leaving no instructions as to his future? Only blanks ... so what else could I name him but Puzzle? Yorkshire Pippin, another Shelter rescue, and as tough as my native Yorkshire limestone, accepted him at once for play and "rassling". It's been nearly two years now and I can't imagine being without the sight of him trotting on short fat legs proudly carrying his ballplayer toy "Sammy" or his squeaking ferret! In a lifetime of dogs, aristocratic and other, he is the only one who decided, and I agreed, that he would sleep on the bed!

As I said, I can never know Puzzle's past, perhaps it's as well, but I can honestly say he is the best dog I have ever owned and the only one to make me laugh aloud. So thanks Charlie B ... and Safe Haven ... for my priceless pooch.

By Tessa Nelson-Humphries



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The Taming of the

Feral

She was tiny, weighing less than a pound, frightened, defensive and confused. She was a typical feral cat. When you reached for her, she defended herself by biting, hissing and clawing with her tiny paw.

I knew food could be used to bring her around, so I put some dry food on a long-handled spoon and offered it to her. After several attempts, we had a successful "snack time". I found that repeating movements, i.e. extending a finger toward her over and over again so that she would no longer attack it, seemed to work. After carrying out these movements five consecutive times, we moved on to another exercise. Similarly, I picked her up in my two hands slowly so that her feet did not touch the floor (that is a frightening thing to any animal). When I could do this successfully five times, I would cuddle and support her. During any of these exercises, I was constantly talking to her in a soft and calm voice. It was important to be aware of her rate of breathing and the presence or absence of purring.

I was determined to work with her but found it prudent to wear leather gloves (which I rubbed on my face and hair to establish "my scent"). As a psychologist, I was a student of animal behavior early in my career, but Wylie defied the rules.

On my weekly visit to the Safe Haven sanctuary I made it a point to make three mini visits to Wylie. First to "say hello", second to feed and clean her area, and third to attempt to make physical contact with her. During the week I went on line to find websites dealing with ferals ().... And read The New Natural Cat by Anitra Frazier from my own library. One of the best suggestions, which seemed so natural, is to be consistent, calm, and reassuring with the cat, thereby creating a safe and secure environment.

Some days you seem to make progress and other times you feel you have lost ground, but persistence and consistency and showing love, leads to success. The volunteers at Safe Haven have all worked to make Wylie a happier and more secure kitten. She has a way to go but we're teaching Wylie how to play and eventually to be social with other cats.

Note: Wylie was a mystery arrival at SHAS and just appeared in the Cattery one morning. SHAS does not knowingly accept feral cats.

By Paul Hutchins

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

PetCo, 3050 E. Lohman Avenue, Las Cruces

Pet Smart, 2200 E. Lohman Avenue, Las Cruces Animal Hospital of Las Cruces, 3171 N. Main,

Las Cruces

Mesquite Animal Vaccination Clinic, Mesquite,

NM

Denise Cooper, CPA, 1155 Commerce Drive,

Las Cruces

Target, Las Cruces

Wal-Mart, Lohman Store

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Summer 2010

From the Executive Director

Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary will be celebrating its fifteenth anniversary in 2011. Fifteen years of serving our community; of saving the lives of our animal friends; of finding new homes for countless unwanted, abandoned and relinquished cats and dogs.

We who currently have and have had the opportunity to be involved with Safe Haven, give thanks for the work that we do for it is truly rewarding. With the growth of our area and with the current economic climate, demands for our services are greater than ever. I often say that if we had ten times the capacity that we now have, we would still be filled with homeless pets. This year we have seen more people relinquishing their animal family due to economic hardship, loss of employment and too often the loss of their home. When families have to move in with other family members or into apartments, very often their pets are uninvited. It is a very tough and sad situation.

Economic hardship has also been felt on our home front this year. Monetary donations are down, veterinary bills are up and adoptions have

slowed. Thrift Store sales have begun to pick up after a rocky first quarter and we thank those of you who donate your no longer needed possessions. As many of you know, we do not receive funding from any government entity and rely solely on the support of people like you. We continue to apply for grants but are finding that those available monies have diminished lately.

For the first time we are including a giving envelope with this Newsletter. We would ask that you place in that envelope whatever monetary donation you feel moved to make to support this worthy cause. Believe me when I say that every little helps. Just the price of a movie ticket will buy 12 cans of dog food. There are many ongoing maintenance projects that need to be completed at the Sanctuary. There is medicine and food to be purchased and our vehicle is on its last legs.

