Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Linda Van Kirk - Executive Director 2012 was a year full of wonderful opportunities,
though these opportunities did not come without challenges. Our organization has become stronger
and our vision, more focused. Our dedicated and loyal staff is pleased to share with you
the results.
Patty Coulter - Executive Secretary I think one of our major accomplishments of
2012 was our member and donor program. We enhanced it and made it more efficient. I
think another big accomplishment was our Bets for Pets. It turned out very well.
I think the greatest strength of the CCSPCA is the leadership and the staff. A lot of
our members will say they support us and I think it has a lot to do with our staff. The
leadership and the staff make the SPCA, along with our membership.
Beth Caffrey - Director of Community Relationships The major accomplishment of 2012, especially
for all of us in the education department, would be sparking all of those new minds about
humane education, teach children about animals. Another accomplishment would be getting a
new humane educator that's thrilled and excited about working with the kids and working
together.
Noah Gomez - Animal Care Manager With the new routes and plans established
in 2012, we intended to make a good dent in our pet overpopulation problem. I think the
best thing we did this year - which was probably one of the toughest especially for the animal
control officers and crews that cared for them - was the horses. The horses that came
in show how strong we are in our commitment that we can pretty much take on just about
anything and do a pretty good job at it.
Dr. Mark Nample, DVM - Head of Veterinary Services
2012 was a challenging year economically. There are a few programs that we implemented
to hopefully get more animals seen in our hospital. We are responsible for the injured
stray care here at the Central California SPCA. We've made some significant inroads
in this past year working with our rescue and adoption departments to get more of those
animals out to rescues or adopted into households. Our significant discount with the spays and
neuters means if clients are coming in for ancillary services like dental for example,
we're able to allow them to accomplish several things at the same time because we're able
to take advantage of the animal already being under anesthesia for the spay or neuter and
gives people an opportunity to do some other care for their animal that they might not
otherwise be able to afford. We do have elderly limited income clients that come in here with
medical demands beyond what they're able to afford. We do have some funds available
and continue to solicit donations in order to provide care for those animals.
Dr. Catherine Byrd, DVM - Associate Veterinarian In walks a beautiful, well-cared for Weimaraner
with this enormous gash across its chest and I thought to myself "surely, this animal
is not back here to be euthanized because that's something that I can fix." Sure
enough, it was owned by a very responsible but non-wealthy individual and the veterinary
estimates for the hospitals they had been going to were out of his range and I knew
I couldn't euthanize it when I thought I could save it. The save got out organization
got our organization a lot of good publicity. I got thank you notes from all around the
country. The story ended up on the CNN headline news website and we got donations and cards
from all over the country and it was just so gratifying to get recognized for what we
do every day that people don't know about.
Grace Appleton - Adoption Services Manager I'd say the biggest accomplishment for our
department was the actual forming of the department. Adoption services now encompass several areas
- its adoptions, its foster care, and the rescue department. So we have a trifecta going
on here where if we can't find them a home perhaps we can find them a foster parent or
a rescue group that can take them in. Having the three together really helps in shortening
the amount of time that we spend scrambling on how to help these animals.
We had a dog that was brought in with a microchip and she had a broken leg. Unfortunately with
the amount of animals that we take in on a daily basis that kind of injury is something
we would have a very difficult time rehabbing. We were able to find a rescue group up north
that took her. They named her "Gracie." What they ended up doing with "Gracie"
is getting her broken leg fixed and then finding her a home. So that again was a case of us
dealing with these animals. So, that again was a case of us dealing with these animals,
with animal control, the owner was found, owner could not care for the animal, we looked
into other alternatives, in the end rescue was the best placement for her and she's
now living in Northern California.
Jason Linday - Humane Officer In 2012, we had an influx of forty some-odd
horses, more than we've ever had at the shelter since the forties. So it became a
big hardship but we had the community and the whole United States coming through. People
were donating left and right. If it wasn't for the dedicated employees we have around
here, I don't think anything would get done as proficiently as it has.
Jesse Boyce - Humane Officer In 2012, I think that the major accomplishment
for me was to be sworn in as a Humane Officer. That's something that we've been working
on the last few years because of the changes in the laws. As before, we would have to go
through the Police Department or the Sheriff's Department to file crimes against animals,
now we will be able to deal directly with the District Attorney's office. This should
be able to allow us to increase the amount of prosecutions that we are dealing with as
far as people neglecting or abusing their pets.
Dawn Dixon - Dispatch Supervisor This past year we handled 49,585 phone calls
coming into our office. Included in those were approximately 807 calls for service regarding
cruelty and neglect to animals. We have at least one dispatcher in the office 7 days
a week to handle the incoming calls and there are four of us total. I personally myself
have spent my lunch hours out with the horses. There are a lot of them who came in who have
no prior human contact and so I have been spending my lunch hours out there brushing
and talking and petting. A couple of them have been learning how to wear a halter and
starting to walk on a lead rope. I'm not the only one out there doing those things.
There's a lot of staff that spend their lunch hours out there trying to get them socialized.
We do everything down here as a team
Linda Van Kirk Thank you members and donors of the Central
California SPCA for your current and continued support thereby allowing us to make a more
humane community for our animals. Thank you so much.