2009 News Archive | St. Louis PetLover Coalition

Saint Louis Pet Expo on October 24, 2009

The PetLover Coalition will be at the Pet Expo on Saturday, October 24th, 2009. Join us and other pet enthusiasts for a fun day of celebrities, games and performances

Be sure to look out for the PetLover Coalition table beside the Pro Plan tent. For more information see below or visit Saint Louis Pet Expo at http://stlpetexpo.com/.

Saint Louis Pet Expo
Saturday, October 24, 2009
10am - 6pm
St. Charles Convention Center
FREE to General Public, Free Parking

ALL-STAR WEEKEND GOES TO THE DOGS WITH THE ST. LOUIS PETLOVER COALITION ALL-STAR EVENT

As baseball greats warm up for the city's most anticipated games of this year, spectators can cool down at the St. Louis Petlover Coalition's All-Star Event, where pet lovers can adopt p[ets from the Animal Protective Association and catch one of three performances by the Purina® Incredible Dog team.

The St. Louis Petlover Coalition's All-Star Event will be held Saturday, July 11, from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the General American Building on Market and 7th - across from downtown's Citygarden - and will bring together nearly 20 area pet shelter and rescue organizations groups.

Pet owners can enter a drawing for a year's worth of free pet food, pick up some free dog and cat treats, and learn tips on keeping animals safe during the dog days of summer. Visitors can also catch the entertainment, enjoy refreshments, learn about exciting new plans for area animal care facilities, and see firsthand renderings of the new St. Louis Stray Rescue and Animal House that will be on display. Hope to see you there!

Fostering - Saving One Pet at a Time Tips and advice for animal rescue organizations and foster parents

A presentation of the issues - brought to you by Operation S.P.O.T. (Stop Pet Overpopulation Today)

WHERE:
Creve Coeur Community Center
300 N. New Ballas Road
Creve Coeur, MO

WHEN:
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Registration 6:30 pm; Forum begins 7:00 pm

PROGRAM:

Registration: 6:30pm-7pm
Welcome
Liz Rudder, Executive Director, Operation SPOT
"How a Foster Program Can Affect Rescue Success"
Tara Schaper, Foster Program Coordinator, Stray Rescue of St. Louis
"Starting a Foster Program Where a Real Need Exists"
Rebecca Smail, Shelter Manager, St. Louis City Animal Care & Control
"Cats Need Love, Too! The Special Challenges of Cat Foster Care"
Anita Contreras, Program Coordinator, Cat Network
"From a Foster Family’s Perspective"
Michael Burkhart and Lindsey Denton, St. Louis Senior Dog Project Foster Parents
Refreshment break
Question & Answer Period
Questions answered by a panel of the presenters and other experts

If you can join us, please RSVP to Operation SPOT at 314-995-8678 by July 13^th to reserve your seat and your handouts. All organizations and individuals are welcome to attend. There is no charge, but donations are most appreciated.

OPERATION SPOT
PO Box 29563
St. Louis, MO 63127
314-995-8678
www.opsot.org

FIRST-EVER COALITION OF ST. LOUIS ANIMAL WELFARE GROUPS FORMED TO MAKE ST. LOUIS ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S PET-FRIENDLIEST REGIONS

ST. LOUIS, MO (June 9, 2009) - Today, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay joined representatives from a number of area animal shelter and rescue organizations, as well as representatives from the Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, to announce a new organization aimed at promoting responsible pet ownership and increasing pet adoptions in the region: The St. Louis PetLover Coalition.

This groundbreaking initiative represents the first partnership of its kind in the St. Louis area among animal rescue groups, shelters, veterinary organizations, and City and County health departments. (See attached fact sheet for a full list of participating organizations.) Modeled after similar efforts in Denver, Austin, and New York, the St. Louis PetLover Coalition will foster collaboration among participating groups, share best practices, and help bring awareness to issues and opportunities in the region that improve animal welfare.

The members of the coalition's working group unveiled the St. Louis PetLover Coalition logo and Web site (www.stlpetlover.org) today at an event in Kiener Plaza. Featured on the Web site are immediate volunteer opportunities with the participating groups.

The coalition also will work together to determine regional benchmark statistics on spay/neuter results, stray pets, return to owner rates, adoption rates, and other key measures in order to quantify the issues for the region, then work to improve them.

The coalition was initially brought together by a team at the Nestlé Purina PetCare Company in February of this year. "It's wonderful that one of our best corporate citizens, Nestlé Purina, brought this diverse group together from throughout the City and County to focus on their common goal: to save more pets," said Mayor Slay.

