Greetings!
January 15th marked the first anniversary of my role guiding the Rhode Island SPCA. I have found my first year to be very inspiring, even invigorating, and I appreciate having had the opportunity to connect with you monthly through this newsletter. I hope that you have enjoyed receiving the updates about what we are doing and also learning about our plans for the future, which are exciting.
I am also deeply appreciative of the work done by our staff each day. All of us have seen first-hand that their work is making a difference. The needs they address daily are enormous and their work is both selfless and seemingly never ending. I can’t thank them enough.
I don’t have an “elevator speech” that succinctly explains what we do or why what we do is important. Our work responds to such a wide range of needs that it is difficult to encapsulate it into a concise description. However, it is clear that we together share in the belief that our treatment of animals is a reflection of our societal values. We will continue to protect and care for animals and trust that you will continue to value our work and support our efforts.
My message to you after my first year at the Rhode Island SPCA is simple -- I appreciate your support. In addition to your continuing financial support, I have come to rely on and appreciate your advice and words of encouragement and as an organization, we value your perspectives, many of which we have acted on with positive results. Please know we are grateful to you, we appreciate you, and you are welcome to visit anytime you would like to – no appointments necessary, we are in this together!
All the best,
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Wayne M. Kezirian, Esq.
President and General Agent
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Make a donation of $20 or more in honor of a LOVE in your life (2 or 4 legged) and we'll send them a personalized, limited edition, totally paw-some Valentine's card!
For your Valentine to arrive on time, please order by Monday, February 7th.
Thanks & Happy Valentine's Day!
Your loving gift helps us care for and protect even more animals!
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OK, here’s the latest. My human friends at the Rhode Island SPCA are talking more and more about canine good citizen certification. Are you kidding me? Have you ever looked at those requirements? It will take me forever to finish that program. Dogs have been best friends with their humans for millennia and, as far as I am concerned, that should be enough!
So, why am I ranting and raving about this now? Frankly, it’s because the test is really hard and deep down I don’t think it’s fair that my friends and I will be judged by human standards. Does it really matter if I “sit politely for petting” or “move politely through a crowd”? I’m a dog. I love my humans and they love me and that’s all I care about (or at least that’s all I cared about until recently).
My guess is that the canine good citizen routine is going to be a drag, but stay tuned. Next on the list for me after greeting a friendly stranger is “sitting politely for petting”. I will let you know how it goes…
Thanks for all you do!
Lily
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With Lots of Gratitude... |
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Thank you Betty !!
We want to say Thank You to all of you who gave during the #bettywhitechallenge. We were overwhelmed by the sheer number of individuals who contributed in honor of Miss Betty. With your help, we raised over $10,000 for our shelter animals. We truly appreciate your continued support and from all of us we just want to say - Thank You for Being a Friend!
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Rescue Rebuild to the Rescue !! |
Huge THANK YOU to the Rescue Rebuild team from Greater Good Charities for the fabulous makeover of our training and visitation rooms! We are incredibly grateful for their work and can't wait to use the space to enrich the lives of our shelter animals!
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Say hello to Sonny & Oreo!
Oreo & Sonny are a pair of one year old bonded female guinea pigs who are looking for a home together.
They are extremely social and would be a fantastic fit for any home type!
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We're very excited to announce our new partnership with Rumford Pet Express here in East Providence, where we house some our small animals as they await adoption. We're always looking for volunteers to participate in this pilot program! Click here to apply.
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Say hello to Freddi!
Freddi is an energetic boy 2 year old who had a recent eye removal due to some medical issues present when he came to us.
Don't worry, he does just fine!
Due to some issues with resource guarding, Freddi should go to an adults only home with no other pets.
He is eager to learn how to be a perfect gentlemen and could really flourish with training in his new home!
Check out Freddi here on last week's ABC6 Pick of the Litter!
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Foster Care Opportunity ~ Smallies |
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We are currently looking for volunteers to serve as fosters to our smallest 4 legged friends ~ bunnies, guinea pigs, and maybe even ferrets!
Sometimes these little guys just need some added socialization time before they are ready for adoption and we could use your help! To apply please fill out the application and we will contact you soon.
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Meet Petey!
His full name now is Peter J. Kite, AKA Mr. Kite. But we just call him Petey.
Petey was extremely skittish, scared, and sorta miserable when we took him in. He climbed inside the bottom of a spare bed we have and wouldn’t come out if either of us was around for about three weeks.
He also suffered from some respiratory distress, asthma….so he went to the vet and got treatment for that. We started to notice his fur getting softer. At first we would pet him and he would nearly fall over, but as time went on he grew stronger. The real turnaround was after he got his teeth taken care. They pulled ten of them. Then we took him to have the remaining choppers cleaned a few weeks ago.
I’ve never seen such a transformation in any creature. He is incredibly loyal and loves to hang around with us. He purrs loudly when you pet him and appears to be healthy and very happy.
One of the best things about him coming home with us that day is that he has a whole new life, hopefully for many years to come. He’s an absolute joy and a beautiful soul. Maybe it was fate.
Thank you,
Scott & Becky
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72 animals were adopted in January!
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Here are our Top 5 Wish List items that our animals would LOVE!
1.Churu meat tubes for cats
2.Small animal chew toys
3.Cat dancer toys
4.Bully sticks (large)
5.Nylabones
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About the Rhode Island SPCA ~ Founded in 1870, the Rhode Island SPCA is the oldest humane organization in the state of Rhode Island and the third oldest in the United States. As a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, we rely on donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations, and we are not affiliated with any national humane organization.
We are the Rhode Island SPCA ~ There are many organizations throughout the country and the world that have “SPCA” and/or “Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals” as part of their name. We often hear from intended local donors who believed that they had made a donation to the Rhode Island SPCA but had mistakenly directed their donations to an unrelated organization. The Rhode Island SPCA is an independent organization and we are not affiliated with any other SPCA. If you find our work to be worthwhile and plan to support our efforts, please be sure that you direct your contribution to the Rhode Island SPCA. ~ Thank you for your support!
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Rhode Island SPCA | 186 Amaral Street, Riverside, RI 02915
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