As in previous years, we will award prizes to the three people in both the 12 & under and over-12 age groups who raise the most money for the Humane Society!

The prizes include a $50 Target gift card for 1st place, a $30 Target gift card for 2nd, and a $20 Target gift card for 3rd, along with some other goodies.

For the Over-12 age group the prize basket includes the gift card as well as…A picture frame donated by Moment’s on Main, dog toys, a key chain, and cute greeting cards.

For the 12-and-under folks the prize baskets include the gift card and…A Webkinz toy & stickers donated by Life’s Little Oasis, a dog toy, bubbles, and cute note cards.

We think everyone who takes part in our Walk-a-Thon is a winner so we also have a variety of door prizes and gift bags including…

• Dog & cat ornaments donated by Claydon’s Hallmark
• Webkinz donated by Life’s Little Oasis
• Blizzard Tokens donated by Dairy Queen
• A $25 gift card donated by Econofoods
• A $10 gift certificate donated by Dominoes
• Pasta Bar certificate donated by Liberty’s
• Peel-a-Deal coupon cards donated by Papa Murphy’s
• Dog toys donated by KONG
• AND MORE…

PLUS, we really love when people sign up to collect donations online through GiveMN.org since it makes it easy for the walk participant, their donors, AND us. So as an incentive everyone who signs up as a fundraiser on our page: http://givemn.razoo.com/team/Hsgc-Walk-A-Thon-2013 will get one of these t-shirts!

(Think baby shower, only for kittens.)

We will have activities and games as well as light refreshments, and of course kittens to cuddle.

Throughout the spring and summer we get MANY litters of kittens and often they need extra care due to poor diet, parasites, and an overall lack of care. Even if they are lucky enough to come in with their mothers, their moms may not have had a good diet or veterinary care putting her at a disadvantage when it comes to birthing and nursing healthy kittens. Most come in without their mothers, however, and are often too young to be on hard food. Many have weak immune systems and are underweight. As “kitten season” draws on the task of caring for multiple litters of kittens and paying for all of their needs becomes increasingly challenging. You can help by bringing a donation to our kitten shower!

To help us with the needs of our kittens these are items on our “kitten registry” which you can view and shop from at Amazon.com:

• Bleach (Kittens are messy… bleach helps.)
• Dish soap
• High-Efficiency Laundry Detergent (again… kittens are messy!)
• Towels (gently used are perfect)
• Wash cloths (again, used are perfectly fine)
• Powdered cat milk replacement such as KMR, Hartz, or Just Born brands (for kittens that need to be bottle fed or who need an extra boost mixed into their moist food)
• Powdered multi-species milk replacement such as NurseAll
• Tiny kitten-sized bottles like these
• Nutrical for kittens (a nutritional supplement especially for underweight kittens)
• High-quality kitten food like Royal Canin Babycat 34
• Kitten formula canned food
• Turkey or Chicken jarred baby food, like Gerber
• Bene-Bac probiotic gel
• Lysine chewables like PetNaturals, VetriLysine or Viralys Gel
• Kitten flea/tick preventative like Revolution or Advantage
• Non-clumping cat litter
• Small litter pans

All of the kittens that come in will also need to be spayed/neutered eventually at a cost of $50 each. Please also consider a financial contribution to help with these and other costs.

Bring your pet to the Humane Society to visit Santa and have keepsake photos taken for a suggested donation of $10 – all proceeds will go to help the homeless animals of the Humane Society, of course.

Don’t you want everyone to see how cute your pet is?! M & M Photography will take several shots of your pet with Santa and the images will be emailed to you so you can print or share them as you like.

All animals are welcome but please have them either leashed or in a carrier to keep them safe and happy since there will be other animals present.

Download the Flyer Here: Pet Photos with Santa

It’s not because we don’t want to hear from you though! We encourage you to connect with us through email, phone, Facebook, and – of course – in person!

(From Anna, Director of the Humane Society)

Rhea is a German Shepherd who came to us as a stray. She was extremely thin with over-grown toe nails and obvious digestive issues. We sent her to Argosy University to be spayed and they discovered that she has a condition called Endocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency which means that she requires a dietary supplement with every meal in order for her to adequately digest her food. The condition is manageable but it made Rhea less adoptable. We worked with German Shepherd rescues to cross-post her information and eventually got a call from a gentleman who had lost his beloved German Shepherd a few months prior to old age. He met Rhea, saw past her problems, and fell in love. He did thorough research on the EPI condition and arranged for a consultation with a specialist for her. She is now his very well-cared-for and completely adored companion. That’s what we call a success story!

Donate on Give to the Max Day at GiveMN.org/HSGC!

Bottle feeding kittens is always a gamble… without their mother’s milk full of the right nutrients and antibodies they are much more susceptible to illness, digestive problems, and general failure to thrive. It’s a lot of work to bottle-feed kittens and it takes an emotional toll when they become sick or don’t survive.

Casper and Wendy both had their share of ups and downs but Ruth persevered and got them through to the point of being healthy independent kittens. Both were adopted to great homes and you’d never guess they had such a rough start to life.

Donate on Give to the Max Day at GiveMN.org/HSGC in honor of Casper!

That’s how we met Ezra, a young female sugar glider who was dumped in a box along with 6 others who we guessed to be siblings and parents. We separated the males from females, gave them good fresh foods, worked on hand-taming them, and had Ezra’s hind leg amputated so she could live without pain. Ezra was the last little glider to get adopted but she found a great home with an experienced person.

How’s that for a success story?!

Donate on Give to the Max Day at GiveMN.org/HSGC to enable even more successes!