United Animal Friends' Mel on Local Radio!

A little while back, stellar UAF volunteer Mel sat down with Sue Sammarco of "Sue's Corner Pet Shop" Radio Show. We've included some of the highlights from that interview here. Great work, Mel! "Sue's Corner Pet Shop" airs every Sunday at 10:30AM on KJZA 89.5 FM.

And The TableScrap Goes To . . .

Andrea! Yet another 'Volunteer We Can't Live Without!' Everybody who volunteers or works with United Animal Friends surely knows Andrea well . . . she does SO MUCH! Among her many, many roles with United Animal Friends, Andrea most notably is our Adoption Events Coordinator and our Pet Food Bank Coordinator / Delivery Person. These are massive, huge roles! Each week, Andrea organizes volunteers and transport for all of the UAF adoption events. She transports, handles and manages events too! Andrea's work with the UAF Pet Food Bank is also a very intense job - one that takes her all over Arizona and allows her to meet people who are struggling to feed their animals and help them relieve that burden by providing them with free, donated pet food. Andrea's also a member of the new UAF Volunteer Committee and actively participates in all fundraising campaigns. Finally, Andrea is in charge of updated the Petfinders database with all incoming and outgoing dogs. Whew! She calls herself a 'failed foster,' but we think that just means she loves too much too let go. Here's how Andrea sums up her motivation for volunteering:

"I do what I do because of my love and compassion for animals. I have always had animals in my home. As a small child, I would bring home anything lost or hurt including kittens, puppies, rabbits, rodents, birds - anything that needed someone to help it. I joined PETA and Green peace back in the 70's because I was saddened by the horrors of whale and seal hunting & laboratory testing. I was a 4-H member at age 8, until I was told I needed to slaughter my rabbits. I never understood how you could raise an animal to trust you and then kill it.

Well, to sum it all up I have not changed very much. I still want to help everything, now even people. Education is the key to helping more animals. Its so rewarding taking pet food to people who are struggling to feed their animals and knowing it really helps. Also, seeing a dog get adopted that wouldn't have the chance without the networking of UAF. It's a great feeling. Rescuing puppies from a shelter e-list with one day to spare is the best!

I wouldn't change what I do for anything. I love UAf and its strong values. If I could wish for something it would be for more fosters and more adopters to help us save more animals. All of us as part of the community need to be responsible for the well being of the animals in this community."

The UAF Wishlist!

As United Animal Friends proceeds forward with the development and publishing of our brand new website, we've found ourselves polishing and revising things here and there. One part of the organization that we've gone over in the past few weeks is the UAF wishlist. This list will be available on the new website; please make yourself aware of these items and spread the word. One person's trash is another's treasure - as we know! If you have any items you'd like to donate, or if you know of someone who might, please let us know! Contact Joellyn via email at joellynaz@yahoo.com

• Fold down metal Crates folding tables for events
• A few new canopys
• A VAN, in good condition that we can use to transport animals from shelters, supplies, etc.
• Gas Cards to use for VAN refueling
• Staples rewards cards (if transferable) for copies, printer ink, etc.
• Indestructible beds (like Kuranda http://kuranda.com/donate/)
• Minolta D200 SLR digital camera
• Petsmart/Petco/Olsen's/Costco/Sam's Club Gift Cards
• Leashes/Collarscat/dog beds
• Mobile Vet Clinic
• Dog/Cat food

Morsels of Goodness: Bristol

Some of you may remember Bristol . . . a gorgeous, quiet Pointer who spent a whopping 11 WEEKS at Prescott Animal Control. A couple down in the Valley saw her on the UAF website and made the trip to PAC just for her! She has been renamed "Hina" and is yet another wonderful success story!

A note from Bristol's new mom to ACO Larry: "I just wanted to thank you for all of your help in the adoption process. We named her Hina, a japanese word for sunshine. She loves her new home with us and we couldn't be more pleased with her either. She is learning new commands every week and has put on a few needed pounds since her adoption. She was the perfect addition to our home and I am very greatful to your facility and the volunteer group that posted her on the website, without which we would not have found her. She was well worth the wait and the drive! I've attached a photo of her if you are interested in sharing her success story on your board, mostly though I just wanted to express our gratitude and say thanks once again." We never get tired of these stories!!!

Adoptable Mutt of the Month: Rainer

As Rainer will tell you, life isn’t always easy and it’s certainly not always fair. But according to Rainer – a sleek shepherd mix with a very beautiful spirit – you have to keep movin.’ We don’t really know what Rainer’s past life was like. He is incredibly affectionate and clearly loves people, but there’s a timidity to him too – just a little bit of uncertainty. He’ll sit, for instance, before you’ve even had the chance to ask. He just really wants to impress you is all, and wants you to know that he – Rainer – is a really good dog. He’s getting up in the years – probably around three to five years old now, so he’s really ready to settle down and enjoy the quiet life. Sure, he’d still love to go out for a daily stroll around the neighborhood, but his galavanting days are behind him. Now, he seems to really understand that what matters most in this life – fair and unfair – is having someone to love you unconditionally. If there was ever a dog who deserved love like that, Rainer is without a doubt, without even a smidgeon of doubt, that dog.

Kitten Cruelty Case Continues in Prescott

Sometimes, it's frightening to learn how close to home vicious acts of animal cruelty often occur. United Animal Friends has been closely following the criminal trial against Laura Ann King, a Prescott Valley resident accused of killing her six-month old kitten. King has since attempted to blame the death of the kitten on her rottweiler, despite witness reports of hearing King with the kitten inside her apartment. Thankfully, the reports of these responsible witnesses did not go unrecognized by Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Ralph Hess, who denied the defense motion concerning the rottweiler, and set King's animal cruelty court date for September 1st. The details are gruesome enough, but it is importnat that we realize what type of animal cruelty issues we're likely to have in our own community, and thus equip ourselves with better resources to combat the criminals and values behind those heinous acts. Yes, it's hard to read and acknowledge this type of flagrant disconcern for animal life, but if we are to make our community a safer place for animals, we have to first be informed. See the full Daily Courier article here. (Thanks to Linda H. for supplying the picture - to the right - of Laura King when she first adopted the cat . . . animal abusers are certainly not always obvious from the get go!)