Week 73 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

A Half Ton of Pet Food ... Since January 1st

1,359.4 lbs. to be exact.

This week’s donation was 268.7 lbs. of pet food and $12.85 in cash and one check. The dollars translate to 14.3 lbs. Together they add up to 283 lbs. of pet food.

Add the totals for the last three weeks, 321.9, 402.3 and 351.2 lbs., we get 1,359.4 lbs. of pet food we donated in just 4 weeks.

That’s amazing!

Also this week we donated 1 Pedi-Paws nail grinder, 1 harness, 6 scoop bags, 1 Lockout car seat strap, 2 retractable leads and 7 pill bottles.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 72 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

PACC Ahead of the Curve*

*Positioned to anticipate or initiate the latest developments in animal rescue.

For a couple of weeks now we have been talking about how PACC is reaching out to help pets in Tucson’s homeless community. Free food, booties, medical assistance, whatever it takes to keep the pets with their companions. In reality, this move stems the flow of surrendered pets at their front door. Remember, a surrendered pet costs $100 a day to maintain on site.

Just this week I learned first hand about another program PACC has initiated, ahead of the curve, as it were, with Santa Cruz Veterinary Clinic on S. 12^th Avenue.

Steve, my friend on 13^th Street, takes care of several cats, including a number of feral “fur balls,” as he calls them. One long-time fur ball called Mom started to show signs of an upper respiratory infection; sneezing, wheezing and constant runny nose.

I suggested we trap Mon and then I could take her to the Santa Cruz Vet Clinic for him. My newer, functioning trap helped to seal the deal. Sunday afternoon Steve brought Mom over and I housed her in my heated shed for the night. Eight o’clock Monday, Mom and I arrived at the clinic.

What a busy place that is at check-in time. People in front of the counter holding leads, people behind the counter clicking computer keys and moving papers in and out of clipboards and of course, animals all over the floor.

I moved carefully, covered trap in hand, to an open space at the far end of the counter and waited. Soon a medical assistant motioned me to come forward. Her first question was about spaying. I replied that the feral cat was already spayed but had some kind of lung infection. She told me that was okay and started to fill out a form on the clipboard. I noticed PACC TNR printed at the top of the form but I wasn’t sure why. I gave Steve’s info and explained she could call him for his credit card when it is time to pay.

She told me that would not be necessary. PACC takes care of feral cats for folks and there is no charge for spaying or other medical situations. The last thing she needed was my phone number so I could be called for pick up.

I was shaking my head a bit and blinking as I walked back to my truck. What just happened? It started when I walked in with that cage. Even with all those folks ahead of me, I got singled out and handled quickly.

As I drove north on Park toward Broadway, I finally figured it out. This is another Ahead of the Curve program at PACC.

Any feral cat in a trap gets fixed for free and cared for later if need be. It’s the trap that signals the response at Santa Cruz. Most folks don’t have traps. Most folks don’t get involved with TNR (Trap, Neuter and Return). But those who do have such traps become one of PACC’s primary markets just as homeless folks have. Really smart thinking on PACC’s part.

Have Feral Cats?

Of course you do, every neighborhood in Tucson has them. So here’s what you do. Buy a trap or two at Harbor Freight on 22^nd and Craycroft. They cost a whopping $20 bucks each. Then when you trap a cat, take it to Santa Cruz Veterinary Clinic at 5408 S. 12^th Avenue, 520.889.9643. Everything will be taken care of for you and in no time you and the fixed cat will be home … you making meals for the cat and the cat not making any more kittens for you.

More Information on the Santa Cruz Veterinary Clinic

Bennett at PACC told me about Santa Cruz when Haley had a problem with a cherry eye, the third eyelid popping out of the corner of her left eye. The surgery was done quickly and inexpensively. They were also very professional. That made them my new vet.

Location: 5408 S. 12^th Avenue

Take Park or Kino to Irvington. Turn right on Irvington to 12^th Avenue. Turn left and look for Ace Hardware in a strip mall on the right. Santa Cruz is next door. Yes, it is a drive, but the care and professionalism you and your pet will receive is well worth the trip.

Telephone: 520.889.9643

Even as busy as they are, they answer the phone. If you have to leave a message, they do get back to you.

Website:  https://www.santacruzpet.com/

Check out their fee schedule which amazingly is posted online. Here’s one: Office Exam and Consultation fee - $35.00. The other thing is they treat so many pets, their medical skills are honed every day.  

This week’s donation was 273.9 lbs. of pet food and $69.60 in cash and two checks. The dollars translate to 77.3 lbs. of food.  Together they add up to 351.2 lbs. of pet food.

Also we donated 2 covered cat litter bins (see truck roof), 2 bags of Beggin strips, 2 Bark chews, 1 food container, 5 dog collars and 1 lead.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 71 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

This Week's 403.3 lbs. is the most pet food ever!

Just count the bags, 5 dog food and 5 cat food.

It’s almost like clockwork now. Soon after I arrive at PACC on Mondays, Liana and Shari appear at the front desk to quickly accept and haul our donation away. They are always excited to get our food because we are the only folks donating so much to their outreach program.

Their next important event is the Gem Show which begins January 30^th and runs 18 days through February 16^th. It’s Tucson biggest event and PACC’s, too.

On October 7, 2018, a few weeks after we launched Rescued Critters Food Drive, we donated 378 lbs. of food. However that was mostly in cash, because I donated the money the salvage yard paid me for my old truck.

Today’s donation was 336.6 lbs. of pet food and $60.00 in two check. The dollars translate to 66.7 lbs. of food.  Together they created that monster number of 403.3 lbs.

