tpc march09 newsletter

TPC 2009 Statistics:

• TPC has spayed/neutered 670 pets in

2009 alone!

• TPC has provided low-cost vetting to 727

pets in 2009.

• TPC has placed 160 pets in homes during

from January—February 2009.

Inside this issue:

March Events 2

Available Programs 2

Happy Tails Seamus/

Roxy 3

Happy Tails Calvin 3

Happy Tails Gus 3

TPC Available Pets 4

Rest In Peace Big Foot 5

Rest In Peace Percy 5

Ask A Pet 6-7

Volunteer Corner 8

Yappy Hour 8 Operation Regift 9 PetPalz 10 TPC Recycle Program 11 TPC Wishlist 12

03/01/2009

Written & Edited by Brandi Bruns

Volume 3, Issue 3

The Pe t

Conne ct ion , I n c .

5918 B roadmoo r , M i s s i on KS 66202 913 -671 -PETS

www. thepet connec t ion .ne t

ctãá yÉÜ g{Éâz{à

Hours of Operation:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 9a-8p

Wednesday: 9a-8p

Thursday: 9a-5p

Friday: 9a-8p

Saturday: 9a-8p

Sunday: 9a-8p

Pets can be shown Monday’s by appointment

only. Call 913-671-PETS to schedule.

TPC Restructures Behavioral and Obedience Consultations

The Pet Connection has re-

cently restructured our be-

havioral and obedience con-

sultations.

The number one reason why

people relinquish a dog or a

cat is for relatively common

behavioral problems. These

classes help educate indi-

viduals on how to fix these

problems. The classes use

positive reinforcement to

teach dogs how to live with

their owners and to teach the

owners how to communicate

with their dogs.

Basic Obedience

We still host our open access

classes Thursday’s at 7:15pm

and 8:30pm and Sunday’s

at 7:15pm. Our open access

classes are geared towards

basic obedience and sociali-

zation. Classes address

training basic commands,

leash training, house break-

ing, crate training, problem

behaviors, & leadership ex-

ercises. Each class allows

15 minutes play time be-

fore and after with other

dogs for socialization.

The costs for these classes

are:

$0—pets adopted from

TPC

$5—Members of TPC

$10—Non Members of TPC

Behavioral Consultations

If you have a more serious

issue such as dog aggres-

sion, human aggression,

excessive chewing, litter

box behavioral problems in

cats, scratching post train-

ing, etc., we now offer

separate behavioral consul-

tations scheduled on an as

needed basis.

These sessions are held on

Thursday’s and Sunday’s

and will be scheduled as

requested. Please call our

facility at 913-671-PETS to

schedule.

Each session has room for

10 people and 3 dogs (if

dog geared class). Ses-

sions already scheduled

can be found on our calen-

dar of events page on our

website.

The cost for these behavioral

consultation sessions are:

$0—pets adopted from TPC

& rescues (a donation is ap-

preciated)

$15—all other clients

In Home Consultations

In home consultations are

also available with our

trained staff. Consultations

will address any issues you

are having with your pet.

The cost for an in-home con-

sultation is $75.

To schedule an in-home con-

sultation, contact TPC at

913-671-PETS.

Online Consultations

You can also see online as-

sistance from our behavioral

team by visiting our filling

out our behavioral question-

naire at http://

www.thepetconnection.net/

TPC_Behavioral.htm

Online consultations cost $25

and can be paid online using

PayPal.

March 22: 2p-5p - Vaccina-

tion & Microchip clinic @

Brookside Barkery & Bath—

14040 W 119th St., Olathe,

KS 66062

March 26: 6-7p—On De-

mand Consult—Litter box

Issues

March 29: 5-6p - On De-

mand Consult – Dog on Dog

Aggression

March 4: Yappy Hour—A

TPC benefit 5p-7p at Pete

and Mac’s—8809 Monrovia

Lenexa KS. Flyer on page 8.

March 5: 6-7p On Demand

Consult – Possession Aggres-

sion towards other dogs & 6-

7pm: Foster Care Seminar


Consult – Fear Aggression.

