Welcome to our eighth quarterly newsletter! Here, you'll find a summary of everything that's gone on at HSoP in the first few months of 2023. From fundraisers, to adoptions, to stories about some of our most special animals, you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at a few of the most important happenings at our shelter.

January 2023

Half-Priced Pet ID

If you didn’t already know, we offer multiple forms of pet identification here at HSoP. We know that pet ID is one of the best ways to keep pets with their people, so we ensure that everyone in our community has access to these services. Once per quarter, for an entire month, we offer microchips and engraved name tags for 50% off. That means you can get a custom engraved name tag for just $4, and lifelong microchip identification for just $15! This special deal incentivizes pet ID, and makes it easier to keep your information up-to-date. During our last half-off month in January, we provided 7 half-priced microchips and 5 half-priced name tags for owned pets in Latah County. We would love to help you secure new and updated identification for your pets! Our next half-priced month for pet ID is April. This deal is going on right now! Be sure to give us a call at (208) 883-1166 to schedule your microchip appointment, or stop by HSoP during open hours to purchase a name tag.

Scrumpet's Merlin Fund Story

In late December, a sweet senior pup arrived at HSoP after her owner unfortunately passed away. This gentle girl was named Scrumpet, and we were determined to find her a loving new home to live out her golden years. Though Scrumpet was clearly loved by her owner, she did have some health concerns that needed to be addressed before adoption. One of her eyes was large, cloudy, and bulging from her head, and her bad breath told us that her teeth needed to be cleaned. We brought Scrumpet to our good friends at Animal Clinic and Hospital to see the full extent of her medical needs. It was revealed that her cloudy eye had lens-induced glaucoma with uncomfortable corneal abrasions, and her vet team recommended the eye be removed. The exam also showed that Scrumpet needed several tooth extractions along with an intense dental cleaning. It was discovered that Scrumpet also had two benign masses - one on her chest and one on her stomach - that needed to be removed. Finally, Scrumpet needed to be spayed.

Her vet team opted for two separate surgeries, to allow Scrumpet the time needed to heal in between. The first surgery included her eye removal and dental assessment, followed by the mass removals and spay during her second surgery. Scrumpet handled both surgeries with grace, and healed beautifully. With her sweet and gentle demeanor, Scrumpet stole the heart of her adopter in no time and is now living out her golden years in comfort. The total cost of Scrumpet’s medical care was about $2,100. We are very grateful for our supportive community members who have contributed toward the Merlin Fund, which ensured that Scrumpet could receive all of the care that she needed to thrive in her new home. Please consider making a donation to the Merlin Fund, where your contribution will directly fund the medical treatment for a homeless pet in need. Take a look below at some photos of the beautiful miss Scrumpet after her medical treatments!

TNR T-Shirt Fundraiser

In October of 2021, we launched the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program to lend a hand to feral cats in our community. Since launching the program, we’ve been happy to see our community members taking the initiative to care for the feral cats living on their property! The HSoP TNR program has since fixed, vaccinated, and ear-tipped more than 100 feral cats in Latah County. This will help to prevent unwanted cat births, reduce feline infectious diseases, and lower the number of unowned, homeless pets in Latah County. In an effort to help fund the important work of the TNR program, we launched several Bonfire campaigns to sell shirts, sweatshirts, and other types of merchandise. The shirts are still available for purchase, with several fun designs that spread the message about spaying and neutering pets! 100% of the proceeds from these shirts will help fund the future of our TNR program. Be sure to visit our Bonfire storefront to shop for our TNR merchandise and other HSoP gear!

February 2023

Spay/Neuter Awareness Month

February is a month filled with love and celebration. It’s also the perfect time to share information about spaying and neutering pets! February is Spay and Neuter Awareness Month, and Responsible Pet Owner Month. Here at HSoP, we’re very familiar with the importance of having pets spayed and neutered. It’s the best way to limit pet overpopulation, and by extension, pet homelessness. Not only does it prevent the chance of unwanted pregnancy for cats and dogs, but the procedures also carry some health benefits. Spaying a female pet will prevent the chance of uterine infections and breast cancer, and spaying her before her first heat will offer the best protection. Neutering male pets prevents the chance of testicular cancer and some prostate issues, and can help remedy some behavioral issues like spraying or marking.

In an effort to fulfill our mission of promoting responsible pet ownership, we operate a Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) that reduces the cost of these procedures at most veterinary clinics in Latah County. The program is available for all Latah County residents, and can provide assistance for up to three owned pets per household per year. Owned pets aren’t the only ones who should be spayed and neutered. Our Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program focuses specifically on feral cats who live on owned property. The program assists landowners with the spay/neuter, vaccination, and ear-tipping of feral cats who are then returned to the property. We’re proud to offer these resources for our community, and encourage you to apply if you’re ever in need of assistance.

February may be over, but it’s always a good time to talk about spaying and neutering!