We continue with our mission here at Safe Haven, knowing that we make a huge difference in the lives of so many pets and also knowing that as we give we shall receive and as we receive we shall continue to give. We have been giving our services to this community for going on fifteen years and now we look to our community to give back. We do indeed have a wonderful facility and all of us at Safe Haven thank you for your generous gift.

~ Lorna Harris

SHAS Board of Directors & Staff 2010

Officers: President .................... Sharon Perrone Vice President ..................... Rita Popp Secretary ...................... Trudy Cooper Treasurer ........................... Tina Lutz

Directors: Robin Hutchins Eleanor Bencomo

Carol Mellen

Executive Director:................... Lorna Harris Sanctuary Manager: ................ Charles Burns Thrift Store Manager: ............... Ismael Lujan Website: ............................... Dorian Rudin Volunteer Coordinators:

Sanctuary -- Carol Mellen -- 575-522-5350 Thrift Store -- Mary Ann Boone -- 575-382-7316

Safe Haven is seeking qualified board member candidates. If you or someone you know can dedicate a few hours each month to serving, please contact the Executive Director and we will send out an application form.



Improvements

President's Corner

continue into the summer months at the Sanctuary. Several

maintenance

projects are in the works at the cattery and also

the feline isolation building. Thanks to the help

of our manager Charles' father and volunteers we

are making some much needed repairs.

We are continuing to work towards our infirmary building. We are at the design stage and keep adding and making changes. Ultimately the plan will go to an architect with our concept and then to a contractor. The completion of this building is

a very important goal for us to reach.

Large item donations to the Thrift Store have picked up some, but as you know we can always use more so please let your friends and family know. Our rummage sale held May 15th, saw a lot

Page 7

of activity and was a great success. This is something we will hold semi-annually at the change of seasons. The next one is planned for August 28th.

I want to say a special thank you to Mary Ann Boone for all the hard work she has put in as an assistant manager. She is stepping down from this position but will continue to volunteer at the store. We will miss her expertise as assistant manager but will still get to enjoy her pleasant smile at the store.

The Target store here in Las Cruces donates dog and cat food plus other pet related products to the sanctuary. I want to extend our appreciation for their generosity and thank them for being an important community partner with our organization. Let them know you are grateful to them when you are shopping at their store.

~ Sharon Perrone

SHAS Featured Volunteer -- Roger Moore

Having retired from the US Naval Reserve and from the Physical Science Laboratory at NMSU and with time on his hands, Roger Moore decided to try his hand at volunteer work. He discovered Safe Haven in 2007 through several newspaper articles and decided that working with the cats would be not only

enjoyable for him but also beneficial for the cats.

Roger's duties at the sanctuary involve, feeding, watering, socializing, sweeping, mopping and cleaning litter boxes. "When I first started volunteering, we did not have sufficient help and I was working three days a week, I now have it down to one day, with the addition of new volunteers". When asked about the personal rewards he receives from his work with the cats, he states, "I read somewhere that petting a cat has a very positive effect on reducing personal

stress and blood pressure. If that is true of one cat, imagine the positive effect of petting 30 cats. I look forward each week to visiting the

cats."

When asked if there is a special story he would like to share with our readers, Roger recalls that when he first started at Safe Haven, there was a cat, Pillow, who was in an isolation building, having been diagnosed with Leukemia, she had been there for a number of years. After a trip to the vet, it was determined that Pillow could now move into the main Cattery with her larger feline family. For over a year Roger watched as she became an integral part of the general cat population and thrived on the company of others. Then, one day, when he showed up for work he learned that Pillow had been adopted. Roger says that Pillow is a true Safe Haven success story. "She proves that there is always hope of finding good homes for any of our cats or dogs despite what sometimes appear

to be insurmountable obstacles."

We at Safe Haven thank Roger for his dedication and time spent helping our cat

population.

Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary

144 Wyatt Drive Las Cruces, NM 88005

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID

Las Cruces NM Permit No. 2101

HOURS

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

Office:

General Info 575-527-4544

Mon-Friday ? 9 am-1 pm

Thrift Shop

575-541-4942

Thrift Shop:

Sanctuary

575-805-5338

Tues-Saturday ? 9 am-3 pm,

Sanctuary:

Tuesday-Sunday ? 10 am-5 pm and by appointment any other time

CONTACT INFORMATION

E-Mail: shaspets@ Website: Sanctuary E-mail: shascharles@

Please Donate!

I want to help care for animals at our beautiful "no kill" Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary.

$25 ______________ $50 ______________ $100______________ Other______________

Name

Address

City

State

Zip

Your donations to SHAS are tax deductible. Please make your checks payable to: Safe Haven ? 144 Wyatt Dr ? Las Cruces NM 88005, or visit the PayPal link on our website. Thank you!

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