Tag: Erie County

SPCA ISSUES WINTER PET SAFETY TIPS

December 12, 2024
By: Chief Communications Officer Gina Lattuca

It had to happen sometime! The snow is back, and as many veterinary clinics (including the Lipsey Veterinary Clinic at the SPCA) are dealing with smaller work forces, it’s a little more complicated to receive emergency veterinary care.  Plan ahead for the upcoming snowy days and nights now to ensure your pets stay safe and healthy today and throughout the rest of the winter. Read on for some of the SPCA Serving Erie County’s winter pet safety tips.

*OUTDOOR ANIMAL SHELTER MUST BE SUITABLE FOR INCLEMENT WEATHER: …and if it’s not, animal welfare officers can rescue the pet even before he or she shows signs of suffering, thanks to New York State’s Shelter Law that went into effect in 2003. Thanks to a legislative push in late 2018 that led to stronger laws concerning the tethering of dogs within Buffalo city limits, the SPCA and other law enforcement organizations can now take even more steps to ensure dogs are protected from the elements.

* Keep a Tight Leash: Never let your dog off the leash on snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm. Pets can lose their scent on snow and ice, especially if snow is falling at a fast rate, and your pet can easily lose his sense of direction. Pets may also panic during a snowstorm and run away; many pets are lost during the winter months. Remember to keep current identification on your pet at all times!

*Keep Pets At Home: Never leave your pet alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold. Your pet could literally freeze to death.

*Always Dry Pet’s Wet Feet: Thoroughly wipe off your pet’s legs and stomach when she comes in and out of the rain, snow or ice. Check her sensitive foot pads, which may be bleeding from snow or ice encrusted in them. Your pet may also pick up salt and other chemicals on her feet accidentally. These chemicals could hurt her if she swallows them while licking her feet.

*Lay Straw for Dogs’ Visits Outdoors: Can’t get your dog to wear booties? Lay straw on top of snow for trips outdoors by dogs reluctant to step out onto a freezing surface to relieve themselves.

*Check Cars for Cats: During the winter, stray or neglected cats outdoors sometimes sleep under the hood of the car where it’s warm and comfortable. If you start the motor, cats could get caught in or flung about by the fan belt, causing serious injury or death. To prevent this, bang loudly on the hood and sides of your car before turning on the ignition to give the cat a chance to escape.

*Keep Outdoor Sessions Short: Take your dog outside only for as long as it takes for him to relieve himself. Dogs, particularly small, short-haired breeds like Chihuahuas and terriers, suffer from the cold despite their seemingly warm fur coats. Live within Buffalo city limits? Don’t forget Buffalo’s new laws pertaining to tethering dogs in inclement weather.

*Bathe Pets Only When Necessary: Your pet runs the chance of catching a cold when wet, especially in cold weather. If you absolutely must bathe your pet, consult a professional groomer or veterinarian.

*Keep Pets Warm: Limit the clipping of your pet’s hair in the cold winter months, keeping your pet as warm as possible. Brush your pet daily in lieu of clipping to keep your pet’s coat healthy, shiny, clean and mat-free. Make sure your pet has a warm place to sleep far away from outside drafts.

*Hungry Pets: Speak to your veterinarian about increasing your pet’s supply of food, particularly protein, to keep his fur thick and healthy through the winter months. Inquire about vitamin and oil supplements.

*ANTIFREEZE IS POISON TO PETS: ANTIFREEZE, EVEN IN SMALL DOSES, IS A LETHAL POISON FOR DOGS AND CATS! Because of its sweet taste, animals are attracted to it. Be sure to clean up spills thoroughly, and consider switching to an animal-friendly antifreeze. Ensure that, if you store Antifreeze in a garage, shed, or other places accessible to your pets, it is well out of pets’ reach.

If your pet becomes lost, be sure to visit YourSPCA.org’s Lost and Found page for recommendations on where to post lost pet listings, and tips for finding your lost pets.