March 8: Spay/Neuter Clinic

at TPC. Surgery only. Drop

off 8a-9a, pick up 5p-6p.

Appointment required.


Consult – Territorial Aggres-

sion & 6-7pm Dogs Chasing

Cats.


Consult—Dog on Dog Ag-

gression.


Consult – Housebreaking

Paws for Thought

March Calendar of Events

TPC Available Programs

Behavioral Consultations:

Thursday’s: 7:15p & 8:30p

Sunday’s: 7:15p

*Free to adopters

*$5 TPC members p/session

*$10 non-members p/session

Volunteer Orientation:

(Required for all volunteers &

community service workers):

Sunday’s: 6:00p (excluding

holiday’s; weather permitting)

Low Cost Vet Clinic:

Mon-Tue-Wed-Fri weekly

Drop off: 8-10a for surgery

Pick up

5-7p

Walk in

vaccines:

8a -12p

Appoint-

ments required for surgery

patients. Schedule appoint-

ments by calling 913-671-

PETS. Prices vary based on

income.

Adoptions:

Includes

spay/neuter,

vaccines,

tested nega-

tive (FeLV/

FIV cats

Heartworm

dogs),

treated for fleas, worms, &

micro-chipped.

*$25 membership for all +

*$25 admin fee cats

*$25 admin fee dogs

40+ lbs

*$85 admin fee dogs

under 40 lbs

Microchipping:

TPC offers low-cost HomeA-

gain microchipping to the

public for $25. Bring your

pet in during open hours! No

appointment needed.

Recycling:

Recycle

for home-

less pets!

TPC ac-

cepts

aluminum

cans, ink

& toner cartridges, old cell

phones, old laptops, and

iPods. Bring your recycla-

bles to The Pet Connection,

5918 Broadmoor! Aluminum

can recycling is outside by

the garage door. All other

Our building houses more than just an adop-

tion facility! We also have low cost vet

services, behavioral consultations, and volun-

teer opportunities!

EVERY THURSDAY: Listen

to us weekly at 7:30am on

Jack FM 105.1 & at

7:45am on 94.9FM

For a space in our On De-

mand Consultation

Classes, call to reserve

your spot: 913-671-PETS

Happy Tails—Meet Calvin

Happy Tails—Meet Seamus & Roxy

Seamus & Roxy are thick as

thieves together and our cat

has joined in on the fun. Tug

of war remains their favorite

sport but they will not hold

still long enough for us to take

a picture. It is really some-

thing worth seeing and a

source of great amusement

for our family. They are al-

most perfectly matched in

size, weight, & strength so it is

truly anyone’s game each

time they play. Seamus is so

well trained that he refuses to

sleep on furniture. Since Roxy

has no such qualms, we en-

couraged Seamus to hop on

up at night but he refused.

We broke down after a few

days and bought him a big,

fluffy bed, which he most

certainly enjoys. We hope

you enjoy the pictures of our

silly happy dogs. Thank you

again for matching us with

these two. They are a great

fit into our home and in our

family!

Paws for Thought

great w/his two feline broth-

ers.

Gus is a wonderful family

member. We love him very

much and look forward to

making his senior years as

healthy and happy as possi-

ble. Thank you so much for

taking him in! Laurie T.

When Gus came to TPC in

September, he was in really

bad shape. He was extremely

malnourished, had tapeworms,

a gash on the back of his

head, mangy hair, ear mites,

a bladder infection, arthritis,

was not neutered, etc.

It was clear when we brought

him home that he had never

been in a house before, never

played with a toy, and never

walked up and down stairs.

He has grown healthier every

day. He has gained weight

(perhaps even a bit too

much!). He has a thick, beauti-

ful coat. He loves to go on

walks and take naps. He's

even learned to enjoy the

challenge of getting a treat

out of his Kong. He follows us

in and out of every room of

the house and he gets along

Happy Tails—Meet Gus

Winter 2007 we adopted

Sunkist who we now call Cal-

vin. We love the little twerp

so much, and he fits into our

family SO well! Our 12 year

old cat Sammy and Calvin

bonded immediately and are

inseparable! We also

adopted a little Chihuahua

pug mix named Marco and

all three pets are the same

color so we call them the but-

terscotch brothers. They all

play well together along with

our 7 year old dog, Kipper.

