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GOOD NEWS THE NEWSLETTER OF ANIMAL RESCUE COALITION Fall 2024

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dear ARC Friends As fall approaches we look forward to seeing our friends who are returning to the area after being in cooler climes ARC s summer came to a challenging finish with Tropical Storm Debby turning Tower Lane and the streets surrounding ARC into impassable rivers Excessive flooding and a temporary loss of power forced us to close for a week Fortunately the interior of the clinic sustained only minor damage Please read on to learn about ARC s new Clinic Manager Chris Fullerton We are fortunate that in addition to Chris s experience as a veterinary technician and managing clinics he is also an electrician One of his first projects at ARC has been to convert a large area of the clinic into a space where our feral cat patients can recover in airconditioned comfort This summer ARC has seen a record number of families rescue organizations and feral cat trappers desperately seeking appointments for surgery and or wellness This increased demand is due to many clinics reducing or eliminating services caused by staffing shortages and rising costs We are doing our best to accommodate requests especially for animals who urgently need surgery to prevent unwanted litters and rescue dogs and cats who have a chance of being adopted We hosted an entire day dedicated to alleviating the backlog of feral cat appointments with 55 community cats receiving surgeries and vaccines We expanded the number of wellness appointments to a second day in order to provide lifesaving tests vaccines and prevention It is critical that ARC continue to be a resource for surgeries and wellness A recent survey revealed that 65 of our clients said that they would not get their pets altered if ARC did not offer low cost services It is only through the generosity of donors that we can continue to keep our rates affordable We appreciate your continued support of our mission and hope you enjoy reading about ARC s impact in the region With Gratitude Laura McCann Executive Director NEW BOARD MEMBER DR ELIZABETH CALLAHAN In 2005 Dr Liz Callahan founded SkinSmart Dermatology which is located in the UTC area of Sarasota Liz has been a generous supporter of ARC s mission over the years Her involvement with ARC began in the mid 2000 s when she attended fundraisers such as Dog s Night Out which was hosted at Saks Fifth Avenue Liz had always been an animal lover and at the time had a purebred Maltese named Perlane Unfortunately Perlane passed away in 2021 suffering from multiple genetic deformities which were a result of poor breeding techniques Liz channeled the pain of her loss by focusing on genetics As a physician she determined that she would adopt from a shelter so that she could get a dog that had true random genetic variability One of the shelters she approached was ARC rescue partner Nate s Honor Nate s matched Liz with Mia a 1 year old Chihuahua mix At the meet and greet which occurred at Liz s dermatologist practice Mia was instantly comfortable at ease with the team and patients Liz refers to the impact Mia has had on her life as aweinspiring saying that Mia s unique genetic make up is a gift Liz has witnessed firsthand the healing power which Mia and other pets have on patients She looks forward to contributing her passion for ARC s mission love for animals and medical and business acumen to ARC s Board 1 ARC NEWSLETTER FALL 2024

CLINIC MANAGER CHRIS FULLERTON We are excited to announce that Chris Fullerton has joined the ARC team as our new Clinic Manager With a strong background in veterinary practice management and a deep dedication to providing top notch care for pets and their people Chris will be a valuable addition to our clinic His extensive experience and commitment to maintaining best practices will help ARC continue its mission of assisting pets and the people who love them Chris has come to us from a private veterinary practice where he played a key role in managing daily operations His time as a hospital manager showcased his proficiency in ensuring the hospital s smooth operation His background reflects a strong ability to make informed decisions that enhance the direction and efficiency of a veterinary practice Chris believes in the three C s Clean Caring and Considerate He is dedicated to maintaining a clean clinic prioritizing the well being of our patients and being considerate of our clients beliefs feelings and financial needs Coming from a fear free practice and encouraging clients to be part of the treatment team Chris ensures that both pets and their owners receive the best possible care We are confident that Chris Fullerton s leadership will drive ARC to new heights and we look forward to the positive impact he will have on our clinic and community When he is not working hard at animal welfare Chris enjoys time with his fianc Meredith and dog Baby Welcome aboard Chris VOLUNTEER HIGHLIGHT LANCE ELLEN Lance and Ellen Gurney are the epitome of generosity ARC has been very fortunate to have benefitted from their kind spirit and dedication to our mission for years They love animals and have supported animal welfare their entire lives with ARC being the recipient of hundreds of hours of their volunteer time Lance and Ellen have years of higher education and experience working at colleges and in the private sector Despite their lofty qualifications there has been no task too menial for them including making kennel cards assembling e collars unpacking syringes and folding laundry Lance shines in his role as a morning greeter welcoming patients to the clinic assisting them with paperwork and happily guiding them through ARC s doors Many of ARC s online reviews specifically comment about Lance s kindness making patients and their families feel at ease on what could otherwise be a stressful event for them We are happy that Lance and Ellen are moving from Sarasota to Maine to be closer to family but are so very sad they will not be a continued bright presence at the clinic They will always be in the hearts of their ARC family IN 2023 1 834 784 SPAY NEUTERS WERE PERFORMED NATIONWIDE PREVENTING AN ESTIMATED 5 5 MILLION BIRTHS ARCSRQ ORG 2