For more tips regarding keeping pets safe and healthy during the winter, please contact your veterinarian.

 

 

NO BONES ABOUT IT!
KEEP PETS SAFE THIS THANKSGIVING!

November 19, 2024
By: SPCA Chief Communications Officer Gina Lattuca

Planning a delicious holiday meal? Those scrumptious smells are enough to drive any four-legged critter into a food frenzy! The SPCA Serving Erie County has issued these Thanksgiving holiday reminders to keep your pets safe, slim, and trim:

HUNGRY PETS: Too many holiday treats won’t only pack the pounds on us…they’ll pack them on our pets. Many pets are on standard, limited diets; feeding them large quantities of food they don’t normally receive could cause abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, none of which are welcome during this festive holiday…or at any other time, for that matter. Use discretion. Turkey bones are also dangerous for pets. A brittle, spiky bone could cause irritation of the stomach or intestines, or could lodge in your pet’s esophagus.
NOTE: Dogs eating foods to which they’re not accustomed may experience BLOAT, a life-threatening condition. Dogs experiencing bloat may have difficulty breathing, may appear weak and/or depressed, may attempt to vomit but cannot, and/or may appear to be extremely uncomfortable for no apparent reason. If your pet exhibits signs of bloat, bring him to a veterinarian as soon as possible. Speak with your veterinarian for more information on this condition.

NO BREAD FOR BARNEY:  Think twice before leaving that homemade bread dough atop the oven to rise. According to the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center, when bread dough is ingested, an animal’s body heat causes the dough to rise in the stomach. As alcohol is produced during the rising process, the dough expands. Pets who have eaten bread dough may experience abdominal pain, vomiting, disorientation and depression.

PEANUT BUTTER WARNING: Using peanut butter as a holiday treat for your pet? Remember to check the label! Xylitol is a sugar substitute now added to some peanut butters, along with other foods and candies. It’s safe for most humans, but deadly to pets, even in small quantities!  Be sure to check labels for Xylitol or other ingredients that could be dangerous for your pet. It’s also a bad idea to give any animal caffeine-laced peanut butter or other foods; serious health problems could ensue.


GARBAGE PICKERS?  Some animals patiently wait for the chance to pick through the garbage when you’re not around. Aluminum foils with juices, plastic wraps with frostings, even tasty strings from tying turkeys…well, the temptation can just be too much for your deprived pets. Keep your garbage bags away from where pets can chew through them to get to the goods. Ingestion of these items can be life-threatening.

SWEET TEMPTATIONS: CHOCOLATE CAN BE FATAL TO PETS!  Chocolate contains a substance called Theobromine, a compound very similar to caffeine in structure. Theobromine can be toxic to dogs and cats in small quantities, causing vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, seizures, rapid and irregular heartbeats, muscle tremors, coma, even death. Keep chocolate safely away from all animals.

POTPOURRI PROBLEMS:  Of course we want our homes to smell nice when guests arrive…but be mindful that liquid and other types of potpourri, especially sprinkled into rugs, along with many scented essential candles and oils are toxic to dogs, cats, even birds and other animals.

With changes to the veterinary industry, seeking timely medical care for your pet, especially on a holiday, can prove itself to be problematic. Pet owners are advised to take every preventative measure possible to eliminate the chance of animals requiring emergency veterinary care.

SPCA Serving Erie County Offers Free Adoptions to Current and Past Military Members During Vets & Pets

November 1, 2024
By: SPCA Chief Communications Officer Gina Lattuca

To thank the members of the armed services this Veterans Day, the SPCA Serving Erie County once again offers Vets & Pets, waiving adoption fees on most animals for individuals and immediate families of individuals on active duty, reserves, and honorable discharge, along with service-disabled veterans and those retired from military service! This program, a longtime SPCA tradition, is proudly presented by the kind, caring, and patriotic folks at Moog.

