Thanks for your patience!

The first annual WOW! Walk held on Sunday April 18th in Willow Springs was a wonderful day for the animals. Over $4,000 was raised to help the homeless animals of Triple R Pets and New Beginnings. The highest pledge winners were Lynn Morrello, Martha Sagris, Kathleen King and Penny Mulcahy, and Cindi Buczkowske. The first place prize was a handmade Adirondack dog bed.

The sun was shining as the dogs and owners stepped up to the starting line for the walk around the park. Several supporters who did not have dogs, brought photos of their cats and walked the route with them! On the second lap of the walk, some of the smaller dogs complained that their little legs were worn out, so their owners picked them up and bravely carried them over the finish line.

After the walk, everyone received a certificate and headed over to the food booth sponsored by New Beginnings for a delicious lunch of burgers and chips and tasty cookies!

After lunch there was time for participants to visit the booths that were set up. Our local stained glass artist, Mary Gaines, had a wonderful selection of stained glass dogs and cats, and next to Mary’s booth was the Knitters for Critters table. This group of ladies crochets and knits small blankets for the shelter animals that must stay in kennels. When the pets are adopted, the blanket goes with them to their new home so that they will have something familiar to help them feel more comfortable. Learn more about Knitters for Critters on their website.

Triple R Pets also had a booth showing how a TNR (trap-neuter-return) program can help feral cats and shelter pets. Tree House was there too. To learn about their adoption programs, please visit TreeHouse Animals website. A volunteer from EARS was there to show us the things we need to help our pets in an emergency disaster. Please see EARS website  for more information on emergency pet preparedness.

The contests ended the day of fun. Cricket was paws down the best yodeler in the singing contest! The best kisser contest brought out the pooches for smooches especially when they found the peanut butter on their owners’ faces! And who could resist taking a photo of Mr. and Mrs. Santa Paws in the best costume contest?

Thank you everyone for sharing the day with us at the WOW! Walk where we all walked our way to a no-kill world, one paw at a time. Thank you and see you next year!

The presentation began with a short video prepared by the Humane Society of the United States showing the effectiveness of TNR programs in various communities throughout the US.  Each attendee was then given a caretaker packet with information prepared by Triple R Pets and including materials from Alley Cat Allies, a national organization promoting the humane care of feral cats.  An RRR volunteer showed the audience how to humanely trap and transport feral cats and a lively discussion followed.  Then the attendees were given the traps and asked to participate in a hands-on experience learning how to bait and set the humane trap.

On April 8 from 6:30 to 8 PM, the workshop will be given again at the Oak Forest Park District, 15601 Central, Oak Forest IL.  The workshop is free and open to the public.

THE STARTING LINE

Sunday, April 18 from 1pm to 4pm.
1148 Blackstone, Willow Springs IL 60480
Lions Park

1:00 Registration and contests
2:00 The WOW! walk begins
3:00 Contests

WHO’S INVITED?

Everyone who wants to have a great time and loves the animals.

• Dress up your dog or come as you are, and walk the four block route.

• No dog?  No problem!  Take a photo of your cat(s) and walk the parade route with your photo and receive a free mini-kitty toy!

• Don’t have a dog or cat?  You can still help the animals by registering to support one of our special needs pets.

HOW TO REGISTER:

You can register your pet or sponsor one of our special needs pets: Bigsby, Dually, or Carrie Ann.

$30 early registration ends April 12. There are three payment options.

• Online: use the online registration form with a PayPal account.
• By mail: download a registration form, complete it, and send it no later than April 12 with a $30 entry fee by check payable to Triple R Pets, Triple R Pets, PO Box 86, Western Springs IL 60558
• $35 at the gate on the day of the walk

Each registered pet owner will receive:

• An event t-shirt
• A goodie bag
• Free participation sign-up for all contests and prizes

PLEDGES:

Set a goal and ask family, friends and co-workers to help you achieve it. We are hoping that everyone can bring in $50 of pledges to help the animals. Pledge sheets and checks and cash should be turned in on the day of the walk. Checks should be made payable to Triple R Pets.

PLEDGE PRIZES: The top three registrants bringing in the most pledges (minimum $200) will receive:
First place – Adirondack doggie bed
Second place – stainless steel raised water and food bowls
Third place – a gift certificate to a local restuarant

CONTESTS FOR CANINES
Best Costume
Best Trick
Best Kisser
Look-Alike Contest (owner and dog
Doggie Yodel: Best Musical Act with Dog

THE CLIP AND CHIP BOOTH: microchip $20, dog nails trimmed $10

RAFFLES with great prizes!

Please download the flyer and pass it on to friends. For specific questions please feel free to contact us.

Are you feeding the cats outside? Too many kittens and spring will bring more?

TNR (trap/neuter/return) is the only humane and effective solution to feral cat overpopulation. Learn to trap, transport, protect and provide shelter for the cats at this free workshop presented by Triple R Pets. Both workshops are open to the public. There will be a short video describing TNR and its benefits, a demonstration of successful humane trapping, and a hands-on workshop with traps. Participants may sign up for TNR Assistance.

Sign up in advance by completing the online registration form here. For more information about this free program, please contact us, info@tripleRpets.org. or 708 738 1438.

