November Founder's Letter

Dear Animal Friends,

           It’s that time of year again:  Fall! It means a lot of things.  Here on the farm there is a lot of harvest.  Outside, I hear the machinery picking corn and soybeans, the sky is clear and the leaves are beautiful.  Inside, the cats are shedding their light summer coats and getting their thick winter fur – but not as thick as the barn cats and my horses that look like wooly mammoths!

           It is also time for our wonderful Wine Taste that will be held on Saturday, November 5th at Angels Hall from 7pm to 10pm.  This event at Angels is one of the best.  If you have never been to one, it is definitely worth the trip.  Ohio Wine brings their finest wines and their wine experts.  Joyce and Bill from Chalet Premier will help explain the many wines that you can savor.

            Our volunteer chef, Tommy DeGenova and his wife Toni (our 20-year cat volunteer – that’s since the barn days!) serve up delightful food.  There is a lot of cheese, fruit, hors d’oeuvres and, of course, chocolate!  For the guests who may not care for wine there will be a variety of beers and other spirits.  John Ruman provides live music and takes requests.  There will also be many Chinese auctions and a 50/50 raffle.  Tickets are just $30 for a single or $50 for a couple in advance, or $35 and $60 at the door that evening.

            The other day when I was doing my TV 21 spot, Loren said to me, “You have SO MANY fundraisers!”  Yes, that is true.  Why? Because we are trying to save so many animals!  I recently received a call from a man who wanted to know why we charge people $250 to adopt a puppy.  Well, that’s a good question.  Of course he meant it differently than that.  Let me explain.  At last tally our “out of pocket” cost to place a dog on our floor was $320.00  That does not include any overhead expense – just drugs and surgery.  The cost to place a cat in the cat wing is around $230.00

            This is really not hard to figure out.  Just call a private veterinarian and you will find out.  The health package that Angels provides is a $400 to $700 retail priced package.  So how can we charge only $50 to $250 for this package?  Because we have support from our community!

           At this time we are at the end of the $100,000 ASPCA Adoption Challenge.  Our goal was to place 703 pets in a three month span.  Of the 50 shelters in the competition we are currently in the middle.  We placed about 500 pets, so that was the good part.  The bad part is that we also lost a lot of money doing it.  Don’t get me wrong – this is our business, to get life-long, permanent homes for our dogs and cats.  It is just a very expensive activity.  Thus we need more help than ever!

            In conclusion, PLEASE get involved.  Come to our events and support our cause.  If you cannot donate then please volunteer your time!  Every time we have to pay a person, that money cannot be spent on animals.   When I am asked how I can juggle my sign business, take care of my farm with its 70 animals and still volunteer 20 to 30 hours a week to Angels, I will tell you it is because it is SO important to me to change the future for dogs and cats.  We are the only ones who will do it.  Do NOT expect someone else to do it – they will not.

Come to the Wine Taste so that we can mellow out and help pets at the same time!

As always, in love for all animals – especially the unwanted,

Diane Less

Seriously, call me anytime 6am to midnight at 330.502.5352

November is Pie Season

Volunteers Needed:

Fall is back and so are the Angels Heavenly pies for Thanksgiving but in order for our ‘Angels’ to deliver those pies we need volunteer pie-people to assist in their creation. Volunteers can be of all ages over 16 but please be mindful of the job descriptions below. Not all jobs are suitable for all volunteers.

 Here are the needs we have:

OCTOBER 23: SUNDAY: 
Shelling: 
We need about 7 volunteers.  We will be mixing dough and pressing shells/crusts. We will need at least one person to be able bodied enough to run the pie press which involves some physical strength and another able bodied person to help move dough and bags of flour. This is the most strenuous of our pie making days and will require individuals with both strength and stamina to assist.

NOVEMBER 9-11: WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY 
Setup: 5 PM - ~8:30PM
Volunteers will need to crawl around on the floor a bit because we have to tape down the edges of our floor tarp.  We also have to lay paper on the kitchen floor, some crawling required, and setup tables and equipment for pie making on Saturday. Apples will be delivered on Friday and a bushel of apples weighs 48 pounds not to mention the boxes of ingredients that are upstairs will have to be carried back down.

NOVEMBER 12: SATURDAY: PIE MAKING DAY 
Mid-day clean-up: 11:30 AM – 1 PM 
The goal is to clean up as much as we reasonably can between the two shifts.  This clean up is a health department requirement. 2 or 3 volunteers needed.
End-of-day clean-up: 4:30 PM – Until finished.
2 or 3 volunteers need to clean up.

