SPCA of Texas Bringing Approximately
175-200 Rescued Unweaned
Baby Squirrels to McKinney Today

Squirrels Will Be Bottle Fed On-Site
Immediately After They Arrive

(McKinney, TX) September 24, 2008--The SPCA of Texaas is bringing approximately 175-200 squirrels rescued in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike to the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center today.

The WildCare Foundation, a wildlife rehabilitation group from Noble, Oklahoma, will then pick up all of the baby squirrels from the Perry Animal Care Center for transport to their facility.

Because these squirrels are so young, they'll need to be fed before they leave the Perry Animal Care Center. To accomplish this feat, ten volunteers from local, state-licensed wildlife rehabilitation groups have graciously offered to be waiting at the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center to bottle feed all of the baby squirrels before the WildCare Foundation staff transports them to Oklahoma.

108 Dogs, Cats to Be Transferred to the SPCA of Texas from Humane Society of Southeast Texas
in Beaumont

The SPCA of Texas will welcome 108 animals (75 dogs and 33 cats) from Humane Society of Southeast Texas in Beaumont on Tuesday, September 16 at the the SPCA of Texas' Perry Animal Care Center. This transfer will allow the Humane Society of Southeast Texas to respond to animals in need along the Texas coast.

The animals were previously available for adoption before Hurricane Ike slammed into the Texas coast this past weekend. The animals will be individually evaluated, spayed or neutered and placed up for adoption in the coming days.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) contacted the SPCA of Texas Monday (September 15, 2008) to provide for the care and placement of these animals.

SPCA of Texas Deploys Seven Staff to Houston, Texas to Assist Houston SPCA

On Sunday, September 14th, 2008, the SPCA of Texas deployed even staff members to Houston at the request of the Houston SPCA to help in any capacity needed. The SPCA of Texas' Emergency Response Vehicle and a van, both suitable for animal transport, departed the Perry Animal Care Center (8411 Stacy Rd./FM 720) in McKinney Sunday, September 14, and will remain in Houston for one week.

SPCA of Texas to Arrive in McKinney with 126 Dogs, Cats, Rabbits from Houston SPCA Today

The SPCA of Texas evacuated 126 dogs, cats and rabbits (66 dogs, 50 cats and ten rabbits) from the Houston SPCA on September 11, 2008 as the Texas coast braces for Hurricane Ike.

The animals will now be individually evaluated, spayed or neutered and placed up for adoption in the coming days.

The Houston SPCA contacted the SPCA of Texas yesterday to provide for the evacuation, care and placement of these animals, all of which were previously available for adoption. This evacuation will allow the Houston SPCA to respond to animals in need all along the Texas coast.

Additionally, in preparation to receive these evacuees, the admitting departments at both SPCA of Texas shelters (Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney and Dealey Animal Care Center in Dallas) will be closed until further notice. The SPCA of Texas will continue to transfer animals from all transfer partners during this time.

 The SPCA of Texas responds to animals in need in times of natural disaster, and has -- as a part of its 70-year mission --  since before Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast.

This past week, volunteers and staff worked tirelessly to help the helpless, to offer refuge to the homeless and to provide shelter and a second chance at life to animals escaping Hurricane Gustav.

• In the wake of Hurricane Gustav, on Saturday, August 30, the SPCA of Texas transferred 188 dogs and cats from the Louisiana SPCA in New Orleans to our Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney.
• On Sunday, August 31, the SPCA of Texas offered temporary foster homes to those evacuees who had come to North Texas with their pets but had nowhere to house them until they were able to return.
• On Monday, September 1, the SPCA of Texas transferred 89 cats and kittens to the Dumb Friends League in Denver, Colorado to make room for more evacuees, and on Tuesday, September 2, transferred 48 dogs to Michigan Humane in Detroit, meeting them halfway in St. Louis at Missouri Humane.
• Additionally, on Wednesday, September 3, the SPCA of Texas transferred 111 dogs and cats from the Caddo Parish Animal Control shelter in Shreveport, Louisiana to its Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney. These animals were all available for adoption prior to their evacuation from the Lake Charles, Louisiana Animal Control shelter earlier this week to escape Hurricane Gustav.
• Today, we're standing by to assist people and pets as Hurricane Ike comes ashore. We will continue to reach out to other animal welfare organizations and to individuals and their pets that need our help this hurricane season.

The SPCA of Texas can provide needed resources thanks to the generosity of our supporters. Resources like care, housing and medical treatment for hundreds of rescued animals at a time; emergency supplies to be sent to those who need them; and emergency response teams -- boots on the ground -- when extra help is needed.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, the efforts of hundreds of tireless SPCA of Texas volunteers and staff and the partnership of other organizations, the SPCA of Texas has been able to respond to Hurricane Gustav at an unprecedented level.

The love we give comes from the heart. But the shelter, the veterinary care and daily supplies cost money—from transport to shelter and food to medical treatment. We urgently need your support to ensure that we can continue our work on behalf of homeless and helpless animals. Your tax deductible gift today of $30, $70, $90, or as much as you are able to share, will help fund future operations like this and to support the SPCA's other programs and services.

I invite you to watch our videos (cat and dog) highlighting the animals helped by our disaster response work this past week. Then support our efforts to help these needy animals and others like them by making a contribution to our cause.

We need your help now more than ever before. You won’t change the world by saving one animal, but you will change the world for that one. Please join us in our mission to provide every animal exceptional care and a loving home.

Sincerely,

James Bias, CAWA
President
The SPCA of Texas