Juneau Animal Rescue's monthly newsletter

Happy Tails

Monthly Newsletter from Juneau Animal Rescue

April 2023

Dear Animal Lover,

As spring begins and we begin spending more time outdoors with our four legged friends, I want to take this opportunity to remind all of our pet parents that many pets can catch communicable diseases from standing water or by coming in contact with other animal's waste.

In recent months, veterinarians in Juneau have recently diagnosed at least 6 cases of Canine Parvovirus. While this is NOT a reason to panic, it is concerning. Juneau normally has a very low incidence of Parvovirus, and this uptick in cases is something we are keeping a close eye on.

Parvovirus most often affects puppies or immunocompromised dogs but can sicken even healthy adult dogs. It attacks the lining of the digestive system and causes vomiting, severe, bloody diarrhea, lethargy, rapid weight loss, and even death. Parvovirus is spread by contact with infected feces and the virus can live in soil for extended periods of time, so if your dog is frequenting dog parks, trails, or daycare, they are at a higher risk of exposure.

The best way to protect your pet from Parvovirus is to keep them up to date on their DHPP/DA2PP vaccine. Puppies should be kept away from public areas and unvaccinated dogs until they have completed their entire puppy series of vaccines (16-20 weeks old).

If your pet is overdue (or coming due) for any vaccines, please see your veterinarian. (We also have vaccine clinics at JAR on Tuesday afternoons starting at 1:00 p.m. Call 907-789-0260 to make an appointment at JAR.)

Keep all of your pets safe and healthy this spring by ensuring their vaccines are up to date, and that they get their annual check up at your veterinarian.

Sincerely,

Samantha Blankenship

Executive Director

Pet Story of the Month

From Forgotten to Spoiled Rotten

Sometimes Juneau Animal Rescue gets several animals from the same home and tries our best to adopt them out together.

Animals like Jax & Jordan...

In early March, three Pugs and two cats were dropped off in our front entryway late at night. Out of all the animals, only one cat was safely secured in a kennel, and the rest were found roaming freely in our entryway, and one Pug had actually escaped into our parking lot.

Fortunately, a member of the public was passing by and was able to secure the Pug back into the entryway and called the police department. Juneau Police contacted our on-call Animal Control Officer, who immediately responded and was able to secure all five animals safely in the shelter. No paperwork provided, but we assumed all animals came from the same home, although we do not know the reason they were surrendered.

Both Jax and Jordan were examined, along with their other house mates. They were both found to be in good health, with the exception of having severe dental disease. Both dogs received the important dental care and extractions that they desperately needed, with Jordan losing nearly all of her teeth. We were able to afford this essential care exclusively through our Second Chance Fund, and then were placed into our adoption program.

Placing pets up for adoption together is always a tough pitch to potential adopters. Taking on one new pet is a challenge, but taking on two new pets is a tall order for even the most devoted of pet lovers. Luckily, there are some families that have the extra room in their home and in their hearts to take in two new pets at once. Jax and Jordan were lucky enough to find that perfect family.

We are so happy to share that Jax & Jordan have found the perfect home with their new family, along with their new, much bigger but very mellow sibling. From the looks of things, they are settling in very comfortably, and are feeling right at home.

We also think they are two lucky dogs to have found their new home together, and that they are completely adorable in their new outfits... matching jammies to relax in!

If you are interested in adopting one of our amazing pets, check out our adoption page HERE.

Juneau Animal Rescue can house and care for dogs like Jax and Jordan through funding from our Second Chance Fund. You can help us maintain this valuable fund so that we can continue to help animals that need extra veterinary care.

Will you please consider contributing to our Second Chance Fund? Just click on the button below and be sure to select Second Chance Fund from the (Optional) "Use this donation for" drop-down menu. Your donation goes directly to help pets like Moose who need urgent veterinary care. Help us help them by donating today.

Samantha Blankenship

Executive Director

DONATE TO JAR NOW

How to Help Animals

What Do Pets Need?

