All aboard!? Beautiful weather was expected as 19 dogs took flight on Friday, March 29. They were probably going to be euthanized at Front Street, but they got on a plane and flew to Boise, Idaho.

Seventeen of them are small dogs and two are rottweillers. They all fit onto a tiny-two-seater plane and flew out of Executive Airport at 10:30 a.m. They were scheduled to arrive in Boise at 12:30 p.m. our time. Non-stop flight to a no-kill rescue!

“What this does is opens up all these kennels at the shelter so now. I have 160 dogs today, so I get them evaluated and move them up for adoption. It’s constant. It’s an inventory change all the time. The more I can get out faster, the more lives I can change,” Gina Knepp, Animal Care Services Manager for the City of Sacramento, said.

“When we found out that Idaho Humane was willing to accept little dogs, even Chihuahuas, we knew a great opportunity was available to us,” Knepp said Knepp. “We contacted Yehuda Netanel, founder of Wings of Rescue, and began flying dogs to Boise on a monthly basis.”

Knepp said small dogs are in high demand in Idaho because Idahoans have traditionally liked large dogs, but people there have wanted lap dogs lately and haven’t had access to them. “There’s a population that wants littles and we’ve got ‘em. It’s economics. It’s supply and demand,” she said.

Knepp said Netanel has larger planes than the one used on March 29, including one that fits 40 dogs.

City of Sacramento Animal Care Services, The Sacramento SPCA, and Sacramento County Animal Care and Regulation are participating in the ASPCA’s (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Carroll Petrie Foundation Dog Rescue Project, a new $1 million initiative that will fund much-needed treatments and services for shelter dogs, ultimately preparing them for transport from overcrowded shelters to give them the best chance of finding permanent homes. The project is being made possible thanks to a generous donation from Mrs. Carroll Petrie, a respected international philanthropist.

Since beginning the program in September 2012, the three Sacramento shelters have transferred more than 1,000 dogs to other shelters and rescue groups, including shelters in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. In January 2013, the City of Sacramento found a new transfer partner at the Idaho Humane Society.

“We hope to work with Wings of Rescue to do a mega transport of 40 dogs in the near future,” said Knepp.  “Without the ASPCA, the Petrie Grant, and Wings of Rescue none of this would be possible.” All of the pilots with Wings of Rescue volunteer their time. Grant money is used primarily for fuel.

The ASPCA, through The Carroll Petrie Foundation Dog Rescue Project, aims to save 16,600 dogs through a per dog or puppy subsidy for each animal transferred out through the following types of programs:
·Transfer to rescue groups;
·Transfer to other shelters;
·Adoptions through “Foster Adoption Ambassador” programs; or
·Adoptions through permanent off-site partner locations.

The subsidy per dog or puppy can be used for anything from crates and gasoline purchases for transport vehicles to “make-ready” veterinary services for the dogs (i.e. spay/neuter, health certificates, vaccines) that will prepare them to leave the shelter.

Now at the city shelter: Free microchips to City of Sacramento kitties

In 2012, 3955 cats ended up at the Front Street Shelter.  Of those cats, only 92 were reunited with their owner.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of owned cats rarely have any form of identification.  They arrive without a collar and very few are ever micro-chipped.

In the hope of changing those numbers, during the month of April, the City of Sacramento-Front Street shelter will be offering a “complimentary” micro-chip to any owned cat living within the city limits.  City residents may bring their cat to the shelter Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. for a free micro-chip. A suggested donation of $5 would be greatly appreciated.  Proof of City residency is required.  Life time micro-chip registration is included.

Bowling for Bullies on Front Street!

The Front Street Shelter is at it again! During the month of April, anyone adopting a bully breed dog will have a chance to strike some pins to defray adoption costs.   Roll the ball, knock down the pins and get a discounted adoption. $5 off adoption fees for each pin successfully knocked over! We have a wide variety of bully breeds all waiting for a new home.

