It's time-honored tradition to take a look back at the year that was when the year draws to a close.  What a year it’s been here at the ARL!  Did you know that over 800 animals came through our doors and were returned to their owners?  Yippee!!  We’re so happy to see these reunions and glad that we’re here to help.  Where else would these sad pets go if we weren’t here for them!  And imagine this; we were able to find homes for 2200+ pets this year.  That’s so amazing!  But we always wish it could be more…

The happy-ending stories are endless.  A few stand out:  Remember Chip, the dog who ran away and found his way back here to the ARL, a 10-mile trek?  How about the rescue of the group of breeder Dachshunds who blessed us with 2 beautiful litters of puppies?  All of the breeders and their pups have now found happy homes.  Of course, we have brought in breeding dogs from numerous other puppy mills, gave them time to recover while here at the shelter and found wonderful homes for all of them.  And we will never forget the group of horses and goats we helped to rescue in Schuylkill County.  These are just a few of the many, many ways that the ARL is helping the animals of the area.

Unfortunately, there are the sad stories.  No year-end review would be complete without memorializing those who left us.  Here at the shelter, we lost two beloved friends and long-time ARL mascots.  Pongo, the African grey parrot, passed away in March.  Her presence in the lobby brought joy to everyone who visited.  We miss her whistles and dancing.  The ARL also said good-bye to Mr. Swanson, the turkey who guarded the barn.  Who could forget how he displayed his macho feathers if anyone approached his favorite chicken?  The barn’s not the same without the sounds of his gobbling.

To all of you who support the ARL, we wish you a Happy New Year filled with love, health and prosperity.  Thank you for your encouragement and generosity.

This business of animal rescue is tougher than you can imagine if you’ve never worked in a shelter.  The lows are tremendously low but the highs can bring indescribable joy.  Today, we experienced one of the highs.  I am overwhelmingly pleased to announce that long-timers Teddy and Crystal were adopted!!!  For those of you who do not know them, Teddy and Crystal came in together as owner surrenders.  Teddy is a 5-year-old Golden retriever/Corgi mix and Crystal is a 10-year-old Beagle mix.  They have been at the shelter for several months despite our efforts (and many of our supporters too!) to get them adopted.  We insisted that they go to a new home together because Crystal just could not stand to be apart from Teddy. 

You have no idea how many tears have been shed over these months by staff members as, day-after-day, Teddy and Crystal were passed over for adoption.  But the tears flowed even more profusely today as the pair walked out of the ARL’s front door and into their happy new life.  We are most grateful to their adopter, and thankful for all of you who spread the word about Teddy and Crystal.  Yes, there are happy endings!!

I found this poem on the Internet many years ago.  It's so well done and very appropriate, and I wish I knew who wrote it so I could give him/her credit.  Please pass it along to everyone you know - it sums up our feelings about the animals sitting in shelters over the holidays.  Merry Christmas everyone.

A Rescue Animal’s Christmas Poem

( author unknown)

“Tis the night before Christmas and all though the town

Every shelter is full – we are lost but not found.

Our numbers are hung on our kennel so bare,

We hope every minute that someone will care.

They’ll come to adopt us and give us the call,

“Come here Max and Sparkie, come fetch your new ball!”

But now we sit here and think of the days

We were treated so fondly, we had cute puppy ways.

Once we were little, then we grew and grew,

Now we’re no longer young and we’re no longer new.

So out the back door we were thrown like the trash,

They reacted so quickly – why were they so rash?

We “jump on the children” “ don’t come when they call”

We “bark when they leave us,” climb up the wall.

We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,

Now we suffer the consequences of the errors THEY made.

If only they’d trained us, if only we knew,

We’d have done what they asked us and worshipped them too.

We were left in the back yard or worse, left to roam,

Now we’re tired and lonely and out of a home.

They dropped us off here and they kissed us good bye,

“Maybe someone else will give you a try.”

So now here we are, all confused and alone,

In a shelter with others who long for a home.

The kind workers come through with a meal and  a pat,

With so many to care for, they can’t stay to chat.

They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer,

We know that they wonder how long we’ll be here.

We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads,

Of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.

Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears,

Our friends filled with emptiness, worry and fears.

If you can’t adopt us and there’s no room at the inn,

Could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?

We count on your kindness each day of the year,

Can you give more than hope to everyone here?

Please make a donation to pay for the heat,

And help us get something special to eat.

