Sanctuary animal updates:
Since my last update on August 13, the following cats were adopted: Gus, Daisy, Troy (pictured here), Bunky, Anne, Walter, and Miracle.
The following dogs were adopted: Mo Mo, Blossom, Emma, Betty, Tucker, Tater, Franklin, Jade, Wrinkles, August, April, Pookie, Star, Stryker, Ellie Mae, Timber, Scout, Becky, Image, Ebbie, Laurel, Princess, Tyler, Honeysuckle, Jake, Jake, Malbec, Bits, Kibbles, Demi, Plover, Romeo, Pabst, Jupiter, Bear, Rosalie, Mona Lisa, Tex, Arrow, Charlie, Fowler, Belle, Daisy, Noodle, Kody, August, April, Carl, Sugarfoot, Rosalie, Pierce, Webster, Pebbles, Chauncey, Snoopy, Mai Tai, Sully, Sugarfoot, Minnie Sunshine, Rose, Olivia, Midget, Myrtle, Macintosh, Skipper, Cocoa, Cora Belle, Inky, Pebbles, Hope, Mystic, Lady, Willy, Maxi, Candy, Rocco, Trace, Bosco, Mitzi, Viking, Sheriff, Felix, Cookie, Maizy, Mamie, Ponch, Tucker, Gracie, Danielle, Dodger, Journey, Doc, Sandy, Sammy, Bono, Kari, Deuce, Trevor, Mimi, Miss Chevious, Abel, Spot, Tango, Collins, Gwen, Betti, Bogart, Jeri, Jimbo, Tanner, Franklin, Tallulah, Mandy, Clay, Holden, Apollo, Outlaw, Mandy, Jack, Ludo, Sabella, Cindy, Trina, Jasper, Cheyenne, Midnight, Robbie, Boudicca, Buffy, Shyann, Walker, Brandy, Bandit, Southern Belle, Cotton, Hoyt, Lola, Cherokee, Sophia, Kitsche, Blondie Sweetie, Low Rider, Felicity, Belle, Copper, Koda, Tilly Pup #2, Tessa, Clyde, Morris, Brando, Spirit, Heath, Jeff, Dylan, Rosy, Marisol, Amy, Lucky, Delilah, Coco, Polly, Hartford, Ashley, Greta, Ross, Grizz, Jimbo, Bunker, & Daisy.
Noteworthy adoption:
The stand out adoption of the past few months might just have to be Trace. Trace came to us when we did that mass West Virginia rescue, where we pulled 78 animals from a hoarding situation. Trace was extremely shy. Those of you that remember the “pile puppies” will note that Trace was on that level of shyness and fearfulness. She didn’t want anything to do with humans and the less you tried to interact with her, the better she thought it was! If you went to try to pet her or interact she would just lean away from you, ignore you, not look at you and be generally terrified and miserable.

She arrived in March and was adopted in April, but it was too soon. She just wasn’t ready and she needed a lot more time to sort out some issues, so she came back. We appealed to volunteers that if they were here, to please make it a point to spend extra time with her. As usual, our volunteers stepped up to the plate, everyone taking a little time out of their day to assure her that people were good, and they brought her treats, and they assured her that no one was going to hurt her. They got her to go on walks (sometimes having to carry her to the trail before she would start walking on her own) and they spent time just quietly sitting in her run and leaving her be. Some volunteers that were here regularly, the Peraglia’s, fell in love with her and spent even extra time with her. One day they approached us to discuss adoption. We were thrilled.
In September, Trace went home for good. The pictures here show you glimpses of her in the early days (above) and now pictures of her home, finally, where she belongs, learning that life can truly be wonderful. You can see more pictures and read her updates here.
Intakes:
Since my last update we took in: 16 dogs from North Carolina, 4 dogs from Kentucky, 15 dogs from Georgia, 3 dogs from Tennessee, 6 dogs from Texas, 10 dogs from Puerto Rico, 6 dogs from Ohio, 22 from South Carolina, 4 dogs from NYC ACC, 2 dogs from Long Island, 8 dogs from local shelters or local surrenders.
We took in the following cats: 7 cats from our Elmsford location, 2 kittens from a local farm, 4 kittens from a volunteer that rescued them, 5 kittens that needed bottle feeding and fluids (thank you to Anne for doing that for us), a Momma and 4 kittens from the NY CACC, and another Momma and her 2 kittens from the NY CACC – these last few were actually IN the euthanasia room when we reached out and pulled them just in time. All the kittens went to our Elmsford location, where almost all have been adopted already.
General Updates:

