Meet September's Volunteer of the Month!

Bill G., a career Naval veteran originally from Iowa, cannot think of a time in his youth when he didn't have animals. Everything ranging from tortoises, birds, fish, livestock, dogs & cats came across his path in need of help & the neighborhood knew he had a special compassion in his heart to heal them.

Now, after moving to the Villages, and recently losing his own dog to illness, he saw that our HS/SPCA needed foster homes. Bill found this to be a great way for him & his wife Margaret to ease their pain so they fostered MoJo. As Bill said "My failing 'Foster Care 101' brought MoJo into our lives. He was the best thing that could have happed to us. MoJo is no longer just a dog he is family. I felt it was important to give back to the community if able & fostering seemed like a small way to help animals & at the same time fill that void we had in our lives."

Bill has learned after spending time with us on many projects, of the many ways someone can help volunteer their time and/or expertise. Something near & dear to him is helping end animal cruelty within Sumter County's borders.

When we asked him what he would say to those who have yet to get involved & volunteer, he passionately said 'What's keeping you?!?! Volunteering in any capacity will help change the life of some animal that only wants to give their unconditional love. Believe me, no matter how much you give of your time & talent it will be nothing compared to the self satisfaction you receive.' We appreciate your enthusiasm to change lives Bill!

Petco's 5th Anniversary Celebration of Lady Lake Store!

PETCO is celebrating their 5th anniversary of their Lady Lake store with a HUGE celebration of events and adoptable animals we'll be bringing. So come on by and join the party animals with us!

The fun runs from 10am-2pm with great food, treats and animal presentations. There are lots of free samples to receive! Maybe you'll also meet your new best friend! So come on by!

Petco is located on Rolling Acres Road in Lady Lake along with Target.

Pet CPR/First Aid Class Offered in October

Would you know what to do if your dog or cat was choking, if it swallowed your medication or if you found an animal hit by a car? Due to popular demand, we are offering another class in Pet CPR & First Aid. Don't feel helpless. Learn how to save an animal's life in an emergency. It's critical to your pet's survival if ...you know what to do!

PRE-REGISTERED attendees are to meet at the Colony Cottage Recreation Center in The Villages on October 4th, Monday, from 1-4pm. This course will provide hands-on instruction and educational materials. Animal mannequins will be used for class training demos, so please do not bring pets to the course.

The size of class is limited to 25 people so sign up now with your non-refundable $5 deposit or payment in full of only $25/person. We just got a kind sponsor for the Pet CPR/First Aid book too so if you are attending the class you can buy one for ONLY $5 extra but you must let us know PRIOR to attending the class since we must pre-purchase them! They retail for $17 from the Red Cross so you need to tell us which one you want to buy when you sign up: a DOG book or a CAT book so we order the correct number of each for the 10/4 event. (If you have already signed up via our website's Paypal or by snail mail & a check, send us an email with your name & which one you want to buy!)

Payment can be through our website www.hsspca.org via the Paypal "Donate" button. Insert "Pet CPR" in the info/memo line. Pre-registration can also be accepted via the mail at the Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County, Inc., PO Box 67, Lake Panasoffkee, FL 33538. A portion of the proceeds will benefit our Animal Care Fund. The course is open to the public.

Struggling to Live...

We want you to meet Lotus, a Cur mix who came into our care in early August. She is a dog so emaciated we thought we had seen it all but Lotus set a record sadly even for us...

According to our vet, Lotus had experienced severe malnutrition HER ENTIRE LIFE thus stunting her growth which explains why she appears puppy-like but is estimated at being 2-3 years old.

Despite how horrid people treated her, she is kind, gentle & has shown no signs of aggression. She is SO appreciative of her safe foster home, the kindness of a loving hand & her endless meals. She will take some time to recover to a healthier state but she is not out of the woods yet. Her condition still remains guarded. You can view more photos of Lotus and Buddy on our Facebook page. Lotus and Buddy are perfect examples of the inexcusable cruelty we see within our county and what we work so hard to eradicate. Thanks to donors with good hearts, we can accomplish this slowly and steadily. Please help Lotus rise from the darkness of her past and enjoy the rebirth of her new life...

A Great New Local Sponsor!

Morris Realty & Investments in the Villages, wishes to better our community! John Mello & Linda Sears mentioned "we want to raise awareness of animal abuse. As animal lovers it breaks our hearts every time we see an animal that is being mistreated. We have reported abuse and will continue to do so. However, in this economy, where money is tighter and stress levels are higher, pet abuse is on the rise. This is NEVER acceptable. We are committing ourselves to the Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County Inc. with our time and money. We will be volunteering at events and sponsoring events. We will also be donating on a regular basis. For every successful real estate transaction - we will donate $100 to the Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County Inc. Real Estate is our business and loving animals is our passion. We are 'Dog Gone Good' because we care!"
Visit www.morrisrealtors.com. If you and your business wish to sponsor an event to make a difference contact us and we'll make it happen! Remember that when you donate locally, it improves YOUR community! It's that simple!

Back from the Brink...

It took nearly 6 months but we have finally received some justice for an abused & abandoned dog named Buddy. Back in Jan., a concerned citizen called us that a neighbor moved out & left behind their dog outside in an Oxford pen. Our Cruelty Investigator arrived promptly & discovered the saddest sight in rainy below-freezing temperatures, an emaciated shivering Cur mix (hound dog type) standing in a bare open pen with not so much as a blanket. Though he was friendly, he was barely able to stand due to his starvation, basically, a skeleton with hide.

We promptly administered vet emergency care. Sadly, he tested positive for heartworms, which could be so easily prevented if he was ever cared for properly. His small meals were gratefully gobbled down but frequently vomited up as his stomach had not seen anything for so long. In the past 6 months, Buddy has been slowly regaining his strength & weight but continues to eat every meal as if it's his last.

We made a committment to Buddy & others just like him. We will care for them until we find them a loving safe forever home. We are able to do that thanks to donors like you. We use your donations to provide them medical care, pet food & training to become a wonderful well-adjusted family pet. You make this happen & we thank you on behalf of Buddy & the many others you help. Soon we'll show you a progress report on Buddy and what he's up to! You can view more photos of Buddy on our Facebook page.

Dottie the Dachshund is Sumter's Sweetheart

We are pleased to present little Dottie Lynch, owned by Betty and Joe Lynch of the Villages as Sumter's Sweetheart contest WINNER! Dottie, a seven year old Dachshund, was adopted from our own HS/SPCA two years ago.

As owner Betty mentioned "we fell in love with Dottie online looking at her photo on the HS/SPCA website. We love her so much and our home would not be the same without Dottie. Dottie was five when we decided to adopt an older dog and she has made us both feel like 'kids' again with her love and our love for her."

2nd Place JB in Sumter's Sweetheart Contest

This Jail Bird is free now and enjoying her 2nd place title in Sumter's Sweetheart as her Mom's sweetheart! Diane Kupchak adopted JB from the Osceola Animal Control almost 4 years ago when JB was almost two years old. She is an amazing and loving companion and treasured by Diane.

3rd Place Muttley Perkins in Sumter's Sweetheart Contest

Muttley, a handsome Tibetan Terrier mix, was rescued by the HS/SPCA. "A visit to Sandy Bays Grooming cleaned him up and created the handsome dog that we love and adopted into our family. He truly is the protector of our home as any visitor will attest" said owner Marsha Perkins. He's a sweetheart to many of us who know him and he landed a sweetheart of a family too!