Calvin is quite the explorer.

We have 3 house rabbits who

have there own room. We

couldn't figure out how Calvin

kept getting in their room in

the basement. We'd find him

curled up in one of the bunny

beds with one of the rabbits.

We finally figured out that he

found a way to crawl

through the ceiling from one

room to the next. Calvin is

also our little acrobat!

Sometimes when you hold

him he flops backward,

arches his back and throws

his head upside down. He'll

let you hold him in this posi-

tion for up to a few minutes,

completely trusting.

Featured Pets Available for Adoption!!!!

Paws for Thought

She would thrive in a home

as an only pet. She doesn’t

like cats & is timid w/ dogs.

Reggie was

rescued as

a stray ap-

proximately

9 months

ago, but his

rescuers could not keep him

in the fence so they brought

him to TPC to find a new

home. Reggie is a beautiful,

high energy dog who is

sweet & loving. Reggie

knows how to sit & shake on

command. He is good with

kids & dogs. He doesn't care

for cats. Reggie is housebro-

ken & is approximately 1-2

y/o.

Nico was

adopted

from TPC

2 years

ago but

was re-

turned

due to financial hardships.

He is a very loyal dog. He

knows how to sit & down on

command. He also knows the

command “easy” for taking

treats gently. Nico loves all

dogs & loves to play. His

favorite toys are stuffed with

squeakers. He is a fear biter

with strangers. He is ~2.5 y/

o.

Joe is

a DLH

that

was

born

in Oct 2008. He is sweet,

loveable and playful. He

was adopted from TPC, but

returned because their

daughter had allergies. Joe

likes to snuggle and is great

with the kids. He would be a

great addition to any family.

Chloe is

an ex-

tremely

sweet

lap cat.

She loves everyone that visits

her. She is good with other

cats, but would probably

prefer to be a only cat, &

loves kids. Her owner tried to

dump her at the Humane

Society but they didn’t have

room so they transferred her

to TPC. Chloe is over-weight

& will need a diet & exer-

cise. Due to her current size,

she requires assistance clean-

ing herself. Chloe is front

declawed & is ~2 y/o.

John

James

“JJ”

was

adopted

from

TPC 6 years ago, but was

recently returned because his

owner was moving. He is

around 7 1/2 years old. JJ

likes to talk & is very pas-

sive. He is independent but

loves being in the room with

his human friend, but is not

clingy. He followed his previ-

ous owner all over the house.

He likes to play fetch and

comes when called. His fa-

vorite toys are balls. JJ is

scared of children and of

high heeled shoes (or shoes

that are loud on the floor).

Midnight is

~1 y/o.

She is shy

initially and

does not

like to be

held close

to your face. But once she

warms up she is sweet as

sugar and loves to be pet.

Midnight will play with other

cats & sleeps with them. She

understands the meaning of

"No" & "Off". She has gor-

geous orange eyes.

Punkin

was

found

near a

railroad

track &

had

been recently hit by a car.

She is a little firecracker &

has recovered about 95%.

She occasionally limps on her

back left leg but loves to run,

jump, & play. She loves

meeting new people though

she is a bit weary of men.

In our cageless facility, visitors find

dogs and cats comfortably living in

a homelike environment while

awaiting their forever home!!

One of our featured senior pets last

month, Lacey, has found her forever

homes.

SAVE THE

DATE

What: 7th Annual Pet

Humanitarian Awards

Ceremony & Dinner

When: June 20, 2009

Time: TBD

Location: Theme Party

Emporium—2420 Mer-

riam Lane in KCK

Paws for Thought

me up to the front door (some dogs don’t even do that!).

Bigfoot was a master cat with both patience and accep-tance that was extraordinary. He was a great teacher to not only me and my animals but also to friends and family who were blessed by his presence. His spirit is huge and continues to offer bless-ings.—Summer J.

