LEADER PUBLICATIONS

RAN 11-10-05
Hunting for homes

C.A.R.E. works to rescue pets from death row

By Catherine Murphy
For the Leader



Unwanted pets in Jefferson County are getting a second chance at being placed in loving homes, thanks to C.A.R.E. (Coalition for Animal Rescue and Education).

The non-profit group was created in 2004 by six animal-loving women, most of whom live in Jefferson County and were already volunteering for Jefferson County Animal Control.

The organization targets adoption-worthy animals before their time is up at animal shelters and then works to find good homes for them. C.A.R.E. also assists with the costs of spaying and neutering pets for people who cannot afford to do so on their own.

Sharon Coker of Hillsboro is one of the founding members of C.A.R.E. and serves as the unpaid volunteer coordinator for Jefferson County Animal Control.

Coker, who is retired from Southwestern Bell, said she noticed volunteers and employees at Animal Control trying on their own to save animals who were about to be destroyed.

"More than 2,700 animals were put down last year (at Jefferson County Animal Control) because they were unable to find homes for them," Coker said. "We'd all (visit) and see an animal that would just touch our hearts and try and beat the bushes to see that that animal wouldn't be put down.

"Some of us felt we needed a more organized effort. We decided to band together and do a better job getting animals adopted. That's how C.A.R.E. came into being."

Coker said she called on her sister, Carole Pitzer, also an animal lover, to help.

Pitzer, who lives in Maryland Heights, is retired from her job as chief information officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She has also been active for many years conducting fund-raising for the Women's Safe House in St. Louis, a safe haven for women and their children fleeing domestic violence.

"When I explained what we were doing, (Carole) wanted to get involved," Coker said. "She jumped in with both feet. My sister has a very dynamic personality and does nothing by halves. We are in this up to our eyeballs and I'm delighted."

Organization purchased farm

Realizing they needed a safe haven for animals awaiting adoption, C.A.R.E. members pooled their own funds and sought donations to put a down payment on a 155-acre Washington County farm. The puchase closed in June.

Karen Schenks, C.A.R.E. adoption coordinator, and her husband, Sam, live on the farm, which is near Washington County's border with Jefferson County, and care for the animals there with the help of volunteers.

The Schenks, who are retired, are not paid for their caretaking chores, but they live at the farm rent free and are not required to pay utilities.

Pitzer, who serves as president for C.A.R.E., said the organization's annual budget comes to about $40,000. The money covers the farm's mortgage and upkeep, utilities, and food and medical care for the animals.

The group covers expenses through fund-raising events and donations, including a grant from the DJ and T Foundation, created by television star Bob Barker of the "The Price is Right." The foundation provides grants to help cover the costs of spaying and neutering pets for people who can't afford it.

Pitzer said C.A.R.E. has a mailing list and periodically sends out solicitations for donations. She seeks funding from contacts she made on the job or from her previous volunteer work. Collection jars have been placed in grocery stores around the area, and C.A.R.E. members have held bake sales and garage sales.

300 animals saved

The farm has space for 30 dogs (currently there are about 20 following a recent adoption event that placed several), 45 cats and two horses. Pitzer said members are adding kennels to provide more housing at the farm.
The facility has a no-kill policy. Animals who are not adopted will have a home until they die of natural causes.

Pitzer said C.A.R.E. has placed about 300 animals so far this year, and helped pay for spaying or neutering of about 550 cats and dogs.

C.A.R.E. works with Jefferson County Animal Control, pulling animals before they are euthanized. It also receives animals from other rescue organizations that cannot place them or from people who have heard about the group.

Pitzer said C.A.R.E. concentrates on animals that might have a more difficult time being adopted. focusing on big and medium-sized dogs. Black dogs, she said, are particularly at risk.

"They're so hard to place. Nobody adopts black dogs," she said. "It's pathetically sad. Whenever (a black dog) is put in a shelter in Jefferson County, he is on death row."

Animals receive medical care

Once C.A.R.E. accepts an animal, the first step is to evaluate it for any health conditions that need treatment.

"If they do have some kind of curable disease, we'll cure it," Pitzer said.
Veterinarian Alicia Lawson of Cadet offers reduced rates for rescued animals and said she has provided medical care for more than 500 animals from C.A.R.E., including about 100 sterilizations.

Lawson said C.A.R.E. is having a tremendous impact on the lives of unwanted animals. "I think C.A.R.E. is wonderful."
Once a potential adoptee is healthy, C.A.R.E. works to turn the animal into a viable pet.

"We try to socialize them,"Pitzer said. "Or they may need to be house-broken or need a little bit of obedience training."

Animals that have been sterilized and are ready for adoption are lodged at the farm or in a foster home until they can be taken to local festivals or to Petco and PetsMart stores for display and - hopefully - adoption.

Three weeks ago, C.A.R.E. was given an 18-foot industrial-type van, valued at $15,000, for transporting animals.

"I looked so silly kissing that van in the parking lot," Pitzer said.

Donations, volunteers sought

Pitzer said C.A.R.E. needs fencing for horses; cat litter and cat food, cat and dog toys; blankets and pillow cases (for cat pillows).

Also, volunteers and foster homes are needed on a continual basis.
In addition to Coker, Pitzer and Karen Schenks, other founders of the organization include Judy Trask of De Soto, Mary Lovelace of Crystal City and Anne Wiehagen of Barnhart.

