Paw Prints —The Volunteer Voice
september 2008 / MONTHLY nEWsLETTER FORtvar voluntEers
Paw Prints - The Volunteer Voice is a monthly publication for Tri-Valley Animal Rescue (TVAR) volunteers.
In This Issue:
· Number of Animals Adopted
· Successful East Bay Stand Down
· Foster Homes Needed
· Adoption Stories
· Volunteer Kudos
· Wish List
· That’s Amore Planning Committee
· Fundraisers
· Help Wanted
· Contacts & Coordinators
· Calendar of TVAR Events
Do you have a story or event you’d like to have published in this newsletter?
Please contact Paw Prints Editor
Cindy Ferrin, at 925-828-8664, or
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Thanks to the following contributors to this edition:
Shannon Chase
Eileen Cremata
Linda (Galisatus)Damonte
Terri Duncan
Cindy Ferrin
Leslie Haas
Lisa Healy
Sue James
Carole Leschinsky
Kevin Metz
Kristi Miller (Adopter)
Tracey Quartaroli
Susan Ruxton
Kathi Samec
Sami Segale
Erika Shaffer
Now More than Ever, Fostering Saves Lives
By Terri Duncan
Foster homes are always needed. Foster homes provide homeless animals with temporary housing and TVAR provides the necessities, including food and medical care. To learn more about how you can become a foster parent, contact one of the volunteers listed below:
Kitten and Cats:
Linda (Galisatus)Damonte at or 925-961-0260
Terri Duncan at or 925-487-7279
Kitten Bottle Babies:
Carole Leschinsky at or 925 683-1956
Dogs:
Patricia Oliveira, or 925-787-5825
Lisa Healy at or 925-355-9039
Susan Ruxton or 925-337-4946
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Wish List
Donations of the following items (list was updated 4/08) may be dropped off at the East County Animal Shelter in Dublin, open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We thank you for your donations.
Cat Items
Cat Litter (any kind)
Cat Litter Scoops
Cat Litter Pans
New Cat Beds
New Cat Toys
Small scale to weigh kittens daily
New Scratching posts
Dog Items
New Dog Beds
New Dog Toys (chew bones, squeak toys, balls, pull toys, etc.)
Dog Pens
Frontline or Frontline Plus Flea Medicine
Grocery store roll of clear plastic bags (for poop bags)
Big plastic watering cans (to fill outside dog bowls)
One inch nylon or leather leads and heavy choke chains in various sizes
General Items
Cash Donations for Medical Supplies
Pet, Retail, or Supermarket Gift Cards
Laundry Detergent
Simple Green Cleaner
Office Supplies
Paper Towels
Wet Wipes (anti-bacterial sheets)
Color Copier Paper to make flyers
Postage Stamps $.42 & $.27
Monthly Board Meeting
The next TVAR Board of Director meeting will be Tuesday, September 9th (2nd Tuesday of each month). The location is Keller Williams Realty, 5994 W. Las Positas Rd. in Pleasanton (corner of Hopyard and W. Las Positas), from 6 to 8 p.m.
Contact President Lisa Healy at or 925-355-9039 if you would like to attend.
Volunteer Orientation
The next TVAR volunteer and shelter orientation will take place on Sunday, September 21st, (held monthly) at East County Animal Shelter (ECAS), 4595 Gleason Drive in Dublin from 1-2:30 p.m.
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Volunteering
When a potential volunteer e-mails showing interest in volunteering, they now get an automated response inviting them to attend an upcoming orientation event.
For new volunteers who sign up to volunteer through our website or call our TVAR recorder, Cindy Ferrin is the contact. Cindy may be reached at 925-828-8664 or .
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Cat & Dog Foster Medical Supplies
For your convenience, the following volunteers may disperse medical supplies:
CATS:
Pleasanton
Nancy Shriver at 925-462-4157
Terri Duncan at 925-487-7279
Dublin/San Ramon/Danville
Carole Leschinsky at 925-829-0728
Livermore (Does Home Visits)
Barbara Finn at 925-455-8237
Castro Valley/Hayward/Dublin
Terri Duncan at 925-487-7279
DOGS:
Dawn McKeown at 925-362-0798
General Supplies for
Dog and Cat Fosters
Before buying supplies for your foster animals, please check with your foster coordinator. We stock many items.
Cat Foster Coordinators:
Terri Duncan
Linda (Galisatus) Damonte
Carole Leschinsky (kitten food and bottle baby expert)
Dog Foster Coordinators:
Patricia Oliveira
Lisa Healy
Susan Ruxton
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TVAR’s Mission Statement
Tri-Valley Animal Rescue (TVAR)is a nonprofit, all volunteer organization whose mission is to end the unnecessary euthanasia of homeless animals. TVAR cooperates with area shelters and rescue groups, primarily the East County Animal Shelter, to provide homeless animals with socialization, foster homes, medical care andthe opportunity for another chance.
