Our teams smiles reflected their excitement about loading up 17 dogs take them up north to several of our Pet Placement Partner Organizations. These animals needed extra help in finding a forever home and we’re thrilled that they will get that chance. We will have photos about the teams adventure and their deliveries to follow!
The call started out as a request for assistance to the Sheriff’s department for dogs attacking horses. That was only one element of the situation that our Officers found when they arrived on the scene. They discovered a ranch with 15 starved horses that were being attacked by dogs. The horses were so emaciated and tired that they couldn’t get away, they couldn’t even move.
Our Officers work with incredible professional restraint, especially when they see just how cruel and neglectful people can be. One horse, a stallion, was so depleted, he couldn’t move without his bones sounding like they were breaking, without wobbling dangerously. He needed to be humanely euthanized because he would make it no further, was in pain, and was suffering from starvation.
One of this stallion’s offspring also collapsed in the process of trying to help his sire. When the offspring went down, yet another herd mate, a brother, tried to nudge him with encouragement as if to say “come on you can make it, they are here to help us.” “Cronus” didn’t want to leave his brother. He wanted to stay and keep encouraging him to get up, to join him in being rescued. Our Officers called the Veterinarian over for assistance with the downed horse and it was determined that he, too, would have to be euthanized. “Cronus” reluctantly left the side of his brother and loaded up into the trailer with all the support from our Officers.
Our Officers called ahead to brace us that the condition of the horses coming in was “worse than those that came in back in December.” This was hard to imagine. When they arrived, our hearts hurt for the obvious discomfort that the horses were experiencing. They were greeted with many whinnies of sympathy from all of our current resident horses, as if to tell them it’s good here…there’s food!
One of the stallions, when turned out, was glad to see his mares safe and close. Of the 15 horses seized, 7 went to another horse rescue and 6 came to our Animal Center. After rescuing the horses, our Officers came back to set up, feed, and give comfort to all the new horses … especially “Cronus.”
We now need your help more than ever, as we have 44 horses to care for ….
The new horses are on a regulated diet because of being starved. They are anywhere from 250 to 350 pounds underweight, so they will need a lot of hay and feed. Their hooves are long and need the immediate attention of the farrier. And more pens need to be purchased in order to house them, as we have run out of room.
Please consider making a donation, either in-kind or monetary, towards the care and rehabilitation of the many horses we now have. Help us work towards giving these horses a forever home and life they deserve …
Well folks, here we are again. Our second mare, Holly, is getting ready to give us another new bundle of joy. We had hoped that she would hold off a little bit, but she decided that now is the time. We are expecting her to deliver in the next few days. Holly came in with Rosie and she too, was very thin. We are hopeful that since Rosie’s delivery went well, that Holly will have an easy time as well. However, we all know that that doesn’t mean much. So join us once again and hopefully we’ll have good news soon. And, maybe a second name the baby contest. With any luck, it will be a girl.
Today we asked Holly if today was the day, and just like Rosie – who knew which day would be her delivery day – Holly nodded yes that today would be her day! Let’s hope!
Today we start the “Name the Baby Colt” contest. For 2 weeks, from Wed April 25th to Wed May 9th, we will accept name submissions for the new male baby colt. Thank you to the entire community for your enthusiasm and joy with our new baby colt, this is our way of sharing his new life and our new beginnings with you. We have had a lot of community support for the horses and this first time event is possible because of that support, so now Rosie and baby are doing well. We will need the complete contact information for each loving submission including name of person submitting, address, email, phone number, and your name for the colt, you can submit your personal story if you like for your naming reasons too! Submissions can be shared 3 ways:
This handsome little boy is only 4 days old and we are asking people to wait for personal visits with the colt until he is a bit older and we have staff to assist you, we will continue to share photos and we are working on videos too. The excitement and compassion surrounding this precious boy will be remembered and live on through his special name and the connection we have all made because of him.
* (color not made of actual gold)
Read our previous post: It’s a Boy! http://bit.ly/JhR9Q0
The horses that needed x-rays received them today as even more stray horses come in. We have crossed the 40 horse-mark on property and that doesn’t include Rosie’s foal! We will soon have 41 horses here at the CCSPCA.