“At Moog, we believe in the power of community and compassion,” said Jennifer Walter, EVP and chief finance officer at Moog. “The Vets & Pets initiative at the SPCA Serving Erie County is a wonderful opportunity to honor our veterans while helping these individuals find loyal companions. We are proud to support this meaningful cause.”

Vets & Pets begins Monday, November 11, and runs through Saturday, November 16* at the SPCA’s 300 Harlem Rd., West Seneca location (off-site locations are not included in this campaign).

Photos of adoptable animals can be found here >>.

Adoption hours can be found here >>.

Military ID or DD214 will need to be presented. If an individual is currently serving outside of New York State, that individual’s spouse can adopt during Vets & Pets if a military spouse identification card is presented. Adopters can apply the Vets & Pets waived adoption fee promotion toward a total of two animals.

Please contact SPCA Senior Director of Operations Mindy Ussrey with any questions: (716) 875-7360, ext. 210.

*Adoption hours are 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The SPCA is closed on Sundays. Final guest passes for those wishing to adopt from the SPCA’s West Seneca location are issued one hour prior to closing.

#SPCACompassionInAction

SPCA Serving Erie County Earns a Four-Star Rating From Charity Navigator

October 14, 2024

The SPCA Serving Erie County is proud to announce that its strong financial health and ongoing accountability and transparency has earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. This rating designates the SPCA as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating that our organization is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s criteria. Charity Navigator is America’s largest and most utilized independent charity evaluator. Since 2001, the organization has been an unbiased and trusted source of information for more than 11 million donors annually.

Charity Navigator analyzes nonprofit performance based on four key indicators, referred to as beacons. Currently, nonprofits can earn scores for the Impact & Results, Accountability & Finance, Culture & Community, and Leadership & Adaptability beacons.

“We are delighted to provide the SPCA Serving Erie County with third-party accreditation that validates their operational excellence,” said Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “The Four-Star Rating is the highest possible rating an organization can achieve. We are eager to see the good work that the SPCA is able to accomplish in the years ahead.”

For more information or to view the SPCA’s complete rating, click here.

SPCA President/CEO Cait Daly Named Buffalo Business First “40 Under 40” Winner

 

August 22, 2024
By: Chief Communications Officer Gina Lattuca

Cait and the SPCA’s Xylord


The SPCA Serving Erie County is thrilled to announce President/CEO Cait Daly has been selected as one of Buffalo Business First’s “40 Under 40” winners!

From Buffalo Business First: “It’s never easy to select the annual 40 Under 40 winners. This year was no exception. The winners were chosen from nearly 200 nominations for the 33rd year of the awards, bringing the total number of honorees over the years to 1,320. They are doctors, attorneys, educators and entrepreneurs. Some work to better their community full-time; others give back after hours. They’re all Western New York professionals who are younger than age 40, successful in their professions and involved in their communities.”

See Buffalo Business First’s official announcement >>

Cait is held in incredibly high esteem by the SPCA Serving Erie County’s Board of Directors.

“In a short time, Cait has become an invaluable leader of our SPCA Serving Erie County,” says SPCA Board of Directors Chairperson P. Jeffrey Birtch. “Her dedication, hard work, and compassion never cease to amaze me; it makes the organization a better place to be. Her tireless efforts are nothing short of remarkable.”

SPCA Board of Directors Vice Chairperson Sara Dayton adds, “Cait’s steadfast commitment to making the SPCA Serving Erie County all it can be for the people and animals of this community is unmatched. Animal welfare work is challenging. We’re dealing with beautiful, living, breathing beings every day, and emotions run high. Cait’s unwavering dedication, however, is contagious.”

“I am genuinely grateful for the collaboration Cait has brought to the community through our SPCA,” says SPCA Board Member Hon. Barbara Howe (Ret.). “The number of organizations with which we now work to make Erie County and beyond a better, more compassionate place is increasing every day; Cait’s attitude is inspiring and infectious. Her work is extraordinary, and deeply valued.”

Cait’s leadership at the SPCA is valued not only by board members, but by staff members, volunteers, and the community as well.

