February 2003 | P E T S B U R G H

An un-fur-gettable experience may await when you adopt an
animal companion, or volunteer to make their lives better.

By Mike May and Andrea L. Zrimsek | Photography by Blaine Stiger

It's raining cats and dogs. And there's a flood. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that between 8 million and 10 million cats and dogs enter animal shelters every year. The good news is that some 3 million to 5 million of these orphaned creatures are adopted annually. The bad news? Well, you do the math.

If you're looking to adopt an animal companion, shelters and other animal-friendly organizations offer a diverse menagerie of some 25,000 pets (in Allegheny County alone) from which to choose: There are, of course, the cats and dogs (the most plentiful), both young and old, purebred and mixed-breed, as well as "exotics" such as birds, reptiles and other species available at some facilities.

If you can't add a permanent pet to your family, there are other ways to help. Local organizations afford many chances for you to get up close and personal with our fine feathered, furred and scaled friends -- from fostering to offering a few hours a week for dog walking.

"Pawse" with us now as we visit three of the many area shelters, and some of the services and opportunities they offer. Not only are they working to provide a solution to a major problem, but also helping make life better for our animal friends -- and those who adopt them.

At the ripe old age of 910 (in dog years, that is), the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society is the oldest animal-welfare organization in the region, and one of the oldest in the United States. Since its founding in the Strip District in 1874, the local society has been "a continually evolving organization," says executive director James Bonner. "It's not your father's Humane Society."

That's apparent when you see the society's new state-of-the-art facilities on the North Side. Opened in November, the building is the first in the society's history that has been created from the ground up to be a place to house and care for animals, with room for up to 400 animals. Not only does the facility have more space, but there are also separate puppy and dog areas, get-acquainted areas for dogs and cats, feline-friendly cage designs, an exotic-animal room, a learning center and improved surgical facilities.

"Where your new best friend is waiting," predicts a WPHS slogan. That "friend" could be the traditional dog or cat, or maybe a gerbil, bunny or reptile. "Just about anything that's available to the public winds up in a shelter," says Barb Golden, communications director. The shelter is open door, although not all animals taken in are adoptable because of medical or behavioral problems. The society also offers referrals for harder-to-place animals. WPHS is working to become a full-adoption shelter by 2005.

There are also advanced education opportunities including certification from Therapy Dog International, through which you can take therapy dogs into health-care facilities.

Take me home: Dogs and cats run the gamut from purebreds to mixes (usually two-breed mixes, says Golden, "rarely Heinz 57"). To adopt, you must be 18 or older and have valid ID; you'll also receive some compatibility counseling with staff. Most cats and dogs are $60; kittens, $75; puppies, $150, which includes a mandatory obedience class. Rabbits are $35, and prices for exotics can go up to $100. Because of high volume, fees for cats may be reduced during summer months. Fees include vaccines, spaying/neutering, leash, tags, microchip ident and a carrier for cats. Off-site adoptions at Petco at the Waterfront, PetsMart at various locations and during WPHS special events.

How else you can help: Volunteer opportunities include dog walking -- "Come over on your lunchtime; you get fit and the animals get fit," says Bonner -- grooming, training, cleaning, fostering and helping with adoptions and with outside events. Becoming a volunteer requires an interview and orientation (one hour for four days); you must be 16 or older. Parents with children are welcome (parent must be 18 or older). Annual events include the Pet Telethon (Sunday, Feb. 16: noon to 2 p.m. on KDKA-TV and 2 to 4 p.m. on UPN 19); events related to Be Kind to Animals Week on the first Sunday in May; and semi-annual Blessings of the Animals: Fallen Timbers site in spring, Round Hill Farm in winter. Shelter naming opportunities are available for a donation.

For info: 1101 Western Ave., North Side; 412/321-4625, wpahumane.org. Open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Founded here in 1943 as an animal-referral service to help deal with pets left behind by American servicemen and -women going off to war, Animal Friends has long since expanded its services to also help shelter dogs, cats and other types of pets. A pioneer in no-kill policy, Animals Friends sometimes has a waiting list of animals to be admitted.

"We make a commitment to every animal that comes through the door," says Kathleen Beaver, assistant executive director and marketing director.