The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,

And more of us will – if more people give.

Where I grew up in Maryland and where I live now, there are no stray cats.  Honestly, I never saw a cat roaming free.  I used to hear about alley cats in Baltimore City and assumed that stray cats were a “big city” issue.  I didn’t really understand the stray and feral cat problem until I came to work in Berks County.  Why is there such a problem here with stray and feral cats?  It’s a very disturbing issue that seems to have no resolution.  We can talk and talk about spay and neuter, and people turn out in large numbers when we have our spay and neuter clinics.  But are we putting a dent in the problem?  For several months in the summer and fall, we received over 700 cats at the shelter per month.  Ouch!  It’s no secret that we don’t have nearly enough room or staff to care for all of them.  And it’s discouraging to think that all we do is not enough.  Any ideas for what else can be done?  I think it’s about education.  Sadly, you, my loyal readers, already are educated in this issue!  How can we reach the others?  The ones who don’t know, and worse, the ones who don’t care.

Occasionally, the ARL will receive a call or email from someone who has brought in stray cats and wants to know if we were able to adopt them out.  When they get the sad news that the cats needed to be euthanized, the people are incensed that we did this.  Okay, here comes the education part:  When the best of the best cats sit in shelters for months without getting adopted, how in the world can you expect a cat who grew up as a stray to be chosen over one who is sociable and litter trained?  Yes, some strays can be rehabilitated to make wonderful pets but the very large majority are not adoptable.  There simply isn’t room for them all.  Even cat rescue groups don’t have enough room for all of them.  Some people who drop off the strays will claim that they said they’d take the cats back if we couldn’t find them homes.  Well for goodness sake, then you should have kept them!!!  People, we need to get realistic here.  We all need to work on this problem together.  If you really want to help the cats, please do your part by finding them good homes and getting them spayed and neutered yourselves.  The ARL needs everyone’s help with this problem. The ARL cannot do it alone.

It astounds me that so many people still don’t realize that when they buy a puppy at a pet store, 99% of the time, the pup is from a puppy mill.  Or even when someone buys a dog who is a mixed breed, specifically like the Poodle mixes, these dogs most often will be from a puppy mill.  Good breeders simply won’t breed mixes.  But the public is still demanding these dogs due to lack of education on their part.  They’re not aware that the dogs come from mills, AND they don’t realize that a poodle mix is not guaranteed to be “hypo-allergenic” like so many people believe.  The truth is, when you mix breeds, there are no guarantees that the resulting puppies will have the desired attributes.  So, for example, if you’re looking for a larger hypo-allergenic dog and you choose a Labradoodle, the dog may have hair like a Lab instead of a Poodle, therefore making it NOT hypo-allergenic.

New this month, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has set up a hot line to report if you suspect that a breeder is a puppy mill.  The number is 1-877-MILL-TIP.  The HSUS has had a task force in place since June to investigate puppy mills and work with law enforcement, animal shelters, and other agencies to stop abuse and to ensure enforcement of existing laws. Since that time, the HSUS has assisted in the rescue of more than 1,200 dogs and puppies from abusive situations at puppy mills.

I have no children, just ones with fur.  But for years, I have bought gifts for my friends’ and relatives’ kids, purchased Girl Scout cookies, wrapping paper, and any other fund raising activities for the children.  And I’m not too happy each year when I have to pay school taxes.  I been wondering when I was going to get a little payback.  I’m not asking for much, mind you.  A small tax credit for having a small footprint on this earth?  Well maybe my time has come!  Representative Thaddeus McCotter from Michigan has introduced the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years Act, also known as the HAPPY Act. Introduced on July 31, HR 3501 proposes a change to the IRS tax code to allow pet expenses to be deductible.  Yes!!

The bill proposes that pet owners can deduct up to $3500 for qualified pet care expenses which includes amounts paid in connection with providing care (including veterinary care) for a pet other than the expense of acquiring the pet.

I understand that the impetus behind this bill is to help people to keep their pets instead of surrendering them due to financial burdens.  Rep. McCotter recognizes the benefits of the human-animal bond and believes that people may need help with keeping their pets.  Let’s hope that the rest of our country’s representatives see it this way and that the bill gets passed.  I know that shelters hope to see it passed so that fewer pets get surrendered.  It’s been a tough year.

The bill has been referred to the Committee on Ways and Means which means it will probably take quite a while before we see if it will pass.