Winter Safety tips for your Pets

With the 1st day of winter just around the corner, I thought it might be helpful to give a few tips to help keep your furry companions safe and happy during the coming cold months.

1. Know your dog’s limits! – Some dogs have more trouble dealing with the cold than others (elderly, sick, thin, short-coated, or the very young). If your dogs enjoy being outdoors, but their coat may not keep them warm enough, you might consider getting them a coat or a sweater to help keep them warm.

2. Check the hood! – During the winter it is not uncommon for outdoor cats to sleep in the wheel wells of cars to keep warm. Before starting your cat bang on your hood or honk your horn. Cats can be injured by the moving engine parts if you start your engine.

3. Wipe their paws! – If you take your dogs on walks during the winter, be sure to wipe their paws after it’s over. Dogs can pick up toxic chemicals such as, ice melts, anti-freeze, or other chemical de-icers. These can cause serious harm to your pets. Check their paws for signs of chemical damage such as rash, cracked skin, or bleeding pads.

4. Avoid the ice! – When walking your dog, avoid ice as much as you can. Especially frozen lakes and ponds, because the ice when/if it breaks can seriously injure your dog.

5. Leave them home! – Just like a dog being left alone in a hot car can be dangerous, so can being left in a cold car. Only take your pet with you when it is necessary to ensure their health and safety.

6. Be seen! – With daylight savings, it gets harder to walk your pet during the daylight hours. A good way to ensure both yourself and your pet are safe, by wearing light and reflective colors (clothing, collars, leashes, etc.).

7. Shelter! – We would like to think that most people would bring their pets indoors during the winter, but if you can’t bring them in all the time bringing them in during sub-zero temperatures is strongly recommended. If your dog does live outside, providing them with a draft free shelter, with plenty of bedding. It should be raised a few inches of space between the ground and bottom of the shelter. Also ensure that they have access to plenty of food and water in plastic not metal bowls.

Most important of all, is to be prepared. Winter can bring all sorts of extreme weather, so planning accordingly is extremely important. Not only for you but for your pets as well.

Santa Paws!! Thank You Everyone!!

We had our annual Santa Paws event on December 2nd at L & L Pets! We had such a great turn out. The Humane Society of the Flint Hills would like to thank everyone who came out and supported us at this event! Your generosity helps keep the Humane Society running and we wouldn't be able to do it with out you!

Here are just a few of the wonderful furry friends whose families brought them down to have their pictures taken!!

Letter from the Executive Director!! #2

Good Morning, Afternoon, or Evening!! (depending on when you are reading this)

I hope all of the locals are enjoying the rain we have been getting. It has been an extremely busy past couple weeks. We had a great time out at Water's True Value with our dog adoption event! Maddie and McKenzie, our two sweet little mother and daughter duo, got adopted!! Everyone is extremely happy for them and their new family and we are even happier that they got to go together!

We had a great turn out for our 2nd to last Bow Wow Basics Dog Obedience class. We had quite a few puppies and a couple of adult dogs. The class started on the 7th and will continue until the 21st. We have another that will start on September 11th, it will be held at Hammond Park between 6pm and 7pm in the Shelter House. These classes give you a good basis for starting to train your puppy or adult dog. Sit, stay, down, heel, etc. Our instructor is amazing with dogs. If you want to sign up for the classes, please get in contact with me and reserve your space today!

We are still looking for new members for our Board of Directors. So if you are looking to give back to the community and the animals who live here. This is a great way to do it! We fundraise, educate, and give back to the community and its animals. We would love to have you apply and join!

Coming up we have an exciting event! September 8th we will be participating in Coldwell Bankers 'Home for your Pet'. The Humane Society of the Flint Hills, Friends of the Emporia Animal Shelter, and Emporia Arts Council will be downtown with Coldwell Banker, 608 Commercial St. We will be raising money to cover operating costs of the shelter as well as helping FEAS raise money to cover the medical costs for the shelter. EAC will be doing face painting as a puppy or kitten for a donation that will all go towards the shelter. Coldwell Banker will also be doing a donation drive, and has copies of our shelters wish list. As time gets closer I will share more information, but I really hope to see you all down at the Great American Market.

I would be remiss to not mention that the Emporia Animal Shelter is open Saturday - Wednesday 11am -3pm. They are closed on Thursday and Friday. They have so many wonderful cats and dogs who are looking for their forever home.

