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SPCA
Presenting our 21st Annual
By the time you read this there won’t be much time left for you get a
ticket to attend this festive annual event taking place Sunday, December
8, from 11:00am to 4:00pm. So, Hurry!
Tickets are available in Merced at our shelter, Maciel & Co. on the Mall,
Christina’s Fine Clothing in the Galleria, “M” Street Rabobank, A Bloom-
ing Affair Floral downtown and Wash ‘N’ Wag Grooming on Santa Fe. In
Atwater you’ll find tickets at Expressions of Love Floral on Broadway.
This year is a bit different! We have four houses and one business on
the tour. The business is the
Vista Ranch and Cellars on Hwy
140 near
Planada. There will be LOTS of
things going on there. You can
wander around and visit their
three buildings, the wine tasting
room, the Bridal Quarters and
the Event room. In the Event
room holiday gift baskets for pur-
chase and our raffle items will be
on display including a bicycle,
several pre-lit decorated trees, a
diamond necklace and lots of
other jewelry, small household
appliances, an electronic tablet, pottery dinnerware set, flatware and
lots of miscellaneous things. You won’t want to miss a chance to win
one of these great prizes.
Also in the Event Room is a lunch available for $8.00. Entitled “Triple
Soup Bar, Warm Breads and Santa’s Sweet Treats” it’s perfect for a win-
ter day. PLEASE NOTE: Reservations for the lunch are required by De-
cember 5th. Call the Vista at 722-8200. (see Xmas Tour, pg.4)
A Quarterly Publication from the Merced SPCA
NO KILL SHELTER
Board of Directors
President Ginny Nurenberg
Vice President Josephine Pulido
Secretary Cathy Benner
Treasurer Karyn Johnson
Fund Raiser Lorraine Melgoza
Membership Rhonda Darby
Publicity Carole Steinhauer
Support Team
Sunshine Mary Gomes
Volunteer Florence Lambert
Petfinder
Maintenance
Wendy Dust
Facebook Tech Emily Cortez
Meeting Day & Hours
First Baptist Church of Merced 500 Buena Vista Drive
Board Meeting: 6:00 PM Membership Meeting: 7:00 PM
First Monday of Each Month If a holiday, then the following Monday
MERCED
ADOPTIONS
You NEED a pet >>>
Since this newsletter must be deliv-
ered to you in early December, we
can’t give you the number of adop-
tions for the entire year, but as of
November 9 the total adoptions for
the year 2013 was 81 dogs and 25
cats for a grand total of 106. We’ll
likely be close to 115 by the end of
December. Once we get started at
PetCo, we expect to do even more in
the way of adoptions. We’re very
happy to have helped our little
friends find loving homes. That’s
what we’re all about!
Merced SPCA Winter Newsletter >>>
Farewell to Wendy Dust
FREE OVER THREE Our first "Free Over Three" adoption event went well and we are very pleased to have found homes for five pets. Pictured are new pet owners Melissa Conrad with her new cat Niko, and Ronald Vi-dales with a terrier mix named Demp-sey. Both animals are over the age of three and had been at our shelter for
some time.
We were quite impressed with the peo-ple who came to look at our ani-mals. They all seemed to really care for pets and no one minded the scrutiny of the home visits, the detailed form or the discussion with an adoption counselor. That told us a lot! Everyone passed the home visits with flying colors.
The weather was perfect for us that day and that's what we need in order to have the adoption forms filled out and counselor discussions outside. We're looking forward to trying this again in the spring.
Dodgette (R) will have to find another friend since Carl was adopted in the "Free Over Three" event.
Since Casey was adopted at the "Free Over Three event" we'll have to find someone else to do our fil-ing.
FAREWELL . . .
It's with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our friend Wendy Dust. Wendy has decided to move back to her hometown of Effingham, Illinois. She became a member in February 2011 and quickly applied her many talents as a vol-unteer. She has been our go-to person for the computer, posting our animals on Facebook and Petfinder. Because of this, inquiries about our animals have come in from many places outside California and bettered the chances of ani-mals being adopted. Wendy was constantly on the computer researching information on animals, breeds, and diseas-es. She learned how to give vaccinations and tell an animal's age by looking at their teeth. While we will dearly miss Wen-dy, we wish her all the best as she travels down this new road.
The mission of the SPCA of Merced is to
promote the prevention of cruelty to
animals in Merced County and educate
the public on animal care, and the benefit
of spaying and neutering, while
encouraging responsible adoption to
loving and permanent homes.
Mission Statement
VOLUNTEERS, Make it happen!
PRESIDENT’S CORNER >>>
The following is a list of workers who have given of their time to help the
animals at the shelter for the last six months. We encourage anyone with a
little extra time to get their names on the list! How about one of the days
we’re open each week? Two or three
hours on one of those days would really
be welcomed and it’s SO gratifying to be
with our wonderful critters! Thanks very
much to:
Gillian Bowler
Zara Batac
B.J. Birmingham
Rex Cabrera
Marisol Cardenas
Jan Dorn
Mary Gomes
Debbie Gray
Susan Hicks
Joan Kelley
Evan Mattson
Last May we were pleased to meet
Stacy Whitley, who came to us as an
intern for six weeks and stayed on! A
quick study, Stacy has learned all
about our procedures including the
adoption and animal intake process-
es. In addition to soaking in all we
can teach her, she learns from asking
lots of intelligent questions. She
makes us think!
