Help us keep the mission moving at WHS in 2010

From the Director:

We are so grateful for the support our friends provided in 2009. It was a tough year financially for everyone—individuals, corporations and organizations. It seemed like the first six months the recession wasn‘t affecting WHS. Then the other shoe fell.

By the end of the year, our giving was down $52,144.91 from the previous year. Our total income was down $84,335.52 from 2008.

However, if we take into consideration a $50,000 final draw from a trust in 2008, that‘s about down $34, 335.52. Donations were only down $1,134.91, if the $50,000 is removed from the equation. I am pleased with this, in light of the down economy. Thank you.

Income from boarding was down $21,935, as families stayed home for summer vacations, or shortened their stays away from home. Grooming fees dropped $2,277. We plan to market the boarding and grooming facility better this year. You can help us spread the word.

We ended the year with 313 adoptions, which averages more than a pet per day if you consider the facility is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Adoption fees, however were up $9514 from the previ-ous year, thanks to aggressive adoption prices. One of our board members was volunteering at an adoption event away from WHS and was asked why our adoption fees run between $75 and $300 per animal. ―The animals are free, but you have to pay for the ser-vices they get before you take them home.‖ I like that reasoning. Animal Control facilities will adopt animals for as little as $10, but the pets are not current on all immunizations, nor are they spayed or microchipped.

So, looking at our numbers, we can tell our donors were not able to support us at quite the level of 2008, but we are grateful for their continued dedication.

We have some lofty goals for 2010. The board and staff have de-cided this is the year to open the low-cost spay/neuter clinic with the help of Dr. Rege, our vet from All Breed Pet Care. We estimate the set up costs around $5,000. We've applied for a local grant but we realize many other non-profits are looking for grant support this year as well.

Inside, I‘ve included several means by which donors may support worthy causes. Please don‘t be insulted if you are a faithful WHS donor. I remember a minister from my childhood who always wore a brown, shiny suit when he was going to give a sermon on giving. My suit today is brown, but not shiny. Matter of fact, it's fairly well covered in dog/cat hair. The message is aimed to be a helpful suggestion to those who may not have considered future support.

Dogs need spring cleaning after long winter

Spring cleaning? Don't forget your dog may need it, too. Make an appointment today with our groomer for the ultimate spa treat-ment for pets. Call 490-7011 to schedule your dog or cat for a spring spruce up .

Home Away Pet Lodge also offers doggie/kitty day care. We'll take care of your pet while you are at work. It's a great idea to schedule a day out for your pets if you are having carpets cleaned, furniture delivered or painting done. It's safer and less stressful for everybody.

Seen low on the fridge at a pet owner’s house (Editor‘s note: This article was posted on a pet rescue support website. There was no author listed, so we thank Anonymous for another fine piece of work.) The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door:

Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food.

Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this.

Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep.

It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered.

Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

1) They live here. You don't.

2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.

3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.

4) To you, they‘re animals. To me, they're adopted children who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they (1) eat less, (2) don't ask for money all the time, (3) are easier to train, (4) normally come when called, (5) never ask to drive the car, (6) don't hang out with drug-using people; (7) don't smoke or drink, (8) don't want to wear your clothes, (9) don't have to buy the latest fashions, (10) don't need a gazillion dollars for college and (11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

Pet Privacy rules changed

New policies about releasing pet vacci-nation records are in effect at many vets' offices. For us to receive your pet's medi-cal records, you need to call your vet and authorize them to fax us the information.

Here‘s a repeat of the contest we asked you previously to help us win. It still doesn‘t cost you anything and it could win some bucks for WHS. Every day, go to www.animalrescuesite.com and click on the purple "Click here, it's free" box.

After you click, look in the upper right box on the page to vote for WHS to be the recipient of a $25,000 grant. The shelter with the most votes by April 18 will receive the top grant. There are other grant levels as well, so even if WHS does-n't receive the most votes, we could still be in line to receive a grant. Each state winner gets a grant, as well.

Please put this site on your favorites list and remember to click on it every day and vote for WHS. Forward the website and directions to everyone on your email/Facebook, etc. address lists and ask them to do the same.

WHS committees for 2010 are forming. We need your help to make this a great year. Contact Nancy Lybarger at 490-7011 or email whsdirector@yahoo.com if you would like to be on one or more of these committees.

Expansion -Spay/Neuter (sub committee)

  -Additional lodge programs (sub com-mittee)

Community Involvement

  -Volunteers (sub committee)

  -Animal control relationships (sub com-mittee)

Fundraising

  -Grants (sub committee)

  -Events (sub committee)

Marketing 

  -Website (sub committee)

Kester cats arrive at WHS

Last fall when a call came from a central Indiana attorney with the news that some dear soul had died and left us her cats, we were underwhelmed. We didn‘t need any more cats, thanks.

And these cats were elderly. What were we going to do with a herd of old cats?

And one of them tested positive for feline leu-kemia. If he came anywhere near other cats, they could contract it from him.

But then the attorney explained that the lady who died, Virginia Sue Kester, had found out about our organization from the internet and believed in no-kill like we do. Turns out not only did we inherit her cats, but a sizable portion of her estate. We don‘t have the settlement yet, so we don‘t know the exact amount. Ms. Kester was a long-time employee of the Shelby County (Indiana) Schools dining service and she loved her cats. She took in many strays in her life. She left no close family but her cats.

Some of her cats were adopted by people who knew Ms. Kester. Her animal caretaker kept the guy with feleuk. And now we have five of the group and they are integrat-ing into the society in our cat room. We are holding a senior-to-senior cat special. Anyone over 55 who adopts one of the Kester kitties will receive the half-price adoption fee of $25. We aren‘t checking ID, either.