Remember Adopt! Don't Shop!

Caitlin Flood
Executive Director
Humane Society of the Flint Hills

Letter from the Executive Director #3

Hello World!

Wow! It has been a crazy and mildly hectic past few weeks at the Humane Society offices. Our computer is officially back up and running so hopefully I won't be away for so long again!

This past weekend we had an amazing time at the Great American Market. We were working with Friends of the Emporia Animal Shelter, Coldwell Banker, and Emporia Arts Council to raise money for the Emporia Animal Shelter. A huge thank you to everyone who came down and donated to this amazing cause. We had two gift baskets that we drew for after the Market was over. So huge Congratulations to Kaila Mock and Jess Penn!! They are our two winners!

Our next big event is of course our Dog House Build! We will be building these dog houses on Saturday September 29th between 9am and 1pm. We are extremely thankful to the 10 ESU athletes that have volunteered their time and will be coming to help us build dog houses. We are still taking donations to go towards buying materials for this event.

The Humane Society of the Flint Hills will also be at the David Traylor Zoo's Safari Edventure! We will be teaching kids about what an animal shelter is, what does it take to be a responsible pet owner, and why should you spay/neuter your pet. We are super excited to be able to talk to the kids in the community and help them learn about animals and their care. This will be taking place October 4th and 5th between 10am to 2pm. If you would like to sign your class up to attend please contact the David Traylor Zoo about how to go about this. We hope to see you there!

It's been fantastic talking with you all again! Please remember, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to me (Caitlin) at 6220-342-4477 or email me at director@humanesocietyflinthills.org .

Have an exciting and wonderful day,

Caitlin
Executive Director

Letter from the Executive Director!

Hello Everyone!

Wow! This has been a whirlwind two weeks on the job and with this blog up and running! As this is the beginning of the month of August, I thought that I should do another Newsletter/update/talk post (I don't know what to call this letter format).
School will be starting back up soon and everyone's life will get super busy. The Humane society is just as busy this month! We have dog adoption events, dog obedience classes, and an awesome fundraising event being held in our honor by Beard Team Kansas! These guys are a not for profit organization that raise money for different organizations in our community. They recently decided that the Humane Society of the Flint Hills would be the organization they are supporting this go a round! We are extremely grateful that they would honor us in this way, and we hope to see you at all of their fundraising efforts!
I have also been preparing for other upcoming events and trying to drum up some new board members for the Humane Society (if you know of anyone who might want to join our board of directors, please have them contact me)! In between all of these other activities, I have also been typing up new blog posts to keep you guys informed and up to date on what we at the Humane Society are up to! I hope you guys have been enjoying the content so far (let me know if you think I should write about  a specific topic or if I need to add to something).
I'm sure you are thinking, "Okay Caitlin, you have told us about all of these events happening in August and the upcoming months. Why haven't you given us any dates and times?" That is because I was waiting to add drama and suspense for my new announcement! I have added an 'Future Events' page to our blog that will be the master list of future events! I will still give you a what's coming next month post at the end of each month, but this will be updated on a regular basis, removing past events and adding new events as they are announced.
Well I have a dog adoption event I need to finish getting ready for, so I will sign off! Please remember that if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me by email at director@humanesocietyflinthills.org or phone 620-342-4477!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and week! Until next time,

Caitlin
Executive Director
Humane Society of the Flint Hills

Edit:
P.S. I figured out what I'm going to call these! 'Letter from the Executive Director' Look for more of these in the Future!

Costs of Adopting a Dog

Talk it Out

Adopting a dog is a lifetime commitment. Not necessarily your life, but certainly theirs. It isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly. Whether you are a single person looking for a companion or a family looking to add a new addition to the home, you need to take careful consideration of what adding this new life into the house will mean.

Money

I have had Petey for less than a year, and can say from personal experience I wish I had planned and budgeted a little better than I had. Here are the things that I wish people and gotten me to consider when I was preparing to adopt Petey.

·        Adoption Fees – to adopt any dog from the Emporia Animal Shelter there is an adoption fee that helps to cover the costs that go into caring for the animal while at the shelter.

o   $100 for a Purebred or a puppy

o   $75 for any other dog that has been there less than 2 weeks

o   $25 for all dogs that have been there 2 weeks or more

·        Spay/Neuter Deposit

o   $130 deposit that will be refunded to you with proof that you have gotten your dog spayed or neutered.

