TNR DAY | OCTOBER 18, 2024

Non-profit Spay/Neuter Clinic Tails of Hope reminds us why Spay/Neuter is  one of the most important health decisions you’ll make for your cat or dog and our community. 

Hermitage, PA (February 25, 2023) – February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month, also known as “Beat the Heat Month.” This special recognition month highlights that spring litters are being conceived now, and how prevention is key for healthier pets and healthier communities. 

As responsible pet guardians, or “pet parents,” we have an obligation to care for our furry friends and family members in sickness and in health. Spay/Neuter equates to wellness-both medically and financially for animals, their human families, our rescues/shelters, and the overall community.

Removing Barriers to Essential Pet Health Care

As pet care costs rise - along with costs in every area of life, it is important to remember that spay/neuter contributes to cost-savings for the lifetime care of your pet. Spay/Neuter is much less expensive than the serious health problems, including pyometra, and uterine, ovarian, and testicular cancers, that can develop in unspayed/unneutered pets. Spay/Neuter is also much less expensive than having and caring for unwanted litters. Tails of Hope’s everyday low costs and Spay & Neuter Angel Program (SNAP) make spay/neuter accessible to pet parents no matter their ability to pay.  A visit to Tails of Hope may be the first time an animal is seen by a veterinarian. Medical issues previously unknown the pet guardian may be discovered and addressed-if possible-at Tails of Hope or referred to a full-service clinic for follow-up. These discoveries can save an animal’s life. Tails of Hope strongly encourages all pet guardians to establish a relationship with a full-service veterinary clinic in the area for annual visits & vaccines, and a lifetime of ongoing care.

Keeping Pets & Families Together

In addition, spay/neuter provides many other benefits for your pet, your family, rescues/shelters, and the community. According to ASPCA’s National Rehoming Survey, pet problems such as problematic or aggressive behaviors, are the most common reason that people abandon, surrender, or rehome their pets. Spay/neuter can reduce or eliminate unwanted behaviors, keep pets in families, and reduce overpopulation by preventing unwanted litters, instead of increasing the population of pets on our streets or the number of pets attempting to enter our already overburdened shelters. Spay/Neuter also reduces the chances of pets roaming, running away, or getting lost. In return, pets are kept safer animal intake into overcrowded shelters decreases, thereby lowering shelter costs, overcrowding, and euthanasia rates.

Giving Pets Their Best Shot

And high-quality, low-cost spay/neuter clinics like Tails of Hope also provide affordable access to essential wellness needs, such as vaccines and flea & tick preventatives. Fifty percent of participating pet parents surveyed reported their pets had never been vaccinated against these diseases. As puppy and kitten season approaches, pet exposure to contagious and deadly diseases – parvovirus, distemper, and panleukopenia – increases but is preventable with a simple vaccine. Core vaccines are considered vital to all pets based on risk of exposure, severity of disease or transmissibility to humans. Non-core vaccines are given depending on a pet’s lifestyle or exposure risk. Vaccines reduce the spread of disease to healthy animals and reduces the suffering of already infected pets. Flea & tick infestations can cause a host of costly medical problems from minor skin irritations to life-threatening blood loss. Vaccines and preventatives can help avoid costly treatments for diseases that can be prevented. Tails of Hope began a partnership with national nonprofit Petco Love in October 2021 to join their commitment to provide 1 million free pet vaccines and help end life-threatening diseases in pets. Tails of Hope has already provided over 700 FREE cat & dog distemper vaccines through the “Give Pets Their Best Shot” initiative. This program makes crucial pet vaccines accessible to pet parents who may be experiencing financial challenges and assures that cost is not a barrier to protecting pets from preventable diseases. Learn more about Petco Love’s national vaccine effort and lifesaving impact at petcolove.org or freepetvaccines.org. 

Spay/Neuter not only reduces long-term costs for families and community rescues/shelters, but our pets can live longer, healthier, and happier lives.

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Article Published by Sharon Herald OUTLOOK

Sharon Herald 02/25/2023

When the Unthinkable Happens, New “Petco Love Lost” Database Uses Breakthrough Facial Recognition Technology to Find Missing Cats and Dogs in Western PA & Eastern OH

Hermitage, PA (February  15, 2023) –  Tails of Hope is proudly joining forces with Petco Love – formerly known as the Petco Foundation, a national non-profit working to lead and inspire change for animals – and animal welfare groups across the country, on a shared mission to help reunite lost pets with their families should they ever go missing. Sadly, according to industry statistics, one in every three pets will go missing in their lifetime.

