Shelter Makeover Tour Journal

4:38pm

Chesapeake Sunset 5/1/08 Visit # 20

We rolled into the Chesapeake Bay area as our last but not least Shelter Makeover Tour number 20! Shelter President, Nancy Schwerzler greeted us with a very warm speech on a very warm spring evening. There were many officials and past officials who were determined to show Zootoo how much they believed in Cecil County SPCA. Jean, the shelter manager, took us on the tour. Jean and her staff had a great operation going. Jean took us to a spacious cat room that actually had a window open to … read more

4:37pm

Outbreak of “Zootooitis” in Saint Louis 5/1/08…

Randy Grim came down with a case of Worryitis because he worried about every detail in planning for a visit from the Zootoo Crew. I’m not sure which is better—Worryitis or Zootooitis, but he’s been cursed with both! Randy’s Worryitis certainly is benefiting the animals and community all throughout Saint Louis, Missouri. WOW! What a morning. Randy’s city was in full force as supporters, pet lovers, city officials, and sponsors all crowded the blocked off street. There were even t… read more

4:30pm

Double Dogs and a Hare 4/30/08 Visit # 18

Yes we started out at Double Dogs Restaurant with some amazing chocolate milkshakes. And yes, the pounds keep coming on. The owner of Double Dogs, John Morrison, met us at the airport in Bowling Green, Kentucky and drove us to a very exciting welcome with fire trucks, and a roaring crowd of hundreds of volunteers and supporters. The Bowling Green Humane Society is located on a divided 4-lane highway with great exposure but a very little sign…but I knew I could fix that! The first thing… read more

4:29pm

John, Paula, and Kim, the Henderson Heroes 4/30/08…

It all starts with people like John, Paula, and Kim… but it continues with volunteers and supporters like those from Henderson, Kentucky. The Henderson Humane Society has done a complete turnaround from the challenging conditions the shelter was once in all because of these dedicated individuals. The Zootoo Crew was picked up from their hotel by Paula and Kim, who were anxious to get the day underway! We were soon greeted by local animal control units who share the shelter with HHS- wo… read more

2:18am

Cheryl and the Little Shelter on the Prairie 4/29/…

If there was an award for the smallest shelter, Pets Without Parents would get it! The shelter itself held 9 dogs and 9 cats- at full capacity. But you’d never guess this small shelter in the small town of Teheran, IL would have such a LARGE community turnout. We were escorted to the shelter by a fire truck and two police cars. Even the town sheriff said he’d never seen so many people in one place at the same time and thanked us for being there. Cheryl, the shelter founder, was searching in … read more

1:59am

What a MAX Operation! 4/25/08 Visit # 15

The Maxfund Animal Adoption Center in Denver, Colorado was a well run operation in all facets of animal sheltering. From the operating room to the impeccably kept laundry room, Maxfund’s shelter founder, Nanci, had it running to a “T”. Maxfund also had many community outreach programs like a program for the handicapped and we met the young boy who started a kids’ volunteer program. The shelter also offers food donations. During our tour we saw a man come in for food for his dog and he r… read more

8:20pm

Lions, Tigers, and Bunnies; OH MY! 4/24/08 Visit #…

WOW Debbie is a spark!! She has competed with all the dog and cat lovers in this country and has rounded up rabbit and bunny lovers across America to help support the Midwest Rabbit Rescue. She led her community of Plymouth, Michigan to number 6 out of 1,000 competing shelters. What an accomplishment, Debbie! This morning we met at a local park in Plymouth. The community was already there waiting to cheer and wave their signs. The street was even blocked off for us and for a HUGE pink bun… read more

2:39am

The Red Wing Drill Team and a Bagpiper 4/23/2008 V…

The Zootoo Crew was in a great mood moving on to the second shelter of the day, the Humane Society of Parkersburg in Parkersburg, WV. As we pulled up we heard a sound, (and no it was not a police siren) and you don’t hear this one very often…bagpipes! We also saw an age diverse crowd of supporters…from the YMCA daycare to retired volunteers, they were all there! One especially enthusiastic group was the Parkersburg High School Red Wing Drill Team. Every year they participate in dona… read more

2:38am

Cheryl and the Sheriff 4/23/2008 Visit # 12

Cheryl is one of the reasons I am here, doing this contest, and bringing community and shelters together to get more pets adopted. She is the shelter manager and strength of the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley in Marietta, Ohio. The day started out with Cheryl meeting us at our hotel (the luxurious Hampton Inn) with Mayor Michael Mullen and the police chief to escort the Zootoo Crew… I drove with the chief, in the front seat, not the back! And the chief let me hit the siren button a few time… read more

2:21am

Betty, the Prisoners and the Paintings April 22, 2…

Our next stop on the Zootoo Shelter Makeover Tour brought us to London, Ohio’s The Humane Society of Madison County. We got a great welcome from Betty and volunteer, Denver at the airport. Betty, one of the most wonderful ,dedicated hard working shelter managers—as many are — but what a extraordinary woman! Yet like so many other dedicated men and women we’ve seen across America helping pets and other pet lovers. One of the best programs that I’ve seen is Betty’s prisoner pro… read more

2:20am

Cats, Cats and More Cats April 22, 2008 Visit # 10

No dogs...No rabbits...Just cats. 300 loving, eating, meowing cats. That's what the Zootoo Crew and our good friend Dean from HSUS, found when we arrived at the Cat Welfare Association in Columbus, Ohio. Kindra, the leader behind the push to become a Top 20 winner was all smiles because her volunteers and community did it! Together they worked so hard to earn this celebration on such a beautiful day. In clear skies and 75 degree weather, I declared a challenge to not only the peo… read more

