Friends of the Burlington County Animal Shelter --- (New Site! FriendsofBCAS.org): March 2011 Volunteer Newsletter

The following was written by Penny, one of Friends of BCAS's coordinators, as the third monthly email to our volunteers.

Fellow Friends of BCAS volunteers,

Once again we are seeing the number of visits volunteers are making to the shelter and volunteer hours increase compared to the prior month, which is WONDERFUL!! In February we had 106 visits and 176 volunteer hours. In March, we had 161 visits and 245 volunteer hours. That's a 51% and 39% increase respectively. (Please remember to sign in & out when you are at the shelter, so our statistics can be as accurate as possible.)

Those of you coming out to the shelter regularly know these statistics are not just numbers. These statistics also represent purring cats and tail-wagging dogs. It is a wonderful feeling when you approach a kennel and KNOW that cat or dog recognizes you :o)

I went through the shelter last Saturday, 4/2/11, and there were some dogs and cats who had not been out of their kennels for over two weeks. Let's strive to get the dogs and cats out of their kennels at least once a week!!

Our standout volunteers for March were:
Danielle Giano - 17.75 volunteer hours in March
Richard Brunker - 17 volunteer hours in March

Thank you for your dedication and compassion toward the dogs and cats at our shelter!!

Also extra appreciation to Danielle who took home our 'little painter' and nursed him back to health. He has been adopted and is now in a forever home....yippee!!

Bow wow items:

You are not considered a 'yellow' dog walker until you have been evaluated by Penny, John or Lisa (John & Lisa are BCAS staff). If you would like to walk 'yellow' dogs, please get evaluated because the majority of the dogs are 'yellow'.
A dog CANNOT be off leash in the courtyard area during hours when the shelter is open to the public (12:00pm - 4:00pm). The shelter staff typically uses the courtyard to show animals to potential adopters, so we don't want to disrupt that process.
Please log your activity on the bright orange volunteer sheet. This is important, so we can make sure every dog is getting the attention they deserve.
Our next dog handling class is 4/18/11. If you are interested in attending, let me know.
There are a few kennels with some very timid smaller dogs. The volunteer activity indicates 'socialization needed'. Please take some time to positively interact with these dogs by giving them treats, sweet talk and soft touches. Our goal is not to get them outside for a walk, but to make them feel comfortable around people. These dogs should all be adopted fairly easily once we get them more socialized because they are very CUTE!!

Meow items:

As always, sanitize, sanitize, sanitize everything a cat touches before another cat touches it.
If anyone would like some hands-on training with the cats, please speak up. Barb Moos and Christian DiPonziano have graciously offered to help out in that area.
The cats need groomers! The dogs have several wonderful, dedicated volunteer groomers, but many of the cats could use grooming as well. Please let us know if you're interested in making some cats cleaner and happier!
Please log your activity on the bright orange volunteer sheet. This is important, so we can make sure every cat is getting the attention they deserve.
BCAS foster parents could really use the following items: wet/dry cat food, Gerber/Beechnut chicken or turkey baby food (no onion powder ingredient). Please place any donated items in the black volunteer cabinet in the conference room and Linda will distribute to the foster parents.

Other volunteer opportunities:

We are looking for people to guest-write for our blog. The more we have posted, the more easily found we are online. Contact Jenn at jennak87@yahoo.com for more information!
Help us build up our volunteer base by distributing our flyer.
We have cute little business cards you can print out on regular paper and hand out!
Do you know somebody who likes making videos? We are looking for somebody to create informational/promotional videos for our Youtube channel. Contact Jenn at jennak87@yahoo.com for more information.

You don't have to be 18 to make a difference!
A few weeks ago Katie (12 years old) and her dad showed up at an orientation class without realizing volunteers had to be at least 18 years old. They sat in the class for 15 minutes or so and then went through the shelter to see the animals. Katie was disappointed she could not walk the dogs and play with the cats, but that did not stop her. She returned home and made up flyers requesting the items most needed by the shelter and they would return in a week to collect any donations. Katie and a couple friends handed out flyers throughout their neighborhood. I received an email from Katie's mom asking when was a convenient time for them to drop off two van-fulls of donated items!!! I told Katie's mom how I would love to bottle Katie's MAKE-A-DIFFERENCE ATTITUDE and have everyone drink it.

These four animals have been at the shelter longer than all the rest.
Please do all you can to make their lives a little brighter.

Parker and Randy