Hot town, summer in the city
Be a good friend to your puppy and kitty
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It’s hot out. Really hot. And if you’re warm, just imagine what your best fur-covered friend is feeling. The summertime livin’ might be easy for us, but it can be tough on our pets. Be sure to remember these important tips to make sure your precious pet is safe in the sunshine:
Keep fresh water on hand – Animals get dehydrated easily, so be sure to pack some H2O for the road.
Watch for heatstroke – Symptoms include excessive panting, difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, or stupor, as well as vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and seizures. Animals with flat faces, elderly or overweight animals, and those with heart or lung issues are especially susceptible. See the symptoms? Get them to a veterinarian quickly.
Don’t leave them alone in the car – It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the shade or the windows are cracked; when it’s hotter than 70 degrees outside, it gets to be over 100 in a hurry. If you see a pet in a hot car, try to find the owner or call 911 for Animal Control assistance.
Know when they’ve had enough fun – Dogs will keep playing as long as you do, so be aware of when they’ve had enough outdoor time. Keep your hikes to the early morning hours and bring along lots of water.
That’s hot! – Before heading out on a walk, hold your hand to the sidewalk surface for 30 seconds. If it’s uncomfortable to you, it’s too hot for your buddy. Exposure to hot surfaces can cause blistering and burns; opt for the grass instead.
Don’t forget your outdoor animals – Water evaporates, so make sure your outside friends have constant access to water. Grass dies, so provide grazing animals with plenty of alternate food. Meat-based foods spoil quickly, so give them smaller quantities. And absolutely make sure they have a shady place to stay.
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Wednesday, June 28 was a pretty busy day at the ol’ Kitsap Humane Society, but not completely out of the norm. Our veterinary staff is a magical group of professionals that makes the impossible possible every single day. That said, Wednesday was a day. In all, a team of one veterinarian, one vet tech, three veterinary assistants, and two volunteers performed 35 surgeries throughout the day. And the day before saw two amputations and two enucleations.
Thank you to our amazing crew… just another day at the office.
Just imagine what can happen when we recruit another veterinarian. Do you know someone who’d like to join the team? Click below:
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You'd make an excellent foster family. Yes, you. |
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It’s not a long-term commitment. It’s easy to get approved. You receive outstanding support from KHS professionals. And it’s incredibly rewarding.
Foster families for our resident companions are extraordinarily important to the work we do. From stressed-out dogs who could use a short-term kennel break to kittens and puppies who need a dedicated caretaker until they’re old enough to be adopted, fosters are key to our mission.
As such, we’re constantly on the look-out for new families to temporarily take in some of our friends. All told, more than 1,400 animals spent time in foster homes in 2022 while receiving medical care, growing strong, and spending time cuddling with people just like you.
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August is National Make-A-Will month, but it’s never to early to protect your legacy. Despite the importance of having a will, nearly two-thirds of American adults still haven’t taken that step. Regardless of how busy your schedule is, how wealthy you are, or how much you hate to think about the *shudder* end of the road, you need to plan now to make sure your wishes are followed later.
And if you’re an animal lover like we are, you might consider remembering Kitsap Humane Society in that will. By including KHS as a beneficiary of your will, trust, life insurance, or retirement plan, you can provide a lasting gift for future generations of pets in need. We welcome the opportunity to help you explore gift planning options and can direct you to other in-person financial and tax planning resources as well.
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Drive and putt for pets in July |
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It’s “Drive for a Cause” month at Haselwood Auto Group! For every vehicle purchased during July, they will donate $20 to KHS, and for every service repair, $5! What’s more, we’ll be holding an adoption event at West Hill Kia on Saturday, July 15, from noon to 3 p.m. Stop by, adopt a new friend, and buy a car to bring him or her home in!
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If wine’s what’s on your mind, now’s the time to get your tickets for Wine & Whiskers! It’s a self-guided, month-long wine tour of the Kitsap Peninsula, benefitting animals in need. Your Wine & Whiskers passport gets you free wine tastings at each of our eight participating wineries – Salut!
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Cheers to our friends! *Clink*
It’s been a spectacular and busy beginning to summer for Kitsap Humane Society and its friends across the Peninsula, as the community really came together to support our furry (and feathered and scaly) friends.
We raised our glasses at two Pints for Pets events – the first on June 8 at The Brass Kraken Pub in Poulsbo and the second on June 29 at The Hub Byron Street in Silverdale. A portion of every pint sold went to KHS!
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The roar of progress continues.
We have cabinets. We have lights. We have doors. We have kennels. And we’re thisclose to having a parking lot. It’s been an incredible month of progress at the Russ & Linda Young Veterinary Lifesaving Center, where we started the month with some bare walls and open ceilings and ended with what's starting to look like a state-of-the-art veterinary clinic. And across the campus at the Barn site, the fine grading of the parking lot has begun. It’s busy. It’s loud. It’s awesome. To follow our progress, visit the KHS blog and to schedule a tour, email Co-Interim Executive Director Jamie Nocula.
