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 PHS
held a very special event on Saturday, June 17 – it was a reception to
honor their hard working volunteers, without whom PHS would cease to
operate. It was an emotional time reviewing their work and the progress
that has taken place over the last eight years. Starting with holding
sporadic Clinics under various houses, to the now regular monthly
Clinics in the Community Center, culminating in (very soon) our own
building, the Clinic has become an integral part of village life. The
expanded services provided by PHS have helped make Placencia highly
regarded for its animal welfare programs. Our services reach out to pet
owners not only in Placencia, but also in Seine Bight, Monkey River, Big
Creek, Mango Creek, Hopkins, Sittee River and even includes visiting
boats.
When receiving their individual awards, each volunteer was praised for
their special and unique contribution to the PHS – those being
acknowledged were Marion Carr, Linda Cassen, Myrrha Eberly, Elsie Elder,
Cat Harshbarger, Ginger Jones, Pamela Keck, Stella Mathews, Madalon
Richardson, Shannon Romero, Mary Smith, Kim Taylor, Mary Toy and Drew
Travers. Although they did not receive an Award, special thanks were
given to Stan Smith, Bruce Mathews, Karl Keck and Peter Fox for their
unfailing support. Volunteering in any organization is time consuming
and requires family understanding and support - these gentlemen have
always been supportive and continue to be available to help PHS as it
grows.
Also receiving awards were the three Veterinary Surgeons who regularly
attend the Clinics, Dr. Floyd Bennett, Dr. Miguel Figueroa, Dr. Mike
DeShield and Miriam DeShield. Dr. Mike DeShield was our first visiting
Veterinary Doctor and he and his wife, Miriam have continued to support
PHS over the years even though, with his added responsibilities, Dr.
Mike is unable to be at as many Clinics as he would wish.
Over the last eight years, this group of dedicated people has helped to
make PHS what it is today – a very successful Animal Welfare
Organization dedicated to the care and welfare of animals in this area.
If we could have done it, we would also have given awards to all the pet
owners who religiously bring your pets to the Clinic and take full
responsibility for their well being. Healthy pets add to family and
community life and PHS’s role is to help with this in whatever way we
can.
The final award of the evening went to Tammy Catanach, a fourteen year
old from the States. From the first time Tammy visited Placencia, she
fell in love with the area, and with the animals. She went back home and
started raising funds through bake sales and other events (and so did
her friends) and raised an amazing amount of money – BZ$2000 – which she
sent to PHS. An astounding achievement for such a young women. When the
time came to accept her award, Tammy presented PHS President, Marcia Fox
with yet another check for BZ$2000, which will be put into the new
Clinic building fund. This young lady’s passion, enthusiasm for and
interest in animal welfare is amazing in and of itself, but add to that
the ability and determination to raise funds for her charities, is quite
amazing. PHS is so grateful to Tammy and her friends for their support -
we invite Tammy to come back to see us when the new Clinic has been
built so she can see the results of her fund raising.
And, finally, a very generous BZ$1,000 donation was received from Cat
and Dale Harshbarger for PHS’s building fund. Cat and Dale have been
ardent supporters of PHS ever since the arrived in Seine Bight. In
addition to this generous donation, Cat and Dale have already paid for
20 Seine Bight pets to be neutered. This gift alone will have a
tremendous impact on reducing the number of abandoned/unwanted animals
in their village. A big thank you to Cat and Dale.
The night was special in so many ways – special people, special care,
and special and special memories for everyone concerned.
Thank you to the extraordinary Tammy and her friends, thank you to our
wonderful volunteers, thank you to our incredible medical team, thank
you to our generous friends, Cat and Dale – and lastly, thank you to all
the pet owners who support PHS.
For more information about the Placencia Humane Society, please visit
our website:
www.placencia-pets.org
Marcia Fox ~ President
Placencia Humane Society
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Once again PHS’s booth at the Lobsterfest
was well
attended even though it was mostly an
information booth. There were also a number of items on sale, including
mugs, wine glasses, T-Shirts,
collars and leashes to name a few. Despite the rain, it was a fun and
rewarding one day (Saturday) for PHS.
Sales for the day amounted to $323.50 and we received $121 in donations.
A surprise donation came to us in the form of an acoustical guitar.
