It is a proven fact.  Identification SAVES lives.  According to the ASPCA Professional Blog, the rate of stray dogs and cats being returned to their owners/guardians “hovers between 10-30% for dogs and less than 5% for cats.”  In Talbot county our rates are 37% and 5% respectively.  This is a horribly low number!  Your pets cannot tell us where they live, or, your phone number.  We need owners to be proactive.  Even the most responsible pet owner could  have a pet go missing.  Our goal is for every loved pet to be returned home when lost.  But, for this, we need pet owner’s help!

Before disaster strikes- properly identifying your pet. 

Beautiful affectionate cat, stray. No one called for her…

The best ID combination consists of a microchip, plus a pet license tag and a personalized tag hanging from the collar. Having just one form of ID may not work—pets can lose their collars or the microchip information may not be current in the local animal shelter licensing or national microchip databases. Even indoor-only animals need identification—in case someone leaves a door or window open and they escape unnoticed, for example. Pet ID is also important in case of an emergency or when disaster strikes your home or neighborhood. If there is a fire or a natural disaster, it may be necessary to evacuate your companion animals even if you are not home at the time.

If the worst happens

Geriatric Bassett Hound, certainly missing his family. Never claimed.

Call your local animal control agency, veterinary offices and neighbors immediately.  Do not assume your beloved pet “will find their way home,” because the fact is, all too often they don’t.  Make sure your microchip information is up to date annually, with current addresses and phone numbers.  Purchase your county license annually.  Talbot Humane keeps a database with every license sold.  so many times animals are returned by the good citizens who find the pets- BECAUSE they are properly identified.

Take advantage of Talbot Humane’s Pet ID Services

Talbot Humane is celebrating National Pet ID week by offering $1 engraved ID tags and $10 microchip services for the month of April.  Call today to make an appointment, (410)822-0107.   Why take the chance on never seeing your beloved pet again?  ID does save lives, and, prevents broken hearts too.

Simply amazing.  Those are really the only words to describe the community support to help feed hungry pets in our area.  When Talbot Humane began our Pet Pantry in 2008, we really had no idea it would take off in such a fabulous way.  Our goal was simple, to help  owners who are faced with the prospect of surrendering their pets because they can no longer afford to purchase food. Many needy families in our community are loving pet owners, but, may be having a difficult time providing food for both their families and their pets during these trying financial times.

When we started we had a few pantry users.  Within one year we were serving close to 100 friends in the community, and these numbers continue to grow.  Today dispensing more than 2 tons of food annually, this program is truly life saving.  The beauty of this program is that every bag and can of food has been donated by our generous community.  We have even had friends who used the pantry, donate back once they have gotten on their feet.  Others have chosen to volunteer with Talbot Humane so they can give back too.

Over the past 5 years, we have seen pet pantries open in shelters in our surrounding counties.  We now even have a group who’s sole goal is to collect food for the shelter pantries- Pet Pantries of Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties.  Our work isn’t done yet.  There are still days where we are down to only a few bags of food on our shelves.  We are always accepting dry dog and cat food for the Talbot Humane Pet Pantry.  Great thanks is owed to everyone who has donated to this project.

Thank you friends for all you do.  This is just one more example, if we each do a little, together we truly make a major difference for the animals.

For the animals,

Patty Crankshaw-Quimby

March is here and for Talbot Humane and all the other rescues and humane societies in the area this means we will soon be seeing litter upon litter of kittens.  We want to stop kitten season in it’s tracks today!  Talbot County residents you really cannot beat this deal.

If your feline companion or barn cat is over 8 weeks of age, we can help you have he or she spayed or neutered through our low cost spay neuter program. Not only does your cat receive this surgery, but they are dewormed, nails trimmed, and receive rabies and distemper when needed. For an additional fee you may have your cat tested for FeLV/FIV and/or microchipped.

Please call today to schedule your appointment at (410)822-0107.  Be part of the solution to animal over population- have your pet spayed and neutered today!

Talbot Humane is excited to announce Oxford Day is once again, Going to the Dogs!  Join the fun on Saturday, April 27 in Oxford for a Dog Walk and Show to benefit the animals of Talbot Humane. This year  Hair O’ the Dog is the Grand Sponsor of Talbot Humane activities.

Oxford Day begins at 7:30AM with 10k and 5k walk/runs  and the festivities go all day!  The Talbot Humane Breakfast Tent, sponsored by Invisible Fence, will fill your need for morning caffeine and a tasty treat.   The Oxford Day Dog Walk, sponsored by TriCrown Inn for Pets begins at 9:00 am runs from the Causeway to the Ferry Dock. The blessing of the animals takes place just before the Walk at 8:55 am. Download the Oxford day dog walk registration 2013 now! The fee to participate is $25.  All money raised benefits the animals of Talbot Humane- The goal for this day to raise $2,500!