New Heaters for our Dog Kennels!

Our facility received a much-needed upgrade in early February! The heaters that keep our dog kennels warm were 27 years old, and it was time to have them replaced. The City of Moscow paid for us to receive new heaters, and we couldn’t be more thankful! The heaters work like a charm and are much quieter than the previous unit, which makes for a more comfortable stay for the dogs in our care. This replacement is just one more item on our list of recent improvements, and we look forward to accomplishing more goals as time goes on. Thank you to the City of Moscow for making this upgrade possible, and thank you to Gropp Heating, Air, and Electric for the seamless installation!

Soup and Pie Fundraiser

Our annual Soup and Pie fundraiser took place on Monday, February 27th at the beautiful 1912 Center Great Room. After several months of planning, the event turned out to be a great success. In just two hours, we served soup and pie to 218 attendees and raised a total of $3,908.70! This is more than triple the amount that Soup and Pie raised in 2022. We were blown away by our community’s support, and have so many people to thank for making this happen!

More than 30 individuals volunteered to bake pies of every variety for the fundraiser. Thank you to everyone who took the time to bake some pie! Lunch wouldn’t have been complete without all of the delicious soups. Thank you to Paradise Grill and Cafe, Moscow Alehouse, The Breakfast Club, Mikey’s Gyros, the Moscow Food Co-op, and Lodgepole for donating nearly 20 total gallons of soup to make this fundraiser possible. We would also like to thank our local Starbucks, which provided coffee and hot tea for the event! Thank you to Irish Spike’s Unique Hot Sauces, Essential Art Gallery and Fine Gifts, Tri-State Outfitters, Best Western University Inn & Suites, Idaho Central Credit Union, and local watercolor artists Cheryll Root, Jan Vogtman, Ryan Law, and Bobbi Kelly for their contributions that made the Soup and Pie raffle possible. Our generous and dedicated team of volunteers worked constantly through the event to ensure everything went according to plan. Thank you to all our amazing volunteers; we appreciate you more than we can say!

We owe a very special thanks to our presenting sponsor for Soup and Pie, P1FCU. They played an important role in making this year more successful for HSoP by agreeing to cover all outgoing event costs. Thanks to P1FCU, we can ensure that a full 100% of funds raised through Soup and Pie will be directed toward the pets in our care. Thank you again, P1FCU!

Finally, we would like to thank each and every person who took time out of their day to support the fundraiser. The work we do is only made possible because of people like you. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to continue providing second chances for pets in Latah County. We hope to see you at next year's Soup and Pie!

March 2023

Landgrove Coffee Fundraiser

In 2022, we teamed up with the wonderful folks at Landgrove Coffee for a caffeine-fueled fundraiser with pets in need at the center. We loved working together so much that we decided to hold another fundraiser this year! Landgrove sold 1-lb bags of medium roast, dark roast, and decaf coffee for $16 each as part of the fundraiser. HSoP received $8 for each bag sold with local pickup, and $5 for each bag that was shipped. In just two weeks, our supporters purchased 109-lbs of coffee! This facilitated $872 for HSoP, which will directly benefit the pets who arrive at our facility in need of care. Thank you to each and every person who purchased a bag (or three) to support the fundraiser!

Landgrove didn’t stop at donating their proceeds to support our cause. They went a step further by running a Facebook fundraiser for HSoP, which helped to raise an additional $250! We are so happy to have this partnership with Landgrove Coffee, and we look forward to working with them again in the future. We would like to thank our community for their amazing, continued support! This fundraiser sold 39-lbs more than last year, and we have our dedicated community to thank for the increased success.

Our 2023 Landgrove fundraiser may be over, but it’s always a great time to support our local roastery! They maintain a Direct Trade relationship with coffee farmers in Guatemala and are always eager to support local clubs and nonprofits through fundraising efforts. Consider checking out the Landgrove Coffee website and be sure to look for another HSoP fundraiser next year!

If you ordered through the fundraiser and selected local pickup, your order is ready to go! Feel free to stop by HSoP between 1:00-6:00pm Monday through Saturday to pick up your delicious coffee.

Kitten Season has Arrived!

Springtime brings flowers, sunshine, and plenty of homeless kittens. Each year, there is a period of several months known as “Kitten Season”. This is the time when animal shelters receive a large influx in the amount of orphaned and homeless kittens in need of care. Typically, Kitten Season will run from about April to September, when the weather stays above freezing at night. 

March signaled the start of Kitten Season 2023, as we received our first momma and her baby! Mrs. Potts arrived at HSoP as a very pregnant stray, and soon gave birth to her adorable and feisty baby, Chip. Now at nearly 4 weeks old, Chip is thriving as a single kitten and growing more curious by the day! Take a look below for some lovable photos of Mrs. Potts and Chip over the last few weeks. 