2008 TVAR Officers
President – Lisa Healy
Vice President – Leslie Haas
Treasurer – Susan Ruxton
Secretary – Terri Duncan
2008 TVAR Board of Directors
Tricia Bregman
Leslie Haas
Lisa Healy
Sue James
Dawn McKeown
Susan Ruxton
Larry Stein
Lisa Williams
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Allergy Dogs
Poodles, Labradors, and German Shepherds are being trained to save the lives of those with serious food allergies.
Named “peanut” dogs, the pooches can sniff and detect a minute amount of peanuts or other allergen. Once they sense the smell, they do a little dance to signal to their owners to steer clear.
Some parents even say the dogs can sniff the hand of a playmate to determine whether hand-washing is needed!
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Understanding Pet Insurance Policies
According to research recently done, there are many arguments against getting pet insurance. As with all health insurance coverage, there is fine print and exclusions from coverage. Claims have been refused for preexisting conditions or a two week waiting period before the insurance kicked in. Some policies don’t cover vaccinations.
Americans spend an estimated $195 million annually on pet insurance plans, which typically average $11-50 per month. If a pet lives an average life span of 11 years, that can be up to $6,600 over a pet’s lifetime. The study of prices from across the nation, says that a typical pet averages about $4,000 in veterinary costs over a lifetime (although Californians believe this cost to be much higher)!
This article and research suggests figuring the cost of routine vet care into your budget, along with a few hundred dollars extra each year for emergencies. The average routine care for a cat nationwide is $363 and a dog it is $453 per year.
Excerpt from Reader’s Digest – Aug. 2008
***** Fundraisers *****
Save The Date
Pet Photos with Santa
Volunteer Gay Maestas will be coordinating this year’s Pet Photos with Santa fundraising event on Dec. 6th, 1-5 p.m., at Pet Extreme, 4500 Arroyo Vista in Livermore.
Watch for more details in upcoming newsletters. For more information, contact Gay Maestas at or 925-447-8903.
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Vehicle Donation Program
Let TVAR and homeless animals benefit from donation of your old car, truck, van, trailer, RV or boat. It’s tax-deductible and easy too.
Call All Bay Vehicle Donations, at 1-877-700-4483 and ask for a free pick-up or visit www.carsforcharities.com. They handle all the paperwork. Let them know that you want the proceeds to benefit Tri-Valley Animal Rescue.
Jeri Behymer is our coordinator for this program and she may be reached at or 925-468-1505.
Buy & Help TVAR Animals!
TVAR is now a registered organization at Buy For Charity, a website that gives a percentage of sales to nonprofits. Shop online from over 350 stores like Barnes & Noble, Gap, Office Max, 1-800-Flowers, REI, Orbitz, and more at BuyForCharity.com! Up to 35% of each purchase will benefit us if you select TVAR as your beneficiary.
Anytime you buy online, whether you are looking for airline tickets, flowers, clothes, music, or anything else… visit BuyForCharity.com, sign-up and shop away!
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***** Fundraisers *****
Free Money for TVAR by Using the Internet
By Susan Ruxton
What if Tri-Valley Animal Rescue earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Well, now we can!
Goodsearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it's powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results.
Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enterTri-Valley Animal Rescueas the charity you want to support. Just 500 of us searching four times a day will raise about $7300 in a year without anyone spending a dime! And, be sure to spread the word!
***** Fundraisers *****
Escrip is An Easy Fundraiser
Looking for a free and easy way to help TVAR raise funds?
Simply go to www.escrip.com, register your grocery loyalty and/or credit cards and participating businesses will contribute 2-5% of your purchases to TVAR.
Escrip.com recognizes our group name as Tri-Valley Animal Rescue, not TVAR.
NOTE that for grocery loyalty cards, each time you make a purchase at participating stores, you need to swipe your card. Entering your phone number on the touch-pad will not activate the escrip donation.
· Apparel: Eddie Bauer, Macy’s, Outdoorkids.com
· Automotive: Big O Tires,
· Grocers: A.G. Ferrari Foods (agferrari.com) Diablo Foods, Gene’s Fine Foods, Lunardi’s Markets, Safeway, Whole Foods
· Newspapers: Contra Costa Times, San Ramon Valley Times, Valley Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury (for new subscriptions)
· Office Supplies: Office Max, Staples
· Pet Store: None
· Restaurants: Baja Fresh, Carrows, Claim Jumper, Coco’s Bakery Restaurant, Le Boulanger, Round Table
· Tax Service: Liberty Tax Service
· Travel: Club Cruise, mitchstuart.com
· Traffic: webtrafficschool.com, escrip.driversed.com
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Around TVAR
If you know of a volunteer who should be recognized in this newsletter, send an email with the person’s name and a short description to Cindy Ferrin at or call 925-828-8664. Submissions are needed by the 15th of each month for publication in the following month’s newsletter.