It wasn’t enough for Cait to allow the SPCA Serving Erie County to just keep doing what it was doing because it was the way it had been done for decades. Cait took time to learn what all neighborhoods in all parts of Erie County desperately needed…not what we think they should need, but what they DO need. With the help of some dedicated board and staff members, Cait spearheaded efforts to restructure the SPCA’s outreach programs and efforts. The SPCA  has among its priorities a focus on doing everything possible to remove the need a family may have to surrender a pet, and works hard directing efforts to keep families together rather than filling the shelter with animals who were already in loving homes. Hundreds of families annually have been able to keep their beloved animals due to the resources provided by the SPCA under Cait’s leadership.

Because of Cait’s vision, new programs were brought to the community in an effort to remove barriers to adoption, thereby shortening animals’ lengths of stay here at the SPCA and keeping our adoption numbers steady during this time that adoptions are declining nationwide. 

These efforts and so many others make Cait a fitting recipient of Buffalo Business First’s “40 Under 40” distinction. The SPCA Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers congratulate Cait on this exciting achievement! See the official announcement here >>

TALE FOR TWO READING PROGRAM SCHEDULE RELEASED FOR 2024-2025 SEASON

August 21, 2024
By: Chief Communications Officer Gina Lattuca

Register your child for Tale for Two  >>

The SPCA Serving Erie County will continue its popular Tale for Two reading program throughout the 2024-2025 school year!

Tale For Two encourages children ages 5 – 16 to read aloud to adoptable animals at the SPCA. Animals benefit from the increased socialization and reduced stress levels, while children work on their literacy and reading skills, building their self-esteem and confidence.

This year’s reading sessions are available in six packages, and new this year are single sessions:

-Full-year package: $150
September 30, 2024 – August 30, 2025

-School year package: $100
September 30, 2024 – June 14, 2025

-Seasonal packages: $65
Fall: September 30 – December 14, 2024
Winter: January 6 – March 29, 2025
Spring: April 7 – June 14, 2025
Summer: June 30 – August 30, 2025

*NEW* -Single session: $10

Packages include one reading session per week, available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 3:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., at the SPCA’s 300 Harlem Rd., West Seneca shelter.  Reading sessions are 30 minutes in length.

Children can bring their own reading materials, or make a selection from the SPCA’s library.

Register your child for Tale for Two >>

Please contact SPCA Community Education Director Christine Davis with questions: ChristineD@yourspca.org. NOTE: Space per reading session is extremely limited, so register early!

Bring Home a Feline Dream Team Now Through Saturday, as the SPCA Serving Erie County Offers a Feline Flash:
TWO CATS OR KITTENS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!

Even if you’re not an Olympics buff, you can bring home your own Feline Dream Team!

Now through Saturday at the SPCA Serving Erie County, ALL felines…ALL ages…can be adopted at the feline flash of two for the price of one!*

Win the gold when you bring home a purrrfect pair of eight tiny paws with two big attitudes.

Visit the SPCA’s 300 Harlem Rd., West Seneca location Thursday through 8 p.m. (final adoption passes issued at 7 p.m.), or Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. through 5 p.m. (final adoption passes issued at 4 p.m.).

Each adoption includes the animals’ general physicals by SPCA Veterinary Services; spay/neuter surgeries; age-appropriate vaccinations; initial deworming; doses of flea control medicine; Feline Leukemia tests; microchips; temporary identification tags; and a certificate for new pets’ physical examinations at the Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society’s veterinarian of choice.*

 

See all animals available for adoption HERE >>
Adoption fees and other information are available HERE >>

*Don’t forget: You’ll need to bring along an appropriate carrier or two to transport your pet(s)! Don’t have any? You can purchase them here at the SPCA’s Petique!