In Oak Forest

Thursday April 8th, 6:30 to 8:30 pm Oak Forest Park District 15601 Central Ave

In Tinley Park – Flyer

The Animal Care and Control Officer and the Police Department of Tinley Park are sponsoring a Trap/Neuter/Return workshop. Saturday March 20, 3 to 5 pm, the meeting room of the Tinley Park Police Station, 7850 W. 183rd St. Tinley Park IL. From 5 to 6 pm, representatives of Triple R Pets and the Animal Control Officer of Tinley Park will answer any questions that attendees may have.

You find one cat hanging around your porch, and you begin to feed her. In March, she has four very cute kittens. An average female cat will have two to three litters of four kittens a year. If your outside cat has three litters, how many cats will be in your yard by December?

Cats can conceive when they are four months old. Gestation is 60 days. Half of the kittens are female and become pregnant. Now, how many cats will be in your yard by September?

But wait! Cats can conceive while they are nursing their first kittens. Half of the kittens are female. Those March kittens may produce a second litter before winter comes. If they do, how many cats will be in your yard in next January?

Email us with the correct answer and your name and address. If you are one of the first five contestants with the right answer, you will win a $10 gift certificate to PetSmart and one feral cat spay/neuter voucher!

Wednesday, Feb 24
Wednesday, Mar 10
Thursday, Mar 25

More dates to come!  If you or someone you know has cats that need TNR and you would like to participate in one or more of these dates, please contact us through our Request for TNR Form, or by sending an e-mail to info@triplerpets.org.

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SPAY ILLINOIS
708-301-1300
1-877-475-SPAY (7729)
www.spayillinois.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel: 708-301-1300
Cell: 708-374-0035
Email:info@spayillinois.org

LOW COST SPAY/NEUTER PROGRAM FOR COOK & WILL COUNTY RESIDENTS
SPAY ILLINOIS kicks off February 2010 with a goal of spay/neutering 500 pets

SPAY ILLINOIS is a new statewide program that is making it easy for people to have their pets spayed or neutered. SPAY ILLINOIS is a partner of SPAY USA a nationally known group dedicated to helping people find low cost spay/neuter options. SPAY ILLINOIS runs a toll free number for the state of Illinois which anyone can call to find low cost options in their area 1-877-475-SPAY (7729) or locally 708-301-1300. You can also visit the website for more information on SPAY ILLINOIS at www.spayillinois.org.(Still Under Construction until Friday)

The goal of SPAY ILLINOIS is to reduce the number of animals euthanized in Illinois every year by helping people find low cost services, subsidized funds, and programs for low-income owners who cannot afford to have their pet altered. Even though there are programs out there to help a lot of the people in Illinois don’t know where to find them. SPAY ILLINOIS is going to be here to help them find the best program for their needs.

We are also facing the challenge of finding vets to participate in our program, SPAY USA currently has 9,000 vets participating but since SPAY ILLINOIS has just started we currently have 27 participating and are looking for more. We have many black hole areas ( areas that have no spay/neuter services available) and we will be setting up transports to transport public animals to low cost service providers until we can fill those holes.

There are no income qualifications to call SPAY ILLINOIS, no county restrictions or number of animals that can be fixed through our program.

For the Month of February Cook County & Will County will be offering their low cost spay/neuter program which reduces the cost of your animals spay/neuter by $40.00. There is a limit of 2 pets per household for this program and the pet must either receive a rabies vaccination and tag the day of surgery or have a current rabies vaccination and tag to qualify for the program.

You can have your cat spayed/neutered for $40 and your dog’s spayed/neutered for $55 through our program. Vaccinations and other services will be available the day of surgery. Since we expect a very high turnout for this program please call as soon as possible to get your February appointment booked through one of our local vets.
If you live outside of Will or Cook County we still have low cost options available for you so please call us to get your pet scheduled today.

SPAY ILLINOIS is a program of New Beginnings Cat Shelter a registered non-profit #36-4538177 in Illinois if you would like to make a donation to SPAY ILLINOIS or New Beginnings Cat Shelter please visit our website at http://www.newbeginningscatshelter.org or http://www.spayillinois.org.

Cook and Will County, IL residents can have their dogs, cats, or ferrets spayed/neutered during the month of February andreceive a $40 rebate.

How the rebate program works in Cook County:

1. Call your veterinarian to ask if she/he is participating in the Cook County or Will County spay/neuter rebate program.

2. Schedule an appointment in February with a participating veterinarian.

3. Bring your cat, dog or ferret in for spay/neuter surgery. Limit is two pets per household.

4. Pay your veterinarian for the surgery, minus the $40 rebate

5. Veterinarians receive a $40 rebate for each spay/neuter performed during the month of February.

6. Owners must have proof that pets are current on rabies and other vaccinations.

Will County offers a very similar program. For details, contact your participating veterinarian or Will County Animal Control (815) 462-5633.

Click here for a downloadable flyer and help us spread the word!

Coastal Mississippi continues to offer everyday low-cost spay/neuter surgeries through generous funding from the ASPCA, United Animal Nations and other national organizations. The following are a couple of links to local services in MS:

Mississippi Spay & Neuter
Humane Society of Southern Mississippi