NOVEMBER 23: WEDNESDAY: 
Three shifts 6 AM – 10 AM, 10 AM – 2 PM, 2 PM – 6 PM 
One or two adults are needed at both locations for every shift Boardman at Clear Channel and the Austintown selling point, which is at the Farmers National Bank on SR 46 near Mahoning Avenue. Adult volunteers will most likely be working with student volunteers from the local high schools.

If you would like to help with any of these volunteer opportunities please contact, David Bisigani at 330-720-1153.

October Founder's Letter

Dear Animal Friends,

            The Fall is here:  falling rain, falling temperatures and, soon, falling snow.  We’ve all been basking in the summer and now the realization that it will NOT be nice outside anymore has struck. 

            For many people this is a signal to “dump” the cats and dogs they have been feeding outside all summer.  Yes, there is a direct correlation between the temperature dropping and the number of animals dropped off at our abandonment area.  All night long they dump.  Why at night?  Shame – and they should be ashamed.  They let their “problem” get out of control.  FIX THE FIRST ONE!  Oh, you didn’t do the right thing – now you do the shameful thing:  dump.

            What can we do?  Well, we save as many as we can of course.  Last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 120 cats and kittens were left at our shelter.  That is almost as many as the 135 cats we adopted out in  August.  (Thanks to Kelly and her staff of loving volunteers!).  How do we save them?  Well, that is where YOU COME IN !  We need foster parents.

            For cats, the year is a cycle.  Birth occurs spring to fall.  Adoptions occur fall to spring.  Fosters are needed to hold our “inventory” of cats so that there are kittens available for adoption at Christmas and older cats for the serious house homes in January through April, when the most adult cats are adopted.

            Then there are the poor dogs.  All the county pounds get, well, POUNDED!  We want to save more of these dogs and puppies too!  Dogs that get out and go through the Angels adoption program get more health care and a screened adoption.  They also get lifelong right of return to the shelter if things don’t “work out.”

            So please – consider becoming a foster family.  Animals are dying for your help.  For cats, call Kelly at 330.506.0326.  For dogs, call Bernadette at 330.651.8462, Ext 118.  

In love for all animals – especially the unloved,

Diane

September Founder's Letter

Dear Animal Friends,

            As the days grow shorter and cooler we are reminded of the oncoming winter season.  I love this time of year.  It is so pleasant and the Ohio skies are lovelier than ever.  Angels for Animals is doing lots of public events this time of year and needs lots of help.  All of us need to consider how we can get more involved in public outreach. 

            At the Canfield Fair our volunteers will talk to thousands of people.  It is truly “face time.”  Their stories range from happy adoption tales to end-of-life stories about their Angel pets that they adopted from the old shelter, the “Chicken Coop.”  They also tell tales of the stray cats they feed and the sad dog that comes by for a handout each morning.  Here is where we get to help a pet that would never be seen by any of us !

            I often hear my friends and other volunteers say, “I like animals more than I like people.”  I often agree with them, however, without people domestic pets (dogs, cats, horses…) cannot have a quality life.  They each need a lot of love and care and they also cost a lot of money to care for.

            At Angels we want to help more animals.  This is why we need YOU – each and every one of YOU !! The thing is, if you can’t deal with the whole face-to-face thing, well, there are plenty of support jobs that are in desperate need of volunteers.  For instance, we are so lucky to have a wonderful volunteer to maintain our fabulous retail area.  It rivals any pet store around, but the area needs constant cleaning and organizing.  It was suggested to me that we “hire” someone to do this task.  That would not be possible, but I am convinced that with the reading of this letter a volunteer will step forward.

            We have had a pile of mulch on our parking lot since June.  I know there are people out there who can give the shelter help for this task and for our animal shelter duties.  Every dollar spent on wages takes money away from an animal in need.  We are constantly trying to recruit new volunteers.  Just take a look at Facebook – Angels is doing more than ever to reach out to the community.  But we can only do what we can do with YOU !!

            Please consider getting involved.  Stop out to see us at the Canfield Fair.  We are located in front of the Poultry Barn.  We will be recruiting animal helpers there.  Every time someone says to me, “How can you do this work?” I say, “How can you do nothing?”

In love for all animals, especially the unwanted ones,

Diane Less

VOLUNTEER DUTIES :

Recycling Coordinator

Janitor

Dog Kennel cleaners

Cat wing cleaners

Andrews Hall cleaning & maintenance

Landscapers – weeding, mulching, etc

Volunteer Coordinator

Special Events coordinator

Office Help – greeting the public, answering phones, computer input, filing, etc.

“Greeters” for the dog & cat wings during adoption hours

Medical area – cage cleaning, dog walking, filing, etc.

