Pups 'N' Purrz partners with Umbrella of Hope to host last adoption event of 2015

(Originally published in the 12/18/15 edition)

   Those looking to get someone a new a dog for Christmas will have a chance this Saturday when they visit Pups ’N’ Purrz.

   Umbrella of Hope, an animal rescue organization out of Pittsburg, will be holding its last adoption event at the store for the year. The organization has been doing events at Pups ’N’ Purrz since 2013 and has adopted out 46 animals at the store in that time.

   Throughout 2015, Umbrella of Hope has had 271 animals adopted out at various locations. If just four dogs are adopted on Saturday, the organization will have hit the 275 mark.

   Pups ’N’ Purrz owner James Long feels that animals taken in by Umbrella of Hope are in good hands.

   “All their rescues are not in shelters,” he said. “They’re actually being fostered by foster people until they can find the right homes. That way, when somebody adopts the animal, the foster is here and they can tell the people about the demeanor of the animal.”

   With this being the last weekend of the year for adoptions, Long believes now is the time for people to pick up the furry friend they have always wanted.

   “This will be the best chance to pick up the animal that their kids or they want for Christmas,” he said. “The rescue group does a really good job with the rescues, so it’s almost hand in hand.”

   The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 19 at Pups ’N’ Purrz, located at 44 First St. All adoption fees will be waived. For more information, contact (707) 748-7433.

Furry friends find new homes at weekend's pet adoptions

   (Originally published in the 11/11/15 edition)

Pups ’N' Purrz held its 3rd annual Adoption Day By the Bay over the weekend, and the store was able to find homes for several different pets.

   The First Street pet supply store partnered with other Bay Area adoption agencies- Umbrella of Hope, CARES and Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation- to adopt out dogs and cats. The event expanded to two days, which meant more opportunities for people to pick up a new friend.

   On Saturday, four chihuahuas were adopted: 5-year-old Fiona Apple, 5-year-old Jersey Mac, 8-year-old Megladon and 7-year-old Fuji Apple. 

   Sunday, however, was a day for the cats. Crush and Fanta, both 7 months old, found new homes where they will be able to continue their young lives with loving families.

   “It was a great turnout for both days,” Pups ’N’ Purrz owner James Long said. “Some people were looking for certain animals, and the agencies that didn’t have them on Saturday had them on Sunday, so I think expanding to two days helped.”

   The next adoption event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday Dec. 6 at ARF, located at 2890 Mitchell Drive in Walnut Creek. Additionally, Umbrella of Hope will be holding an adoption event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 19. The agency is located at 4080 Railroad Avenue, Suite C, in Pittsburg. Pups ’N’ Purrz is located at 422 First St. 

Humane Society of the North Bay holds meeting to discuss shelter's current state

(Originally published in the 11/1/15 edition)

   The Humane Society of the North Bay will be hosting a town hall meeting at the John F. Kennedy Library tomorrow to discuss the role of the shelter and its current financial challenges.

   HSNB is a nonprofit animal that works to take in stray pets and adopt them out. The shelter has a contract with the city of Vallejo to take in animals that the county brings in and hold on to them for their adoption program, board member Kristin Eddy said.

   “Because it costs $249 to pay for every animal that’s sent to the Fairfield county shelter, they want us to adopt out as many as we can,” Eddy said.

   HSNB started the contract with the goal of adopting out 500 animals. The number to date has actually exceeded 800 animals, which Eddy says is costing the shelter more than they expected.

   “We’re on city property, but we’re responsible for all the repairs,” she said. “If a tree falls down or the fencing breaks or if kennel doors get broken, it’s on us to fix and repair these things.”

   “Like a lot of nonprofits, we have financial challenges, but we’ve found we’re having even more this year,” she added. “Unfortunately, that’s partly due to our success.”

    Adding to this is the confusion of who does what. The animal control unit is not managed by the city but the Solano County Sheriff’s Department, per the new contract.

   “We don’t have a law enforcement part of our job,” Eddy said. “We’re just there to shelter and adopt out.”

   Therefore, the meeting will explain where the agencies intersect, Eddy said. Other questions to be answered include the necessity for an animal shelter in Vallejo, where the animals would go if the shelter didn’t exist and what the financial status of the shelter is.

    “We’re going to explain to the public the reality of running the shelter, what it costs and what we spend on dog food or vet appointments,” she said. “We have a staff and payroll we have to meet.”

   Eddy also wants to make clear that the shelter is not going to close.

   “Our mission is to not do that,” she said. “Our mission is not at that point. We need people to understand that when we say ‘Save our shelter,’ we’re not saying it’s imminent at all.”

   One thing Eddy suggests the community can do to help is to continue to donate.

   “We have a wonderfully supportive community who understand we love animals too and want to save as many as we can,” she said. “We want people to collaborate with us and be partners in this. We really all just share the same mission.”

   The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. tomorrow night in the Joseph Room of the JFK Library, located on 505 Santa Clara St. in Vallejo. For more information, visit HSNB.org.

Pet adoptions expand to two days for Pups 'N' Purrz event

   Pups ’N’ Purrz will be holding its 3rd annual Adoption Day By the Bay, where people can pick up a new dog or cat from various animal rescue agencies at the store. The difference this year is that there will be more days to take a furry friend home.

   In past years, the event had been limited to just one day. James Long, the owner of Pups ’N’ Purrz says this caused spatial problems for the store.

   “There are so many groups that want to come out and support the community,” he said. “I realized that last year when I had two groups in front, one group that was next to the garden and another group that was in the back parking lot outside.”

   Long talked to his wife, Karen Baltier-Long, about what they should do to better accommodate the groups.

   “She said ‘When you do it this year, let’s just do a weekend event on Saturday and Sunday,’” Long said.

   The days may have changed, but the core of the event is the same as the previous two years: giving older animals a chance to find new homes by partnering with different groups.

   Long says he was inspired by Dogs Day By the Bay, an event held by the city in 2010 and 2011 at the green by the downtown waterfront.

   “For some reason, they decided not to do it anymore, so I took that idea and decided to do Adoption Day By the Bay,” he said.

   In 2013, Long got into contact with various Bay Area adoption agencies about the possibility of adopting animals out of his store.

   “I said ‘This is a dog friendly town. Would you be willing to come to the store and do either a monthly or bi-monthly adoption event in front of my store?’” he said. “They came by to check out what it was like on weekends, and they noticed there were a lot of people walking up and down the street, so I’ve been working with a lot of the rescue groups ever since.”

   This year, Pups ’N’ Purrz will be partnering with three dog and cat rescue foundations: Umbrella of Hope out of Pittsburg, CARES out of Vallejo and Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation out of Walnut Creek.

   “It’s a thank you to the community and rescue groups for coming out and supporting my store,” he said. 

   The dogs sold are mostly small or medium breeds and generally tend to be older. Long himself happens to own three senior chihuahuas: Molly, 11; Layla, 9; and Margo, 13. 

   “People don’t want to adopt senior dogs because of their age and health,” he said. 

   Therefore, Long said he is a firm believer in helping senior dogs find homes.

   Ultimately, Long believes that pets finding homes will not only benefit the animals but also their new owners.

   “It’s like a companion,” he said. “You go to work, you come home, there’s somebody to greet you at the door and give you all the love and support.”

   Adoption by the Bay will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8 at Pups ’N’ Purrz, located at 422 First St. Umbrella of Hope will be adopting out cats and dogs in the store from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that Saturday, and CARES will be there from 2 to 5 p.m. ARF will be at the store from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday with a mobile van containing smaller dogs, adult cats and kittens. People who adopt a dog or cat on those days will get a 10 percent discount off their first purchase.