Camp Tyler Dedication: Thank you to everyone that came to the Camp Tyler Dedication and made it such a success. It was a beautiful, and poignant day. We hope that you all enjoyed yourselves, were touched, and came to understand what Pets Alive is trying to accomplish and how much of it can go back to that “one little soul”. Stay tuned for lots of updates about our new medical building and future plans for Pets Alive! To purchase a copy of the brochure or a tshirt from that day, please contact us at info@petsalive.com.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with Camp Tyler it is a new area we built on the grounds of Pets Alive and it houses all our dogs during the nice weather. Each run is very spacious and contains a dog igloo, kuranda bed, pool and toys for each dog. All our dogs are paired up if they can get along with other animals so that what you see is dogs playing, romping and having a great time together. It is really a wonderful place and we really feel great joy at being able to provide such housing for our dogs. We call it a “camp” because that is how we consider this place. A fun TEMPORARY place for our dogs to live, on their way to their forever homes. Like summer camp.
Much of what we do at Pets Alive was made possible by Tyler and Sidewalk Angels – the foundations started by Marisol and Rob Thomas. So we named this Camp Tyler, after their dog Tyler passed away (Tyler was adopted from Pets Alive). At the time I wrote a blog about that and you can read it here. So thank you all, for all your support in making Camp Tyler possible.
BeagleMania Reunion – Recently we also had a reunion of some of the 200 beagles that we saved from the lab earlier this year. It was really fun and lot of the beagles showed up. All seem to have adjusted wonderfully to living in a home and having people to love on them! While the beagles mingled, their families, many of whom have been exchanging emails and “talking” via Facebook, finally got a chance to meet and swap stories. Afterwards, many visitors took tours of the barn yard and cat house. It was a fun and special day for everyone. Thank you to all the families and to all the volunteers who helped make this possible.

Medical Building update – As you all are aware by now, we are building a medical facility at Pets Alive. We received a grant from Sidewalk Angels Foundation (Rob and Marisol Thomas’ charitable foundation) for $125,000 to put toward our building. Matt donated another $40,000. We received another $10,000 in donations toward this and finally we were left $60,000 in a will (that we have not received yet) that we are applying toward this building. Looks like we are ready to begin. We have changed our plans frequently as we discuss this with various experts, builders, veterinarians and other professionals and get advice from each. Originally this building was going to be added to the back of the brick house. Now we feel it will be a standalone building across the street. The main floor will be the medical area. The upper floor will be office and meeting and humane education space, the basement area will be a training room for onsite dog training classes. But the building would likely sit empty longer as we waited to raise more money for all the medical equipment and supplies we would need. Imagine our surprise when long time supporters (and adopters) Bob and MaryEllen approached us and donated a large sum of money that will completely cover the cost of the medical supplies needed for the building. Now we have to hire a vet, and get the building built. We are still about $75,000 short of what we need to complete the building, but we’re slowly getting there. Thank you to Rob, Marisol, SWA, Matt, and Bob & MaryEllen for making this dream – FINALLY – a soon-to-be reality.
The Bus: We ran into a snafu with getting the bus “wrapped” but we are back on track now. Below is a picture of what the bus COULD look like and the general design plan to wrap the bus. We are also trying to get some sponsorship to help us afford to wrap the bus, but so far that has not panned out. I hope that some of you will consider making a donation to help us with this. When we go to weekend events it would be very helpful to have the bus to transport all our volunteers, all the animals, and all the supplies needed – and also as an advertising tool! Please consider making a donation to help us with this cost.