If you know of a volunteer who is ill and you would appreciate a card sent from TVAR volunteers, contact Cindy Ferrin at the above contact information.
Volunteer Information
By Lisa Healy
You can now get your TVAR volunteer name button through Zazzle on our tvar.org website for just $1.45.
Go to the "Shop TVAR" link on theleft side of the home page and that will take you to the Zazzle site to purchase TVAR items. You can also purchase personalized TVAR shirts, aprons and hats.
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East County Animal Shelter (ECAS) Information
East County Animal Shelter is located at 4595 Gleason Drive, off Camino Tassajara in Dublin. The phone number is 925-803-7040. Daily hours of operation are from 11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
TVAR Communication - TVAR Yahoo Groups
Keeping updated with TVAR happenings is as easy as joining a TVAR Yahoo Email Group. You can join just one or multiple groups. Here are the available groups and the corresponding addresses:
Tvargroup—General messages.
E-mail to join:
tvarcats—Cat Program messages.
E-mail to join:
tvardogs—Dog Program messages.
E-mail to join:
TVAR Adoption Days
Messages regarding weekly farmers market adoption events and other TVAR outreach activities.
E-mail to join:
TVAR Shelter Volunteers
Messages for those who work with shelter dogs or shelter cats.
E-mail to join:
NOTE: If you reply to a TVAR group message it goes to everyone in that group. If you wish to reply just to the person sending the message, forward the message to that person. / 2008 TVAR Animal Adoptions
Here is a running tally of all of TVAR’s adoptions made possible by dedicated TVAR volunteers. Last year all of our efforts resulted in 1045 animals finding new homes. Thanks for making a difference in the lives of homeless animals in our community.
Month / TVAR Cat Adoptions / TVAR Dog Adoptions / TVAR ’08 Total
1 Qtr. ‘08 / 148 / 46 / 194
2 Qtr. ‘08 / 236 / 67 / 303
July ‘08 / 135
120 kittens, 2 teens, 13 adults / 20 / 155
Year To Date
(thru July) / 519 / 133 / 652
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Listen to Radio KNEW (910 AM)
By Eileen Cremata (TVAR dog foster)
I have some great news for TVAR. My husband Ed started hosting a radio talk show (AM 910 KNEW) on Sunday Aug. 24th from 10 - 11 a.m. It's called 'The Dr. Cremata Show'.
During the show, there are two one-minute PSA's (public service announcements) for TVAR. It's actually the same one, but it plays twice during the show. I had one of the girls who had adopted one of my foster puppies come to the studio to record it, and it's sounds good - at least I think so!
So if you get a chance, please take a listen. It can also be accessed via podcast on your computer.
Editor’s Note: Ed and Eileen Cremata are TVAR dog fosters. Thanks so much for the added TVAR publicity Ed.
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That’s Amore Fundraiser - Oct. 11, 2008
TVAR’s biggest fundraiser of the year will be held on Saturday, October 11th, 6-10 p.m., at the Dublin Senior Center, 7600 Amador Valley Road in Dublin. Girasole Grill Restaurant in Pleasanton will be the caterer for this event.
There will be live and silent auctions and we are expecting a sell-out crowd of 216. To purchase tickets ($60 each), go to www.tvar.org and click on Pay Pal, send an e-mail to , or send a check to TVAR, P. O. Box 11143, Pleasanton, CA 94588. Be certain to include your e-mail address so a receipt can be sent to you.
Lisa Healy is our That’s Amore event coordinator, Tricia Bregman is in charge of the live auction items and Lisa Williams is in charge of the Silent Auction items.
Volunteers are still needed for this event. To volunteer, contact Dale Spelman at .
For more information, contact Lisa Healy at 925-200-7760 or .
Stellablake in Livermore Supports TVAR
By Tracey Quartaroli
One Saturday in August, Stellablake model home furniture store in Livermore held a fundraising event for TVAR, raising $1,000! They plan on donating a piece of furniture for our live auction at That’s Amore. I'm hoping we can partner with them more in the future.
If you’re in the market for some new furniture, be sure to stop by and mention TVAR - they are huge animal lovers. Thank you Stellablake!
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East Bay Stand Down (EBSD) Success
By Sue James and Leslie Haas
From August 7-10, the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton was the site for the East Bay Stand Down (EBSD), a place of refuge for approximately 500 homeless veterans who got a chance to regroup, get fed, have shelter, and receive medical and dental care, among other services.
This year, a “Pet Stand Down” was added after recognizing that some homeless veterans did not participate in previous years because their animals were not allowed. While the veterans were given a respite from the street, TVAR partnered with the East Bay SPCA and the Berkeley Humane Society to provide the 11 dogs, 9 puppies and 4 cats with medical care, food, socializing and grooming services.