Sanctuary animal updates:
Since our last update on March 12th the following dogs were adopted: Owen, Lilah, Arnie, Xandy, Swampy (but came back), Dylan, Clarence, Augie, Connie, Darla (but came back), Pokey, Daffodil, Jasper, Murphy, Blue, Kylie, Miriam, Doty, Diamond, Williard, SunLi, Suzy, Miley, Isis (but came back), Abby, Meadow, Garth, Rufus, Jillie, Middy, Rigsley, Lil Pip, Smokey, Zippy, Sounder, Kendall (came back and was adopted again), Sonny, Pancake, Blossom and Astor. Yes, that is 40 dogs. Nice going everyone!
We even adopted out two cats. Not only that but they were FIV cats! Sweet Pea and Ginny went home. Two FIV cats…it is just so wonderful that people are starting to understand that FIV cats are not something to be terrified of. We’re going to add a section (thanks Sandy!) to our website (as soon as I can find ten minutes to get to it) about FIV cats and the myths, etc. Unfortunately we also had a cat that died this month – our older feral cat Zack passed away. R.I.P Zacky.
One of the standouts as far as adoptions goes is Middy. Middy got adopted by Extreme Canines. Check out their website. They have videos that will blow your mind. Our little Middy is going to be a performance dog. GO MIDDY! They are also interested in coming back here at the end of the summer to do a fundraiser with us. How cool would that be?

Another stand out is that the three Shih Tzus went home – together. These three came into Pets Alive in such bad shape we were shocked. Not just typical grooming and matting issues…the matting issues were so bad that you could not even SEE the feet on the dogs, it was so bad. As Janet and Chris cleared it away you could also see toenails that had grown in a curl under the foot and INTO the paw pads. Terrible. Some nails were straight, but over two inches long. We vetted these poor little guys and groomed them up and started to care for them and they really came out of their shells in no time. They were soon adopted by the mom of one of our volunteers who fell in love with them and wanted to keep them together. What a happy ending to a really sad story.
Additionally Miriam is a little movie star now too. Miriam was a dog that came to us after what looks like she was perhaps hit by a car and no one sought medical attention for her. She was adopted and Channel 12 news covered her story as well as did a follow-up after she was adopted. They went to her new home and filmed her in her new life as a pampered and much loved family member. How far this poor girl came and how loved she is now. Thanks to all of you who donate to or volunteer at Pets Alive and for all the transporters and rescuers that care enough to save these dogs and try to get them to us. You are all special. Thanks for helping us in our mission to save animals – even when on first glance they don’t “look like much”….they all have a fierce desire and will to live. Thank you for helping us to give that to them.
Houma has been very sick lately. He is the little black pit bull that was found down south after his previous owner badly hurt him because he would not “fight”. Miraculously, surgery (thanks to Best Friends) and grafts and lots of TLC, he did pull through. Then Best Friends brought him to us, and we continued to treat his wounds and scars and he came down with serious pneumonia. He came very close to dying, and spent three weeks in an oxygen tank over at Flannery Animal Hospital. He got better, and was recovering nicely here at the sanctuary and then he developed some weird lung disease. There was e-coli in his lungs, maybe from drinking bad water where he was. We got him over that and he is finally starting to look a little better and he is ever so sweet and all of a sudden he started losing weight very rapidly. We upped his feeding to the point where he is eating five times a day and of course did blood work and had him to a bunch of vets, but he continued to lose weight at an alarming rate. All the bloodwork came back ok. Finally we find something. He has some sort of bacteria in his stomach that is preventing him from absorbing food. So he is eating like a horse but it passes right through and he doesn’t get any of the nutrition from it – he is basically starving to death. So far we have spent over $3000 on Houma alone with all the above issues, but now his temperament is also changing. He has started showing his teeth at people which he has NEVER done…he has always been a sweetheart. Maybe if we can get him feeling better and treat this bacteria issue he will be ok. We are researching now what can be done as far as treatment for him and will keep you all posted. Please keep him in your thoughts. We care a lot about this special boy and he has been through so much in his short life.
Intakes:
We took in a total of 28 dogs this month. Nine dogs from South Carolina, (all as cute as pie), sixteen dogs from Kentucky, one from Brooklyn, one from Manhattan, one from Blooming Grove and one from Goshen. One of the dogs from Kentucky – Greta – is the sweetest dog. Pam, who is mostly a cat person has Greta in her office and says she is the BEST office dog we have ever foisted on her. She ADORES her. Greta unfortunately has a ruptured ear drum (very very painful) and some sort of abnormality with her back right leg. It looks like she may need a double surgery on that back leg. Ouch. This poor girl. At least she made it to us and we will be sure to get her whatever she needs and find her a wonderful home. She really deserves a break.
We also took in two cats this month Sweet Pea (from Middletown) and Cashew from New Jersey. Both very nice cats.
General Updates:

We have a groomer again. Frank is taking over the grooming for Pets Alive and will also be extending this grooming to everyone on our mailing list. You can now bring your dogs here to have them groomed. You can reach Frank at: frank@petsalive.com or call him at 845-754-1817. A third of the proceeds goes right back to Pets Alive. If you just adopted a pet from Pets Alive he will also give you a 15% discount. Frank also offers a Frequent Bathers club, where after six baths the next one is free, so be sure to contact him for pricing and an appointment (DO NOT CALL PETS ALIVE PLEASE!).
Our email mailing list has grown to over 8000 people. Know anyone that should get these updates? Please add their email to our list (found on the front page of our website) or invite them to do so (they can unsubscribe at any time). Also are you on our volunteer mailing list? Sometimes we have a special need or request and we send ONLY to that list. If you want to be included on that, just go to the volunteer page and sign up to be on that one as well. Thank you so much for all you do!

