The 10th annual Dick Wagner Memorial Bike Tour, Pedaling for Pets, will take place this year on June 25th. Come on out and ride your bicycle in this fun fundraising event, and help us to help the animals. Routes of 10, 20, 40, and 62 miles wind through pastureland, corn fields, and forested areas. Sag stops provide thirsty and hungry bicyclists with energy food, some of it homemade. Families with children are encouraged to ride along the 10-mile route and enjoy peaceful country roads. Registration begins at 7 a.m. and the ride starts from the Danville High School parking lot at 8 a.m. or anytime thereafter. All sag stops close at 3 p.m.  To assure a t-shirt, we recommend advanced registration. Forms are available on our website. Our T's are cute and original and we get lots of help from the nice folks at Shirts-N-Things on Country Club Road and north 10th Street. Fees are $15 for an individual; $25 for a family and that fee includes two t-shirts. Call our office, 317-745-8181, ext: 235 or Merrily at 745-0003 for further information. You may also visit our website at www.hendrickscountyhumanesociety.org and read more about the bike tour. Come on out and have some fun. Oh, did I mention hills? There are a few on the 40 and 62-mile routes, but you expected that, didn't you?  

Americans have a love affair with their cars — and their pets. During the summer months, however, the combination can be deadly. Many people don’t realize that the temperature inside a car can skyrocket after just a few minutes. Parking in the shade or leaving the windows cracked does little to alleviate this pressure cooker. Pets, more so than humans, are susceptible to overheating. They are much less efficient at cooling themselves than people are. Dogs, for example, are designed to conserve heat. Panting and drinking water helps cool them, but if they only have overheated air to breathe, dogs can suffer brain or organ damage after just 15 minutes. Signs of heat stress In case of an emergency, it’s important to be able to identify the symptoms of heat stress caused by exposure to extreme temperatures. Check the animal for signs of heavy panting, glazed eyes, a rapid heartbeat, restlessness, excessive thirst, lethargy, fever, dizziness, lack of coordination, profuse salivation, vomiting, a deep red or purple tongue, and unconsciousness. If the animal shows symptoms of heatstroke, take steps to gradually lower his body temperature immediately. Follow these tips, and it could save his life:

Move the animal into the shade or an air-conditioned area. Apply ice packs or cold towels to his head, neck, and chest or immerse him in cool, not cold, water. Let him drink small amounts of cool water or lick ice cubes. Take him directly to a veterinarian.

President's Message From the Co-President

By Merrily Nilles 
Looking up from my desk, I see that I am surrounded by windowed views of spring's newness. Leaves are awakening from a long winter's nap, bright red tulips ring the plum tree in a neighbor's yard, and a mother rabbit scampers on the front lawn, making brief stops to sip sweet nectar from yellow-headed dandelions. This is my favorite time of year! Spring brings new things to the Hendricks County Humane Society too. 

April's annual meeting included installation of new officers and board members. They are: 

Co-President: Merrily Nilles 
Co-President: Louise Ross 
Secretary: Connie Derrick 
Treasurer: Larry Nilles 
Past President: Julie Bates 
Members at large: Karen Chapman Dennis Derrick Cameron Johnson Lisa Kelly Lorraine Lee Lori Leineweber Julie Norman Pam Smith Sharon Wagner Sue Wilson 

Dennis Derrick, Lisa Kelly, Lorraine Lee, Larry Nilles, Julie Norman, and Sue Wilson are serving on our board for the first time. 

Larry Nilles has been a volunteer for as long as I have been in HCHS — 10 years. His financial background, and the fact that he currently performs treasury functions for several non-profits, makes him well qualified to be the treasurer. 

Dennis Derrick has been volunteering for us for over a year, which is about as long as his wife, Connie, has served on our board! (Do you notice the trend here of husbands helping their wives?) Using his computer skills, he developed a web site for HCHS. Thanks, Dennis, for bringing us this wonderful communication tool. It affords us new opportunities to spread the word about our work. He even puts our newsletters on the web site, so if you want to use this one to line the bird cage, go right ahead. You can sit down tonight with a cup of tea and read about us from the comforts of your desk chair! 

Well, that does it for the men on our board, all two of them! I will introduce one more new board member, Julie Norman, and, in the interest of not hogging all the newsletter space, I will tell you about Lorraine, Sue, and Lisa in the next issue. Julie is a past board member. She served HCHS during the late 1990's B.C. (before child). She did our newsletter at that time, and she is going to do our newsletter again. Hurray!!!! Julie is a professional writer, editor, and proofreader. Her talent and skills will be especially appreciated by me, who has struggled for some years now as editor of the newsletter. (Confession: I produced only one newsletter last year!) 