These are nice cats and for their ages — mostly 10 and up — they are in very good health. They play nice and they love to be loved. Great cats for a lap.

Check them out on our website: www.warrickhumanesociety.org or come by WHS and introduce yourself.  We are grateful to Ms. Kester for her generosity. She wanted to support a no-kill shelter. She had the last word about how her funds were to be allocated. You can, too.

There are several options to consider when planning: Establish a designated fund with the Warrick County Community Founda-tion that will benefit WHS forever (in perpetuity); or make an outright bequest to WHS.

Establish a charitable remainder trust, which gives donors in-come for their lifetime then leaves the remainder to WHS or a lead trust that supports WHS during your lifetime but reverts to your heirs at your death. Your attorney or financial advisor can help you establish a trust for the benefit of WHS.

When making your final arrangements, you can tell your con-sultant that you‘d like memorials in your name to go to WHS.

Please read the information to the right before you make deci-sions about any form of lasting donations. Always consult a pro-fessional advisor before making changes to your estate plans.

Other ways to support WHS, before you go — and after

At WHS, we know you are slammed from all sides with requests to support many good causes. Without getting too detailed here, we offer some options to put your donations where you want them to be, now and later. Always consult your financial advisor before making any decisions about giving to any organization.

Listed below are just a few ways you may establish a funding stream—and have the last word. Some don‘t take effect until after your passing. The information was taken from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America website.

Appreciated Securities Gifts of appreciated securities (stocks, bonds, and mutual funds) can allow you to take a deduction for the current market value on the date of the gift and avoid capital gains tax.

You are eligible to take a deduction for the current market value on the date of the gift and avoid capital gains tax. In order to take a deduction for gifts of securities at their current value, you must have owned the securities for at least one year and a day. Such gifts are deductible up to 30 percent of their adjusted gross income in the year of the gift. Real Estate Gifts of real estate will allow you to receive the maximum tax deduction allowed by law, bypass capital gain tax, provide you an opportunity to establish a gift that provides an income for life, and make a substantial donation to your favorite causes.

The qualified appraised value of real property is the gift value. The sale value, impacted by the real estate market in a given geographical area, may be less or more than the appraised value. If the sale value is significantly lower than the appraisal, the charitable tax deduction may need to be recalculated. Bequests (Wills & Trusts) A bequest provision in your will or trust will allow you make a significant gift to your causes without reducing your current income. Your estate planner can assist you. Life Insurance By changing the beneficiary of your policy, you can make a gift to WHS. There is no cost to change beneficiaries and the process is simple. Since you retain ownership of your policy, there are no income tax benefits.

Or, you can transfer the ownership of a cash value life insur-ance policy. A gift of life insurance passes to your beneficiary without delay and without being subject to probate and admin-istrative fees. You may want to assure that a certain gift amount will ulti-mately be given to your favorite causes. By establishing a new life insurance policy in which you determine the gift, you can be sure of the amount. In this situation, the chosen charity would be the owner of the policy from the beginning. Qualified Retirement Plans (IRA, Keogh, 401k, 403b) If you have sizeable amounts of tax-sheltered funds in quali-fied retirement plans, it may make sense to consider distribut-ing assets to family and WHS after your death. If you are al-ready receiving your mandatory distributions from your quali-fied retirement plan, consider using these funds, which have built up tax-free, for either outright or planned gifts. A charitable gift annuity can provide income for life and then support your favorite cause. Deferred gift annuities allow you to make the gift today and receive the annuity later in life.

In its latest contest, eScrip Dining is offering cash prizes totaling $5,000 to winning groups: 2nd Place: $1,000; 1st Place: $1,500; Grand Prize $2,500. Winning groups will be those with the highest percentage in-crease in qualified dines in February and March 2010, compared to December 2009 and January 2010. Here‘s how you can help: Use your registered credit or debit cards to pay for your next dine at one of thousands of eS-crip Dining locations.

In fact, your group is already a winner with up to 5 percent contributions on the entire bill (including tax and tip!) through the eScrip Dining program all year long. Register or update your debit and credit cards with eScrip. Have an iPhone or BlackBerry? Download the eScrip dining phone app. BlackBerry users can click the appropriate spot on the eScrip website to register their devices – a great way to find restaurants on the go! Take that someone special to eat at a participating restaurant – you can search for restaurants at www.escrip.rewardsnetwork.com.

WHS Coming events

February 27, 9 a.m.—4 p.m.

Women‘s Club Craft Show

And Taste of Newburgh,

Castle High School. WHS will be there with treats, toys and adoptable pets.

Saturday, March 27, noon-4 p.m.: Spring Festival at WHS

Pictures with the

Easter Bunny, egg

hunt, open house; pet parade

Event times will be announced in local media. Prizes will be awarded.

TBA: Catturday Adopt-a-thon

TBA: Dogs & Suds

Thanks to Ashley Sollars, WHS board member, who has up-dated the WHS website and set up a new Facebook page for the adoption facility. We registers more than 100 friends in less than a week on Facebook.

We plan to use social networking to reach a younger, tech-savvy audience with messages and fund raising requests.

If you have ideas for the website, contact WHS director, Nancy Lybarger, at whsdirector@yahoo.com or call 490.7011. The website address is www.warrickhumanesociety.org.

If you know people who‘d like to be our friends on Facebook, please send them our direction. If you have ideas how to en-courage online donations, please contact WHS.