I volunteer at The Pet Connec-tion and 4 years ago I went in looking for a cat since my golden retriever and I had been without one for a couple of years. I found Bigfoot and never looked back. He was a golden yellow color with a heart of gold to match! He walked into my home from day one as if he owned it. My golden retriever and he became fast friends. I began fostering cats and kittens and Bigfoot took care and groomed all of them. He was fearless and loved all ani-

mals. He also loved to drink water from the sink faucet (or bathtub-wasn’t choosy) and he proceeded to teach my other two cats (adopted from fostering) to enjoy this sport as well! When he would lay with me and I talked to him, he would put his paw over my mouth as if to say, “Enough talking”. He had another very unique manner. Whenever I had to take him to the vet and we arrived home, I would open the car door and he would happily jump out and follow

Rest In Peace—Big Foot

Rest In Peace— Percy

I had no intention of adopting

a cat the day I walked in to

TPC 7 years ago. I just

wanted to socialize them. In

the window was a very fat

sleeping cat who quickly

came to life when I wiggled

my fingers are the base of

the glass. With the grace of

a ballet dance, her pounced

my fingers. Charmed, I asked

what his name was. “Oh

that’s Percy. He’s been in

foster care for almost a year

now. He was abused as a

kitten & is being trained not

to bite”. Poor guy, I thought.

I’ll jus take him in the visiting

room and play a bit. Once

inside, he checked out the

room, then promptly crawled

into my lap, started into my

eyes, and purred his loudest

purr. “I adore you. Take me

home & I’ll cherish you for-

ever”, he seemed to say.

Tears filled my eyes. How

could I leave him behind? I

couldn’t. The staff was so

excited when I announced I

was adopting him. For years

after, I was known as

“Percy’s mom”. I’m very sen-

sitive to the needs of cats

and understood his fear re-

garding touch. Slowly I con-

vinced him I would not hurt

him and he gradually even

let me pet his belly. Over

the years, we developed a

mutual bond. I could always

tell when Percy was sleeping

nearby because of his dis-

tinctive “old man” snore.

And when he was particu-

larly happy, he would grunt

his unique Percy grunt. But

his most enduring habit was

when he would curl up close

& smoosh his forehead

against my face, & just leave

it there. On February 4, the

heater in my dog’s house

malfunctioned and caught

fire, which spread to the deck

above. The firemen arrived

before the fire spread inside

my house, and the smoke that

did enter was sucked out

before it reached dangerous

levels. Very concerned for

my cats’ safety, the firemen

made sure I located all of

them to ensure they were ok.

Percy was hiding under my

bed. When he saw me he

ran to me with his tail up,

relieved to see me & knowing

that he was safe now. How-

ever, several hours later, a

friend called to me to come

inside. Percy was lying on his

side, limp. It took me a min-

ute or two to realize that he

had already passed away.

Most likely, the stress of the

fire triggered some physio-

logical flaw resulting in a

heart attack or stroke.

Whatever it was, it ap-

peared quick and painless.

Not painless for me. I can’t

begin to convey the sense of

bewilderment & grief to see

a creature who was so full of

life to suddenly be devoid of

it. I still not adjusted to his

loss. It feels as though I lost

several cats that day, he had

so much personality. I miss his

rumbling purr, his happy

grunts, his snoring. But mostly

I miss his wonderful Percy

face smooshes. I was blessed

with 7 years of joy with a cat

that most people considered

“unadoptable”.

- Julie P.

Ask A Pet… Squeak, Sela, Rufus, & Dudley Answer Your TPC Questions

Paws for Thought

Ask Squeak anything that you would like the vet to answer.....Squeak was a semi-feral cat

that came in for rehabilitation. He was so nasty that we decided to let him just hide and live

in the laundry room. What a sneak, that squeak!!!! Turns out, he is a rehabilitation suc-

cess....he's fat, sassy, and requires pets. It's amazing what you can do with a steady stream of

volunteers folding laundry and 10 tons of Salmon I Pity the Kitty treats. Squeak runs things in

our laundry area...and it's right outside the vet clinic. He hears all the gossip and learns a lot

about animal care from vets, vet techs, trainers, and The Pet Connection's herbalist.

Question: William Huff, volunteer and staff child, age 8: How many pets have had sur-

gery at the spay/neuter clinic since we started?