Petco Love Lost is a new, searchable national database that uses patented facial recognition technology to make finding lost pets quicker and easier. This simple-to-use tool will be easily accessible to participating animal organizations nationwide, as well as any pet parent or person who finds a lost pet. Uploaded photos of a missing dog or cat are immediately scanned to determine whether the lost pet is at a participating shelter or with a neighbor in the community.
 

“We know how quickly a pet can go missing, whether they were curious, following a scent, wandering through an open gate or becoming scared during fireworks or a storm,” said Soraya Hejazi, Executive Director at Tails of Hope. “We work tirelessly to provide Spay/Neuter - the lack of which is the Root Cause of pet homelessness and pet overpopulation, and we value every effort to keep pets and their families safely together and out of shelters in the first place. We’re confident Petco Love Lost can lead to many more happy reunions, right here in Mercer County and across Western PA & Eastern OH.”
 

“We know that one in three pets goes missing in their lifetime, an estimated 10 million pets each year, and we’re not ok with that,” said Petco Love president Susanne Kogut. “That gives us 10 million reasons why we created Petco Love Lost, because we believe nothing is more important than keeping people and pets together for a lifetime of love. Together with Tails of Hope, our goal is to keep pets where they belong - at home, with you.”

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Read More

The Record Argus 02/20/2023

Pictured at right: Diane Webster & Soraya Hejazi of Tails of Hope with Christine Hamilton & Rachel Hendrickson of Whole Life Services.

Hermitage, PA (February 17, 2022) -  On February 17, 2022, the Whole Life Services family gathered with various members of the community to celebrate their 20th Anniversary at The Avalon at Buhl Park.  Established in September of 2001, Whole Life Services has grown from serving one person with a disability, to serving more than 100 people. 

Represented at the event by Co-founder and President, Diane Webster, and Executive Director, Soraya Hejazi, Tails of Hope was honored to be recognized as one of Whole Life Service's 2021 Inclusion Champions. Cindy Vogan, Whole Life Services' CEO, presented Tails of Hope with a 2021 Inclusion Champion Award.

“We are honoring them as ‘Inclusion Champions’ because they involve people with disabilities in their programs, have them participate as volunteers, or provide them with job opportunities,” said Cindy Vogan, CEO of Whole Life Services. “By engaging and employing people with disabilities, these businesses are building valuable relationships that benefit everyone in the community.” 

Vogan said as a service provider, she wanted to recognize those in the community who show support to those with disabilities and was especially excited to honor this year's Inclusion Champions as a part of the celebration. 

Other recipients of Whole Life’s Inclusion Champions Community Engagement awards included: Buhl Club, Buhl Park, Community Food Warehouse, Cornerhouse Christian Food Pantry, DK Studio, Fresh Grounds, Laurel Technical Institute, Prince of Peace, Robert Lark of Mercer County Historical Society, and Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Read more about this event on Whole Life Services website here.

This section represents a portion of the Sharon Herald Outlook piece published February 26, 2022.

Petco Love established March as “National Pet Vaccination Month” to encourage pet parents to keep their pets’ vaccinations up to date. Tails of Hope is partnering with national nonprofit Petco Love for a second time to give pets their best shot for a healthy life by distributing free pet distemper vaccines.

Hermitage, PA (February  26, 2022) – Tails of Hope is partnering with national nonprofit Petco Love for a second time to give pets their best shot for a healthy life by distributing free pet distemper vaccines. Petco Love established March as “National Pet Vaccination Month” to encourage pet parents to keep their pets’ vaccinations up to date. As puppy and kitten season approaches, pet exposure to contagious and deadly diseases – parvovirus, distemper, and panleukopenia – increases but is preventable with a simple vaccine.  

Tails of Hope is offering these vaccines as part of spay/neuter appointments only while supplies last.  

The Give Pets Their Best Shot initiative makes crucial pet vaccines accessible to pet parents who may be experiencing financial challenges and assures that cost is not a barrier to protecting pets from preventable diseases.  

National Pet Vaccination Month is a continuation of Petco Love’s 1 million free pet vaccine campaign, which has helped 400,000 pets to date. Half of participating pet parents surveyed reported their pets had never been vaccinated against these diseases. With Bissell Pet Foundation as an additional partner this month, Petco Love’s goal is to increase awareness and accelerate the distribution of vaccines. Learn more about Petco Love’s national vaccine effort and lifesaving impact at petcolove.org or freepetvaccines.org.

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Find out what's happening with Tails of Hope in Spring 2022 inside Sharon Herald's special Outlook section, 'Tails of Hope is Expecting as Kitten Season Nears'

Sharon Herald 02/26/2022