We are very grateful to Dr. Richard Kahn DVM of All Creatures Animal Hospital for coming out with his mobile x-ray machine today to get the information we need for further treatment. Angel, Cricket, Emma, Libby, and Oliver received Dr. Kahn’s caring touch while posing for x-rays. Thank you to Dr. Kahn and his staff for all of the help and the great horse stories today!!
We have a real need for more portable corral fencing! We received a horse and a mule as strays just the other day and another young horse earlier today as a stray, with the possibility of more on the way. Alfalfa hay and rice bran are needed and we are putting out an extra plea for donations while we look for homes for the horses.
If you had trouble getting through to the CCSPCA this past Friday and weekend the reason is that we were suffering from phone line loss due to thieves.
“Thieves stole the copper wire that is on Neilson ave, the same line that sends us a dial tone and PRI” reported to us along with our staff working diligently to return the phone lines to full capacity. We did have to wait for the phone company to do their part and we are grateful to them for dealing with this right away.
We do apologize for any frustration this may have caused, if you were unable to get through, you should be able to now. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this unfortunate period.
A Call To Action is what is needed to get things done, to turn on the light to other options, to make a difference. We are thrilled and grateful for the Shelter Pet Projects recent ad campaigns that are shining a much needed light on “Adopting”. You can see the great billboards that are here in Fresno that give a clear call to action and make you smile at the same time.
“A person is the best thing to happen to a shelter pet” so true and now visually there for everyone to absorb. Sharing things that make us feel good make others want to do the same and this will certainly help more animals into new homes.
We hope you see the commercials and the billboards and share them with friends and family. We hope that many of you will get to take that action and bring the joy of an animal into your life. We hope that you realize as we do that it is the human element to the homeless pet crisis that will be the solution.
To learn more visit our friends in person, on facebook, email, and for those in this area or other areas visit the http://shelterpetproject.org
This is Bella, the horse. You may have seen her on Facebook, Craigslist and other social sharing sites represented as a horse in need of emergency care. This is not the case. We want everyone to know that she is alive, under veterinary care, and is being well cared for. Our investigators have worked on this case for three days and have confirmed that she is healthy and safe.
The recent photograph of Bella caused quite a stir and we would like to address it. Horses lay down to sleep and when photographed and shared, assumptions can be made that aren’t accurate or are out of context. Our officers have addressed this situation and all reporting parties have been contacted and updated on the true status of Bella.
We ask that everyone please be careful before spreading possibly misleading information as this takes precious resources away from animals that truly need our help.
Gail de Rita from Northern California Sled Dog Rescue or NORSLED picked up ‘Gracie’ and ‘Birthday Girl’ today from the CCSPCA. Gracie came into our shelter as an injured stray. After a few X-Rays we came to the conclusion that Gracie had a luxated (dislocated) elbow and there wasn’t much that we could do for her other than to monitor her pain and give her lots of TLC. Gail de Rita drove 6 hours from Vallejo, Ca (on her birthday) where Gracie will be receiving immediate medical attention. A big thank you to Gail and all of NORSLED Rescue for your support and dedication.
We will continue to answer questions that the community may have about the changes coming as of October 1st 2012, when we will no longer provide Animal Control Services for the City and County of Fresno. At this time we are still providing Animal Control Services. We have opted to be supportive of the City and County during this 6 month transition period and we’ll continue to be here for our community as we have always been. Please submit questions that you have so that we can address them. Thank you for your compassion, interest and sharing. Each posting should answer three new questions.
1. Is the Central California SPCA funded by a national SPCA that you report to?
No, there is not a national SPCA or any other national organization that provides funding or oversight to local SPCA organizations. All SPCA’s and Humane Societies are independent organizations and have independent Boards of Directors, By-laws, Policies and Procedures. Each organization has different funding as well. We are responsible for generating the funds our organization needs through fundraisers, donations, and other activities.
2. Don’t all SPCA’s perform animal control?
No, not all SPCA’s are contracted to perform animal control services. In fact, many that did perform these services have discontinued doing so.
