Spay/Neuter Program – Since January 1, 2006, we assisted with the spay or neuter of 237 dogs and cats at a cost of $8,863.00. That’s an average of $37.40 per animal. Since we began our spay/neuter program in November 2001, we’ve assisted with the spaying or neutering of 2,154 animals at a total cost of $80,523.00. That’s an average of $37.39 per animal. When you consider how many unwanted puppies and kitten we’ve prevented the birth of, that is money very well spent.

 Due to the high demand for financial assistance and resulting high costs of our spay/neuter program, we made some changes effective the first of this year. We no longer pay 100% of the cost for animals adopted from the shelter, but rather, treat them like all other dogs and cats when it comes to spay/neuter costs. Our program now is really simple – owners pay $40 to spay or neuter a cat, and $50 to spay or neuter a dog. PINS will pay the balance of the vet costs. Folks still have to call and request a voucher like they did before. 

Animal Shelter Support Program – Our relationship with ACO Tom Brady at the Meade County Animal Shelter continues to strengthen.  This year we’ve gotten our shelter enrolled in the Pedigree® Adoption Support Program, and received adoption packets for cats, puppies, and adult dogs. Each animal that is adopted from our shelter now goes home with a sample of Pedigree food, a booklet of instructions for caring for the animal, and coupons for big savings on Pedigree brand dog food. As if that is not enough, a card is completed at the shelter that is mailed back to Pedigree and each card is worth a few cents to us from Pedigree, and each card is a chance to win $10,000 in a drawing at the end of the year. So, we all win when an animal is adopted from our shelter – the shelter, PINS, and especially, the animal that was adopted.

Tom has been working diligently for animal welfare. He’s been aggressively charging/citing those who neglect or abuse animals, and requests that the judges who hear these cases direct any fines to be paid to Pets in Need Society rather than to the state. That ensures the money goes to help other animals right here in Meade County. 

Humane Education – Our next big humane education event will be the annual Farm and Home Safety day in September. We’ll tell over 300 5th graders about safety around animals, especially dogs (Dog Bite Prevention). We will also take advantage of our young captive audience to explain the importance of spaying and neutering pets and proper pet care. Deb Sobel and Pat Bowen will be teaching the classes this year.

Obedience Classes – PINS volunteer Claudia Cooper held another series of classes in April & May. Five people and their dogs were enrolled in the class. A big thanks to Claudia for all her time and hard work to help people and their pets.

Our Fundraising Efforts

Donations – People continue to be generous with their donations to PINS. So far this year we’ve received $1,722.00 in personal donations. Two donations in particular are especially noteworthy – a van donated by Mr. Alec Stone that we sold for $800, and an “In Memory Of” donation of $600 from former Meade Countian, Jill Fernandez, who now resides in Texas.  In addition to the personal donations, we’ve received $398.69 in our donation boxes around the county.

County Roadside Cleanup – In March nearly two dozen PINS volunteers and supporters worked to clean 10.8 miles of county roadways. At $100 per mile, that earned us $1,080 for our programs. A special thanks to Linda Elsey and her cadets from the Bluegrass ChalleNGe Academy for their hard work helping us do the roadside cleanup, and to Kay McGehee and Rose Welch for feeding all the volunteers after the work was completed. 

Yard Sales – Our Spring yard sale was held on Saturday, May 6th at the Creature Comfort Inn Boarding Kennel on Highway 1638. Donations were good, sales were great, and the event earned us nearly $1,361.00. Our yard sales have become “an event to attend” for the yard sale fans. Our Fall yard sale is scheduled for Saturday, September 9th with a rain date of September 23d. We’ve already gotten some great items donated for the event.

Summer Raffle – Crissey Burtt has taken the lead this year on our Annual Raffle. She’s already begun the “behind the scenes” work. Our Grand Prize again this year is two round trip tickets donated by Southwest Airlines. Southwest is a giant supporter of animal welfare programs, and this is the third year they have donated tickets for our raffle. Tickets for this year’s raffle will be available the end of July. The drawing for the raffle will be at our Pet Festival on Saturday, September 16th. As always, raffle tickets are $1 each.

