Newsletter from August 29, 2016

Voices From the ARC Newsletter

“While We Have Time, Let Us Do Good.” –St. Francis of Assisi

Finding Forever Homes for Pets in Hardin County, Kentucky Since July 29, 1989.

By Penny Edwards, on August 29th, 2016 11:47 am

2016 is turning out to be a landmark year for change. We’ve always concentrated most of our efforts toward caring for and finding forever homes for as many animals at ARC as possible. While this is still our primary focus, we’re branching out with other efforts, helping even more animals in need than ever before.

bfas-main-logo-mobileLast year, after the Best Friends National Conference, we decided that in order to make the most impact on our community, we would have to diversify our services.

Best Friends is the largest no-kill sanctuary in the world, and it’s easy to sum up their philosophy in just three simple words: “Save Them All.” In order for the USA to become a no-kill nation, Best Friends advises and empowers other shelters and rescue organizations to work together. With that in mind, the Animal Refuge Center has reached out to our local Hardin County Animal Shelter to pull cats and dogs in high risk of euthanasia. Since April 2016, we have pulled 24 cats and kittens, and 4 dogs that were in danger of being euthanized.

Our ultimate objective, along with other organizations like the Hardin County Animal Shelter, Friends of Hardin County Animal Shelter and Forever Homes For Paws, is to make this entire community no-kill. We have to work together in order to achieve this enormous goal.

In the last issue of our newsletter, we told you “Cookie’s Story”, and how deeply it affected us. Since that time, we have trapped and neutered two members of Cookie’s family (Nestle and Sylvester), and we hope to trap, neuter and release the rest very soon.

Nestle-1Along with Cookie’s family, we helped two cats behind a business in Radcliff, and a couple of kitties in Vine Grove were trapped, neutered and released to become barn cats at a local farm. This program is up and running, but we are just beginning, and we have a long way to go. It takes donations to Cookie’s Legacy in order to fully implement this program. Some of you have given extra donations to Cookie’s Fund, but we’re still behind in our fundraising goals for this important program.

We were able to raise several hundred dollars for our Labrador, Jake, when he needed surgery. Even though the Community Cats of Hardin County are mostly quiet and unseen, they still deserve and need our help as desperately as a cute Labrador. We want to take a moment to thank all of you that have made extra donations toward Cookie’s Legacy. If you have not yet donated toward this worthy cause, please take a moment to give a little for those that can’t speak for themselves.

We have several upcoming events which will help with all our efforts, including Cookie’s Legacy. We have a benefit concert coming up on Sept. 23rd. Emily West from America’s Got Talent was Season 9 Finalist, and she has agreed to sing at a concert to benefit the Animal Refuge Center at the Historic State Theater in Elizabethtown. You can find more details on this page, also archived below.

The Glendale Crossing Festival is on October 15th, which is also usually successful.

According to Best Friends, there are three major things that keep us from becoming a No-Kill nation:
1. The Community Cat (feral cat) problem
2. Breed-specific legislation
3. Puppy mills: people shopping, not adopting

ARC is working on the first item on the list. Trapping, Neutering and Releasing (TNR) cats is the only answer for saving lives. We’re working toward a better world for them.

Thankfully, the second on the list—Breed-specific legislation—is not really a problem in our community. There are cities like Cincinnati that don’t allow Pit Bulls or Pit mixes within city limits. Fortunately our area doesn’t have such laws and our shelters work diligently to find Pit Bulls homes. Their breed doesn’t mark them for an automatic death sentence like in other parts of the country.

The third item on the list, Puppy mills, is being fought in different parts of the US, and is becoming a growing problem in Hardin County. Something that all of us can do is adopt instead of shopping for your pet, and report neglect and abuse of animals, especially with the growing numbers of backyard breeders out there.

We are widening our scope of services, and from what I can tell, it couldn’t have come at a better time. The amount of animals needing help this year is at an all-time high.

Here’s to saving lives…one little life at a time.

–Penny Edwards