PUPPY LOVE! with
Kate Whitney
Salem Animal Rescue
League needs volunteers
Kate Whitney
 A few weeks ago, I received
an email from a woman named Pat
Blodgett. Pat is a volunteer at the
Salem Animal Rescue League (SARL) in New
Hampshire. She said that she enjoys
my articles in The Valley Patriot and
wanted to know if I would write about
some of the upcoming events at
SARL.
She was quick to let me know that SARL is
not the affiliated with the MSPCA at
Nevins Farm, although they are located
near each other (apparently people tend
to confuse the two shelters).
SARL serves 18 communities in southern NH
and the Merrimack Valley of
Massachusetts. The shelter that
started in 1992 and offers a variety of
programs, now takes in and adopts out
close to 700 animals a year.
I was surprised to learn about all the
programs and events this shelter
sponsors. I know I’m guilty of
thinking that a shelter is just a place
where stray dogs and cats are housed
until they are adopted. After visiting
SARL, I quickly learned that this just
isn’t the case.
There is so much that goes on behind the
scenes and so many hard working,
dedicated people that allow this shelter
to function.
When I arrived at the shelter, I was
greeted by the shelter’s Director of
Media Relations, Valorie Hayes.
Mrs. Hayes gave me a tour of the shelter
and introduced me to every animal, staff
member, and volunteer on site at the time
of my visit. She told me about the
programs the shelter offers and also
about all the wonderfully exciting
upcoming events.
SARL works in collaboration with the
animal control officer in Salem, NH. If a
stray dog or cat is found, they are
brought to the shelter. If the
pet’s owner does not claim the
animal within the allotted amount of
time, the animal is then seen by the vet
in the on-site clinic and then put up for
adoption. SARL offers quality care
for all the dogs and cats that come into
the shelter.
I was also impressed by the
shelter’s high adoption rate of
99.9%. This is absolutely
fantastic! Another wonderful fact
about this shelter is that it falls into
a “No-Kill” category. The
shelter would never euthanize an animal
due to a lack of space.
Many shelters today are “Kill
Shelters” which means that an animal
is given an allotted amount of time to be
at the shelter. If the animal is
not adopted, it would then be
destroyed. This is NOT the case at
SARL, however. Every animal is given a
chance which, I think, is very
impressive.
I want to briefly touch on a few of the
wonderful programs this shelter offers.
“Meals on Wheels” is a program
to help seniors with pets. “Safe
Home, Safe Pet” helps people and
animals in domestic violence
situations.
SARL also recognized the current
foreclosure problem and arranged a
program to take in pets and keep them
safe until the family can find a new
place to live. The “Military
Deployment” program offers help to
the wonderful, brave people who are
involved in the military.
The reason I am so impressed with these
different programs is because this
shelter recognized needs within the
community and developed a plan to
help. We need to remember that in a
life changing event, we can’t just
forget about our pets!
Some of you might like to know what you
can do to help. Because SARL is 97%
volunteer, they are always looking for
generous people to lend their time and
skills. Everyone out there could be of
use to the shelter. They need people to
work on special events, clean the cages,
help with fundraising, groom the animals,
work as an adoption counselor, walk the
dogs, play with the dogs and cats to help
socialize them, and help with gardening
and carpentry.
They are also in desperate need of foster
homes for both dogs and cats. As
some of you already know, I started out
fostering and have since adopted two
beautiful dogs. So I speak from
experience when I say how rewarding
fostering can be. Be sure to check out
the website and take a look at the
upcoming events calendar. There are
so many wonderful events coming up.
What’s better than having fun and
helping homeless dogs and cats? All
proceeds from these events go directly to
helping the animals. Be sure to
read about Dogfest, Paws on the Runway,
and Fore Paws Golf Tournament.
One ongoing event that is really great is
Pennies For Pups. Organize a penny
drive at your office, school, church, or
wherever and watch those pennies add
up! Anyone who might be able to
donate a gift basket or any goods for the
silent auctions, please contact the
shelter. Most needed right now are
supporters.
If you can’t donate money or goods,
just donate your time and show your
support. I encourage all of you to attend
as many events as you can and bring your
dogs to the dog friendly ones! The
shelter is in the process of revamping
the premises.
Anyone who might be able to donate
plants, trees, or bushes, please call the
shelter. To view a complete list of
items needed, please visit the website.
I want to also mention a live, monthly
television show that Valorie Hayes hosts,
called “Time for
Animals.”
This show highlights the animals at the
shelter, features a veterinarian who
gives helpful advice, and also gives tips
from trainers. Call your local
cable company and request that it be
shown in your community.
Lastly, I want to share something that
almost brought tears to my eyes (in a
good way). At the shelter, I met a
little 6 year old boy named Ben
Plumley. He was there with his mom
and his friends, Tim and Kaitlyn Bedard
with their mom. Inspired by his 8
year old sister Aislinn’s donation,
in lieu of gifts, Ben collected donations
from his friends and brought a check for
$175 to the shelter.
Ben’s mother said that now many of
Ben’s classmates and friends are
following in Ben’s footsteps and
making donations instead of collecting
toys for their birthdays. I was so
impressed by this act of giving I just
had to share it with all of you.
Maybe it will inspire some of you to
reach out and donate. If 6 year old
Ben can do it, so can you.
For more information, visit the website, www.sarl-nh.org or contact the
shelter at 603-890-2166 or info@sarl-nh.org.
Please bring donations to the shelter: 4
SARL Drive, Salem, NH. (if you use
mapquest, use the street: 344 South
Broadway). And as always, you can
contact me, KAHW313@aol.com
If you are interested in adopting a puppy
or becoming a foster parent to a puppy
waiting for a home you can email Kate at Kwswingrite@aol.com
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(C) copyright, Valley Patriot, Inc., 2008
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