CCHS Volunteer Newletter

July 2003

Hello everyone! We had a great month for adoptions in June; we place 298 pets
into new homes which makes this past June the 4th best month for adoptions in
CCHS history! (August 2002 is still number 1.) Among the adoptee's for June
are the dogs Trevor, Lacey and Shelby- Lacey and Shelby even went to the same
home! The cats Patch Adams and Madame Divi found homes; as well as the two big
boys Zodzilla and Boomer. June's totals bring the adoption total for this year
to 1,358 animals, which about 200 adoptions ahead of last year. Thank you for
all of your help, everyone that gives a little time to the animals helps to
make these high adoption numbers possible! Everyone on the staff really
appreciates your time and dedication!

Another successful Kitten Shower has come and gone, and about 70 cats and
kittens found new homes at the shower this year. Everyone that helped did a
great job- the event wouldn't be the success it is with out your help and
support. I hope to see everyone again for next year's shower so it can go as
well as this years did. Thanks again for all the help, we couldn't do it
without you!

We have two events coming up, the first one is a new one. The outlet mall at
Tuscola has invited us to be a part of their Back to School days promotion
this year, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 26. It would be a great
way to get some of our cats more visibility, but we will need a lot of
volunteer help to make this possible.

It will be a lot of work to bring the cats and cages down to Tuscola. We will
need lots of help getting the animals down to Tuscola and back to the shelter,
so anyone willing to transport cats in their car would be greatly appreciated.
(Air conditioning is a must to keep the cats cool during the drive!) We will
also need lots of helping hands at the mall to supervise the cats while they
are out there.

Volunteers that can help transport cats will be needed from 9 am to 5 pm,
for the following shifts:
Full day: 9 am to 5 pm (includes driving time)
Morning only: 9 am to 1pm (includes driving time)
Afternoon only: 1 pm to 5 pm (includes driving time)

Volunteers that will not be able to help transport, but want to help during
the adopt-a-thon itself will be needed for the following shifts:
Full day: 10:30 am to 3:30 pm
Morning only: 10:30 am to 1 pm
Afternoon only: 12:45 pm to 3:30 pm

If you can help, please let me know what shift you want to sign up for, making
sure you specify if you plan on helping to transport, by Wednesday July 23rd
at 5:00 pm. This is a new event, so the more help we have, the better off we
will be.

The second event is the Annual Summer Adopt-a-Thon held August 15th thru 17th.
This is our busiest adopt-a-thon, so we need lots of help. The shelter will be
open extended hours- Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 9 pm, and Sunday from
11 am to 6 pm. I am looking for people to work 2-hour shifts, beginning at 11
am (10:30 on Sunday). Volunteers will work in the dog or cat areas helping
people get the animals out so they can visit with them, or work as a greeter
to welcome people as they enter the building and give them directions to
adoption rooms, etc. I will need a minimum of 10 people per shift, and the
shifts will run as follows:

Friday and Saturday Sunday
(August 15th and 16th): (August 17th):
11 am to 1 pm 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
1 pm to 3 pm 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
3 pm to 5 pm 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm
5 pm to 7 pm 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm
7 pm to 9 pm

Please contact me or if you would like more information before committing
yourself to a shift. If you are willing to help, please try to sign up for the
Adopt-a-Thon by Wednesday, August 13th so I can have a schedule ready on
Thursday the 14th.

I have a few general reminders to pass on to everyone:
-Please remember that volunteers should not discuss shelter policies or
adoptions with the public. This should be left to the shelter staff or
certified Adoption Counselors. If any one is interested in adopting a dog or
cat, please refer them to the appropriate people for assistance.
-Remember to use the west side door if you come out between 9 and 11 am. The
front doors are not unlocked until we open for adoptions at 11, so they should
not be used until 11 am.
-If you have not been thru training for a specific volunteer opportunity,
please do not begin it until you have been thru the training. (IE cat
socializers should not walk dogs without proper training, dogwalkers should
not bathe the animals without proper training, etc.) This is for your
protection as well as for the animals. If you would like to expand your
volunteer responsibilities, please let me know and we can set up a time to go
over the necessary training.

Dogwalkers, please remember the following:
-Dogs must be 6 months old or older to go outside. No exceptions will be made
for this policy. This is set in place to help protect our puppies from certain
diseases that are highly contagious if a young puppy has not had all of the
necessary vaccines. If you have a question about the age of a puppy, please
ask before you take it outside.
-Please remember to grab a towel to clean off dog feet if it is raining,
snowing, or simply muddy outside. The towel can be left at the door you are
using until you are finished walking, then you should put it in the dirty
laundry bin to be cleaned. Wiping off the dog's feet not only keep the
shelter looking clean, but dogs with wet or muddy feet loose their traction on
the tile floors.

Cat Socializers, please make note of the following:
-Regular brushes will no longer be out for the cats. Instead, we now have a
barbicide jar with disinfectant that combs will be kept in (like those at the
barber shop). It will be kept on the Volunteer File Cabinet with a roll of
paper towels. Please dry off the combs with the paper towel before using it,
and please remember to clean all of the cat hair out of the comb before
placing it back in the jar. Please make sure you use a clean comb for each
cat, and please remember to return the combs to the jar after each use. This
will help minimize the spread of germs, so please remember to use the combs
in the jar properly! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for taking the time to volunteer, the staff appreciates all of your
help during these busy summer months. Please feel free to contact me if you
have any questions, concerns, or ideas to improve on your volunteer
experience. I am out of the office on Tuesday's and Wednesday's, so if you
need immediate assistance on those days, please contact Ann Stohmeyer at
344-9314, or by email at ann@cuhumane.org.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Julie