July 28, 2010

I received a very exciting press release from my friends at Humane Society of Boulder Valley. And, I know this is cheating, really really cheating, but I'm going to let you read it for yourself because I am on vacation this week! Well, actually, Marianne and John are on vacation and I'm back at Chizzie Boot Camp, which is NOT a vacation by any stretch of the imagination. Furthermore, Chiz won't let me near the computer.

"Puppies in training are not allowed near expensive computer equipment!" he barked, and that was that. Rats.

So, here's the exciting news from the Humane Society of Boulder Valley:

"It’s the kind of contest where homeless and abandoned cats and dogs are the real winners, regardless of the outcome. The Humane Society of Boulder Valley is one of 50 animal shelters across the country selected from 700 applicants to compete in the Save More Lives – ASPCA $100K Challenge.
The 50 shelters will be competing for a $100,000 grant from The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
During this three-month contest which begins Aug. 1 and ends Oct. 31, 2010, shelters will be competing against one another to save even more lives of cats and dogs than the same period last year.
Winners will be announced on or about December 8, 2010.
“The whole purpose of the ASPCA Challenge is to save even more cats and dogs this year and increase our potential to save more lives in the years to come,” said Lisa Pedersen, CEO of the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. “We are so excited to be one of the competing shelters in this contest. With our highly successful adoption program and an amazingly supportive community, we know we will be successful, regardless of the contest’s outcome. If our success includes winning the $100K grant, we will invest in technology and operational enhancements to save more animals’ lives.”
All participating shelters will be counting total feline and canine live exits from August 1 through October 31 and comparing them to total “live exits” from August 1 through October 31, 2009. Live exits are defined as animals that leave the shelter through new adoptions or because they are reunited with their families through lost-and-found programs. The Challenge requires shelters to save at least 300 more animals, and the shelter that goes the farthest over 300 more lives saved wins the $100,000 grant.
“Our goal is to go far beyond the requirements and save 1,000 more animals’ lives this year,” said Pedersen. “We thrive on innovation, and during the Challenge you will see us implementing new initiatives and models to drive more adoptions and guardian reclaims and make our services more accessible and effective for both our animal and people clients."
The Humane Society of Boulder Valley will increase the lives saved with enhanced adoption and lost-and-found programs, more transfers of adoption animals from overcrowded shelters where animals are being euthanized due to time and space, improving technology and internal processes, more remote adoptions through its Pet Care Cruiser Mobile Adoption & Education Unit and a strong volunteer and community involvement campaign.
Saving this many more lives will require all hands on deck. The Humane Society of Boulder Valley is asking individuals, organizations and businesses in Boulder Valley to get involved in its community involvement campaign called the Adopt A Pet Project by adopting a pet from the shelter, encouraging friends and family to adopt a dog or cat, advocating for the adoption of shelter pets via their own Facebook pages and other personal networks and sponsoring adoption animals.
When community members get involved, they’ll not only be helping the animals, but they will also be increasing the Humane Society of Boulder Valley’s chances of winning the other ASPCA prize that’s part of the Challenge: $25,000 for the shelter that enlists the most community support in this lifesaving effort.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the shelter can fill out a volunteer application online, or request that one be mailed to your home by contacting the Volunteer Department at 303.442.4030, extension 612.
To get updates and join the conversation, join the ASPCA’s Save More Lives Community here.
For more information about the Save More Lives: ASPCA $100K Challenge, click here.

Chow for now!

Mars

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