Almost as if on schedule, we have had several more momma cats and their kittens arrive since Chip and Mrs. Potts! There are currently eight other kittens being raised in our momma room by three different moms, and we expect that number to grow as Kitten Season continues on. HSoP typically takes in between 150-200 kittens each year, which is an equally cute and challenging task. Caring for this many kittens requires time, attention, and expensive supplies, so we’re hosting a Kitten Shower to help us prepare.

You’re invited to join us at the 1912 Center Great Room on Sunday, June 4th from 1:00-4:00pm for our annual Kitten Shower! We ask that each guest bring along a small donation or an item from our Kitten Season Wish List to help us be as prepared as possible for all the kittens who need our help. There will be fun games, important information, and adorable kittens for you to meet. Moscow Realty is helping to make this event possible, and we hope to see you there!

Grant for TNR

One of the programs that we’re proud to offer is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). This program is intended to target feral cat communities by providing spay/neuter surgeries, vaccines, and ear-tips to feral cats living on owned property in Latah County.  Since launching the program in late 2021, TNR has assisted more than 100 feral cats within our community. Pleased with the success of TNR, we began searching for opportunities to continue funding the program. We're happy to share that HSoP recently received a $4,000 grant to support our TNR program! By covering nearly a years' worth of operating expenses for the program, this grant will make a substantial difference in how much we're able to help local feral cats. We are so grateful for this grant and what it means for the feral cats living in Latah County! We look forward to continuing the TNR program, which prevents unwanted cat births, reduces feline infectious diseases, and lowers the number of unowned, homeless pets within our community.

Do you have feral cats living on your property? Please visit our website to learn more about the TNR program, and how it may be able to help.

Tadpole's Merlin Fund Story

Our Merlin Fund was created for pets who arrive at HSoP in need of intensive or emergency medical care. The fund acts as a safety net, ensuring that we always have the ability to cover any necessary veterinary care for pets in need. Tadpole is the most recent recipient of the Merlin Fund, and we’re here to share her story. 
 

Tadpole arrived at HSoP as a stray in late February. Upon intake, it was clear that this pretty girl had an issue with her back right leg. X-rays revealed that Tadpole had previously broken her leg in three places, and the bones healed incorrectly on their own. This left her unable to walk and use the leg correctly, causing pain and the risk for further injury. The veterinary team at Animal Clinic and Hospital suggested amputation, and her surgery was scheduled soon after. Tadpole had her back right leg amputated on March 23rd. It took a few days for her to adapt to the change, but now moves around with ease. Tadpole is far along on her road to recovery and has already found her forever home! She’ll be leaving HSoP with her new best friend soon, and we couldn't be happier. 

Tadpole’s surgery was made possible through our Merlin Fund for extensive and lifesaving medical care. Please consider making a donation to the Merlin Fund, which makes second chances possible for those who need it most. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so by mailing a check to 2019 E White Ave. Moscow, ID 83843 or by making a donation through PayPal. If you are mailing a check, please write “Merlin Fund” in the memo line.

The beautiful Tadpole, all ready for her new life!

Upcoming Events!

Mark your calendar for these upcoming events and fundraisers! We'll be sure to share more details as time goes on, but it's always good to know these dates ahead of time. We can't wait for all of the pet-loving fun we have planned; be sure to join us!

Crumbl Cookie Fundraiser - Tuesday, April 11th from 8:00am-10:00pm

Stop by the Moscow Crumbl store, order something divine, and tell staff that you would like to support HSoP. They'll donate 15% of your order toward our cause!

Umpqua Bank Adoption Event - Friday, April 28th from 11:00am-1:00pm

Kitten Season is here, and we need all the help we can get with finding loving adoptive homes! We're excited to partner with the Moscow Umpqua Bank branch for our first off-site adoption event in quite some time. Stop by and meet our cuddly, adoptable kittens! Be warned though: you may just fall in love.

Idaho Gives Online Giving - Monday, May 1st through Thursday, May 4th

Each year, the Idaho Nonprofit Center hosts Idaho Gives to raise much-needed funds for nonprofits throughout our state. We'll be participating, alongside several other Latah County organizations!

Panda Express Fundraiser - Saturday, May 13th

Enjoy a meal at the Moscow Panda Express and show staff the fundraiser flyer (we'll share this on social media soon!) to have 20% of your order total donated to HSoP.

HSoP Kitten Shower - Sunday, June 4th from 1:00-4:00pm @ 1912 Center

Bring along a small donation or an item from our Kitten Season wish list to help us care for hundreds of orphaned kittens! There will be informational games and real-life kittens from HSoP for you to meet and cuddle with.

MOD Pizza Fundraiser - Sunday, June 11th

Stop by the Moscow MOD pizza and show staff the fundraiser flyer (we'll share this on social media soon!) to have 20% of your order total donated toward our cause.

HSoP animals currently available for adoption:

Get in Touch