·        Food

o   This is can be a big expense depending on what type of dog food you feed them, and how big of a dog you have.

·        Vet Expenses

o   You have to take into consideration that once a year your dog will need all of his/her vaccinations, heart worm checks, fecal check, and a general physical.

o   Also you need to consider the fact that your dog could get sick and need to visit the Vet more than just the once for his/her normal visit.

·        Collars

o   For an adult dog, this probably won’t be a big deal. Collars are relatively inexpensive. But if you adopt a puppy, those little guys out grow collars like crazy! Either be prepared to buy multiple collars or by an adjustable collar that will hopefully last until they stop growing.

·        Leashes

o   Be aware that some leashes work better for certain dogs than others. If you are getting a big dog and aren’t sure how they are going to walk on a leash, buying them a retractable leash probably isn’t the best idea. Big dogs tend to do best on stationary leashes, until you can work with them enough to really know how they are going to do on walks.

·        Medication

o   Heartworm Medication

§  I usually only have to buy this once a year! Heartworms are nasty parasites that take up residence in your dog’s heart. The treatment for Heartworms is extremely expensive compared to the amount you will spend once a year to prevent them.

o   Flea and Tick Medication

§  This I have to buy a couple times a year. There are topical flea and tick medicines, pills your dog can take, or even flea collars. You will just need to weigh the pros and cons of each and see which best fits yours and your dogs lifestyle!

·        Toys

o   Now I’m not saying that your dog needs 100 different toys, but finding one or two that they like can help keep them entertained and prevent them from being destructive. Petey likes his chew bones (nylabones or rawhide), Kong’s, and balls. These keep him distracted, entertained, and when he is chewing on a bone, his teeth clean.

·        Crate

o   For a newly adopted dog, crates can be a good tool to have. For small dogs travel crates can make car rides to the vet easier and safer. The Humane Society of the United States recommends that all dogs when being transported by car, be transported in a crate. By doing this, they say is reduces injury to the dog and passengers in a car, should an accident occur. I mainly use a crate at home when I’m leaving the house. I love my dog and think he is the biggest sweetheart in the world, but he has separation anxiety and can get destructive when left alone. His crate keeps him safe and has the added bonus of not allowing him to destroy the furniture in my house.

·        Grooming

o   This can mean buying dog shampoo and nail clippers and doing it all at home or it could mean you take your dog to the groomer. This one is totally up to you and your budget.

·        Pet sitting/boarding

o   If you go out of town overnight or on vacation, leaving your dog alone for that length of time probably isn’t a good idea. So if you leave on vacation and can’t take your dog with you. You will have to consider where you will be able to board your dog and how much that will cost. The other option is to find someone you trust enough to give a spare key to, so that they can take care of your dog.

I am not in any way trying to discourage anyone from adopting a dog. But you really need to be ready to fully commit to owning one for the rest of their life. Petey has been my perfect companion, and I don’t regret getting him one bit. But I also have to budget carefully to provide for Petey and myself.

Foster Homes for Animals and What That Means

What is an Animal Foster Home and why are they important?

When most people here the words Foster Home, they usually are thinking about human children, not animals. But our shelter is currently looking for people to provide a foster home for our dogs and cats. This would be a temporary placement to get eligible dogs and cats out of the shelter into a home environment. A shelter environment can be noisy and frightening to an animal, this means that the animal might not show its normal personality and be passed over for adoption. It’s not fair to the animal or the prospective families who are missing out on wonderful dogs or cats because they are frightened or confused by their environment. A home environment allows the animal to feel comfortable and relax. The dog or cat will start to show its normal personality and allow for it to have more personalized care. All of this makes it easier to adopt the animal and find them an amazing forever home!

How do I Become a Foster Home?

Here is where you come in. If you would like to become a foster home for one of our animals, here is what you do:

Step 1. Come in to the shelter and fill out the application.

Step 2. One of our shelter staff, will call you to set up a home visit. This is state required. All they are looking for is a safe environment for an animal, no chemicals where they could reach them, a quiet place for them to go if they need alone time, etc. They will not judge you on how clean your house is!