Jaimie, a young man visiting from the States, donated his guitar to help
raise funds for our new Clinic – tickets for this raffle were available
at $5. As this gift came to us late in the day, it was decided to keep
the raffle open until August 1 – this acoustic guitar, in excellent
condition and in its own case, is a steal at $5 If you would like to be
in this drawing, please fill out a piece of paper with your name,
address and telephone number and either mail this information with $5 to
PHS, General Delivery, Placencia or drop off the information and $5 at
the Tourism Center. You can also enter the drawing at the next Clinic
which is on Saturday/Sunday, July 15/16.
Our volunteers at the booth were Cat and Dale Harshbarger, Mary Ann and
Keith Kaye Marcia Fox, Madalon Richardson, Linda Burrows and Mary Toy -
many thanks to the volunteers and to everyone else who braved the
elements to help make it a great PHS day at this year’s Lobsterfest.
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Dr.
Floyd Bennett assisted by Dr. Adriana Castro-Rosales treated over 40
pets this month, a smaller number than usual, but it was a busy weekend
nonetheless. Treatments included 4 surgeries, 32 vaccinations and other
various procedures for skin problems, heartworm etc. – results of which
will be made available direct to pet owners.
PHS received $25 in repayment of a Promissory Note and additional loans
were made in the amount of $421. To continue with this financial
assistance program, PHS needs to collect funds on outstanding loans. If
you have money outstanding on a Promissory Note, it can be repaid either
at regular monthly clinics, or you can send a check addressed to the
Placencia Humane Society, General Delivery, Placencia. This is such an
important program but it will only work if the loans are repaid thereby
makings funds available to other pet owners.
Dr. Bennett and Dr. Castro-Rosales were hosted by Rum Point Inn – this
is a great way to support PHS and very much appreciated by the visiting
Veterinary Doctors and PHS.
Our volunteers this month were Madalon Richardson, Joe Nasca, Mary
Smith, Shannon Romero, Stella Mathews and Corol Bevier. Many thanks to
everyone – without volunteers it would not be possible to hold these
Clinics. If you would like to be part of this elite volunteer group and
you have time to spare once a month (one or two hours, a morning or an
afternoon, or any part of a weekend) and you are interested in our
organization, please contact PHS for further information. Our Clinic
Coordinator, Mary Smith is at 523-4306 or you can reach me at 523-4069.
If you don’t have time to volunteer then you can help us by becoming a
member – please visit our website www.placencia-pets.org Membership
Coordinator is Pam Keck and she can be reached at 520-4057 for more
information.
Our July Clinic will be held over the weekend 15/16 – please remember
that you will need an appointment if your pet is to have surgery – no
appointment is necessary for the general Clinic. Also, if your pet is
scheduled for surgery, please do not feed it on the day of surgery.
Our thanks to all pet owners for the continuing support of PHS –
Placencia has been recognized for it’s high standard of animal welfare
which is considered the best in the Belize.
Marcia Fox ~ President
Placencia Humane Society |
More and more frequently PHS is being called
upon to take care of kittens that have been found abandoned or litters
that have been born on residents’ property. Just this week PHS Board
Member Pam Keck, at the request of residents, picked up 12 kittens and 2
puppies – none of which were wanted or currently have homes waiting for
them. If rescues continue at this rate, very soon our rescue program
will be maxed out.
The only way that this kitten reproduction can be controlled is if adult
cats are trapped and neutered. PHS simply does not have the volunteers
available to trap these animals, so if you have a ‘kitten/cat’ problem
in your area it can only be resolved with your involvement. PHS has
traps available (at no cost) - the animal can be trapped just before a
monthly Clinic (third weekend of every month), brought to the clinic and
neutered (at PHS expense). It can then be released.
PHS will do their part in controlling this population, but to be
successful we have to rely on residents supporting the program. Remember
PHS is an entirely volunteer organization – no-one is reimbursed for
their time and efforts.
Remember also, if you are feeding a cat, even if you do not consider it
to be your pet, and it has not been fixed, it will reproduce. So rather
than allow this to happen, please pick up a trap and arrange for the cat
to be neutered so the village is not burdened with more kittens.