Click here to make a donation to help us wrap the bus!
Puerto Rico – Many of you know that we have been pulling dogs from Puerto Rico with the help of Chrissie and Hands for Paws. Sidewalk Angels founder Marisol Thomas has a special connection with Puerto Rico and she urged us to do more to help the dogs of Dead Dog Beach. She backed up her commitment with a grant of $125,000 for us to build a facility there – Pets Alive Puerto Rico – and develop a plan to save the animals there. We have a good plan formulated to do just that and we will be opening up a rescue that will be combined with a Bed & Breakfast. We hope to provide a vacation “experience” of saving animals while staying at our facility. We also plan to develop PSA’s, billboards, outreach programs and offsite events in an effort to make an impact and change the mindset. We are absolutely confident we can make this happen and we urge your support for this next venture of Pets Alive.

Have you read our most recent blogs?:

Black Cats, Halloween, & Reduced adoption fees – OH MY!,
& Letter of the Month – Louise.
Medical Updates or Issues:
Kitche — our petite little mixed breed girl endured four weeks of strict cage rest under doctors orders to heal her broken pelvis. Upon entering the fourth week, we had new radiographs taken to check the status of repair. Unfortunately after reviewing the x-rays, the vet suggested continuing to keep her restricted for an additional two weeks just to be safe. As to be expected, poor Kitche was not at all pleased with this news. It was tough love indeed but after that time period, Kitche was like a pup, running and playing in her outside pen. In fact, she went from quiet, calm lady to crazy, mischievous little speedster. It didn’t take too long for a lucky family to fall in love with that cutie and now Kitche is enjoying a life of luxury!
Speaking of a life of absolute luxury…Maggie, the incredible middle-aged pit bull not only underwent knee surgery but wound up falling into the arms of two of our biggest supporters. Maggie’s knee had gone untreated for quite some time, so there was a lot of scar tissue built up and not so much cartilage remaining. The surgery was even more involved than originally thought, but she was still able to go home only a couple days after her surgical procedure. We couldn’t ask for two better parents than MaryEllen and Bob (Maggie’s new owners). Not only do they take her to her doctor’s visits constantly, they also cook her special food, find creative ways to coerce Maggie to take her meds, and even had a ramp built for easier entry into the house. I just received another wonderful update where MaryEllen wrote “Maggie just loves to be petted. I sit out there with her at night and we’re like an old married couple. I pet her for a while and then she falls asleep, opening an eye every now and then to check up to see if I’m still there. A nice sigh from her and some more sleep.” What more can any dog ask for!? (photo is of Mimi and her baby Maggie. Both adopted!)
With all the beautiful new outdoor fencing, you’d think the dogs would be content with their new digs! But just like humans, you can’t please everyone all the time. A few of the dogs continue to get into little spats. Ross, our slightly geriatric beagle mix wound up getting his foot ripped open while arguing with one of his neighbors. One of our volunteers rushed him to the vet where they were able to stitch it back up nicely. It took several weeks and many bandage changes to get him fully back on his feet. Ross was soon able to go back outside where he continued to coax his favorite volunteers to fuss over him and give him extra attention. He was adopted this week!
Joshua also had a piece of his paw pad come off. He is still resting inside to keep him off the potentially painful gravel. But within the week, he should be healed and can return to his normal routine.
Peanut — our long time shepherd mix began acting odd last week. One of our volunteers noticed that she was not eating, and was hypersalivating. We made an appointment to have Peanut’s mouth examined closer by our vet. Not only did she benefit from having a dental cleaning, but the vet found that she had a puncture wound under her tongue. The wound had become infected and ingesting food had become very uncomfortable. She came back on pain meds and antibiotics. Within a couple days, Peanut was back to her normal self, appetite and all!
Ness — is a beautiful orange and white female cat who is brand new to our facility. She came in with two fully weaned kittens. But after the kittens were pulled, Ness became lethargic. Concerned that Ness may have caught a virus that a few other of our cats came down with, we sent blood to the lab. Although her white blood cells are elevated in number, her bloodwork gladly did not mimic that any of the previously ill cats. So she is presently on antibiotics which should bring her white blood cells and any infection back into normal range.
