| PROGRAMS |
Animal Advocates offers spay/neuter and financial funding for stray, homeless,
and feral cats, and dogs and cats living with economically disadvantaged
families or individuals. We also offer subsides for minor medical care,
check-ups, and vaccinations.
In addition to these subsidy programs we also offer the following services:
We have a FREE Pet Help Hotline telephone service to assist people with
many common concerns and problems related to their pets, and assists callers
with questions regarding lost and abandoned animals in our city and towns.
Animal Advocates also has an adoption program where we assist people in
re-homing their pet(s) or stray animal. Anyone interested in the program,
please contact us.
We are also always in need of caring individuals and families who are interested
in becoming part of our team of foster families. If you are interested in
learning more about our program, please contact us. It’s a wonderful
way to give an animal a second chance.
Animal Advocates also has a successful feral cat trap/neuter/return program.
We provide training on managing feral cat colonies, lend out humane traps,
and teach trapping techniques to assist the public with feral cats who may
be living in their yards, garages, sheds, barns, businesses, or other areas.
We educate the public on feral cat behavior, what ear tipping is and why
it is so important, handling and after surgery care, and provide tips for
winterizing colonies. See the volunteer opportunities page for more information
on feral cat trap/neuter/return.
We have many education and outreach programs for the public and local schools.
Animal Advocates staff members and volunteers can be found at many local
fairs and festivals providing free education and counseling to the public
on many pet related issues. We also have programs and demonstrations available
for local school children on responsible pet care and humane treatment of
animals.
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| ADOPTION |
Animal Advocates is interested in families wanting
to adopt animals eagerly awaiting loving homes. These companion dogs and
cats are waiting for a second chance; shouldn’t all the animals
that have had a difficult first start in life deserve a second chance
for a home.
All animals for adoption have been spayed or neutered; vaccinated for
rabies and distemper; treated for worms, fleas, and any ear related problems;
all cats and kittens have tested negative for feline leukemia; all dogs
and puppies have tested negative for heartworm and have been started on
heartworm preventatives. All animals for adoption have received a Veterinarian
health exam.
We invite you to contact us. They all deserve lifelong loving homes, and
we hope someone touches your heart. Please contact us if you think you’ve
made a love connection!
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| WHY
SPAY/NEUTER? |
Spaying and neutering your pet(s) is the most important action you can
take to help solve the problem of pet overpopulation.
There are millions of healthy, adoptable animals destroyed in shelters
every year because not enough animals have been spayed and neutered and
there aren’t enough homes for them all.
In the United States alone, 575 healthy dogs and
cats are destroyed every hour of every day, 13,800 destroyed every day.
And every day there are 2,500 more kittens and puppies born every hour.
It costs tax payers over 2 billion annually.
- Spayed and neutered pets live
longer, healthier lives.
- Spaying and neutering prevents cancer; it greatly
reduces the risks of ovarian, testicular, prostrate, and breast cancer.
- Spaying and neutering stops urine spraying in dogs
and cats.
- Spaying and neutering stops undesirable behaviors
such as aggression, fighting, biting.
- Spaying and neutering stops pets from wandering away
from home.
- Spaying and neutering generally makes pets better
companions and family pets
- Spaying and neutering benefits you, your pet, and
your community.
Spaying and neutering saves lives. Effective spay/neuter programs dramatically
reduce pet overpopulation. Spaying and neutering programs save money.
City and town pick up and impounding animals cost money. Fewer dogs and
cats entering shelters saves tax money, reducing animal control expenses
Be part of the solution to pet overpopulation. Your action today will
make a difference tomorrow!
The numbers are:
- For every person born, 7 puppies and kittens are born
- One female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000
in 7 years
- One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000
dogs in 6 years
There are not enough homes for all the cats and
dogs.
We can humanely reduce and eventually eliminate
overpopulation; when you consider the moral expense of destroying millions
of healthy, innocent beings that many of us consider “best friends”,
the cost of the spay/neuter surgery fades to insignificance.
Great achievements have been made in recent years. Animal Advocates is
working towards the days when there will be no more homeless pets. The
solution is spaying and neutering; destroying dogs and cats is not an
acceptable solution to the overpopulation problem. |
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| MICROCHIPPING |
THOUSANDS OF CATS AND DOGS GO
MISSING FROM THEIR FAMILIES EVERY
YEAR IN THIS COMMUNITY
Microchipping your pets saves lives. Now you can easily and affordably
protect your beloved pet before it’s too late. One injection provides
your pet with a lifetime of protection.