Remember Cathy? The “pregnant” very sick boxer that we took in a few months ago? She had all sorts of issues and we didn’t know if she would ever be adopted. She was by a fabulous couple and they came back this month and also adopted Augie. They brought Cathy (now Caere) back for a visit and we were all so thrilled to see her. SHE was especially thrilled to see her previous primary caretaker, Janet. Very touching.
Anyone who has been in the Feline House (I know, I know, but every time I say “The Cat House” I giggle uncontrollably) this past month has seen the changes in the walls and hallways as you come in. Anthony T. is an artist that contacted us a few months ago. He said he was an animal lover and he had started making paintings and then leaving them in public places – like libraries, bus stops and other places. On the back of the painting he would put a note that the person, if they liked the painting, should feel free to take it home and to please check out petsalive.com – that it was a worthy cause (and to hopefully make a donation in return for the free artwork). I was so moved by that. He donated some artwork for our Penny Social and then we started talking about that ugly blank space in the hallway and stairs outside our office. Anthony volunteered (ok maybe he was a little coerced – but it is for a good cause) to come and paint a mural there. So far he has primed the area and painted the area and this weekend he will be starting the mural. Very exciting. We can’t wait to see what he does. He wrote his thoughts about the experience and his feelings about Pets Alive here.

We are also now a “Verified Cause” on Facebook. If you have Facebook can you please add us as a cause you support, and if you don’t have it, can you ask your kids too – as I am sure they have their own page. You can also use Facebook to promote us and help us raise funds. Thanks so much for your help on this!
Events and Fund Raising:

• On Saturday, April 11th (from 11am – 3pm), Pets Alive will be holding an Egg Hunt and Family Fun Day! The Easter bunny has agreed to make a special appearance at Pets Alive on April 11th. He is coming to run a giant egg hunt and many games and prizes for the kids. There will be face painting, prizes, photos, food, cotton candy, and much more! We will also have a spring flower sale and a bake sale. Event will run between 11 am – 3 pm. Fee is $2 per child (extra donations always welcome as well as bake sale items!) This should be a really fun event, we hope you will come!
• Yuk it up to benefit Pets Alive – Middletown’s own Manhattan Comedy Club (YES! – this is in Middletown, just ten minutes away from Pets Alive) is hosting a night of comedy to benefit Pets Alive. The event will take place on April 19, at 7:00 PM, at the Manhattan Comedy Club, 400 rt 211 East, Wallkill Plaza, Middletown, NY. There will be three comedians, a 50/50 raffle, door prizes and a short live auction with an auctioneer, and cocktails! Steve Schaffer from the Tonight Show, and Comedy Central’s Tony Darrow and Rich Franchasi will be performing that night. Tax deductible snickers, chortles and guffaws, and the money goes to Pets Alive. What could be better? You can buy your ticket right now by clicking the link below – or from the main page of our website (which allows you to buy multiple tickets). Tickets are $45.
  

  We must sell 100 tickets to this event, and have only sold 30. Please ask your family, friends and neighbors to come along. Please help make this event a success. We are trying very hard to raise money by being more creative in our fund raising attempts – so please help support us in this way, as well as the businesses offering up their halls and clubs to us for the night.

• Our Spring Yard Sale Fundraiser – run by the extraordinary Becky – will be held on June 6 and 7. We are taking in a lot of items already, so please donate anything you can that we could sell at the event. Please check with us first about furniture….depending on the size we may not be able to store it easily. Please email becky@petsalive.com for more info or questions.
• The first annual ‘Alumni Picnic‘ will be held on June 20th. This is for all dogs that have been adopted from Pets Alive to come back for the day with their families to enjoy a picnic, games, and fun day! There is NO COST! It is our way of thanking you. On that day we will move all our dogs in to the kennel for the day and set your dogs up in the outdoor runs. If yours gets along with others we’ll match up a few dogs per run! It will be great to wander from run to run and say hello to everyone that was adopted in the past few years. We’ll put cage cards on them too – with the name that we had, and their new name. It should be a lot of fun! PLEASE PLEASE COME! Even if for a little while, we would love to welcome you and your dog(s) back, say hello, love on them for a little while and talk and laugh with you. We will be serving drinks and beer and food (vegan and vegetarian) and we invite you to bring something if you wish – BUT NOT NECESSARY!