Also we donated 2 small blankets, 5 regular towels and 3 pill bottles.

To refresh your memory, one 50 lb. bag of dog food can feed, on average, 100 25 lb. dogs (Westie, Beagle, French Bulldog, Boston Terrier) a single half pound meal. So we need to keep our averages up to feed many of the dogs of homeless folks here in Tucson. Those pups probably tip the scales at 50 lbs.

We’re doing it now and we want to keep on doing it … Right?   

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 70 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

$100.00 per Day vs. $158 per Week

It takes $100 per day to care for one pup at the Pima Animal Care Center. (They have over 700 dogs and cats up for adoption right now.)

To help that same pup stay with a homeless caretaker or a down-on-their-luck family takes us donating only $158 dollars every week. And for a while now we have been doing just that.

The best way to decrease the pet population at PACC is to stop the drop offs at the front door.

To do that PACC has created a community outreach program where they proactively seek pets heading for trouble. In other words, they engage the homeless pet owners to provide food, help with medical issues and they give pups boots to protect their paws against extremely hot sidewalks and roadways.

And for those folks who have a home but can’t afford to feed their dogs or cats, PACC hands out food on a weekly basis. This is where we come in. The Miles Neighborhood donates so much food we have become the number one provider for this terrific community outreach program.

Just think about it, two bowls of pet food per day or $100 per week to properly care for an abandoned pet in a cage. And then there’s the sadness of those struggling families having to surrender their pet because they don’t have enough money to buy a handful of kibble. Ouch!

When I delivered our donation today, Liana (right) the Community Outreach Specialist and Shari, Pup in Boots Volunteer Leader where there to immediately take our food to the back and start the processing. We talked about a lot of things very quickly but one thing surprised me.

Liana said some folks come up to her and say they are not happy with the program because they are “enabling folks to not be responsible.” I just shook my head. Help is help and what’s this with judging absolute strangers.

My friend Steve, an ardent animal lover, saw a young lady who was sitting outside Walmart’s front door holding a very cute puppy. She looked at no one but it was apparent she was seeking support. I had seen the same woman earlier that day on my trip to Walmart.

Steve decided to give her $20.00 and later when he told me about it, he questioned whether the puppy would benefit from his gift.

The next day, Sunday, when buying two more 50 lb. bags of dog food, I saw the same young lady again. This time the puppy was lying on a blanket and had a new steel water bowl. As soon as I got back to the truck I called Steve.

“Your money was well spent,” I said, “she bought the puppy stuff and was talking to it with lots of affectionate questions. Are you thirsty? Do you need a snack?” Enabling, indeed.

What motivates me about all this is that we are on the frontline of this issue and we are doing something about it. What a great feeling.

Another Way to Generate More

Rescued Critters Revenue

Rescued Critters Food Drive for Pima Animal Care Center is pleased to announce a new fund-raising program. Along with its weekly door-to-door food collection in the Miles Neighborhood, we will convert your favorite tape cassettes to mp3 files for only $5.00 each.

On the internet the cost to convert cassettes is generally $10.00+ dollars each for volume orders over 40.

In addition, we provide a scan of the liner notes for only $2.00 and a $10.00 16 GB flash drive.

Please call or email Peter Norback to schedule a pick-up. (520) 248-3694, pnorback@cox.net.

This week we donated 305.7 lbs. of pet food, 17 pill bottles, a pillow case, a small hoodie, an Amazon roll of baggies and $14.58 in cash and one check.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 69 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

Our Pet Food Keeps Loads of

Pets in their Homes

In the past 17 weeks we have donated more than two tons of pet food to PACC so feeding loads is what we do. Today after I dropped off our donation I sat in front of the building and made a phone call. I was touched by folks picking up their pets from the clinic. One guy held his 50 pound pup like a baby looking down at him while he walked. He then kissed his nose. I thought another guy was holding a burrito wrapped in a wash cloth. As he got closer to my truck he pushed the fabric away gently to reveal a very tiny puppy.

Then I saw a woman wheel all of our huge pet food bags, 6 in all, on an industrial cart into the clinic. They were stacked on top of each other and looked massive. So it’s true, I thought, all of our donations are going to the PACC outreach program. That means we are feeding lots of pets that belong to homeless folks. Also, folks who are not homeless but don’t have enough money to care for their pets.

PACC started their outreach program to be proactive in the community. Instead of just picking up strays or runaways, they fix fences, provide low cost or free medical care and give food to those in need. The idea is to do whatever is necessary to keep the pet with its owner. That makes all the parties involved happy.

And now, because we donate so much food every week we are part of their incredibly important outreach program. I know I am proud of what we are doing and you should be, too. 

More Proof in a Blue Envelope

I was about to pull out of my parking space when I remembered a large blue envelope the customer service rep handed me after she finished our transaction. “This is from Bennett,” she said. Bennett is our contact person and PACC’s Community Programs Manager.

The envelope was a bit puffy so I thought it might be a musical greeting card. I got one of those “dogs barking Jingle Bells” for Christmas from Christina and Blake, my friends in the big house. I was prepared to be amused again.

The puff was a die cut Thank You that stuck out from the card. A delight and touching, too.

It is enough for me to know that we are really helping PACC and dogs and cats and their owners stay together. The kind words make it even better. 

For Those Who Love the Numbers

We are averaging 264 lbs. of pet food per week. Not only are we feeding a significant number of dogs and cats, I am staying in shape. 

This week we donated 260.5 lbs. of pet food, 1 pill bottle, a bag of treats and $34.57 in cash and one check.

See you Sunday,

Peter