Roscoe s Re And the importance of adopting senior dogs Meet Roscoe a 7 yr old Labrador Retriever who has stolen our hearts Earlier this summer Roscoe s human dad was in hospice His daughter Stacy knew that she needed to find Roscoe a new forever home She posted on Facebook and asked for the post to be shared Amy and her husband Tim had just lost their chocolate Lab and saw the post They offered to take Roscoe home for a trial period but of course they fell in love and soon adopted him They immediately made an appointment with ARC for Roscoe s exam vaccinations and neuter surgery Now recovered Roscoe is free to enjoy life with his new family We heard that he is looking forward to the holiday season because he loves his Christmas sweater Roscoe is one of the lucky ones In Florida many dogs and cats are surrendered to shelters because their person died or went into assisted living or a nursing home They often have lived their entire lives as someone s much loved family member They become disoriented and sad when they find themselves in unfamiliar circumstances alone and wondering where their person has gone All too often these older dogs are overlooked in favor of puppies when people decide to adopt Potential adopters walk into a shelter and see puppies frolicking and asking to be picked up and cuddled Then they see an older dog often hiding in a corner of their kennel looking sad and not making eye contact or barking and jumping at the kennel door Many families aren t interested in adopting that older animal fearing that it will have medical issues won t live as long or will have undesirable behavior issues These older dogs may be wonderful companions and have many years of life 3 ARC NEWSLETTER FALL 2024

escue ahead of them but they are in the group most likely to be euthanized because they are deemed unadoptable The Tampa Bay Humane Society says that While younger animals are adopted at a 60 adoption rate in the United States only 25 of senior pets are adopted into their forever homes Those older animals languishing in shelters cause overcrowding and the older ones are the first to be euthanized when space is short According to the ASPCA almost a million animals are euthanized each year in this country Sadly Florida is fourth in the nation for deaths in animal shelters Only 22 counties in this state can boast a status of no kill meaning that their shelters have a save rate of 90 or better People like Amy and Tim are as you can see few and far between Although here at ARC we love all animals regardless of age we encourage people to look beyond the babies and adopt the adult and senior dogs and cats They deserve to have loving homes and they will show their gratitude with unconditional love ROSCOE AT ARC FOR HIS SURGERY AND VACCINATIONS ARCSRQ ORG 4