Once at the Ferry Dock,  show your pup pride in the Talbot Humane Oxford Day Dog Show, once again sponsored by Maryland Shore Pet Resort.  This is always great fun, and there is no fee to enter your pooch in as many classes as you want. Classes include Tallest Dog, Fluffiest Dog, Smallest Dog, Most Adorable Puppy, Dogs Adopted from Talbot Humane, Look A Like, Dogs Adopted from Other Rescue Organizations, Unique Looks, Best Trick and Best of Show. Trophies will be awarded and pictures will be taken.  We are still accepting sponsors for the dog show!  Interested?  Sponsor a class in the Dog Show 2013– download now!

The Annual Oxford Day Parade begins at 11. Enjoy  music, free rides on  the Skipjack  Nathan of Dorchester, delicious food, Oxford Marketplace in the Park and more, all day long!  We hope you and your animals decide to enjoy the day in Historic Oxford Maryland.

May 18th may seem far away, but, it will be here before we know it!  What’s May 18th you ask?  It’s the 2nd Annual St. Michaels Running Festival of course!  This year, not only has Talbot Humane created a fundraising team  to receive a portion of the registration fees, but, we will be training a new group of friends to get UNLEASHED!  Couch potato to seasoned runner- we want you ALL!

For novice runners and first-time marathoners, UNLEASHED offers the popular run:walk training method of just two 30-45 minute runs on your own during the week and one long group run on Saturday mornings that gradually builds, mile by mile, to the full racing distance. All run:walk training is non-competitive, supportive and done at your pace!

Walkers come out and receive some one on one training to build your endurance, and get you to your mileage goal- you know, walkers can join the 5K or 10K events too!

For repeat marathoners and experienced runners, we offer all the amenities of the run:walk program, plus coaching support to help you improve your personal record.

Your commitment for training is the cost of the team shirt (412) and a “Get or Give” of $100 in fundraising for Talbot Humane.  This is a DEAL for the many weeks of training and support leading up to the festival.  Not to mention the team building and new friendships you will undoubtedly make.

For the Training Schedule for the St Michaels Running Festival, please click HERE! Just want to see what it is all about?  Come out to Idlewild Park by the tennis courts on Saturday March 23rd at 7a.  (or any Saturday following!) We would love to have you join us for a “trial run”- we just know you will be hooked! 

For more information on how to LIVE UNLEASHED with Talbot Humane, email us at info@talbothumane.org or call (410)822-0107.

Sold out! But you can still make a difference!

The sophomore venture of Dancing for the Dogs is underway!  The competition has begun, all to culminate on March 9, 2013 at The Tidewater Inn. Last year $70,000 was raised for the animals!  AMAZING! Talbot Humane is excited to once again be a recipient of funds from this fabulous event along with Caroline County Humane Society and Tom Cat Solutions.  Partners for Paws Fund was created to help animals on the Midshore- with your help of course!  While seats are sold out, there are still opportunities to be involved with this fabulous event.

• Vote for your favorite local celebrity! Every dollar is a vote- ultimately a vote for the animals!  Go to www.dancingforthedogs.com to meet the celebrities and vote NOW!
• Advertise in the program.  There is still room to share your business or passion for animals with those in attendance.
• Attend an event of one of the 11 dancers!  They are all charged with raising funds for the animals and the competition is already heating up!  Each will be holding events up to the day of the competition.  You will have the opportunity to see their dance and give a few dollars toward the cause too!
  • Saturday February 9th:  Wine Tasting, music and more at Layton Chance Winery in Vienna MD.  2-5P. Benefiting Dance teams of Terron Quailes and Martha Suss.
    
  • Friday February 15th:  2nd Annual Hair O’ The Dog  Chili Cook-off at their store on Marlboro Rd.  Easton benefiting celebrity Joe Petro’s Team.  Good Dog Grill will be adding the winning chili to their menu & donating proceeds from the sale to Dancing for the Dogs!  WOWZA- how cool!
  • Saturday February 16th:  “Bark a Bid” at the Avalon Theatre, Saturday, Feb. 16^th from 7-10pm  benefiting celebrity Stacie Monz’s Team
  • Saturday February 16th:  BASKET BINGO!  4-8P EVFD to benefit Dr. Scott Thompson’s Team
  • Thursday February 28th:  Guest Bartenders at The Washington St. Pub!  Stacie Monz and Hugo will be serving up the libations from 5-8P with a percentage of your check benefiting their team!
  • Sunday March 3rd:  Dancing Preview at 202 Dover!  3P-5P $30 at the door, wine, hors d’ oevres and a preview of Ron Mitchell and Sandra Showell’s dance at 4P!
  • Wednesday- Friday March 6-8th:  Ruby Tuesday’s of Easton Gives Back 10% of the sales will benefit Team Paul Lewis.
  • Wednesday March 6th:  Sneak Peek Dancing for the Dogs!  At the Waterfowl Building (Old Armory on S. Harrison St.) Check out Team Mike Linardi, Team Jordan Lloyd and Team Cleo Braver!  7P-9P for $10 ( or more if you wish!!!) at the door you get to see 3 of the competitors dance and have some sweet treats while doing so!