Gina Knepp is one busy woman. A City of Sacramento employee for the last 25 years, she is public information officer for the Department of General Services, division manager of Sacramento City 311, and, since July 2011, the acting Animal Care Services manager for the City of Sacramento Animal Care Services.

HELP NEEDED. The Sacramento City Animal Shelter can use the help of 200 volunteers this year. With the help of these volunteers, more animals will be able to leave the shelter to go to “fur-ever” homes. / Photo courtesy

Not coming from a shelter management background, Knepp has been busy making some “unconventional” changes to how Animal Care Services operates.

“One of the philosophical shifts for us is (focusing) on the people in Sacramento – we have to look at our community as the solution to our problem,” she says. “We have to take an approach in running our shelter like a business and recognizing that it’s the people that are going to do the adoptions, it’s the people who run the rescue groups that are going to partner with us to pull animals here so they leave with a heartbeat.”

‘Leave with a heartbeat’

Having animals “leave with a heartbeat” is one of Knepp’s constant messages to her staff in managing their animal population and keeping a steady flow of adopted animals out the front door.

“I’m really proud of the fact that our adoptions have risen and the number of animals that we are sending out to rescue groups is going up,” Knepp adds. “We’re working feverishly to improve every single aspect of what we do here.”

To help with this philosophy, Knepp is having all her staff undergo behavior evaluation training and has volunteer professional photographers taking what she calls “glamor shots” of adoptable animals, which she says has been a huge boon to their pet adoptions.

To help new adopters keep their animals, Knepp is starting to give each new family a free book on taking a pet home for the first time, plus the shelter has started providing information in Spanish. The shelter just started a program offering free ID tags and collars and free microchipping for lost pets.

“My goal is A: reducing intake, and B: if I get your animal I really want to get it back to you,” Knepp adds.

Knepp has even been helping the homeless population in Sacramento by taking care of their pets free-of-charge if they find themselves jailed or hospitalized, including vaccinations, altering and microchipping.

“If you’re homeless, your dog is your companion, your friend, your family – that’s all you’ve got,” she explains. “We all come from different walks of life, but the love of our animals is universal.”

Next for Knepp

Right now Knepp is working to achieve a 75 percent leave-live rate for the Shelter by August.

“The highest that I’ve gone, that was about two weeks ago, was 57.7 (percent),” she says. “Right now I’m at 49.6 (percent). Historically, it’s been much lower and I want to get to 75 percent.”

Call for volunteers

Additionally Knepp would like to have 200 active volunteers at Animal Care Services by this time next year.

“I think the most important component of successful sheltering and getting animals out alive is your volunteer program –  it’s the people in the community who come in here to augment what staff do,” she says. And she is working on grant opportunities to expand the shelter’s current surgical capacities to spay and neuter adopted animals so they can go home with their new owners sooner.

However, Knepp is quick to point out that when it comes down to it, it’s not about how much money you have, but how much passion that makes the difference.

“It’s not about the dollars and it’s not about the number of people that work here. It’s about do you have passion to essentially do whatever it takes to get these animals adopted,” she explains. “Six years ago when there was money and more staff, their statistics weren’t better. So I really do believe it’s a shift in thinking that, ‘Yes, we can do this.’”

The last few years have been very rough for everyone economically – every day families struggle just to put food on the table. And for many families, that includes a struggle to provide food for their pets also.

PETS IN NEED. As the economy stumbles, humans aren’t the only family members in need. Families are struggling to feed their furry children, too. Titanic’s Pantry exists to help. / Photo courtesy, Titanic’s Pantry

That’s where Sacramento’s pet food bank, Titanic’s Pantry, comes in.

“When you have to make a decision between paying your mortgage, your car payment or buying dog food, that’s a real conundrum,” explained Gina Knepp, acting manager of the City of Sacramento Animal Care Services. “It’s a terrible dilemma for anyone to have to face. If you find yourself in dire straits where you need pet food, come get it from us because we don’t want people to surrender their pets to the local shelters – that’s the last thing we want to do.”

The pantry is seeing an increase in need, just as local food banks for humans are seeing an uptick – at this time of year, especially. Every neighborhood in the region is affected.