10:56pm

Kelly and the 40 Communities 4/17/2008 Visit # 9

Kelly is not only the SPCA Cattaraugus County Shelter’s President, she‘s the glue that holds 40 communities worth of needy animals together; not to mention taking in pets that would otherwise be euthanized. We both share the belief that with love, nurturing, training and socializing shelter pets can become wonderful family members. That’s exactly what the SPCA volunteers do! They train and reward their pets, just like any family would at home. I see a lot of small dogs living in th… read more

10:19pm

Help me get Obama, McCain and Clinton to stand up …

My recent visit to western Pennsylvania coincided with the presidential primary campaign. In fact, Barack Obama was in the very next town, according to the shelter officers. And that got me thinking: if Zootoo.com can rally 400 people on a chilly Tuesday morning to show their support for the local animal shelter, what could someone like Senator Obama do? Or Senators Clinton or McCain? If only they… read more

6:55pm

Adoption Pros Serve Erie County 4/16/2008 Visit # …

The SPCA Serving Erie County is the most organized and well managed shelter I have seen on our tour! The people, the operations and procedures, and the space are carefully used. It’s all possible because of the great team work that the Shelter Executive Director, Barbara Carr, her staff and the volunteers working closely with the community and political leaders of Tonawanda, NY. We found lots of special relationships at the shelter and that’s exactly what Zootoo is promoting… people helpi… read more

1:06pm

The Army Behind Jefferson County April 16, 2008

The Zootoo Crew has seen shelters in some interesting places. But Watertown, NY’s Jefferson County SPCA has a shelter in an extremely special place… Fort Drum Army Base. Right off the bat the Shelter Director, Linda, made it clear to me that this hurts and helps them. Soldiers move on and off of the base and they are either bringing in pets or leaving pets in the community when they go off on missions. It is clear that the whole town appreciates the work Linda did in helping care for… read more

1:22am

Washington on the march! 4/15/2008 Visit # 6

Nothing wakes you up faster than a loud high school marching band with a group of excited pet lovers behind it. That was the Zootoo Crew’s welcome in Eighty Four, PA and the Washington Area Humane Society. We knew right away that today was going to be a BIG celebration. Kelley, the President and member of the Board of Directors was our host, brought us to The Bean Café for lattes and coffee to keep us warm and alert. Hollie, the owner, had been a top shelter supporter by opening her s… read more

9:37pm

Queen of Spay and Neuter 4/11/2008 Visit # 5

ZooMaster, Haley’s Mom, met the Zootoo Crew outside the East Brookfield, MA town hall early this morning…Haley in tow. Sheryl, the shelter founder and manager has impressively built up this clean, well organized, and small…small shelter from the ground up in 1999. Lots of volunteers and supporters rallied at the Town Hall to prove why they were the most deserving shelter…including Senator Brewer, who missed a meeting with judges to be at Second Chance’s side. Hope he doesn’t… read more

1:13am

Rachel Goes to the Head of the Class 4/10/2008 V…

Onward to Bethel, Connecticut to see the Danbury Animal Welfare Society … and they were ready for us! Cheers from such an enthusiastic crowd of people. Signs and banners waving. This really got us going! Our Zootoo Crew got immediately to work talking to supporters and joining the big event. This was a community of five towns that were ready to win! The mascot dog, Mayor Burke of Bethel, Mayor Boughton of Danbury, and the State Senator Cappiello …all there to shake hands and praise… read more

11:39pm

Voorhees Makes Zootoo Taste Zoo-licious! 4/9/2008

For our next stop, The Voorhees Animal Orphanage in Voorhees, New Jersey’s Executive Director, Maria Clark got a little fancy. Myself and the Zootoo Crew were invited to a reception at the Lion’s Lake Banquet Facility…. Mighty nice! During introductions, I was surprised by how these guys introduced themselves, not by name but by the place in line they held in Zootoo.com’s Shelter Makeover points (i.e. - Second). Love that competitive spirit and passion! … read more

10:34pm

Layover at JFK 4/8/2008

Next up, Bobbi & The Strays in Queens, New York....not your typical shelter location or easy to find… in the cargo area of New York City’s largest airport, JFK. Approaching the shelter, we saw a crowd holding up Zootoo.com signs and heard chanting “Zootoo! Zootoo! Zootoo! And Bobbi! Bobbi! Bobbi!”…..WOW! On our shelter tour, we saw some cages that could use more bedding, a dog run that was hand built by the members of the shelter and a facility in need of repair. C… read more

10:23pm

Little Shelter with a Big Heart 4/8/2008

As we pulled up to our first makeover tour shelter visit at Little Shelter Animal Rescue in Huntington, New York, I was surprised to see that the entrances were decorated with bunches of Zootoo.com balloons. Right away… myself and the Zootoo Crew were greeted by Maryanne Chernovski, the shelter president of 20 years and welcomed with open arms by the staff, community, and volunteers. Breakfast was also awaiting us....nice! As our tour of the shelter began, it was easy to see … read more

2:10am

Start Your Community Engines

I'm excited to begin the Shelter Makeover Tour of the Top 20 shelter winners. It's going to be a great adventure. I am looking forward to meeting you all personally and learning about your supportive community. We will be posting journals and videos from the shelter tour so check back regularly! read more