For more information on this fun and fabulous event, go to www.dancingforthedogs.com

Remember, when we each do our part, we make an amazing difference for the animals of our community!

Donations made to Talbot Humane last month during our  holiday appeal and matching gift campaign well exceeded our initial goal of $30,000.   Because of your generosity these 2 campaigns brought more than $75,000 to Talbot Humane!

“We are so appreciative of the community’s support,” said Patty Quimby, executive director of Talbot Humane. “The St. John Foundation, an exceptionally generous friend of Talbot Humane, has again matched contributions made during the month of December, and we are thrilled. This will help many animals during the winter when many need it most.”

The matching challenge ensures that each contribution saves twice as many animals, purchases twice as much pet food and supports twice as many veterinary services. Vernon Nily of the St. John Foundation said, “We are proud and happy to assist Talbot Humane in any way and are amazed at the number of contributions they raised in December.”

Thank you friends.  Once again, proof YOU make all the difference for the animals in our community.

St. Michaels Running Festival and Talbot Humane Partner! 

We are excited to let you know that Talbot Humane has become a non-profit partner of the St. Michaels Running Festival – which will take place on Saturday, May 18, 2013.  In partnering with this event, we have a wonderful opportunity to raise money and awareness for our cause.  Here is how the partnership works:

We have created a team, Talbot County Humane Society, and we need as many people as possible to sign up for our team.  10% of ALL registration fees will be donated to our organization from the running festival. *

Talbot Humane team UNLEASHED will begin training for the St. Michaels Running festival soon!  Walkers to runners, couch potatoes to seasoned runners- WE WANT YOU ALL!  Check out how to get moving with Talbot Humane!

Don’t need training help but still want to do more for Talbot Humane?  Raise funds from friends and family to support your run that day- It’s easy to do and will make a great impact on our efforts!

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We are asking you to sign up to participate in the St. Michaels Running Festival.  You don’t have to be a runner to do it – you can run in any of the races or even walk the 5k course. Just sign up online and make sure you choose Talbot County Humane Society when prompted to join a team.  During the sign up, you will be asked if you would like to raise additional funds for a charity. Please select YES and choose Talbot County Humane Society. You will be able to customize your charity home page after completing registration. You access your fundraising homepage via a link that will be sent with your registration confirmation email.

If you can, please commit to helping us by spreading the word to your friends and family.

You can sign up online by going to www.RunStM.com (click on the register now tab) or you can contact us to talk about joining our team – Nancy Wells – (410) 822-0107 – nancyw@talbothumane.org

*In order for us to get the 10% contribution, no other discounts may be used.  

If you are anything like those of us here at Talbot Humane, you too are wondering where 2012 went!  So much was accomplished for the animals of our community.  2013 is here and we are ready for another successful year!

Here is a snapshot of 2012:

• More than 1,320 animals entered our care
• Over 980 animals were adopted, transferred to other 501.c.3 rescue groups or rehabilitation centers, or, were lost and reclaimed by their owners.
• 270 animals entered foster care to receive the specialized care they deserve
• Volunteers gave over 15,000 hours of their time to Talbot Humane
• Officers responded to nearly 800 initial calls and complaints
• Over 600 animals were spayed and neutered
• Over 700 children received a lesson in humane care and kindness to animals
• Your votes placed us in 1 of only 50 spots in the ASPCA Rachael Ray Competition
• You won us 5,000 lbs of kitty litter from Worlds Best Cat Litter
• We participated in over 50 events around our community thanks to our dedicated volunteers
• We got UNLEASHED for the first time!  Creating a charity marathon training program we hope to continue for many years to come
• Year 3 of Bark in the Park was bigger and better than ever- thanks to YOU!

Because we each did our part, 2012 was a success for the animals of our community. We are looking forward to what 2013 holds.  We hope you continue to follow and support our efforts.  If we each do a little, together, we DO make a difference.

Resolve with us to make a difference in 2013- Adopt. Donate. Volunteer.  Save a life with Talbot Humane!

For the Animals,

Patty Crankshaw-Quimby