Special Thanks
Thank you so much to Joy and Roxanne for doing so much volunteer work, fund raising and volunteer coordination. Also to Lisamarie who comes every single weekend to help with adoptions. We can’t thank Becky enough for all the photos and hard work she does for Pets Alive. Big thanks also to Lauren for all the data entry work she has been helping with. We really appreciate all of your help and constant hard work. Thank you so much to Elaine C. for all the donations of paper, supplies and for donating all her cartridge return credits at Staples. It goes such a long way for us. Thank you to our regular dog walkers that come every week (Chip, Mike, Russ, Barb, Liz, Carmine, Lucia, Toni, Natalia, Darrick to name a few), and our weekly cat volunteers (including Sonya, Liz, Camille, Lynne, Shirley, Allyson, Bonnie, Peg and Jim). We appreciate you all so much for all that you do for us. I can’t name everyone in these updates but even if you don’t come every week – the fact that you come at ALL makes us so very grateful and appreciative. Thank you to ALL the people that come here to help us, bring donations down, step up when we need something special – we could not do it without all of you.
Thank you to the people that donate every month to us in the forms of animal sponsorships – you guys are the best. We are trying to increase our monthly sponsorships and in looking over what we have, some of you have been helping to sponsor a dog or a cat or a horse here at Pets Alive, every single month for YEARS. THANK YOU. Words can not express the gratitude we have for you and your continued support. Likewise to Angela and Rose some of our biggest monetary donators that fund many, many things here at Pets Alive and to everyone who contributes every time we put up a chip-in, or who donated Panacur when we cried for it this week. Thank you!
Thanks to the 4H club who stopped by this week with LOTS of donations for us. Evan, Lindsey, Julianna, Imani (and adults, Kristin and Kyndl) – asked lots of good questions and thought Pets Alive was a special place. We think so too and we love that you are doing something to help others. Come back and volunteer any time!
Thanks to the ‘Life is Good’ company who sent us a note saying “We love what you are doing” along with two huge boxes of donated items that they said we could sell or use in any way we wanted. Thanks guys – we love what you do too!
Thank you Kayla for all the angels. Kayla has raised over $650 for Pets Alive through the angels she makes. They are really beautiful. If you have not gotten one, email pam@petsalive.com to try to get on the list and reserve one. Thank you also to her stepdad, Chuck, for giving us a pickup truck! It is mainly for working around the shelter, but has come in handy a hundred times already. Thank you so much!
We also got an AMAZING set of horse clippers donated. At the time this was going to press, Brittany had not gotten me the person’s name so I could properly thank them, but if you’re reading this, know that we can’t BELIEVE what a nice set this is, it is practically brand new! I will thank you properly in the next update but in the meantime know that we are really touched by your generosity.
Thank you to Cassie, Denise, and Lauren from Goshen N.H.S. for volunteering at Pets Alive. They took on the HIDEOUS task of cleaning out and rearranging our laundry room. It was a total disaster when they started and they dug right in. By the time they finished it was sparkling. We have had our regulars walk by and stop dead and just stare into the room they are so amazed. Thank you girls. Please come back.
Many thanks to Greg Boron. Greg went to Global Awareness Day (on almost no notice as a big favor to us) and spoke to 200 children from CVMS about shelters, animals and giving back. He was a big hit and he took his blind dog Abbie with him to meet everyone and explain how far she had come, from death row, to being a therapy dog. Greg was there almost all day and by the end of the day his throat was sore and hoarse, but he says he thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope that the kids all got something from the exchange as well. Thank you Greg. You are truly a wonderful person and we thank you so much for all you have been doing for Pets Alive.
Thank you to Tammy (Moondancer store in Sugarloaf) for stepping up to ask what we need, when and how many and dropping off baskets for us to raffle off or give away at our events. She has been amazing (and is also Mooch’s new mom!). Likewise thanks to Charlene from petnplayresort.com for offering a gift certificate to us for our Comedy Club Event auction. Additionally thanks to Jill for the donation of handmade quilts that we can use for auction and for sale at events. None of these items were asked for by us, these were three people that stepped up and just made offers to help us. Thank you guys so much.
OK, our kitchen remodeling is DONE! I am holding off on sending a photo because John has been camera shy this week, but it is DONE and OHMYGAWD it looks amazing. Remember that John did the entire job by hand – all custom cabinet work. He and his wife Betty have been amazingly kind to Pets Alive and his workmanship is staggering. Need some custom woodwork or cabinetry done. Be sure to call John. We can sure vouch for his work! I will be sending out and posting a blog with some before and after shots soon – be sure to watch the blog page.
Special Needs
Needs this month are empty coffee cans, a small filing cabinet for Dale, loose leaf rings, dog toys, gallon Ziploc bags, 42 cent stamps, corn oil, 3-lb paper trays, paper towels, a tri-fold machine, and garbage bags (black yard bags and kitchen draw string bags). I’d also love to find a small, nice desk for Janet. Has anyone SEEN her nasty little metal desk? Goodness. If anyone has something decent that they are not using, I’d love to improve Janet’s workspace a little (Janet is our vet tech). Thanks for your kind consideration on these items!

Please consider helping us continue our mission
of finding homes for animals in need!