Stacy is a Bay Area girl. She was born
in Pinole and has lived in West Pitts-
burg and Concord. In 2004, she
moved to Merced to be with her
mom. She has three children and
smiles broadly when she announces
her first grandchild on the way. Pres-
ently she shares her pet-loving home
with her mother, stepfather and
daughter Amanda, who also volun-
teers with us.
Having completed her internship,
Stacy now works for Wise Insurance
as an office assistant but in the future
she would like to be involved in ani-
mal-related work. She spends
her spare time rescuing ani-
mals, volunteering at the shel-
ter and enjoying cable TV. We
know that we appreciate her
help and offer her our sin-
cerest “Kudos to You,” Stacy.
KUDOS KORNER
Many thanks to Steve Ben-ner who had volunteered to fill in doing the newsletter after the previous news-letter editor left. We appre-ciate your help and the time you put into getting the last couple of newsletters out. Good job!
Welcome to Greg Bonifay who will be taking over as newsletter editor in Novem-ber. Greg has a wealth of computer knowledge and experience and we look for-ward to working with him. Welcome aboard Greg.
A big THANK YOU to Josh Reddin for building the ex-ercise equipment for Trixie to use while recuperating from surgery. We're happy to report that Trixie is doing very well thanks to dedicat-ed volunteers like Josh. He also assisted with Trixie's exercise and masssage ther-apy. Way to go Josh!
DOG WALK
The annual Dog Walk at Applegate Park will be coming up in May 2014 and we need someone to take over as chair of this event. The Dog Walk has been an important and well-received fundraiser in the past. It would be a shame to lose it. Surely there's one or more of our members who would be able to take over this one event.
Karen McCombs
Kim McGuire
Carly Perryman
Mike Quesnell
Noellia Ramirez
Josh Reddin
Chelsea Sommerfeld
Megan Thrasher
Stacey Whitley
Amanda Workey
Holly Zacharias
Winter's cold air brings many concerns for responsible dog owners. Keep the following precautions in mind: Don't leave your dog outside in the cold for long peri-ods of time. Wind chill makes days colder than actual temperature readings. Be attentive to your dog's body temperature, and limit its time outdoors. Adequate shelter is a necessity. Keep your dog warm, dry and away from drafts. Tiles and uncarpeted areas may become extremely cold, so make sure to place blan-kets and pads on floors in these areas. Groom your dog regularly. Your dog needs a well-groomed coat to keep properly insulated. Short- or coarse-haired dogs may get extra cold, so consider a sweater or coat. Long-haired dogs should have excess hair around the toes and foot pads trimmed to ease snow removal and cleaning. If you do the trimming, take care not to cut the pads or other delicate area of the foot. The holidays are not ideal for introducing a pet into your family. New puppies and dogs require extra atten-tion and a stable environment, which the holiday season doesn't permit. Also, a puppy is not a toy or gift that can be returned. Instead, the AKC suggests giving a gift rep-resentative of the dog to come, such as a toy, a leash, or a bed.
Holly, mistletoe and poinsettia plants are pet poisons! Make sure they are kept in places your dog cannot reach. Review holiday gifts for dogs to make sure they are safe. Items such as plastic toys and small rawhide sticks may be dangerous. Remove holiday lights from lower branches of your tree. They may get very hot and burn dogs. Watch out for electrical cords. Pets often try to chew them and may get badly shocked or electrocuted. Place wires out of reach. Avoid using glass ornaments. They break easily and may cut a dog's feet and mouth. Refrain from using edible ornaments. Your dog may knock the tree over in an attempt to eat them. Also, com-mercial ornaments may contain paint or toxins in the pre-servatives. Whether your tree is live or artificial, both kinds of nee-dles are sharp and indigestible. Don't leave your dog un-attended in the room with the tree. Tinsel is dangerous for dogs. It may obstruct circulation and, if swallowed, block the intestines. Alcohol and chocolate are toxic for dogs, even in small amounts. Keep unhealthy, sweet treats and seasonal goodies out of reach.
Thanks to some very nice donations, we now have the cages we need for adop-tion events. We were able to purchase two cag-es which because of their size, do have some weight to them but are definitely lighter than other types, easy to assemble and comfortably roomy enough for several pets. One is 6'x5'x3' and the other is 4'x5'x3'. The taller one will most likely stay at PetCo for monthly or weekly adoption events amd the other will be stored in the trailer for use at events such as the At-water Fall Festival, Animal Expo and the like.
THANKS so much for your donations. These cages will play a large part in increasing adoptions.
