Bella Jean, once named Glenda, was adopted from the shelter a little less than a year ago.  When she had come into the shelter she had a fractured leg.  When she was adopted, she was still recovering from her injuries.  The first little bit after the adoption was a little rough with her health. Her new owners refused to give up on their new little family member.   Bella Jean is now happy and healthy as can be with her new family. She is a momma’s girl and loves going everywhere that her momma goes.  Bella Jean is one blessed puppy to have received such a great home!

Bella Jean

As an employee at the New Albany Floyd County Animal Control & Shelter, I am faced daily with the repercussions of people not spaying or neutering their pets. Across this nation, millions of animals die due to the hard cold reality of pet overpopulation! This is not the fault of animal shelters, it simply is the result of animals being allowed to reproduce without looking at the ramifications of bringing more puppies or kittens into a world where there are already too few homes and responsible pet owners.

Yesterday, I had my heart broken (again) due to a pet owners choice to not alter their dog. I’m a softie for smooshfaced dogs, and when an older little clown came in, I fell in love. This little fella was microchipped, but his chip wasn’t registered. We contacted the dog’s breeder, but never heard back from them. I was disappointed on his initial exam when I discovered that he not only wasn’t neutered, he had a retained testicle. On his surgery day, the end result was what I feared, the word CANCER. His retained testicle had turned into a cancerous entity, eating away at his bladder wall, shortening his life every day. Our veterinary surgeon attempted to remove the tumor, but the attempt was futile and euthanasia became our only option. Alas, a dog that we could have placed in a home in a heartbeat was euthanized needlessly. In so many ways, his loving owner destroyed this dog: not registering his microchip, not neutering him, no identification, and allowing him to roam the streets.

If you do not have a registered dog or cat with responsible homes waiting, why breed them or allow them to reproduce? Every home your pet’s offspring takes, could go to a shelter animal. Every heat cycle that your female pet goes through increases her risk of mammary and ovarian cancer. Male dogs are susceptible to testicular and prostate cancer, especially if they have a retained testicle.  Older females that have not been spayed run the risk of getting a severe uterine infection called a pyometra. If the infection takes hold, the only possibility of saving them is surgery, and its very expensive and the risk of death is high.

If you cannot afford to have your pet altered, WE CAN HELP! There are many resources available to make spaying or neutering your pet affordable for everyone. PLEASE call us if you need assistance. We can direct you to the help that you need, and you can do your part and SAVE LIVES!

Theresa Stilger, RVT 

Animal Care Coordinator

We have had many calls about lost animals today, July 6th. Many animals were startled by fireworks and got away from their owners. If your pet is missing, please bring a photo to the shelter and see if your pet is here.  If your pet isn’t here, you can then go across the street and place a free ad in the Tribune newspaper.  We are not allowed to take or give descriptions of animals over the phone. It has been our experience that all people desciribe their pets differently, so the only person to truly identify a missing pet is the owner! We’ve even had people take home a pet, then based on its behavior return it, stating “that’s not my pet”.

To look for a lost pet, our hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, and Saturday, 11 to 2!

The shelter will be closed on Monday, July 5th in observance of Independence Day. We will reopen all locations on Tuesday, July 6th. We look forward to seeing you then!

Our 10 Year Anniversary Celebration was HOT!!

Our party to celebrate our last 10 years of saving lives was a big success! 10 cats were adopted, and 1 dog. We were hoping for more, but our $10 adult cat sale will be continuing! Watch for additional details next week!

Thanks to all the humans and their K9 pals that attended, the dignitaries, Mayor England and his representatives for recognizing the work that we do, every volunteer and staff member that has made a difference, and every adopter. Together we save lives!

Besides staff and volunteers, our event today was made possible by the generosity of several local businesses and community members. Special thanks to our donors Sav-A-Lot Grocery, area Kroger Stores, Conner Jewelry, Feeders Supply, Superpetz,   Three Dog Bakery, all who gave door prizes, the Floyd county Animal Rescue League, and Sweet Stuff Bakery. We had an anniversary cake that was AMAZING!

Watch for photos next week!

Free food, giveaways, special cat adoption event!

Have you adopted a special shelter pet? We want to hear your tale! We are looking for adopters of rescue pets that want their special friend to be featured during our Pound Puppy Parade! (Feline friends can be featured with pictures and stories, but we are afraid the stress would be too much for them!)

Please send your story and information to nafcpetpointers@yahoo.com!