What a great mix of new and old board members! I am looking forward to a productive year ahead for the Hendricks County Humane Society, and one that is sure to be beneficial for the community and for our furry friends. In closing, I would like to thank the following people for their contributions to our board during the past year: Julie Bates, president; Lori Leineweber, past president; Cameron Johnson, treasurer; Laura Bernat, secretary for part of the year. Thank you to Joyce Lakin (a long-time board member who is still helping us), Trish Sherwood, Marjorie Sims, Pam and Alan Ward, and Christine Dykins for their board service.  

DNR Makes it Easier to Help Wildlife

Found an injured wild animal or wonder if an animal baby is abandoned? Having trouble getting rid of a bothersome opossum? Weekdays, 8-5, you can call the Nuisance Wildlife Hotline manned by Indiana Department of Natural Resources professionals at 1-800-893-4116. You can go to the Indiana DNR website anytime and look at the Fish and Wildlife Division’s information. Here you’ll find a host of information that may help. This includes the contact information on the animal rehabilitators in Hendricks County who are willing to take on the task of caring for injured and abandoned wildlife. Remember, in the spring most animal babies thought to be abandoned or orphaned, are not. Mother rabbits only feed their babies once a day to keep them safe. Fawns are left alone for long periods while the mother forages elsewhere. In most cases baby animals are much better off left alone than picked up by well-meaning people.      

HCHS is sponsoring another Dog Adoption Event on September 24th. HCHS will host local shelters & rescue groups to show their adoptable dogs (now open to some cats and house rabbits) to the public. The hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; however, the schedule is not finalized yet. HCHS will have some of our own adoptable pets from our foster program. Rescue groups that have attended in the past include Jericho, ARK, Greyhound Pets of America, GRRACE (golden retriever rescue), Humane Solutions, Husky Rescue, House Rabbit Rescue, ECHO-White German Shepherd Rescue, CARE, ARPO, etc . . . HCHS will need volunteers to help direct the public through our area, hand out literature about us, and help the rescue groups take the dogs on potty breaks, and bring them water. Lori & Kevin Leineweber are chairing the event. They can be reached at (317) 838-7455. If anyone wants to volunteer in two-hour shifts that day, set up the night before, or help with a dog wash on Thursday, September 22, give them a call. We are also looking for additional rescue groups interested in attending. This is a great opportunity for families looking for a new pet to meet some wonderful dogs needing a home. The festival is very pet friendly, so you can bring your current dog to meet potential new family dogs or participate in a pet parade. Our Off-Leash Dog Park committee will also be there to get support for a county-wide park. We hope to have a great turn out and find lots of new homes!  

 We are currently meeting with the commissioners trying to reinstate Saturday hours at the county government’s animal control shelter and get a volunteer program started there. We are also tentatively funding improvements to the new shelter to make it more adoption friendly. Oh, Give Me a Home . . . We have several animals in foster care that need to go to loving homes. Here are two that we’ve chosen to be featured. Claire is a beautiful adult calico with very striking makings. She’s doing well in foster care and loves to be held. She's quiet and well behaved, but also likes to play from time to time. She has had all of her shots, a microchip, is FIV negative, and spayed. Her adoption fee is $100. I absolutely love Marcus. He has a nice sparkle in his eye and is ready for a new home. Marcus is an adult dog and I'm not sure if he is part boxer, but it's something like that. He is currently being fostered at ARK foster care. Marcus does well with most dogs. There are a couple of exceptions, but over all he's a great dog. He will need a fenced-in yard. No problem with children. Marcus' shots are up to date, he’s heartworm free and neutered. His adoption fee is $100. For more information, please contact Julie Bates at 213-0208 or at 745-8181, ext. 235 and leave a message. You may also visit our website at www.hendrickscountyhumane society.org.   

Dogtona! ‘05 was a huge success! On April 23, more than 160 dogs enjoyed a couple of hours of fun with their humans. Thirty five of those humans were recipients of raffle prizes! (Pictured are of some of the dogs who participated.) The P.A.W.S. Search & Rescue demo was awesome — as usual! Dick Wolfsie was thoroughly impressed with the activity and is more than willing to come back, as is the WFMS Friends and Neighbors van. Watch for information about Dogtona! ‘06.   Upcoming Events The Off-Leash Dog Park committee will participate in several events this year. Other opportunities may be added.  