PINS Craft Sales – Several PINS members have been making seasonal crafts and decorative items for sale at many of the local businesses. Wreaths, cemetery arrangements, and such are displayed and available for sale at Creature Comfort Inn, Change of Pace, Meade County Vet Service, Midway Vet Clinic, KORT of Brandenburg, and RL’s Family Fashions. Thanks to the generosity of Pat Bowen, we have monthly “crafting parties” at the Bowen residence to design and create items for sale. Everyone is welcome to come have dinner and see what you can help create. Contact Pat to find out when the next crafting party is scheduled. Our craft sales so far this year: $867.00.

5K Run Your Tail Off – Our second annual “Run Your Tail Off” was held on Saturday, May 20th at Buttermilk Falls in the Brandenburg City Park. Heather Mann organized the event again this year for us. In addition to local business sponsors, this year many people sponsored “In memory of” a beloved pet or family member. The event was very well attended and we had 75 runners participate. Prizes were given to the fastest runners in various categories, and lots of door prizes were given to the attendees. The event brought in $1,294.00.

Membership

All memberships expire on March 31st of each year. If you have not renewed your membership, please do so. Invite a friend to join our group in support of animal welfare in Meade County. Folks do not have to live in Meade County to be a member of PINS, but you do have to be a member of PINS to vote at our meetings and to receive our newsletters. Membership renewal forms can be downloaded from our website, (www.petsinneedsociety.org) or can be received by calling our voice mail at 422-3838. Membership is still only $10 per year for adults, $5 for children under 18, and $25 for businesses.

Upcoming Events

Monday, July 24, 2006, Monthly PINS Meeting at Little Dave’s in Brandenburg, 7PM
Monday, August 28, 2006, Monthly PINS Meeting at Little Dave’s in Brandenburg, 7PM
Saturday, September 9, 2006, PINS Fall Yard Sale, Creature Comfort Inn, 8AM-Noon
Saturday, September 16, 2006, PINS Pet Festival&Blessing of the Animals, 10AM-2PM
Saturday, September 23, 2006, PINS Fall Yard Sale Rain Date (if needed)
Monday, September 25, 2006, Monthly PINS Meeting at Little Dave’s in Brandenburg, 7PM

Our Financial Status
 

Beginning Balance 1 Jan 2006:		$21,388.18
Income:
Collection boxes	$   398.69
Spay/Neuter Grant Reimbursement	1,903.00
Donations	1,722.00
Membership	925..00
Yard Sales	1,361.00
5K Run	1,294.00
Road Side Cleanup	1,080.00
Animal Cruelty Fines	500.00
Interest on Checking	194.43
Obedience Classes	200.00
PALS Craft Sales	867.00
2005 Wreath Festival	90.00
TOTAL INCOME		$10,535.12
Expenses:
Spay/Neuter	$8,863.00
Postage & PO Box Rental	117.00
5K Run T-shirts	400.22
Annual Tax Audit	235.00
2006 Wreath Festival Supplies	332.67
PALS Craft Supplies	463.11
Bank Box Rental/Checks	50.00
Telephone/voice mail	96.72
Kentucky State Treasurer	4.00
Web Site Fee	95.40
Yard Sale Ad	12.00
TOTAL EXPENSES		$10,669.12
Balance as of 26 Jun 2006:		$21,254.18

From the President

Pets In Need Society began 2006 in good shape financially. With a comfortable balance in our checking account and a team of experienced and dedicated people as our officers and on our Board of Directors, we should have a very good year.

At the end of this year, however, all the officers will need to be replaced. They have all worked hard for the organization and the animals in our county, and now need a break.  I ask you to please consider tossing your hat into the ring for the November election. We will need to elect a new President, Vice-president, Secretary, and Treasurer. No prior experience is required, and those leaving office will gladly assist “the new guy” with learning the ropes and making the transition. The pay for these positions really “sucks,” but we don’t do it for the pay – we do it for the sake of the animals. 

Our emphasis this year continues to be on our spay/neuter program and humane education program, as well as getting the word out about who we are and what we do. A public service CD is playing on WMMG advertising our spay/neuter program. We have flyers up at many of the local businesses and offices telling people about our spay/neuter program.  This is apparently working well based on the number of animals we’ve already done the first half of the year. 

Our voice mail volunteer, Doris Reesor, is doing an excellent job of fielding calls and getting information and vouchers out to folks who contact us. When Doris needs a break, Joyce Deihl helps in this very important aspect of our efforts. Thank you, Doris and Joyce, for all your time and effort helping us achieve our goals.