August Letter

Dear Animal Friends,

          Well, here we are in the “dog days” of summer.  Yes, it is hot for us as we rush from air-conditioned space to space.  Just think about the poor animals, possibly with no shelter even from the hot sun.  Please, if you see animals with no shade or fresh water, stand up for them.  Speak to the land owner.  Calling the police or Humane Society is an option, however they are overwhelmed at this time of year and, for suffering animals, time is of the essence.

          This same principle applies to many animal situations.  We need to have the courage to speak to the neighbors who have thirty cats on their porch.  Or the people whose unspayed dog is tied on a chain 24-hours a day, getting bred by every passing male dog – and now, even coyotes!

          These are the issues – irresponsible people who fill our pounds, shelters and streets with unwanted pets, while suffering is inflicted to the parent animals.  Right now we have the opportunity to bring needed dollars to Ohio animals.  Angels for Animals is the only Ohio shelter in the ASPCA $100,000 Challenge!  We need all your help to reach our goal of 703 adoptions from August 1^st through October 31^st.  This will not be easy!  We arranged 403 adoptions in that same time span in 2010 (see the front page of our website for more details).

          Not ready to adopt a pet? You can still help pets and direct your donation to wherever you would like it to go.  Some of the funds available can be found on our Website under “Help Us!,” then “Donate Today,” then “Targeted Funds.”  We are also trying to help all of the county pounds by pulling dogs out for Angels’ adoption program.  There is a pound “pull fee” fund you can donate toward which can cover the added expense of pound rescue.  The shelter then would have more money to use toward the dog’s medical care.

          Many of the dogs in the pounds are American Staffordshire terriers or American pitbulls.  These dogs end up in pounds due to owner ignorance (“tough guys” don’t fix their dogs).  So many more are born then abandoned because the average person hears bad things about these dogs.  Actually they are usually very nice dogs. Clean, smart and loving, they can be a great family pet and have even been referred to as “nanny dogs.”

          A new group called “Petey’s Pals” is attempting to help pitbulls through advocacy and education.  Check them out on Facebook.  Currently Ohio is the only state in the union that considers these dogs “vicious” at birth.  There is a bill that has passed the House of Representatives easily allowing pitbulls to be judged on their personal temperaments and not be discriminated against just because of their breed.  In September when the Senate reconvenes, hopefully this bill will pass into legislation.  Please call or write your Senator to help these deserving dogs.

          Many famous Americans have owned and do own pitbulls.  Among them:  Helen Keller, General George Patton, Rachael Ray and John Stewart.  After all, “Petey” was a pitbull on the Little Rascals.  They are true American dogs!

          Until next month – or you can call me anytime at 330.502.5352.

In love for all animals, especially the unloved ones,

Diane Less

Founder / Angels for Animals

July Letter

Dear Animal Friends,

          This is the first of a series of letters which I plan to write to you around the first of every month.  This has been inspired by Michael Mountain, Founder of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Knab, Utah.

          I looked forward to reading his letters each month because I felt that he truly had his fingers on the pulse of Best Friends.  For the last twenty-one years I have immersed myself into the local animal scene.  It is really the good, the bad and the ugly.  The best news I can give to you is this:  each year it does really get better, slowly but surely.  We are a very long way from a “Best Friends Utopia,” but because of all your efforts, our area is one of the best in Ohio.

          Ending the needless death and suffering of companion animals starts with each one of us.  For instance, the issue of mass cat euthanasia begins with the stray cat that walks through your yard each morning.  Even though we think she “suddenly” has four kittens following her, it really wasn’t “sudden”  but it was quick:  63 days from her mating with an unfixed tom cat to be exact.

          Once the kittens appear, so do the sad stories.  Only one cat or kitten in every fifty will find a permanent, loving  home.  The rest of them – well, you know – you saw one of them lying dead along the road this morning on your way to work.  Animal shelters CANNOT solve this problem, only we can !  Angels for Animals has the equipment and services to nip the problem in the bud … Call us !

          On a brighter note we are one of only fifty shelters in America participating in the ASPCA $100,000 Shelter Challenge.  We got there through your efforts to vote us in.  Now we need your help to WIN the challenge !  From August 1st through October 31st we need to adopt out 703 dogs and cats.  This is a tall order !  We only did 403 adoptions in this same period last year so we will be having LOTS of events and specials to try to win the big bucks for Angels.

          Also, don’t forget:  it is the last month for our calendar contest.  Check the website http://www.angelsforanimals.org/ to see the entries and get your adorable four-footed kid on your favorite month!

          See you at Doggie Daze on Saturday, July 16th …

As always,

In love for all animals – especially the unwanted ones,

Diane 

Call me anytime at 330.502.5352