We need help transporting animals in two ways. One is for adoption events. Each month we’ll need someone to take dogs to PetCo for adoption events and to return them to the shelter if not adopted that day.
The other time for transport is for spaying and neuter-ing/dental appointments. We’ve been taking pets to the HOPE Foundation in Fresno for spay/neuter. If done on Thursdays, it’s a one-day deal. The animals are dropped off around 8:45am and picked up that afternoon around 3:30. In between there’s time for lunch and a mov-
ie! Or, one person could take animals there and another pick them up. All manner of variations are possible. You do have to be willing to pay for the services in cash or by credit
card. We can’t provide a check because the charges al-ways vary. But with the receipt from HOPE you can be reimbursed within a day or two by visiting our Treasurer Karyn at Rabobank.
We’re also beginning to use Turlock Spay and Neuter Clinic for dental services as they are extremely reasona-
ble for shelter animals. Again, a transporter could stay the day in Turlock , or come home and return later for pickup, or arrangements could be made for someone else to get animals in the afternoon. Let us know if you’d like to be involved in transport.
XMAS HOME TOUR (continued from pg. 1)
On the 2011 tour we had a home way out on Youd Road. It took about 20 minutes to get there but everyone went and raved about it. This year our “far out” home is in Catheys Valley and also takes 20 minutes, but we could-n’t pass up the chance for you to view 22 trees all in one place! It’s fabulous! You gotta see it! Don’t let the dis-tance deter you. Besides, once you’re at the Vista you’re already on your way! Think of it as a nice Sunday drive through the rolling foothills. We’ve extended the tour to 5 hours to accommodate the extra time needed for this home.
Rounding out the activities of the Home Tour are the three other gorgeous homes to visit, one having Christ-mas caroling with Darrel Lingenfelter at the piano. Our tour has always been a wonderfully warm, pleasurable activity that gets everyone in the holiday mood. And don’t forget how important it is to support this and all SPCA fundraisers. Our coffers are sputtering a bit and we all need to do what we can to beef things up a little. Keep in mind that these tickets make great early Christ-mas presents, or, are there any December birthdays you need gifts for? Remember, the animals are counting on us! Thanks, and enjoy the tour!
SENIOR ANIMALS MAKE GREAT PETS
November is "Adopt a Senior Pet Month". Pictured is one of our former pets named Webster, a ten-year old Mastiff/Labrador mix who was originally found tied up and abandoned at our gate. Now called Reggie, he was discov-ered online a little over a year ago by Patti Thomas who recommended him to her son Spencer Fulton.
"Moving into my home in Modesto after spending so many years in a shel-ter was a bit of an adjustment for Reggie," states Fulton. "He was scared of everything like the TV, flashlights, vacuums and mowers. When he first came home he didn't know what grass was or whether to eat it, roll in it or eliminate on it, so he did all three!"
Despite being ten, Reggie's veterinarian says he has a strong heart, healthy teeth and is in good shape for his age. "He romps after a treat ball like a puppy" says Fulton," but is not so wildly energetic and destructive like pup-pies are."
Both Fulton and his mother feel it's wise for people to give older dogs a second chance at life. Their personalities are formed, they're grateful for everything done for them and they want to be around their owners. Fulton admits it's sometimes hard for him to sleep because Reggie wants to snuggle. "He's just a big, loving teddy bear", he adds, "but it's so nice for him in his last years to have someone to love."
We miss you, Webbie, but are extremely happy for you!
Winter Donation List
AT&T Employee Giving Campaign Atwater-Merced Veteri-
nary Clinic / Combo Testing Cats (Dr. Lawson, Dr. Brunner,
Alex, Cassy & Xenia) Mary Allison / In Memory of Shelia
Drake Julie Bodem / Cat House Repairs CVT / Dave Oli-
ver / Dirt for Lawn Chevron Humankind Employee Fund
Janet Devine Eagle Aux. #2194 / In Memory of Doris Tucker
Betty Easley / In Memory of Leroy Inman Ben & Willie
Elias Donna Ellett / In Memory of Sheila Drake Emily &
Luther Evans / for Trixie Susan Gilbert
Lola & Lonnie Hendricks Bonnie Herbert Kathleen Lar-
son / for Trixie Diane Machado / for Trixie Merced County
H.S.A. (Deborah, Natalie, Delores, Andrea & Anna) Elaine
Padilla / for Trixie Mun & Derold Perry PETCO Foundation
Judith Richards / In Memory of Sheila Drake Dave & Nora
Rickabaugh / In Memory of Hunter Shirley Sharp / In
Memory of Pauline Molles & Marilynn Thornhill William &
Mary SilvaBarbara Sparks / In Memory of Sheila Drake
Carol Spillman / In Memory of Gregg Hill & Donation for the
animals TRUIST Selwyn & Cynthia Wener / for Badger
Holly & David Zacharis / Veterinary Expenses
To the businesses, people and places that support the Merced SPCA and the ones that are kind enough to allow us
to place SPCA banks with them. Please try to patronize these businesses. They are helping our goals to save lives.