Microchipping is the most effective and safe way
to identify your pet if they are lost. A tiny microchip, the size of a
grain of rice, containing a personal, one-of-a-kind identification number
distinguishes your pet as a special member of your family. Just like a
vaccination, it is injected under the skin of your pet where it remains
safely for life. This inexpensive procedure can be done anytime; everywhere
your pet goes the microchip protects your pet.
Every two seconds a family pet is lost. Tragically,
most never make it back home because their owners didn’t identify
them. Identifying your pet is vital – lack of identification is
the #1 killer of animals in shelters. If your lost pet is brought to a
shelter by an Animal Control Officer, or a private citizen, your pet is
automatically checked for a microchip with a special scanner. The shelter
then calls a 24-hour microchip hotline, you are then contacted, and your
pet goes home. Scanners are provided free of charge to shelters.
Only 1% to 2% of lost cats who are not microchipped
are reunited with their owners, and only 40% to 50% of dogs who are not
microchipped are reunited with their owners. In area shelters, cats are
held for 3 days or less, based on cage space. Normally most cat owners
do not start searching for their cats until a few days after the cat is
missing.
We are offering microchipping and lifetime registration for $25.00. You
fill out the registration form with your information while your pet is
being microchipped, and we mail in your enrollment registration form that
day. If you have more than 1 pet, we have a discount program that will
register up to 8 pets for one discounted price.
Microchipping is a dependable form of identification and a pet’s
best defense against being lost or stolen.
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| FOSTER
CARE |
There are hundreds of homeless dogs and cats within our community in need
of foster care and there simply are not enough foster homes available.
Providing foster care to an orphaned, abandoned, or recuperating dog or
cat is one the most rewarding volunteer experiences possible. Very often
we have animals that people have rescued in need of short term and sometimes
a few in need of long term foster care, depending upon the condition they
were in when taken off of the streets or the age at which they were orphaned.
Animal Advocates is seeking caring families who
will open their homes and their hearts to animals in need of temporary
homes while awaiting adoption. The reality is that there are always more
animals in need than there are foster homes available.
The foster care program provides a temporary home to abandoned, homeless,
or injured dogs and cats awaiting adoption. It also provides home socialization,
which for many animals, is the most important part of their adoption process.
If you have space in your home for cat housing,
a dog crate, or a spare room available to house an animal away from any
other pets in the home; if you can provide the daily attention these dogs,
puppies, cats, and kittens require, and if you would appreciate the fulfillment
of being a foster parent, then this volunteer opportunity is for you.
Animal Advocates provides and arranges health care for the foster animals.
Be a foster care home and give a homeless pet a second chance.
If you think this may be the volunteer experience you are looking for,
please download a copy of our Foster Care Application
and call at (508) 991-7727 |
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| WISH
LIST |
The items below are things we are always
in need of:
Copy Paper Cat Food Office Supplies
Collars/Leashes Paper Towels Dog Crates
Dog Kennels Pet Beds Printers/Cartridges
Cat/Dog Toys Litter Boxes Blankets
Medical Supplies Towels Cleaning Supplies
Frequent Flyer Miles Dishes Cat Condos
We also have a list of items which are the most successful at our Annual
Four Paws Charity Auction for Homeless Animals.
We collect these items throughout the year as
we plan and prepare for our biggest fundraising event of the year!
Your donated items go directly towards spaying
and neutering, vaccinations, health care, and more:
Mirrors Milk Glass Artwork (framed or unframed)
Paintings Animal Figurines Pottery
Baskets Ribbon Jewelry
Furniture Glassware Silver, Copper, or Tin pieces
We have also found that some our biggest successes at the auction are
our handmade baskets; we are collecting items for those as well.
For the baskets we need new items such as:
Candles Lotions Bath bubbles or salts
Soaps Perfume Shampoo and Conditioner
Gourmet Foods Jams and Crackers Kitchen Utensils
Art Supplies Teas Beer and Wine
Cookbooks Children’s Toys Candy
Note Cards Potpourri Cat and Dog Toys |
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| PET
HELP HOTLINE |
Animal Advocates has a Free Pet Help Hotline for the public to help people
and pets. The Pet Help Hotline provides assistance and solutions to common
issues and problems in an effort to keep dogs, cats and their families together.