Other volunteers have their own specialities. Sara Adams of Cedar Hill bottle-feeds orphaned kittens when called upon.

"You never know when you're going to get kittens that have been newly orphaned or the mom can't nurse them" Coker said. "We have to call her at the drop of a hat. She is an angel. We've had to call on her about three times in the past year and she never says no. She's stuck with us probably for as long as she lives."

Mike Moore of Imperial serves as the community director.

"He's the guy who'll knock on your door and say, 'If you have an money in your pocket, I'll take it,' " Pitzer said. "He handles fund-raisers and community outreach."

Coker said C.A.R.E. placed one kitten and eight dogs a recent adoption event held at Petco in Arnold.

"That's huge. From a little organization that is in essence six people meeting around my kitchen table and planning these events, if we're able to have these kinds of adoptions every week, you're talking about making an impact," she said. "These animals are spayed and neutered; they're not going to be the parents of more unwanted animals."

Anyone interested in volunteering for C.A.R.E., or for Jefferson County Animal Control, may contact Sharon Coker at 797-2769. Volunteers at Animal Control can work just four hours per month, Coker said.

Anyone interested in adopting an animal may contact C.A.R.E. at 636-208-6267 or 573-348-7035.

C.A.R.E.'s Web site is: www.caretakersnetwork.org. Pitzer said the Web site will be updated soon.

The fee to adopt a pet is $125, covering sterilization, shots and other medical expenses. All funds go back into the organization, Pitzer said.

Sidebar 1:
RAN 11-10-05
Heart-warming adoption stories set tails a-wagging

By Catherine Murphy
For the Leader

For C.A.R.E. volunteers, nothing is sweeter than turning a rescued animal into a pet.

Rolly, a mutt that was offered for adoption three weeks ago at the Arnold Petco, is one such success story.

Dave and Briana Foresyth of Arnold weren't looking for a dog that day, but Rolly made an impression. Now named Maggie, she has settled in well with her new family.

"She looks like the RCA dog with spots," Briana Foresyth said. "She was 17 weeks when we adopted her. She's wonderful. She had a little bit of a problem with her eyelid turning in. She just had surgery at Vogel Animal Hospital and they didn't charge full price since she was a rescue dog."
Foresyth said she and her husband were in the store to buy supplies for their other dog.

"The woman there was adamant that she (Rolly) find a home. She said she came from a bad situation and was pretty bad off when they first got her."
Carole Pitzer, C.A.R.E. president, said (Rolly) and her mother had mange when they were rescued from a "kill" shelter. The dogs received medical treatment and both were placed in homes.

Kathy and Frank O'Barr of Barnhart adopted Cooper three months ago. He is a golden retriever who was a casualty of his owners' divorce.

Kathy O'Barr said she and her husband had been looking for a dog to adopt and happened by a PetsMart while C.A.R.E. was holding an adoption event.

"He (Frank) said, 'Do you want to go in?' and I said sure. As soon as we went in and saw him, we thought he looked like a good dog. He's had obedience training. He's a great dog. He loves to play ball and play with his toy rope (tug-of-war). We were lucky to get a dog like him."

Cooper bonded well with his new family, Kathy O'Barr said. When Frank leaves on Saturday to play golf, Cooper sits forlornly at the front door, sad to be left behind.

Adoption events are not the only way C.A.R.E. finds homes.

Lisa Tobar of St. Louis County adopted Bear, probably a golden retriever/chow mix, during a visit to C.A.R.E.'s Washington County farm.
Tobar said she was searching the Petfinder Web site when she saw a dog from C.A.R.E. that looked like a fit for her. She drove out to the farm and realized the dog she originally wanted was too big and rambunctious. She found Bear more suitable to her and her other golden/chow mix.

"They get along wonderfully. From the moment I brought him home, she (her other dog) wanted to play. He, of course, was more interested in his new surroundings. It's worked out real well. I'm really glad I did it. I hesitated for a long time (in getting a companion for her dog)."

Sidebar 2:
RAN 11-10-05
Lack of homes doomed more than 1,500 animals

In 2004 and the first nine months of 2005, Jefferson County Animal Control euthanized 5,114 animals.

Nearly a third of those animals, about 1,500, could have been saved if homes had been available, said James Wilcox, county Animal Control manager.

"What a lot of people don't realize is that a lot of animals are brought to us for the purpose of being put to sleep," Wilcox said. "We get ferrel cats, old, blind animals. We offer a discount from what a vet costs to have a pet put down. About 30 percent of animals euthanized are good, adoptable animals."

In 2004, Animal Control picked up 4,259 animals. Rescue organizations saved 789 of those and another 506 were returned to their owners. Animal Control was able to place 212 animals in homes. Some 2,752 animals were euthanized.

Wilcox said he is grateful to the various rescue organizations, including C.A.R.E., a group that formed in 2004 and includes members who volunteer at the county Animal Control facility. The group has placed 30 animals from the county facility so far this year.

C.A.R.E. president Carole Pitzer said the organization hopes to increase rescues and is building kennels at its Washington County farm to that end.
"C.A.R.E. is just getting started," Wilcox said. "We'll be glad to see the day when they can pull a lot of animals from us."