Parades

June 18th in Jamestown Brownsburg 4th of July  Avon Heritage Festival in late September Pittsboro, Clayton, North Salem, etc.— There are many other parades that we don’t have dates for. Check out our website at www.hcoldp.org

Booths

Avon Heritage Festival Danville Fair on the Square in late September We’d like to do something in Plainfield this year too

Everyone would probably agree that it is important that children learn to be caring and kind to all creatures, including each other. However, our humane educator is finding it is very tough these days to get humane education into the schools. Due to the need to teach the specifics for the tests that need to be taken, little time is left for such "extras." A few teachers still find time to fit this in and Mardee, our educator, is looking for more of these kind-hearted souls. Recently, she did a program at Pittsboro Elementary for second graders, which tied into their learning about animal habitats. Mardee stressed that animal’s habitats are their homes. She asked the children how they would feel if wild animals messed up their rooms or ate their food. She reminded them that animals probably feel the same way when people bother their nests or they lose habitat in other ways. The theme of the program was: you can help wildlife by letting them be — wild and free. Look at them, learn from them, but leave them alone. She stressed that wild animals do not make good pets for many reasons, including health concerns for people and animals. Most of Mardee’s programs are requested by Girl Scout troops and day care centers. These programs usually stress kindness and pet responsibility using puppets and interactive skits. Programs are geared to age, interest, and subjects being taught. Recently, Mardee and volunteers have provided a variety of animal programs to the pet club at Van Buren Elementary in Avon. Anyone interested in having a humane education program should call the office at 745-8181, ext. 235 and leave a message.  

This summer, the HCHS will conduct a new fundraiser. A wine-tasting event will take place, thanks to help from Crown Liquors. The special event is sure to draw a crowd and will benefit the HCHS as well. We’ll post more information on our web site as it becomes available, www.hendrickscountyhumanesociety.org.  

The HCHS operates Help Overpopulation End (HOPE), a low-cost spay/neuter service offered in cooperation with 12 area veterinary clinics. Since 1995, over 3,000 animals have benefited from this program. Visit our website for program details.  

A task force studying a canine distemper outbreak that shut down shelters in Chicago last summer, concluded the disease may spread because owners fail to vaccinate their dogs. Over 120 Chicago shelter dogs died from distemper in 2004. Until vaccines were developed in the 1950's, distemper claimed half of all puppies in the United States. This is according to Ronald D. Schultz, DVM, chairman of pathobiological sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine and one of the task force researchers. The airborne killer, also found in raccoons, causes coughing, sneezing, discharge from the eyes and nose, depression, lack of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. In advanced stages, the virus migrates to the brain, resulting in seizures, paralysis, and death. There is no cure. Task force members tested the blood of all dogs entering Chicago's municipal shelter for antibodies against distemper and rabies. Sixty-five percent of the dogs showed no evidence of vaccinations. Thirty percent is more typical. The scientists noted that because distemper hasn't been a significant concern for household pets in decades, owners have become lax in vaccinating against it. In addition, the researchers fear a new strain of distemper, primarily attacking the nervous system, may have arrived in the United States from Europe. No vaccine exists to halt this strain. Regardless, the task force urged that the best protection, for now, is vaccination.  

 The following article was cited in the March/April 2005 issue of the "Humane Activist," published by the Humane Society of the United States. "In 1988, two years after the Kansas state legislature legalized pari-mutuel wagering at dog tracks, it amended the state's Pet Animal Act to remove greyhounds from the definition of "dog." The law now states that "dog" means any animal which is wholly or in part of the species Canis familiaris, but does not include any greyhound, as defined by K.S.A. 74-8802 (the Kansas Pari-mutuel Racing Act). To justify this nonsense, the dog racing industry claims that since greyhounds aren't bred to be pets, they shouldn't be covered by companion animal protection laws. In March, animal advocates led efforts to introduce H.B. 2508 to reinstate greyhounds in the dog category and make racing dog kennels and farms subject to state inspections and oversight. Given what we know about the greyhound racing industry, these dogs need more protection from abuse - not less - than their fellow canines." This article brings to my mind a greyhound I know named Alexis, beloved rescued racer of Doug and former board member, Laura Bernat. Alexis recently passed away from complications of a tumor. Her kind and easy-going manner helped to promote the wonderful pet qualities of her breed. Thank you, Alexis. Submitted by Merrily Nilles  

According to a pet behaviorist, rubbing the frightened dog with unscented dryer sheets helps to control the static electricity that lightning produces. The static in the air causes the dog's hair to stand on end. Also, Bach manufactures an oil called Rescue Remedy, which helps to calm your pet. Just put a couple of drops of the oil in your dog's water or on a saltine cracker.

4-H Obedience Class

Rescued shelter dogs were taught the basics at 4-H dog obedience classes conducted at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds in Danville. When the first class began, there were about 20 dogs and they were everywhere, but by the end of the class, all of the dogs were sitting, not necessarily in the right direction, but it was a big improvement.  The dogs and their young handlers were on their way to learning good manners. The class is conducted for several weeks.