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Adorable Available Animal
Parker!
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Parker is a young shepherd mix looking to find his new best friend! With so much love, energy, and affection to give, he’s eager to find someone to return the favor! His energetic and playful personality would thrive with someone with training experience, who can provide him with plenty of positive reinforcement and affection and in a home with children over the age of 16!
Parker has patiently been waiting for his new family for over 150 days and has quickly wormed his way into the hearts of KHS staff, foster parents, and volunteers, who’d love nothing more than to see this sweet boy go home to a loving adopter. As such, Parker’s considered a “Hidden Gem” with a reduced adoption fee to help him find his way to his perfect match!
Parker’s perfect afternoon adventure would include a big fluffy toy to play fetch with, loads of booty pats and ear scratches, and you along for the ride as his new best friend! If this sounds like your perfect afternoon too, come meet Parker today and set off on your next adventure together!
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Foster Spotlight
Welcome Foster Manager Lenora Henry
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We would like to extend a huge and excited welcome to Leora Henry, KHS’s new Foster Manager! Leora has spent the last seven years in various shelter positions, including foster coordinator, transfer coordinator, cat care lead, and veterinary receptionist. She has recently relocated from Nevada to Washington to take on her new role with KHS and is very eager to explore the current practices and offer ideas for boosting the foster program to new heights.
“Fosters and volunteers are a priceless resource for many shelters,” Leora says. “I feel it’s important to let them know they are treasured and make things as easy on them as we can. KHS has so many good practices in place for the health and safety of the animals in the shelter; it will be wonderful to continue building on that to increase the well-being of staff, volunteers, and animals alike!”
Along with specialized neonate knowledge, Leora has extensive experience with feline behavior and care. Her goals while at KHS are to improve relationships with fosters, streamline processes wherever possible, and add to feline enrichment while cats are here at the shelter. We can’t wait to see where her journey with KHS will take us!
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Staff Spotlight
Meet Shayla Coulter!
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If there’s one common thread that runs through the entire Kitsap Humane Society staff, it’s a shared love of animals, which is why Shayla Coulter has landed in exactly the right spot. A graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in biology and studying animal psychology and wildlife conservation, Shayla started with KHS just last March, as the volunteer assistant. In that position, she and Volunteer Manager Chris Russell are in charge of more than 400 volunteers and are often among the first points of contact for new recruits. And if it’s true that first impressions last a lifetime, she’s creating invaluable goodwill for the organization.
“Working together with volunteers and staff to assure the animals are all well cared for before they find their homes makes every adoption a joy and sometimes a celebration! Every time an animal gets adopted it means all the hard work of staff and volunteers has paid off,” says Shayla.
Among her favorite parts of the job is the opportunity to work – and play – with animals during the day. “It's like having therapy animals all the time. Any time I have been doing paperwork or looking at the computer for too long I can take a dog out or pet a cat!”
Of course, her passion for animals isn’t left at work. She likes hiking the Olympics and paddleboarding with her “adventure buddy” Ladybug – a two-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback. And yes, LadyBug fits on the paddleboard. She has also volunteered at KHS, Kitsap County Search and Rescue, and One Heart Wild, and is currently giving time to Farm Grrl.
Her favorite KHS moment? She had an office cat who was very shy and was having trouble getting adopted. Shayla worked with her every day, and took photos and videos to show visitors how sweet she was when she got comfortable with people. “The day I heard she was getting adopted on the loudspeakers, I didn't believe it,” she recalled. “After confirming with Chris that it was her, we had to cheer, we were so excited for her to go to a loving home!”
And we’re cheering for Shayla – we’re so happy she’s part of the team.
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Donor Spotlight
Junior philanthropists are making a difference
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These classes individually donated truckload’s of food, litter, toys, treats, and more! Camp Fire of Bainbridge Island, with members ranging from Kindergarten to third grade, donated hand-made fleece blankets for various shelter animals to cuddle up with!
As a thank you for the incredible work done by these groups, students had the opportunity to tour the KHS campus, seeing first-hand how their contributions affect the animals here at the shelter. Students arrived eager to learn more see their contributions in action, keeping our animals’ feet warm and bellies full!
We are so excited to continue building relationships with the youth in our area, inspiring the next generation of animal welfare and community advocates! Keep a close eye on our website for a full blog post on the amazing contributions of these groups, along with other young change-makers making a difference for KHS!
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A loud vroom vroom of appreciation to our July Puppuccino Pals sponsor, Destination Harley-Davidson of Silverdale. Owned locally, Destination Harley has a long history of supporting local causes like Seattle Children’s Hospital and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, for whom they’ve raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. And apparently, they love dogs and cats as much as they love their hogs, because they recently hosted the Kitsap Humane Society for an adoption event that saw many of our furry friends find new homes. Plus, they serve up free coffee and donuts every Saturday morning. What’s not to love about these guys?
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Many Thanks to Our Grand Shelter Sponsor: |
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Kitsap Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; Tax ID: 91-0728353 |
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