Penny Cistaro, now chief operations officer for the Sacramento SPCA, started Titanic’s Pantry in November 2009. She got the idea for the pantry while in Washington State.

“When I came back to California, there wasn’t a (pet) food bank in the region, and having had a (pet) food bank up in Washington State at the shelter I had worked at and seeing the benefits there, I wanted to start one here,” Cistaro said.

A team effort

Now about two years later, Titanic’s Pantry is a collaborative effort of the City of Sacramento Animal Care Services, Sacramento County Animal Care and Regulation, the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), and Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary.

According to Knepp, those in need of pet food can visit the city, county, or SPCA shelter once a month for a donation.

The City’s shelter has the biggest client base – more than 2,000 people come there each month and they distribute at least 3,000 pounds of food a week. Additionally, Titanic’s Pantry provides a number of other supplies that people may need for their animals; everything from cat litter and litter boxes to dog biscuits, leashes, collars, beds and even toys.

Who is eligible?

So who is eligible to receive assistance from Titanic’s Pantry?

Anyone who needs it, according to Knepp. There is no application to fill out or proof of eligibility.

“If they’re not registered with us, the first time they come in they show us a picture ID and we’ll put them in our computer system to keep track of how many people we’re helping,” Knepp explained. “Then once a month they can come back if they need to and get food from us. We have some people that come back several times. And then we have some people that come back and bring us a bag of food to thank us because we helped them when they were in trouble.”

Bags of food needed

And it’s those bags of pet food coming in to Titanic’s Pantry that are so desperately needed right now.

“One of the biggest challenges is to keep the shelves constantly stocked because you rely on donations,” said Shari Lowen, senior services coordinator for the Sacramento SPCA and volunteer that helped Cistaro start Titanic’s Pantry. “You may get a huge truckload of donated food and that might last a few weeks and then somebody comes in and there’s absolutely nothing to give them.”

Donations of pet food – dry cat and dog food – are how the community can help support the Pantry, Cistaro said.

“Buy a 20, 30, or 40 pound bag of food and bring it to the SPCA or take it to the county or the city (shelters) – whichever shelter is closest or whichever one is closest to your heart,” Cistaro said. “Just bring in food – even a 10-pound, 5-pound bag of dry food. It’s easy to transport, it lasts, that’s what will help.”

Participate in a pet food drive

According to Knepp, donations can be made on-site to the city, county, SPCA, or Happy Tails. She added that the community can pitch in to help by setting up pet food drives for the Pantry in their neighborhood.

EVERY BIT HELPS. Donations of bags of pet food – in 5, 10, 20, even 50 pound bags – can help to make a difference in the life of a family in your neighborhood. Grateful families often return months later with a donation of pet food…happy to return the favor for help during a “rough patch.” / Photo courtesy, Titanic’s Pantry

For example, Knepp held a drive in Hollywood Park, raising 800 pounds of food for the Pantry. She then passed it on to Curtis Park – which brought in over 3,000 pounds of food donations – and now is trying to get Land Park “to take up the gauntlet.”

Knepp said a pet food drive can also be a great project for groups, such as high schools.

Help pets by volunteering

Titanic’s Pantry is also always in need of volunteers to help with picking up donations of pet food. For example, a Save Mart store in Vacaville currently supplies the Pantry with donations of food from broken bags, which Knepp says can sometimes add up to about 7,000 pounds of dry kibble for the Pantry. Volunteers are needed to help bag the loose kibble for distribution using empty sand bags Knepp obtained from the Department of Transportation.

“Our volunteers will come in and fill the sand bags up with dog food and we tie the tops just like sand, but it’s dog food, and (we) give that out,” she explained.

Keeping Titanic’s Pantry going will continue to help enable people to keep their animals, Cistaro said.

“Animals play a powerful role in someone’s life,” she said. “People lose so much, the last thing they should lose is a family member and an animal is a family member.”

For more information on Titanic’s Pantry, including volunteer and donation information, visit www.sacpetfoodbank.org.