CCHS Volunteer Newletter

April 2004

Hello Everyone! Spring is finally here, and I have a lot of information to
pass on to you. This will be a long newsletter, so please keep reading to
the end!

March was another good month for adoptions- we had several long term
residents find homes including the cats Sabrina, Sally, and the pair of
tortie's, Puttie Tat and Gingersnap, who went home together. The dogs
Cooper and Shinook found homes, as did Bernie and Waggy. Our total
adoptions for the year is already over 825, which is over 160 adoptions
ahead of last year. It is the dedicated help of the volunteers that makes
it possible for us to have such a high adoption rate. We couldn't keep all
the animals happy and healthy without your help!

Our first big event of the year will be held this month- Bark in the Park
will be on Saturday, April 17th from 9 am to noon at Centennial Park in
Champaign. I can still use some volunteer help for Bark- I will need a few
more early morning people to help set up from 7:30 to 9 am; as well as
volunteers to help with registration and games from 9 to noon. If you want
to help with Bark please let me know by Wednesday, April 14th so I can get
the schedule made and confirmations sent out by Friday afternoon.

Prefer participate in Bark with a four legged friend? Then pick up a
registration form at the shelter, or I can mail it to you. Don't have a
four legged friend and still want to participate in all the fun? Then get a
group of 10 or more people together, raise an average of $35 per person, and
walk as a team. As a special bonus, teams can choose to have a PhD
spokesdog from our People Helping Dogs training program to be your team
mascot. One of our PhD Volunteers will bring out your spokesdog mascot, and
will walk the spokesdog with your team during the 1 or 2 mile walk. Teams
must pre-register before April 16th to guarantee a spokesdog, so gather up
your co-workers, sorority sisters, fraternity brothers, scout group, or club
and make a team today!

After you have had a chance to rest from Bark in the Park, you may be ready
to tackle the CCHS Giant Garage Sale. Its the perfect reason to clean out
your closets, basement, attic and storage shed- bring your unwanted, usable
items to the fair grounds for the sale, and help even more by volunteering!
Volunteer help will be needed from May 9th thru June 1st. I am attaching
copies of the Garage Sale Time Line and the Garage Sale Sign Up Sheets for
you. Look over them and return the sign up sheets by Monday, April 26th so
I can have the completed schedule by Saturday, May 1st. For the last four
years the sale has made over $30,000; with all of the proceeds helping the
homeless animals in our care. An event of this scale takes a tremendous
amount of volunteer effort; and with your help, we hope to continue the
success we have been having. If you would prefer to have the Time Line and
the Sign Up Sheets mailed to you, let me know and I'll get those out to you.

We have added a new volunteer opportunity- Caring Hands. Caring Hands
Volunteers will be responsible for nebulizing cats and kittens that have a
severe upper respiratory infection and need a breathing treatment to help
them get better. Volunteers will need to clean out the cats eyes and nose
if needed, and will then put the cat in the nebulizer for the duration of
the treatment, return the cat to its kennel, and move on to the next cat.
This will be a big help to the medical staff, as well as to the cats. Its a
perfect starting point for those interested in veterinary medicine, but
don't have a lot of experience giving medications, etc. It is also a good
option for volunteers that want to do a little more than socializing, but
don't want to give medications. To be eligible for the Caring Hands
opportunity, you must volunteer with cats regularly for at least one month
prior to entering the Caring Hands program, and you will need to commit to
two hours, once a week. If you are interested in becoming a Caring Hands
Volunteer, please let me know and we can get you started in the next few
weeks.

Now that spring is officially here, kitten season is beginning (and they are
already trickling in!) which means we will need more Foster Homes to help us
care for kittens that aren't quite ready for adoption. Foster Homes care
for kittens that aren't old enough or don't weigh enough to go up for
adoption, ones that are sick, orphaned bottle babies, or pregnant/nursing
cats with kittens. You can even opt for the adult cats that are sick and
need a foster home to help them get better. Foster homes aren't limited to
cats, we can also foster homes for dogs and puppies if you prefer to work
with dogs. The shelter will cover all medical expenses, and will provide
all needed medications. There is a $25 state licensing fee that needs to be
taken care of before you can begin to foster. If you are interested in
fostering, or would simply like more information please let me know.

We have re-organized our Petsmart Luv-A-Pet center program, and are again
looking for volunteers to work with our cats at Petsmart. Volunteers are
needed at least once a month for a two-hour shift. Volunteers will help
adopters with questions, have interested adopters begin the adoption
process, and will „cuddle‰ the cats. Volunteers are needed Monday thru
Saturday between 9 am and 9 pm, or Sunday between 10 am and 6 pm. If you
are interested in working with the cats at Petsmart, please let me know and
we can get you set up to volunteer at Petsmart.

There are a few general reminders for everyone:
-Please do not work with the animals in the hallway unless you have prior
approval from myself or the shelter manager. These animals are not up for
adoption yet, and some of them may be sick or scared.

-Please remember to help keep the shelter clean. Our staff work hard at
keeping the facility clean, and they shouldn't have to clean up after
volunteers. Remember to put all brushes, combs and leashes in the proper
locations when you are finished using them, clean up all hair that the
animals may have shed while you were brushing them, keep the treats covered,
and throw all of your trash away in trash cans. If the trash can is full,
please let the staff know so we can change it; or you can change it
yourself, the staff can show you where to get the liners for the trash cans.

-Please do not take on a responsibility if you have not been thru the
proper training. If you work with cats and want to work with dogs as well,
let me know and we can set up a brief training session so you know which
dogs can go out and where all the supplies are. On the same note, if you
work with dogs and want to work with the cats please let me know.

-Please remember to sign in and out, and always wear a name tag when you
are volunteering. Also, make sure the name tags are visible.

Here are a few notes for Dogwalkers:
-Please remember to clean off the dogs feet when you bring them back inside
if it is raining, or if the ground is wet or muddy. Please do this by the
doors, either before coming in or right inside the doors. You may leave the
towel you are using by the door, but please remember to put it in the
laundry room when you are finished walking so it can be cleaned. Dirty
towels should never be left with the dog walking supplies.

-Please remember that the only dogs allowed in the Play Area will have Play
Area written on their kennel card in red ink. If you do not see Play Area
on the kennel card, they have not been cleared to use the Play Area.

-Please remember that dogs should not interact with each other unless they
are from the same kennel.

-Please remember to keep dogs on a short, tight leash in the building so
they can not jump on other dogs, people, or cages.

-There has been a problem with volunteers over-filling the buckets outside
for the bags of feces, and people have started piling the bags by the front
doors instead of letting me know the bucket was missing. This does not look
good for the shelter, as the front doors are the first thing people notice
when they approach the building and gives the first impression that we are a
dirty facility. It also poses a health risk to the dogs. Therefore, the
buckets are being removed and all bags must be thrown in the dumpster on the
west side of the building. Please use the dumpster that is in the wooden
fencing, as the others are for other purposes, such as cardboard disposal.
There will be one bucket left just inside the Play Area for use when dogs
are having free time in the Play Area. Please do not over fill it, and if
you notice that it is getting full please let the staff know, or empty it
and replace the liner as well.

Spring has just begun, which means our busy season is just beginning. With
the ever-growing number of animals we receive, we depend on our volunteers
to help us keep the animals in our care healthy, happy, and comfortable.
You are part of our success, and we truly appreciate your continued help and
support. We hope everyone is enjoying their volunteer time; and if you have
any suggestions, comments, or concerns, please let me know.

Julie