TOWN OF TONAWANDA: Support could win SPCA a makeover

By Daniel Pye<br><a href="mailto:pyed@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Dan</a>
The Tonawanda News

April 16, 2008 11:44 pm

— Hundreds of loyal supporters of the Erie County SPCA gathered with brightly-colored signs and customized T-shirts Wednesday to show visitors from Zootoo House Inc. how much the not-for-profit means to them.
The group burst into song as Zootoo Founder Richard Thompson stepped out of his van, showing him how much the local SPCA could use the $1 million makeover his company will be giving away to one lucky shelter. Mary Jane Smith is a frequent visitor to the facility and said there couldn’t be a more deserving shelter.
“This is definitely the best shelter,” Smith said. “The people here are so helpful and knowledgeable, so when you’re walking through it’s a social experience. It’s not like walking through a supermarket of dogs.”
Smith adopted one of her dogs, Poppy, from the SPCA two years ago. But she didn’t just walk in and walk out with a dog.
Staff helped her select Poppy, but then asked her to bring in her other animals and her daughter, Katie, to meet the prospective new addition to the family. That kind of attention helps make sure the animal will fit in properly in its new home, Smith said.
“It was great to see how he would behave so there were no surprises,” Smith said. “You never know how they’ll react to your little ones and just dropping a dog into a new situation like that isn’t good for you or your dog.”
Poppy was abandoned near the SPCA, scared and ridden with mange. But the loving devotion of the staff helped ensure he’d find a home with Smith’s two other dogs, two cats and two rabbits. The quality of the experiences and the staff keeps Smith’s family coming back, she said.
“We’ll come for the afternoon in the summer,” Smith said. “Katie likes to play with the farm animals and they have coloring contests and all kinds of things all summer long. There’s always something to do.”
But there’s much more to the SPCA. The staff provides classes on pet care and educates young people on the proper treatment of animals to ensure the chance for cruelty is stopped before it starts. The importance of the facility as a community organization even resonates with animal lovers who aren’t pet owners themselves. Brian Smithers came out to support the facility because he has several friends who volunteer to help with wildlife rehabilitation, nursing wounded animals back to health.
“They’ll get baby ducks or take a bird hit by a car to help rehabilitate it and get it back into the wild,” Smithers said.
That type of community awareness has catapulted the facility into the spotlight with the Zootoo contest, which began last fall. To be considered for the prize, animal shelters had to have 25,000 points, gained by having supporters review pet-related topics ranging from dog food to veterinary services. Local pet lovers responded in droves, with more than 3,700 signing up on the site to help, said Gina Browning, public relations director for the SPCA.
Of the 974 animal shelters nationwide that participated in a Zootoo House Inc. contest, the Erie County SPCA took the 11th spot. That placed the facility in the top 20, assuring them a $5,000 prize and placing them in the running for the $1 million makeover grand prize.
Thompson and other Zootoo representatives toured the facility to learn more about the shelter, the services it provides and the community it serves.
“This is the eighth shelter we’ve visited, and it’s definitely the most organized,” Thompson said as he looked out over the sea of smiling faces, waving signs and barking dogs.
The facilities are evaluated on policies, procedures, financial controls and community involvement.
“We look at what the community has done for the shelter before we showed up, what they’re doing during the makeover and what they’ll do when we leave,” Thompson said. “And this is an excellent community.”
On May 15, the tour will be done and the directors of all 20 shelters will meet with Thompson at a convention in Orlando. On stage, 17 of them will receive $5,000 prizes and three finalists will be chosen to appear with Thompson on a morning show in New York City on May 21. That’s when the first place winner will be announced, on live TV, he said.
Contact reporter Daniel Pyeat 693-1000, ext. 158.

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