Reigning or Raining Cats and Dogs? by Ed Boks

The Yavapai Humane Society (YHS) often uses a play on words to get a message across. For instance, on Saturday, Sept. 20, YHS is celebrating its 42nd anniversary at the Prescott Resort, and the event is called Reigning Cats & Dogs.

The name Reigning Cats & Dogs is an attempt to humorously convey the role our pets play in our lives. In many ways, and for many of us, our pets take on a central, or if you will, a “reigning” role in our lives. It is in this fun spirit that we are inviting animal lovers to a royal celebration of the relationship we share with our pets.

The phrase “Reigning Cats & Dogs” is a play on the term “raining cats and dogs.”

It is ironic, even tragic, that in a community that celebrates Reigning Cats & Dogs we also experience the incessant raining of lost and homeless cats and dogs pouring into YHS every day.

So dire was the situation this past summer that YHS had to announce a state of emergency twice in response to the sheer number of lost and homeless pets finding their way into our shelters – and most were found without a license, identification tag, or microchip. Worse, pet owners did not come to YHS to identify their lost pets in a timely manner, which is a costly delay for both YHS and frantic pet owners. YHS is the central location where all lost pets are taken by local animal control and good Samaritans who rescue lost pets from the streets.

When you lose your pet, please visit the YHS Lost & Found Pet Center every three days – and more often when possible. If your pet does not have a microchip, you can purchase one at the YHS Lost & Found Pet Center Monday through Friday or at the YHS Wellness Clinic on any Friday. In the effort to reunite more lost pets with their owners, YHS is offering microchips for just $15. A microchip will help YHS reunite you with your lost pet in the shortest amount of time.

YHS is also hosting a Kitten-Palooza Adoption Special through the end of September. Kittens are available for just $50 or you can adopt two for the price of one. Every adoption (dog or cat) includes spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations and a microchip. This is over a $400 value per adoption. If you are considering adding a pet to your family, now is the time. YHS has the largest selection of quality pets available for adoption at the most affordable prices. When you adopt a pet from YHS you save two lives; the one you adopt and the one your adoption makes room for.

Another way you can help YHS is by participating in the Reigning Cats & Dogs auction, which is open online until Thursday, Sept. 18. Auction items range from luxurious vacation getaways to having your pet featured in the 2015 Yava-Paw Calendar. So tell your friends and family and let the bidding begin!  You can also purchase your tickets to the Reigning Cats & Dogs Gala scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Prescott Resort on-line. All proceeds go to help fund YHS’s many life-saving programs. I hope to see you there!