Two Amherst Men Arraigned on SPCA Charges of Animal Cruelty in Beating of Small Dog

June 29, 2023
By: SPCA Chief Communications Officer Gina Lattuca

Erie County DA John Flynn’s Comments >>

UPDATE, Feb. 22, 2024 — The SPCA learned that Blake Hiligh and Zachary Pilarcek pleaded guilty to one count of Disorderly Conduct (violation) before Amherst Town Court Justice Ann Nichols on February 7, 2024. Both defendants were sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. Additionally, Hiligh was ordered to surrender the dog.

Blake Hiligh, 19, and Zachary Pilarcek, 20, of Amherst, were arraigned in Amherst Town Court at 12 p.m. today. Both men were charged by the SPCA Serving Erie County with animal cruelty, Class A misdemeanors in accordance with Article 26, Section 353 of the New York State Agriculture and Markets Law, in the alleged beating of a small dog.

At 11:20 p.m. June 13, an anonymous email was sent to the SPCA’s Animal Cruelty Investigations Department. The email included a video that had been posted on a Snapchat account that evening.

In the video one man, Pilarcek, a native of Endicott, NY, is speaking off-camera about damage a dog did to a couch in a Sweet Home Road apartment he shares with the dog’s owner, Hiligh, a native of Maryland, and claims he will film the punishment the dog will receive.

Hiligh, the dog’s owner, is then filmed yelling at the dog, a four-year-old buff-colored male Miniature Poodle named Kobe, and proceeds to beat him with what appears to be a leather belt.

An investigation was launched the morning of June 14 by the SPCA Serving Erie County. The email sent to the SPCA included the name of one of the individuals and provided information leading SPCA Animal Cruelty Investigator Lindsey Wood to contact University at Buffalo Police officers, who received similar incident reports and fully cooperated with the SPCA investigation.

Wood, assisted by SPCA Animal Cruelty Investigator Jennifer Maleskis and SPCA Agent Nicole Abrams, located Hiligh and Pilarcek the same afternoon. Both men were charged at that time. Kobe was rescued from the property and immediately transported to the SPCA Serving Erie County’s veterinary team for a full examination and any necessary treatment. Kobe is currently in the care of the SPCA at an undisclosed location and has not been surrendered to the organization.

Amherst Town Court Justice Geoffrey Klein placed a temporary order on the defendants prohibiting them from owning or caring for any animals while the case is pending. Further proceedings for Pilarcek are scheduled for Thursday, July 27 at 9:30 a.m. ; further proceedings for Hiligh are scheduled for Thursday, August 3 at 9:30 a.m. for further proceedings. Both were released on their own recognizance as charge is a non-qualifying offense for bail. There will be a bond hearing in Cheektowaga Town Court on July 6.

A press release issued by the office of Erie County District Attorney John Flynn states, “Hiligh and Pilarcek, both University at Buffalo football players, were subsequently suspended then dismissed from the program.  ‘I want to thank our partners at the SPCA for their work in this investigation and the many services that they provide to help animals in our community. I also commend the University at Buffalo and the UB Football program for taking immediate action, which further demonstrates that animal abuse will not be tolerated in this community,’ said Erie County DA John Flynn. DA Flynn commends SPCA Animal Cruelty Investigators Jennifer Maleskis and Lindsey Wood and SPCA Agent Nicole Abrams as well as University at Buffalo Police for their work in this investigation.”

Keep watching YourSPCA.org for important updates on this case.

Join us in our fight to protect animals >>

#SPCACompassionInAction

If making a significant difference in the lives of animals is something you’re passionate about, volunteering with the SPCA might be one of the most fulfilling parts of your life!

Depending on what volunteer position you decide is right for you, you’ll have the opportunity to provide compassionate care for animals, bring pets and families together, and perform purpose-driven work!

For more information about how you can get involved, go to YourSPCA.org/Volunteer! Have any questions about volunteering? Please reach out to our Volunteer Department!

Director of Volunteer Services:
Kelly Deschamps | (716) 875-7360 ext. 232 | kellyd@yourspca.org

Assistant Director of Volunteer Services:
Desirea Mojica | (716) 875-7360 ext. 252 | desiream@yourspca.org

View current volunteer positions

 

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