Our concern is this - if PHS continues to spend its funds on rescuing
kittens born through negligence of owners or people who are feeding
them, then we will not have funds to care for the pets of responsible
pet owners. The last batch of 7 kittens rescued cost PHS over $700 to
neuter - this is money that could have been spent on caring for
existing, well loved pets.
WORKING TOGETHER WE CAN GET SOME CONTROL OVER THIS PROBLEM BUT WE ALL
HAVE TO GET INVOLVED– REMEMBER ONE FEMALE CAT AND ITS OFFSPTRINGS CAN BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR 470,000 KITTENS IN 7 YEARS.
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As all pet owners know, arranging for a pet’s care during the times we
leave on vacation is important. It is equally important if we leave just
for a day or two. Sometimes, if we’re lucky, we can leave our pets in
the care of either family members or good friends – whoever the person
is, your pet will miss you , so deciding on where it stays and with whom
while you are away is very important to its general health, not to
mention its safety.
Recent situations have arisen where pets of absentee owners have been
seriously injured and the temporary care giver has called upon PHS to be
responsible for the pet’s treatment and care. Usually no financial
arrangements have been discussed between the pet owner and the temporary
care giver so either the temporary care-giver has to pay for the
treatment or commit the cost of it on behalf of the pet owner. More
distressing is when a pet is so seriously injured that it needs to be
put down and PHS needs an authorization from the pet owner. If the owner
is not always immediately available to make that decision and the pet
suffers unnecessarily.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO GIVE A TEMPORARY
CARE-GIVER WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION TO
ACT ON YOUR BEHALF WITH MATTERS CONCERNING YOUR PET’S WELFARE.
If you are a pet owner and are planning a trip, please leave written
instructions with the temporary pet care person to be followed in the
event there is an accident with you pet. Remember this can involve
treatments (which can be expensive) or surgery (which is expensive).
Here is an example of what such instructions may include:
My name is ___________________
I am the owner of (pet’s name), a ___ (pet’s age) dog/cat.
I will be traveling during (dates) and during this time (name of
temporary caregiver) will have full responsibility for my pet.
In the event of any unforeseen health problems or accidents affecting my
pet, I give (name of caregiver) full authorization to make all decision
regarding its medical treatment or whatever is required. I will be
responsible financially for any and all costs incurred.
Signed: (pet owner) Date: ____________
Address
Phone number:
Email:
Signed: (temporary care-giver) Date: ____________
Address
Phone number:
Email
These authorization forms will be available at our monthly Clinics –
please ask at CHECK-IN
Marcia Fox ~ President
Placencia Humane Society |
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When will dog owners start taking
responsibility for their pets? That responsibility includes not only
protecting the pet itself but also protecting everyone else from their
pet’s possible attacks.
Just last month, on a Sunday morning, a responsible dog owner was
walking his two pets – both on leads – when two other dogs, (also with
their owner but not on a leash), viciously attacked these dogs. A
dreadful fight ensued resulting in the one dog having its testicles torn
apart. The dog, severely hurt and bleeding needed immediate medical
attention.
PHS was called and they tried to arrange for an early flight to take the
dog to Belize City – every flight was full and the only possibility was
the last flight of the day – however it could not be guaranteed. Waiting
a whole day – and possibly longer - without medical attention put this
dog’s life at risk because of the possibility of secondary infections.
If the dog was to be saved, it needed medical attention immediately so
PHS arranged for Dr. Floyd Bennett to fly down to Placencia and a MASH
UNIT was set up at Mariposa Beach Suites.
This is the cost:
Dr. Bennett – flight to Placencia: $267
Surgery: $150
Home visit: $20
Meds: $30
Shots (pain and antibiotic) $30
Total: $497
PHS is invariably willing to help defray the cost of medical treatment
for pets when they need emergency treatment, but does not believe it
should carry a financial burden for negligent pet owners. This bill was
presented to the negligent pet owner who has promised to pay it in full.
Thanks to Candy Power for alerting PHS, to Lisa Carne for transporting
the dog to Mariposa Beach Suites and to Peter Fox for cleansing the dogs
wounds prior to the Doctor’s arrival
Everyone has the responsibility to see that not only is their pet safe,
but also that people are kept safe from their pets. Next time it could
be a child!
Marcia Fox ~ President
Placencia Humane Society
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Placencia
Humane