Most animal control duties are run through the local government, police departments, or other city departments.
We had continued to carry the animal control contract for the City and the County because we are the leaders in our area for the animal welfare profession.
3. Will the SPCA stay where it is located now?
Yes, the CCSPCA will stay at our current location. The campus, including all land and buildings, are owned by the CCSPCA. We will continue to operate from this location even after we conclude our animal control services and look forward to building a true community animal center.
1. “What can the community do to help keep the CCSPCA a leader in animal adoption once Oct 1 comes around…how can we help?”
Volunteer
Donate
Sponsor a Spay / Neuter
Keep reading posts/news to stay in touch
2. Is the hospital currently open, will it remain open after Oct. 1st?
Yes, the hospital intends to continue providing caring services to new and existing Pet Parents, now and continuing after the transition in animal control.
3. Will the CCSPCA remain open after Oct. 1st?
Yes! We will be here for our community and open as a Humane Society as we always have been. The operational change is only in that of animal control contracted activities, which impact our open hours. Keeping everyone up-to-date to changes is a priority of our organization, especially, as we continue to grow as a Humane Society.
As of October 1st 2012, we will no longer provide Animal Control Services for the City and County of Fresno. Today (3-28-12), we have delivered notice of termination of our contract with the City and County and begin the process of transitioning animal control responsibilities. At this time we are still providing Animal Control Services. We have opted to be supportive of the City and County during this 6 month transition period and we’ll continue to be here for our community as we have always been.
1. Who made this decision?
This decision was made by our Board of Directors. The Board of Directors of the Central California SPCA is comprised of local citizen-volunteers dedicated to our Society’s mission “to prevent cruelty to animals and promote the quality of life of all creatures through rescue, protection, placement, education, leadership and good example.”
2. Why was this decision made?
The CCSPCA Board of Directors concluded that without the support of our community, complete support from the City and County, the duties and obligations in the current contract for animal control services are no longer allowing our organization to achieve our core focus and mission. The community’s concern regarding the CCSPCA’s meeting policies and euthanasia rates inspired the CCSPCA Board of Directors to re-examine who we are obligated to protect.
3. What does this mean?
This means as of October 1st 2012, we will no longer provide animal control services to the City or County and thus we will no longer be an open-door shelter.
For the City and County, this means they will have to contract with another provider for rabies control, licensing services and enforcement, responding to dangerous/vicious animal attacks, or picking up dead animals.
Sadly, for the public, this means the CCSPCA will no longer be able to accept stray animals or provide stray pick up. We will also no longer be open 24 hours/day, 365 days/year
For the CCSPCA, we are looking forward to focusing more on helping our community through cruelty and neglect investigations, field rescue, education, low-cost and convenient spay/neuter services, adoptions at our Animal Care Center and other off site locations, expanding our volunteer program and working to reduce the amount of homeless animals in the Central Valley.
4. What about the animals?
The animals under our care will have more of our attention because we won’t be focusing on animal control. Our dedicated staff’s primary focus will be on finding homes for all animals under our roof. The animals affected by City and County’s contracted animal control services will fall under the responsibility of the next city vendor.
5. Who will we call if we need help?
If you need help you should call us. We are the region’s leading pet placement resource. And we will continue to be.
However, for Animal Control inquiries after October 1st, the City and County’s next provider may answer your questions or concerns.
6. When will this happen?
This transition will begin today with our Animal Control obligations ending on October 1, 2012.
7. Where will the animals go now?
As of October 1, 2012, all animals (estimated in excess of 47,000 animals/year) will be cared for by the City or County’s next service provider.
8. Will you still take in animals? Which ones?
Yes, we will accept owner relinquished animals on a case by case basis and will perform animal cruelty/neglect investigations.
9. What will this do to your organization?
Our organization will continue to need the help of our community. This change will allow us to focus on our core mission which is: “to prevent cruelty to animals and promote the quality of life of all creatures through rescue, protection, placement, education, leadership and good example.”
Address:
103 South Hughes Ave. Fresno CA 93706.
Contact Shelter:
(559)233-7722
Contact one of our departments for further information and hours.