ARC NEWS ARC S VAN FINDS NEW PURPOSE You may have noticed that ARC no longer has a transport van Since 2015 ARC s van was used to transport animals to and from ARC for surgery helping hundreds of animals The families who used the transport program received government assistance and were primarily from DeSoto and Charlotte counties The cost of surgery was only 25 if they used the transport However in recent years we received feedback from these families that it was less stressful for them to use their own vehicles to bring their animals to the clinic Since ending the transport program the number of patients from DeSoto and Charlotte counties has doubled with more animals receiving spay neuter surgeries and wellness visits Never fear though the van is still helping animals Our friends at SPCA Florida in Lakeland were coincidentally searching for a new vehicle to transport rescues so we were able to repurpose the ARC van for another noble mission They have named the transport Amber and are excited for her to continue her travels They will use Amber to transport animals from overcrowded county shelters to rescues in areas where they have a better chance of being adopted They will also be able to provide disaster relief transporting animals away from areas hit by natural disasters like hurricanes to safe shelter in other areas This was a great team effort and collaboration between animal welfare agencies and we are happy to know that our van will continue to be used for the benefit of animals GRANT FROM EMMA LOVES DOGS Emma Mertens was an 8 year old girl from Hartland WI who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in early 2019 She fought to live her life to the fullest every day up until the night she passed away on November 17 2019 Emma had a passion for animals especially dogs Emma also loved helping others and in lieu of birthday gifts had asked for donations to local animal shelters On her 8th birthday her parents Geoff and Tammy Mertens launched the Emma Loves Dogs Foundation to provide financial assistance to those in need that share the same passion for helping animals that Emma had ARC has benefitted from the mission of the Foundation for the past three years This year Emma s family presented ARC with a grant check for 5 000 when visiting Siesta Key on vacation Thank you Emma Loves Dogs Foundation for this gift It will be used for ARC s Lend APaw program which subsidizes spay neuter surgeries and veterinary care for families who are struggling with income challenges Please celebrate the memory of Emma and her love for animals and others by living the Foundation s mantra Kindness Matters 5 ARC NEWSLETTER FALL 2024

MEDICAL CORNER THE IMPORTANCE OF SPAYING Welcome to our new newsletter feature for pus and uterus is primarily a disease This issue we are talking about pyometra of unspayed female dogs although it can Pyometra from the ancient Greek words occur in female cats and other animals The most common disease of the canine reproductive tract pyometra is a serious life threatening infection of the uterus that causes it to fill with pus from bacteria Because of the potential for uterine rupture and sepsis dogs with pyometra need immediate surgery to remove the uterus in order to save their life There are no other treatments for pyometra and the only way to be certain that your female dog does not develop pyometra is to spay her preferably at an early age The initial signs of pyometra are commonly seen 2 to 4 months after a heat cycle Lethargy decreased appetite increased drinking and increased urination are the most frequent There may be vaginal discharge and you may notice rapid breathing This progresses quickly and because of the potential for uterine rupture and sepsis dogs with pyometra need emergency surgery Pyometra surgery is more challenging than a routine spay Dr Bob Weedon ARC s Medical Director has stated that Any vet would much rather spay a healthy dog during the day than have to spay a sick dog with pyometra in the middle of the night It wasn t the middle of the night but recently Dr Weedon was called on to perform a spay on a dog with pyometra Sweet Ijji pronounced E GEE an 8 year old rescue came to ARC with her family who adopted her 6 months ago when her original family could no longer keep her They brought Ijji to one of our Wellness Clinics for vaccines They planned to bring her back for her spay surgery but when they arrived at ARC they expressed concern about Ijji as they felt she was not herself During her exam ARC s vet team immediately realized that Ijji was suffering from pyometra Although older dogs like Ijji are the most likely to develop pyometra it can occur in dogs as young as 3 months If a female dog is not spayed approximately 1 in 4 will develop pyometra by the age of 10 Spaying eliminates the risk because the uterus and ovaries are removed Ijji s case is another that highlights how important it is that ARC s work continues If it hadn t been for ARC and our wonderful veterinary team Ijji might not have survived We are happy to report that she has recovered well and her family says that she is back to her usual self ARCSRQ ORG 6

Donate Your donations mean ARC can continue its mission of benefiting animals and the people who love them by providing access to affordable high quality spay neuter surgeries and veterinary services NexGard Combo is a monthly topical for cats that kills fleas ticks roundworms hookworms and tapeworms and also protects against heartworm disease Set up an appointment arcsrq org NUMBERS AT AGLANCE FROM JANUARYAUGUST 2024 3 349 ANIMALS SPAYED NEUTERED 1 212 NON SURGICAL VETERINARY SERVICES INCLUDING VACCINES MICROCHIPS AND HEARTWORM TESTS DON T MISS THIS FUN EVENT SATURDAY MARCH 15 2025 AT 6 PM ALL ABOARD FOR ANIMALS AT THE SARASOTA YACHT CLUB