Juneau has lots of pet dogs and cats, as well as small animals. While most have loving and healthy homes, there are always pets in need, from your home and neighborhood to the animals JAR helps every day.

Pet owners change the lives of their pets every day by providing necessary and balanced nutrition, access to fresh water, adequate exercise, and overflowing amounts of love and affection. But during April, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals month, how can we all work together to make Juneau and Southeast a healthy and safe community for all pets?

While it may be obvious to take care of the day-to-day care of your pets, how you care for your pets can actually affect your entire neighborhood and the other pets yours interacts with. Keeping your dog or cat up-to-date on vaccines not only protects your pets from disease, but protects all other pets yours come across by preventing the transmission of disease. The same is true for pets that are given regular veterinary-approved flea and deworming treatments. If your dog or cat needs vaccines, consider coming by JAR's Vaccine & Microchip clinic.

For the long-term health of your pets, spaying and neutering your dogs and cats can reduce the chance of many diseases, and even completely eliminate the chance of them contracting some forms of cancer. Additionally, spaying and neutering prevents unwanted litters from cats that are allowed to roam or dogs that manage to get loose. If you need your pet altered, you can learn more about JAR's spaying and neutering services and apply to schedule an appointment.

Keeping JAR Empty

One of the best ways to help the pets that JAR serves is to keep healthy, owned pets out of the kennels. You can do this for your own animals by making them easy to identify and return to you, should they become lost. This can be done by licensing your dog each year, microchipping your pets (available at JAR's Vaccine & Microchip Clinic) and providing the microchip number to Animal Control and Protection by calling (907)789-6997. You can also ensure your pet has a collar with an ID tag that has up-to-date contact information, so any good samaritan who finds your pet can try to contact you prior to bringing a lost pet to JAR.

Still, not all pets you may find outside are lost! While dogs should not roam off-leash without an owner directly supervising them, there are no laws preventing cat owners to let their cats wander around outside. If you see a cat that you suspect might be stray, you can try posting a photo to a neighborhood Facebook group, or place a paper "collar" around their neck with your contact information to let their owner know that the cat has been regularly visiting you. DO NOT feed stray cats, as that will encourage them to return to your home, and may discourage them from returning home. Healthy, stray cats should be left alone, as they are more likely to find their own way home if they are not fed or moved from the area. Only 3% of stray cats are successfully returned to their owners from JAR, compared to 97% of dogs.

If you lose your pet, you can find additional search tips on JAR's website. You can also report a pet lost online or by calling Animal Control & Protection. If you find a stray dog or cat, you can also report that to Animal Control & Protection online, even if you are not able to safely catch the animal.

JAR is Seeking an Executive Director

The Position: Executive Director

Juneau Animal Rescue seeks a collaborative and experienced leader with a passion for animal welfare to serve as its next executive director. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrable record of growing organizations through strong management, community relationship-building skills, and effective fundraising. Juneau Animal Rescue’s next executive director will lead the organization into its next phase of growth by working with the board of directors to secure funding for and oversee the planning and construction of a new state-of-the-art facility that will serve Juneau well into the future.

The Organization

For sixty years, Juneau Animal Rescue (JAR), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has dedicated itself to promoting animal welfare and strengthening the animal-human bond. Juneau Animal Rescue’s mission drives it to improve the lives of pets through education and protection and to shelter stray, abandoned and surrendered pets until they can be placed in loving homes. From humble beginnings in a small shed, JAR (originally known as Gastineau Humane Society) has grown into a robust nonprofit organization housed in its own facility. Juneau Animal Rescue is the only brick and mortar shelter in Juneau and the largest animal shelter in Southeast Alaska.

Application Process

The salary range is between $95,000 and $110,000 annually, commensurate with qualifications and experience. Juneau Animal Rescue provides competitive benefits. To read the full position profile and application instructions, please visit: HERE

For questions, contact Adorable Harper, lead recruiter, at JARSearch@forakergroup.org. Communications will be treated in confidence and resume reviews begin immediately. Closing date: May 2, 2023.

Juneau Animal Rescue is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender identity, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law.