Answer: We are currently at 4158....I'm planning to have a HUGE party when we reach

5000. I love clinic. Sassy and I get to meet a lot of new cats. We come down and say hi to

them if they are friendly. Some of them certainly have some attitude with us, so we reach our

paws in and try to steal food from cats that are just there for exams. It's so much fun because

we get to perch on their carriers and run around loose while they watch us. We feel like we

are putting on a show all the time. Now, Starlight, she still only comes out when it's quieter,

but eventually she will have the confidence to join our antics. Our spay/neuter clinic is unique

for a variety of reasons. Many members of the surgery team have been working together

since 2002. Because we offer other veterinarian services, we handle all of our own emergen-

cies with animals who come to spay/neuter. That means that Melody, Jason, Julie and Jules;

veterinarian team members, get to spend many late nights, early mor nings, crashed on the

laundry room table. I kept playing with Melody's hair the last time she stayed up all night

with a sick pet. I didn't let her get one bit of sleep......Come on over to TPC and help us out on

a clinic day. Every veterinarian to be should come and observe.

Ask Sela anything that you like about cats.....Sela is a permanent resident of our sanctuary.

She was transferred to us almost a decade ago from Animal Haven where she was scheduled

to be euthanized due to health. We were able to adopt her to a home, but it just didn't work

out. The owner had a family emergency several years later and Sela was homeless again.

Sela has had several homes, lived in a car, was impounded at a shelter, had foster care

homes, and was eventually transferred to home sweet home on 59th and Broadmoor. Sela

has good days and bad days, but her health has prompted us to make her a permanent resi-

dent. This last year has been a series of little things that happen when you have lived long.

Sela loves to be brushed and held. (Sela is always looking for a new lap to solicit.) If you

have time to sit with an elderly friend, she would be most grateful. Sela is also diabetic and

gets daily insulin.

Question: Please submit your questions to [email protected]

Squeak

Resident Vet Expert

Sela

Resident Cat Expert

Submit questions for our

experts to:

[email protected]

Paws for Thought

Ask A Pet (Continued)

Ask Rufus (Roo) anything that you like about dogs.....Roo is quite nervous and shy around new

people. He came from a local humane society when a local citizen claimed that he was keep-

ing them in a child's sand box, he was about 3.5 months old. The puppies had not had any

normal socializing and the individual had barely touched them. They were covered in their

own pee and poop. Roo does better all the time with getting used to new people, we thought

hat giving him his own column would be a boost to the ego. This beautiful Lab mix will love you

if you only will give him a chance. Ask Squeak and Sela....Roo cannot live with a cat....unless it's

a stuffed one or a picture on the wall.


Ask Dudley anything and he will find someone that can answer the question. Dudley walks

the Mission community on a regular basis because constant walking helps him settle. Dudley

lived his life on a chain before being taken to the shelter to be euthanized. It's only because of

Beagles and More, local rescue group, (he's not a beagle) that Dudley was given a second

chance. When the foster home was having training difficulties with this adolescent puppy who

had never been treated like a pet, it only made since that he came to TPC. Beagles and More

volunteers and TPC volunteers have worked together to give Dudley some good training and

socialization so that he can eventually be re-homed. Because he's such a socialite, he often

attends workshops, volunteer orientation, and rules the obedience center with a loud bay. He is

also one of Jack's Picks on 105 FM. This famous guy has a lot of friends and his social network

just keeps expanding.....ask him anything.


Rufus

Resident Dog Expert

Dudley

Resident Expert on all

aspects of The Pet

Connection

Submit questions for our

experts to:

[email protected]

You are invitedto join us for Yappy Hour.

An Adoption Eventfor The Pet Connection Wed, March 4th, 2009

from 5pm to 7pm

$5 suggested donation

at the door

2 Hour Specials!• Buy a Daycare Package &

get 3 days free! limit 1 per client

• 25% of Retail Sales go To The Pet Connection

• $15 Dog Nail Trims – $5 to The Pet Connection

8809 Monrovia Lenexa, KS 913-888-8889

Your ‘fur-kids’ are welcome!