Step 3. If you get approved, wait until they have an animal eligible. If you don’t feel comfortable with the current animal or if you don’t feel able to care for them this time around, you can always say no. The Animal Shelter will then contact you the next time around.

Other information it’s important to know!

You have very few out of pocket expenses! You do not have to pay for any medical expenses or food expenses. Thanks to the wonderful and generous Friends of the Emporia Animal Shelter (FEAS) they have covered all medical expenses, and the Shelter will provide the food for your foster animal. You would need to provide a place for the animal to sleep, leash and collar, dog bowls, and maybe a toy. The shelter will take care of screening applications for your foster animal, and will advertise the animal for adoption. Once the have a qualified family or person for adoption, they will contact you and make arrangements for you to bring the animal back out to the shelter to meet its prospective new family! 

As always if you have any more questions please reach out to me or the Animal Shelter.

Meet Rebel! He is currently available for adoption!

A Helpful Dialog on How to join the Humane Society of the Flint Hills

Me: Want to help out the Humane Society, but don't want to join the board of directors? 

You: Yeah, but I don't know how to go about that!

Me: It’s a fairly simple process! You just contact me (Caitlin Flood, your friendly neighborhood executive director!), whether that’s through facebook, email, phone or coming into our office, and ask for a Humane Society of the Flint Hills new member application. It will then only take a minimum yearly donation of $15 dollars (You can donate more if you would like!). 

You: Well what if I want to specify what my money is used for? 

Me:You can do that! We give a few options on the application, such as General Fund, spay & neuter fund, Emergency Animal Care, and Animal Vaccinations. If you don’t see an option you like you can write in on the form what you want your money to go! You can contact me on Facebook at the Humane Society of the Flint Hills, phone at 620-342-4477, email at director@humanesocietyflinthills.org, or visit my office at 215 W. 6^th Ave. in Emporia, KS

You: Wow that's awesome! Thanks for being so helpful!

Me: Don't forget, If you have any questions about the Humane Society or how to help us and the animals we serve, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

August Upcoming Events

Hello fellow animal lovers!

It’s your friendly neighborhood Humane Society Executive Director here! The sun isn’t quite shinning, but I’m sitting here in the office praying for rain! What we got Sunday morning was not nearly enough!

I figured I’d give you guys an update on next months upcoming events!

·        August 5^th through 11^th Water’s True Value is having a “Dog Days of Summer” Sale! They will be doing a pet supply sale all week. But on August 5^th, 8^th, and 11^th between 1pm and 3pm the Emporia Animal Shelter and Humane Society will be out there hosting a Dog Adoption Event! We won’t know until closer to the day whether we will have any animals to take to the event, but we will still be there with adoption posters and information about how to adopt or even foster an animal! Also they are letting us keep a cat condos out there all week so we can try to get one of our wonderful feline friends new homes too!

·        August 7^th starts our next dog obedience class! We still have spaces available for this class! It only runs three weeks and starts at 6pm. These classes usually last about an hour. It will help your dog learn some basic commands and maybe even a trick or two! These classes take place at Hammond Park in the Shelter House on State Street. These classes only cost $35, which you pay the day of the 1^st class. But don’t worry if you can’t make it to this class we have another one starting of September 11^th. Please contact me at 620-342-4477 or email me director@humanesocietyflinthills.org.

WANTED: New Members for our Board of Directors!

Ever wondered what it takes to become a board member for the Humane Society of the Flint Hills? It’s relatively simple. You email me (Caitlin Flood – Executive Director) and I send you an application. We then submit it to the board members for review and schedule you to come to one of our monthly meetings so we can interview you. Once your interview is over the board will vote on whether to bring you on. If they decide you are a good choice we welcome you to the board! Now there are only a few criteria for becoming a board member, first and foremost, you must have a love for animals and a passion for ensuring their welfare. Second, you must want to actively work to help spread awareness of our society and the animal shelter. Third, you must be a member of the Humane Society of the Flint Hills. It only takes $15 a year to become a member of the Humane Society. That’s all it takes to make you a prime candidate for our board! Does this sound like you or someone you know? Good! Because the Humane Society of the Flint Hills is currently looking for new member for our Board of Directors! Please email me at director@humanesocietyflinthills.org or give me a call at (620)342-4477