There is cage space for 160 animals, but to provide shelter for more, animals sometimes are even housed temporarily in Friends offices. A fostering program with 200 active volunteers provides off-site space as well. Animals range from purebred dogs and cats to mixed breeds, including senior-citizen dogs (age is not a reason to be turned away). Exotics can also be found -- a cayman and a rooster were among recent rescues.

Amenities include two outdoor play areas and two cat rooms, dog obedience classes, an animal birth-control program and a pet-loss support group.

Space will increase dramatically when new facilities are ready at a 131/2-acre site in Ohio Township. With a capital campaign soon to begin, Beaver predicts a groundbreaking in 2004. Public walking trails and other amenities will make this "more than a shelter," Beaver says. "[It] will increase collaboration with the community and give pets the standing they deserve in our community." The current Strip District location will remain as a satellite site.

Take me home: To adopt, you must be 21 or older, have current ID and complete an application. Renters must show landlord approval. Dogs and cats of any age are $60, and the fee includes spaying/neutering, vaccinations, microchip ident, an adoption starter kit, collar and identification tag. Off-site adoptions are available at the Koppers Building, downtown; PetsMart in Cranberry and Petco in Bethel Park, West Mifflin and Monroeville.

How else you can help: Volunteer opportunities include walking dogs, cleaning, cuddling cats, helping with fundraising efforts and working in pet-assisted therapy. Volunteers must complete an application and attend orientation. Special events include the Mutt Strut and Tag Day for donations, both in May; the annual Black Tie and Tails, Bark in the Park pledge walk and picnic, and Dash for Dogs and Cats 5K run in the fall.

For info: 2643 Penn Ave., Strip District; 412/566-2103, animal-friends.org. Open Monday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tuesday-Wednesday, noon-8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

Among those contributing time to Animal Friends as a volunteer was Dr. Ginney Duffey, now the executive director of the Butler County Humane Society. Before taking the job, she served on the society's board of directors, and was appointed to her post in order to carry out the board's desire to make the Butler County Humane Society a no-kill shelter. It's been no-kill now for two years.

"Since we became a no-kill shelter, we've managed to take care of almost 2,000 animals a year -- more than before it was no-kill -- and successfully placing them into loving homes," reports Duffey, whose Ph.D is in education. "It's still a struggle," she says, noting her vision of the Butler County organization also being a no-kill adoption source for all of the North Hills (although animals are accepted only from Butler County). The society rescues abandoned and abused animals, and sometimes there is a waiting list for owned animals.

Dogs and cats are available for adoption here, both purebreds and mixed breeds. Housing accommodates more than 100 animals; when there's an overflow, animals may be temporarily housed in other areas of the shelter, including in Duffey's office. The society also rescues farm animals such as horses, cows or sheep, and provides referrals. Amenities include cat rooms and a small-dog area. More will be available in the donated expansion now under way. When completed at the end of May, the Helen Spaide Albig Adoption Center will be a state-of-the-art facility with a special cat room, puppy room, play areas, indoor and outdoor runs, a visiting area for prospective owners and a behavioral training area.

The hiring of the society's first humane officer provides yet another opportunity to help animals. "We represent and become the voice of those who can't speak for themselves," Duffey says.

Take me home: You must be at least 21 and complete an application form to adopt. Renters must obtain permission from their landlords. Kittens, cats and dogs are $65; puppies are $75. The fee includes spaying/neutering and shots. Off-site adoptions are available at PetsMart in Cranberry.

How else you can help: Volunteering starts with an application and orientation. Opportunities include animal fostering, dog and cat socializers and fundraising. You can also contribute to one of the biggest sources of funding by donating a kennel plaque: You choose the name (your own, your pet's, etc.) and it goes on a plaque (large, $1,000; small, $500) that stays up for a year. (The nonprofit society receives no funding from the county.) Events include the fall Show Me the Way to Your Heart telethon, a Woof and Whiskers Walk in early summer, a flea market and others.

For info: 1015 Evans City Road, Connoquenessing Township; 724/789-1150, www.bchs.petfinder.org. Open Sunday-Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, noon-4 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, noon-5:30 p.m.

Associate editor Mike May's family has adopted several animal companions from the Western Pennsylvania and Butler County Humane Societies. Bethel Park-based free-lance writer and former magazine intern Andrea L. Zrimsek currently has no animals of her own, but she is a frequent pet-sitter for friends' cats, dogs, horses and even cows. Photographer Blaine Stiger is considering fostering an animal.