Press Release

CELEBRATE THE LIFESAVING WORK OF ANIMAL SHELTERS WITH CCHS DURING SHELTER APPRECIATION WEEK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2005

For more information:
Jason Smith, Executive Director
Champaign County Humane Society
1911 E. Main St., Urbana, IL 61802
217-344-7297

Urbana, Ill. - Champaign County Humane Society will celebrate National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, Nov. 6-12, with tours of its shelter and microchipping of pets.

Tours are scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 6) and Nov. 12 (Saturday). Pet owners can bring their pets to CCHS from 1-3 p.m. those two days and, for a donation, have a microchip - an identification "card" - implanted under the pet's skin..

"It can be your lost pet's ticket home," said Jason Smith, executive director of CCHS. "If your pet ever loses its collar and I.D. tags, its microchip I.D. will help it return home to you."

Smith encourages everyone to come to the Champaign County Humane Society for the tours to visit with the animals, learn about shelter services and find out what you can do to help animals in need. Children can participate in Shelter Tour Bingo and win prizes.

"Champaign County Humane Society is proud to serve the needs of homeless pets of the Champaign-Urbana area," Smith said, "but we're also proud of our service to the human members of our community.”

"Our affiliation with the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine furthers the medical education of students who hone their surgical and diagnostic skills," he said. "Students in the companion animal program in the department of animal sciences likewise get hands-on experience at CCHS in humane education, dog training and shelter management.

"CCHS relies on a wealth of volunteers - from families who volunteer together to individuals who tirelessly return week after week. They not only provide a service to us and to the animals, but also benefit themselves from their volunteering," Smith said. "We salute the students and the volunteers this week, too."

CCHS, located at 1911 E. Main St., Urbana, one mile east of the intersection of Main Street and Cunningham Avenue, is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

CCHS, incorporated in 1951 by a diverse group of local citizens who cared deeply about animals, is not a government body and is not supported by tax dollars. CCHS is an "open door" shelter and accepts all animals needing shelter, regardless of age, physical condition or adoptability. As a local, not-for-profit charity, we exist through the generosity of many individuals and businesses and are supported by a community that cares.

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Jason Smith
Executive Director
Champaign County Humane Society
1911 E. Main St.
Urbana, IL 61802
217-344-7297
www.cuhumane.org