The Pet Help Hotline addresses many problems and concerns including:
behavioral problems and training solutions
moving or relocating questions and solutions to landlord/tenant pet rental
agreements
assistance with helping people temporarily foster stray pets until adoption
alternatives to de-clawing
allergy control options
help with a stray or orphaned dog or cat
feral cat trap/neuter/return
information on finding a lost pet
introducing pets and children
and many other pet-related issues
Our experienced counselors are very resourceful
and possess a wealth of information and knowledge.
We have found that many of our pet help hotline callers express sheer
relief upon realizing this resource is available to them, and were so
happy with the improvements they and their pets made together!
If you need any information to help you with your pet(s), please call
Animal Advocates Pet Help Hotline at (508) 991-7727.
If you would like to access online tip sheets on behavior and training
issues please visit our Links page.
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| VOLUNTEER |
We have two special volunteer programs designed to assist the feral cat
population in our communities.
If un-spayed/un-neutered domestic cats are abandoned
and left outside to roam, their offspring, which are born in the wild,
become feral. A “FERAL” cat is an undomesticated cat that
usually is fearful of humans as a result of not having had any human contact.
Feral Cat Trappers: There are many feral cat colonies
located throughout the area at business, restaurants, abandoned buildings,
farms, industrial parks, complexes, etc. that need to be trapped in humane
traps and spayed/neutered. We provide the necessary equipment, training,
and spay/neuter assistance to get started in this very important effort.
Farms for Feral Cats: Unfortunately, many of these feral
cat colonies are losing their habitat due to development, their abandoned
building being knocked down, or worse, being subjected to torment and
torture by inhumane people. These cats are the ones that need our help.
We are looking for farms to relocate these cats. These cats are not carriers
of disease or rabies. All of the cats have been spayed or neutered, are
up to date on all of their shots and have tested negative for feline leukemia
and FIV. There are not many options for these cats - their chances of
being adopted into a regular home are slim, since most people want “lap
cats.” Will you please help them? If you would like to participate
we will set you up on a complete program tailored to your specific needs.
We also have a need for volunteers in the following areas:
Foster Homes: We are always in need of foster homes!
If you are interested in fostering a dog or cat awaiting adoption, please
visit our contact us page to learn more about this rewarding program.
Fundraising Committee: We have various fundraising events
throughout the year, including our annual Four Paws Charity Auction for
Homeless Animals. There are many ways to be involved on the fundraising
committee.
Office and Computer work: We always have many office
projects, computer projects, mailings that need volunteers.
Grant Writing: If you are a good writer and have had
experience with grants and/or writing proposals, we could use your expertise.
If you would like to be involved in one of the programs listed above,
or you have any questions regarding volunteer opportunities at Animal
Advocates, please contact us.
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| MASS.
PET PLATE |
New License Plates Available in Massachusetts to Help End the
Pet Overpopulation Crisis
Now there is a new way you can help to end the pet overpopulation crisis
in Massachusetts !!
Every year thousands of kittens, cats, and dogs are killed in Massachusetts
shelters simply because they are homeless, and countless others die from
abuse and neglect on our streets.
Massachusetts has a new automobile license plate, series SN, which stands
for spay/neuter featuring a dog and cat.
This plate costs $40, of which $28 will go directly toward preventing
pet overpopulation; the remaining $12 is a manufacturing fee. Therefore,
more than half of the proceeds will benefit our homeless animals.
Funds will be dispersed annually by the Massachusetts Animal Coalition
(MAC). MAC is a statewide, non-profit organization of animal professionals.
These fees will be awarded to non-profit humane organizations and municipal
animal control agencies in the commonwealth and made available to programs
that provide low-cost spaying and neutering of cats and dogs.
For more information, please call 617-541-5101 or licenseplates@massanimalcoalition.org
You may also download the simple application from
www.massanimalcoalition.org.
So jump on the bandwagon; together we can help to wipe out pet overpopulation
in Massachusetts !!
ORDER YOURS TODAY!
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