"Collaboration is critical for the success of the region and for the well-being of pets in the St. Louis area," said St. Louis County Health Department Director, Dr. Dolores Gunn. "While each organization will maintain its individual mission and programs, today we stand here together as the St. Louis PetLover Coalition."

While formally announced today, participating organizations already are communicating and collaborating more, and saving more pets together. Several groups realized they shared programs to adopt more senior dogs and are working to increase this reach. Also, funds for spay/neuter are being shared more broadly to impact this critical issue. Members of the coalition even came together at the City Shelter at Gasconade last week to help the City team paint as part of its facility improvements.

ST. LOUIS PETLOVER COALITION – ADD ONE

Unanimous Support

Nestlé Purina's Vice President of Animal Welfare, Betsy Cohen, said, "We had researched and spent time in other cities that have created these kinds of coalitions – Denver, Austin, New York, and others. And we saw the amazing things that happened when individual pet organizations came together to support each other and focus on their common goal: to save pets. "We wanted to see if we could make this work in St. Louis, too."

After just a couple meetings, it was clear that there was unanimous support for officially forming the St. Louis PetLover Coalition. "We didn't anticipate being able to announce this for several more months," said Cohen. "But we reached consensus very quickly. Given the current economy, and with the pressing need these groups have for volunteers this summer, we felt it was imperative to announce the Coalition as soon as possible."

Cohen emphasized that Coalition participants will maintain their independence and respective missions, but will collaborate to save pets and promote responsible pet ownership.

"We applaud what the St. Louis animal community is doing," said Bob Rohde, President and CEO of the Denver Dumb Friends League. "When I was asked to speak to the working group and share the successes we've had in Denver, I was excited to help bring the idea of a coalition to life in St. Louis."

To learn more about the St. Louis PetLover Coalition or volunteer opportunities with any of the participating organizations, please visit www.stlpetlover.org.

About the St. Louis PetLover Coalition

The St. Louis PetLover Coalition fosters collaborative efforts of local animal welfare groups and the community to promote responsible pet ownership and to increase the save rate of companion animals in our community.

St. Louis PetLover Coalition Fact Sheet

Who We Are:

The St. Louis PetLover Coalition is the result of the region's first-ever dialogue about animal welfare among public and private agencies, large and small associations, and City and County health departments. Nestlé Purina initially convened the group to explore the feasibility of a coalition dedicated to the vision of St. Louis one day being regarded as one of country's most pet-friendly regions. After several meetings, there was unanimous support for formally organizing the St. Louis PetLover Coalition.

Why We Are Here:

Euthanasia and stray animal rates are a persistent problem across the country, including in the St. Louis region. The organizations involved in the St. Louis PetLover Coalition each have initiatives to improve the welfare of pets, but all agree that the common goals of promoting responsible pet ownership and increasing pet adoption rates would be realized much faster if they worked together.

The St. Louis PetLover Coalition is dedicated to building inter-agency communications to help:

Identify volunteers and additional support
Find nurturing homes for thousands of displaced pets
Increase spay and neuter rates, and
Build public awareness regarding responsible pet ownership with educational and community outreach programs

Mission Statement:

To foster collaborative efforts of local animal welfare groups and the community to promote responsible pet ownership and to increase the save rate of companion animals in our community.

Summer Call-to-Action:

All area pet lovers can play a part in improving animal welfare by becoming summer volunteers for agencies of the St. Louis PetLover Coalition. All pet enthusiasts are encouraged to visit the Web site (www.stlPetLover.org) to sign up for and receive updates on volunteer opportunities.

Who Is Involved:

Working member organizations of the St. Louis PetLover Coalition include (in alphabetical order):

A.D.O.P.T (Jefferson County)
Angel Acres Rescue
Animal House Fund
Animal Protective Association of Mo.
BARC (Benefiting Animals through Responsibility and Compassion)
Cat Network, Inc.
City of St. Louis Dept. of Health – Animal Care & Control
Greater St. Louis Veterinary Medical Ass'n
Humane Society of Missouri

Love a Golden Rescue
Metro Animal Resources
Mutts 'N Stuff
Nestlé Purina PetCare Company
Operation SPOT
Pet's Second Chance, Welsh Corgi Rescue
Stray Rescue of St. Louis
St. Louis County Dept. of Health – Animal Care & Control
St. Louis Senior Dog Project
TARA Training & Behavior

Web site:

For more information on the St. Louis PetLover Coalition, volunteer opportunities, and working member organization information, please visit, www.stlPetLover.org.

PetLover Coalition Press Conference