With the start of summer, things are starting to look a little more “normal” at the Rhode Island SPCA.
On June 8th, we re-opened our doors to the general public and we are now allowing a limited number of patrons in the building to visit and view our adoptable animals.
As a socially responsible organization, it was important to find the balance between public health/safety and a gradual return to our daily operation. We have taken a number of precautions to ensure the health and well-being of our employees and patrons including daily body temperature logs for employees and face-cover requirements for both employees and patrons.
During these past few months, I have noticed an interesting trend in animal welfare in Rhode Island.
Like many other local shelters, the Rhode Island SPCA has experienced a significant decrease in the number of animals being surrendered by their owners.
I would like to believe that this pandemic has caused many pet owners to appreciate and value to the company and companionship provided by their furry friends. What we are now seeing, is a greater demand from people interested in adoption than the supply of local animals available.
In response to this demand,
the Rhode Island SPCA has partnered with Aiken County Animal Shelter in South Carolina, to receive regular transports of dogs and cats from their heavily overpopulated shelters.
This relationship benefits all parties involved, as it helps relieve the burden of overpopulation for our Aiken friends, provides a safe-haven for the animals involved, and it offers more opportunity for adoption in Rhode Island.
I would like to personally thank all of our supporters for their patience through this difficult time
, and if you are interested in adoption please consider the Rhode Island SPCA. You can
check out our website
for up-to-date information on available animals.
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Joe Warzycha
President & Special Agent
Rhode Island SPCA
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Introducing our first ever Paws in the Park AmabassaDOG photo contest!
With the postponing of our Celebrate 150 Party, we were unable to host a live auction, which included our feature auction item of having YOUR PUP be our AmbassaDOG for the
18th Annual Paws in the Park!
We love featuring different dogs each year so instead of postponing that too... we want to let YOU vote for our AmbassaDOG!
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2020 Lewis Scholarship Recipients
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We are proud to announce that the 2020 Rhode Island SPCA Lewis Scholarship recipients are
Savanna Stewart of North Providence High School and Thania Santana from Blackstone Academy Charter School.
Amy
Skalubinski, our Director of Humane Education
had the pleasure to give them both a tour of our shelter. Like many seniors this year, they faced many obstacles and had to be creative as well as diligent in preparing their senior projects. Their advisors and principals spoke highly of them and we are proud of their achievements!
Learn more >>>
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We're so grateful for all the support we receive from our community, especially when it comes to the
Wish List
items donated that make it easier for our staff to care for the shelter animals. Here’s our TOP FIVE for July!
- Puppy Pads! We have lots of little ones in foster care and could really use more pads!
- Litter boxes ~ all sizes are needed
- Double sided food dishes
- Canned cat food ~ Friskies pate style
- Litter box scoops
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Annual Spring Raffle is a Wrap!
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We wrapped up another incredible Annual Spring Raffle this week!
Thanks to our supporters
we raised over $9,000
to support our programs and services!
We want to thank EVERYONE who donated
to enter our annual raffle, fundraisers like these help to support the critical programs and services we provide to the animals and people in our community.
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And The Winners Are...
*drum roll please*
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4th Prize Winner….BORIS!
Boris won a $60 gift card to Target
Boris asked us to address his gift card to his daughter, Alia, who is a huge animal lover!
3rd Prize Winner….TIM!
Tim won a $100 pet shopping spree
2nd Prize Winner….JOHN!
John won a Pair of 2021 Red Sox tickets
John is not a fan of baseball and has chosen to donate his tickets back to the Rhode Island SPCA for future fundraising!
1st Prize Winner….Steven!
Steven won the grand prize of $500!
We are so excited to announce that Steven has chosen to donate his grand-prize back the Rhode Island SPCA!
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Fireworks, cookouts and other 4th of July traditions can be great fun for people; but can also be frightening and even dangerous for our pets.
Here are 5 ways you can prepare in advance:
- Make sure your dogs and cats have collars and up-to-date ID tags.
- Stock up on comfort items. Special toys, peanut butter filled kongs...Keep them engaged and happy.
- If your pet is microchipped, be sure the registry has up-to-date info.
- Take a current photo of your pet.
- Decide where your pet will be during the festivities and make it secure.
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Pet & Hot Cars: What You Need To Know
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Not only can leaving an animal in a hot car lead to fatal heat stroke,
it is illegal in many states, including Rhode Island.
Even if the temperature outside is only 70, the inside of a car may be as much as 20 degrees higher. On an 85 degree day, it only takes 10 minutes for the inside of a car to reach 102 degrees. After 30 minutes, it can climb from 85 degrees to a deadly 120 degrees. If you see an animal trapped in a car on a hot day, try to locate the owner or call 911.
You can be a lifesaver to an animal in need. Advocacy is about action and your voice matters!
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Emergency Preparedness...CHECK!
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Losing power has been a concern here at the Rhode Island SPCA for some time.
What if we could not run the heat in the winter after a storm, or provide a/c for our animals during the summer heat?
Thanks to a generous grant from
The Champlin Foundation
and the help of
Superior Power Systems
and Henderson Electric we no longer have to worry!
We now have the ability to power the entire building during a power outage!
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Community Partner Highlight
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Rhode Island SPCA
Volunteer Coordinator, Sam Nieva
attended a virtual volunteer event with the
United Way of Rhode Island
Young Leaders Circle. There were 20 participants and they all made no sew blankets for our animals! It's generous support like this that helps strengthen our community.
Our staff, volunteers and especially our animals thank you for your kindness!
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We're Available for Adoption!
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Do you remember
Salacious B. Crumb?
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We got the best update from his new family that we're happy to share with you!
"We adopted “Sal” about 10 days ago. Just wanted to give you an update! He is doing very well. He’s a love bug, loves to be held, will bark for you to pick him up (non-stop), loves to explore the yard and sleep on the deck, gets along GREAT with our dog Prince
(who needed a friend after he lost his Emma this past March), likes everybody ( not that he’s met many with this virus thing) and is a pleasure to have as part of our family."
A heartfelt
THANK YOU
to everyone who chose to adopt at the Rhode Island SPCA!
We'd love to hear from you if you've adopted! Send your happy tails & pics to
kjewell@rispca.com
.
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Celebrating 150 years of
"speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves"
1870 ~ 2020
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Founded in 1870, the Rhode Island SPCA is not only the oldest humane organization in the state of Rhode Island but the third oldest in the United States. 2020 marks our 150th anniversary of providing critical programs and services for the animals and people in our community.
As a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, we do not receive any local, state or federal funding nor are we affiliated with any national humane organization. We rely solely on donations from individuals, businesses and foundations.
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Rhode Island SPCA | 86 Amaral Street Riverside, RI 02915
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