Zeus – also known as Bernie – is definitely a staff favorite of cats. Even ‘dog’ people love this feline. You just cant help it. But as lovable and sweet as this cat is, he has a horrible habit of causing himself bodily harm. When Zeus was brought in to us months ago, his entire neck area was raw. Our vet believed his wounds were possibly burns of some sort. They anesthetized him and debrided the area. But after he came back home, Zeus would not allow his wounds to heal. We have tried all sorts of solutions. Nail trims, nail covers, foot bandages. But Zeus still finds a way to scratch himself open. His new body wrap is indeed helpful, so between the new bandage design and a plethora of different oral and topical medications, we are hoping Zeus will finally allow his body to completely heal. Maybe he simply enjoys all the extra attention he receives while misbehaving.
We also lost a number of cats in the past few months, mostly due to old age. Please consider adopting a senior pet. We had to say goodbye to Amanda, China, Lilli, Broady and Sweet Natalia.
Farm Animal Updates:
We heard about a rescue in Wisconsin that was going under. Hundreds of animals were at risk. Best Friends and other organizations got together to try to help save these animals. We would like to thank the Catskill Animal Sanctuary once again for being the fabulous organization that they are. They stepped up to the plate to help finance some of the transports and associated costs. Best Friends covered the cost of additional transports and costs to Pets Alive and Chenoa Manor animal “delivery” and some of the vetting. Pets Alive will soon add more farm animals to our pastures. Please welcome two llamas, 6 mini horses, 6 goats, 5 sheep and six dogs that will be coming here to live. We really look forward to having them join us and for you all to interact with them.
Upcoming Events or Fundraisers
2011 Pets Alive Calendar – YOUR DOG & CAT PICS NEEDED! These gorgeous full color wall calendars will be on sale in November, and will make a great gift! Click here for your pet to be included in the 2011 pets alive calendar. You can pick the picture, and day/month that your pet will appear.
Holiday Cards: If you are ordering holiday cards this year, please consider ordering from Cards for Causes. If you select Pets Alive we get a percentage of every order. Last year this really added up! Please consider ordering from this site! We thank you!
Youth Service Day Saturday, November 6, 11:00-3:00. Scout Troops and youth groups from the surrounding areas have been invited to visit and volunteer at the sanctuary. A guided tour of the sanctuary will be followed by a session with the Humane Education Team. The children will learn about animals and their feelings, with the focus on developing empathy for animals and treating animals with love, kindness, compassion, and respect. Afterwards there will be an age appropriate, fun project for each group to accomplish. The day will end with a chance for the kids to interact directly with some of our furry residents. Volunteers are needed to help organize the activities, act as dog handlers and cat house attendants, conduct tours, bake cookies and serve refreshments. For more information or to sign-up to help, please send email to volunteer@petsalive.com.
Show your support with every purchase you make!
As one of our valued supporters, you are invited to apply for our special Visa Platinum credit card
through Capital One Card Lab Connect. Use the custom card designs (you can even upload a picture of your own pet, or children!) to show your support and your rewards will be automatically donated to our organization!
Other
Special Thanks to the Pets Alive Community Outreach Team. This small but mighty team has been out every weekend for more than a month, spreading the word about Pets Alive at nine fundraisers and events throughout our community. These events raised a whopping $5,750 to benefit the animals at Pets Alive. Talk about making a difference! Thank you team!!
Pets Alive was contacted by the mother of a young girl named Meaghan. Meaghan wanted to have her birthday party at Pets Alive. We had never done this before, but thought it was a fabulous idea. The Pets Alive Humane Education Team stepped up and created a special program for Meaghan and her friends. The girls had wonderful time learning about compassion and empathy for animals, sprucing things up a little around the sanctuary, and playing with some of the furry residents. Thank you to our team – Joanna, Cecila and Lauren – for making Meaghan’s birthday one she will never forget!
Current Needs:
Biggest need right now is for 3-lb paper trays!, paper towels, Libman wonder mopheads, ink cartridges HP 94, 95 & 98, High Efficiency laundry detergent, dog toys, Panacur dewormer (the
big bottles of equine liquid has been working well for us!), Advantixx or Frontline for dogs, Panacur Dewormer, Ivermectin, disinfectant wet wipes, and Slip leads. Thank you for your kind consideration on these items!

Our mission is to improve the lives of companion animals everywhere by any means possible, including rescue, adoption, advocacy, collaboration, intervention and education. Please consider making a donation to help us.