Recreational Resort for Petsfor Petsfor Petsfor Pets

Raffle to Benefit Pet Connection Training Demo Drinks & Hor Devours

Come. Stay. Mix. Mingle.

walking them, etc. We want

to include some fun facts as

well so if you have any sug-

gestions of things you would

like see in our volunteer let-

ter, please pass this onto me

as well. We would also like

to include a volunteer of the

month and will certainly take

any nominations from our

volunteer group.

A huge thank you for all that

you do not only for our ani-

mals but also for our organi-

zation in making it the best

place in town!

- Barb Varhol, Volunteer

Coordinator

I would like to thank all the

volunteers who helped us set

a new record for number of

volunteer hours in a month.

January was a great month

for volunteer assistance and

the entire staff thanks you as

well as all of our animals who

were recipients to your care.

I would also like to thank the

volunteers who helped out

with our 2/8/09 Sunday

spay/neuter clinic. You

helped care for 37 animals

which are now no longer able

to populate our world. Con-

gratulations!

We do have several special

events planned for March and

April and would love for you

to check the volunteer board

or contact me at bvar-

[email protected] to send you via

email that list so you can

check if you are able to help

out at any of these events.

Please be sure to check the

volunteer board each time

you are at The Pet Connection

to see what new events are

planned.

We are also working on a

volunteer newsletter that will

include several various stories

and facts such as who was

adopted during the month,

who has special needs, tips on

dog commands when you’re

Volunteer Corner

The Pet Connection, Inc. is a licensed 501 (c) 3 organization. All donations are tax deductible.

PET PALz Monthly Donor Program The Pet Connection

5918 Broadmoor, Mission KS 66202

913-671-PETS (phone) 913-362-8460 (fax)

Name_______________________________________________________

Address_________________________________________________________________

Phone________________________ Email_____________________________________

Amount ___$10 ___$25 ___$50 ___$75 ___$100 ___Other__________

ctç uç V{xv~ Please initial the transaction of your choice:

_____1st of each month _____15th of each month

Please attach a VOIDED CHECK from the account to be drafted.

I hereby authorize a bank draft to The Pet Connection on the account designated, for the amount agreed to above on the date indicated above. I understand that it is my responsibility to notify The Pet Connection in writing if I wish to withdraw from this program at any time. I further understand that if the check is dishonored or returned for any reason, that the amount of the check plus a processing fee of $25 (legal limit) will be electronically debited from the account by CCF.

Signature__________________________________________ Date______________

ctç uç VÜxw|à VtÜw Please initial the transaction of your choice:

_____1st of each month _____15th of each month

Type of card_______________________ Expiration date_______________________

Card Number______________________________________________

I hereby authorize a draft on the credit card account designated, for the amount agreed to above on the date indicated above. I understand that it is my responsibility to notify The Pet Connection in writing if I wish to withdraw from this pro-gram at any time.

Signature_________________________________________ Date_______________

Recycling—Go Green and Save Homeless Pets

The Pet Connection is pleased to announce that we have expanded our recy-

cling program! Recycling is an extremely important reality of the world we

live in. We must save our planet!!! Why not raise money to save homeless

cats and dogs while we’re at it!

Instead of throwing your cans away or taking them to the recycling center,

please bring them by The Pet Connection! Cans can be dropped off anytime

(open or closed hours) at our facility located at 5918 Broadmoor in Mission

KS. Our recycling bin is located on the south-east side of the building next

to the obedience center entrance.

We are also proud to announce recycling abilities for printer & toner

cartridges, old cell phones, laptops, & iPOD’s! Recycling boxes are lo-

cated in our main lobby “The Bratcher Lobby” and can be accessed any time

during open hours. Simply come in and place your product in the correct

box.

Want to do a fund raiser for The Pet Connection? Collect aluminum cans,

ink cartridges, or cell phones from your schools, your neighborhoods, your

clubs and bring them in! You’ll save the planet and you’ll save the lives of

homeless pets all at the same time.

The Pet Connection, Inc. is a licensed 501 (c) 3 organization. All donations are tax deductible.

tpc march09 newsletter

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