Shannon Davis with Sugar, adopted from the Humane Society of Indpls. Sophie Warren and her greyhound, Walter. He was rescued from Greyt Rescue.

Rachael Moon with Duke, a Red Bone Coon Hound. Duke was rescued from the humane society in Rising Sun, Indiana."   Julie Koors and Phantom, a mix of Doberman, German Shepard and Terrier. He was adopted from the Humane Society of Indpls. Rachael Moon with Duke, a Red Bone Coon Hound. Duke was rescued from the humane society in Rising Sun, Indiana.

Plants & kittens thrive at Country Harmony  

Plants and nursery stock weren’t the only thing being tended to this winter at Country Harmony. The nursery workers in Brownsburg also tended to a litter of newborn kittens. Abandoned by their mother who was a stray, the kittens were found in a back stockroom by Ryan Denhart on a particularly cold winter’s day. "I was getting a box for a customer’s carry out, when I picked up a second box, I found the kittens," explained Denhart. "They were so tiny and their eyes weren’t even open yet. They were also lifeless and cold to the touch." The workers decided to band together to care for the tiny creatures until they were ready to be adopted. "We had to bottle feed them every couple of hours," said Denhart. "Between all of us at work, we took turns feeding them, even through the night. "During the day while we were at work, the staff at Westwood Hospital for Animals babysat the kittens," he said. "We lost one of the kittens early on," he explained. "It was amazing that any of them survived." All four of the surviving kittens were adopted. One of the nursery workers kept two of them and the other two went to good homes. It’s nice to know that there are people out there like Ryan and his co-workers who are willing to care for animals that need help. The four kittens are in happy homes, thanks to them.  

The following is a list of our donors and supporters from May 2004 to April 2005. We appreciate all of you because your financial support encourages us to continue our work of helping animals of Hendricks County through our education programs, satellite adoptions, community outreach, and low-cost spay/neuter services. Thank you! 

Family Memorial Contributions 

A Prayer for the Animals Hear our humble prayer, O God, for our friends the animals, especially for animals who are suffering; for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry; for all that must be put to death, we entreat for them all Thy mercy and pity. And for those who deal with them we ask a heart of compassion and gentle hands and kindly words. Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals, and so to share the blessings of the merciful. —- Albert Schweitzer 

Margaret McCarthy in honor of Megan & Kyle Wilson and their love of animals 
Susan & Paul Moran for Alice 
Carol & Peter Battistini for Lollie 
Karen Robbins for Bob Sharp, a friend to all animals  
R. Jennison in honor of Olivia 
Sharon Clark for Tippy & Pearl 
Larry & Merrily Nilles for Simon 
Deb Himsel for Simon 
Lawrence & Maryanne Battistini for Simon 
Sharon Wagner for Margaret Wright 
John Matthews for Leona Zehr 
Don & Pat Taylor for Leona Zehr 
Carolyn Douglass for Leona Zehr 
Donna Parker for Buddie Edwards 
Matthew Terry in honor of The Jinx & Tabasco
Roberta Fisher for Reesie 
Jeni Meinders for Sasha 
Kenny & Jenny Weddle for Cocoa & Ringo 
Joe Wallace for Fairie Wallace 
Keith Gimbel for Bowzer 
David & Donna Brown for their beloved pet 
Lawrence Brozek for Baloo 
Kent Davis for the wedding of Earl & Becky Mink 
Martha Graves in honor of Anita Butz 
Linda Sims for Lisa Carrico 
Pam & Bill Smith in memory of Brit
Pam Smith for the wedding of Becky Staton & Joe Rosati 
Bill Hafer in memory of Kabrina Hafer 
Joyce Zeplin for Colby 
SBA Sunshine Club (Ronda Crouch) in memory of Sharon C. Marshall 
Madonna Taylor for Lady, Charlie Brown and "C" Bear 
The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation in honor of Paula Whirrett for her 10 years of service 
Rita Emge in memory of Rick Emge 
Mary Irene Miller in memory of her mother, Irene Fields 
Locke Reynolds Accounting Team in memory of Simon, dog of Carol & Peter Battistini 
Carol & Robert Wood in memory of their dog Flurry 

The following memorials were sent to the Off-Leash Dog Park committee in honor of Martha Francis Wilson Posey, mother of Chris Dykins. 
Bonnie & Harol Powell 
Marilyn Moore 
Kathy & Jerald Hand 
Irene Sanders 
Erma Hill 
Ruth Heid  

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