July-September 2021 Newsletter

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July-September 2021 Newsletter OFFICER COULTER KIRKPATRICK HELPS  FAMILY KEEP THEIR DOGS Jasmine and Precious came to the shelter when their owner, Michelle Fahy, had to suddenly vacate her rental home due to her landlord selling the property. It took time to find housing and the funds to pay for pet deposits, so Ms. Fahy left the dogs temporarily at the rental home and was going there daily to feed them. When the landlord opened a case with the city claiming she had abandoned her dogs, they were brought to the shelter. An Animal Control Officer (ACO) named Coulter Kirkpatrick saw the name "Fahy" and remembered he had helped the family before. So the officer kicked into gear to help them again.  The officer first met Ms. Fahy in 2018 when she rescued an injured dog that she saw being thrown from a car. That dog was Jasmine. Ms. Fahy agreed to foster Jasmine and the officer worked with her and her daughter so they could do the daily physical therapy Jasmine would need. The officer checked up on Jasmine frequently and found that Ms. Fahy and her daughter were taking exceptional care of her. They fell in love with Jasmine and adopted her. Then in 2019, one of Ms. Fahy's neighbors set up an owner-surrender appointment at the shelter for their dog Precious, and Ms. Fahy stepped in and adopted her to keep her out of the shelter. Since becoming part of the Fahy family, Jasmine and Precious have become personal helpers to Ms. Fahy's daughter Mimi who has Autism. Jasmine is able to calm Mimi when she is overly excited or upset. And Precious has started to notice when Mimi becomes fixated on something and breaks the pattern by pawing and licking at Mimi. When the dogs were impounded, the separation was very hard on the family, and particularly for Mimi. The officer knew he/she had to help this family, so he/she went to bat for Ms. Lahy and shelter leadership allowed the dogs to be returned to Ms. Lahy once she found housing. The officer understood that moving was expensive for this family, as Ms. Fahy is a single mom living on disability with two kids, one of whom also has a disability. The officer asked FOJA to help so the dogs could be returned to the Fahy family as quickly as possible and not have to live in the shelter for a long time. FOJA covered the pet deposits for both dogs. Jasmine and Precious are back home resuming their important duties as Mimi's helper.    HELP THE CAUSE You can help us save Jacksonville animals!  DONATE WITH CREDIT CARD DONATE WITH PAYPAL Be a Super Donor! Setting up a monthly automatic donation to FOJA is easy with PayPal!   Click the Donate with PayPal button above and be sure to check the box to make it a monthly donation.  URGENT SHELTER NEEDS Animal Care & Protective Services (ACPS) can always benefit from supply donations. Currently ACPS needs:  Vienna Sausages/hot dogs (the Behavior Department has found Vienna sausages to be great for making friends with the pups) Beef Tracheas (we fill them and use them for dogs that need higher value enrichment) Block cheese (the vet staff has found that block cheese is a great snack to hide needed medications) Canned kitten food (preferably Purina Pro-plan or Fancy Feast) Supplies can be delivered to the shelter at 2020 Forest Street, Jacksonville FL 32204, Tues-Sun 12pm-6pm.  You can also have supplies delivered directly to the shelter by purchasing via the shelter's Amazon wish list. HURRICANE SEASON IS HERE Here are two must reads for this summer hurricane season! Hurricane Pet Preparedness 10 Ways to Cool Down Your Dog and Prevent Heat Exhaustion 4,000! Dogs Treated for Heartworm with help from donors like you 4000 DOGS SAVED! MEET ELVIS FOJA is celebrating a big milestone with treating the 4,000th heartworm positive dog from ACPS. Meet Elvis! Elvis is 6 years old, weighs 44 lbs, and was a recent Channel 4’s Pet Project Super Star. This sweet boy has just the right amount of playful energy with people and dogs, and loves to chill out! Elvis went on a sleepover and was adopted! FOJA sponsored the adoption and city tag fees, awarded a gift basket to his new family with lots of goodies for Elvis, and will pay the full cost of his heartworm treatment. Reaching this amazing milestone is only possible because of YOUR donations and support. FOJA’s heartworm treatment program is its flagship program and we couldn’t continue our mission without Team FOJA.   URGENT MESSAGE FROM THE SHELTER ACPS is full! We are currently caring for 264 dogs and 144 cats. There is no more room at the inn! We are thankful to everyone in the community who has adopted and fostered in the last week and a half! You made a difference but there are still many animals in need. In addition to kitten fosters, we also need fosters for big dogs!  We now have 2 new foster programs! Weekend Warriors Program - for fosters who can take a dog for a couple of days to give the dogs a break from shelter life. Adoption Ambassadors Program - for fosters who are able to care for the dog until they are adopted. We also provide information on how to market their fosters and hopefully find their new family! The animal loving community of Jacksonville is amazing and we know we can do this! Thank you for your support! Visit ACPS @ 2020 Forest St, Jax FL 32204 Tuesday-Friday 12:00-7:00 Saturday-Sunday 10:00-6:00 pets@coj.net  The animals need you! Join the ACPS foster life-saving team. Become a foster hero today! WJXT CHANNEL 4'S PET PROJECT Remember to tune in every Saturday morning at approximately 8:50 am to WJXT Channel 4’s Pet Project where FOJA highlights a beautiful dog or cat available for adoption at Animal Care & Protective Services, along with upcoming events and adoption tips. SPREAD THE WORD F O L L O W on F A C E B O O K F O L L O W on T W I T T E R F O L L O W on I N S T A G R A M WAYS YOU CAN HELP Copyright ©2021 Friends of Jacksonville Animals, Inc., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Friends of Jacksonville Animals, Inc. c/o Animal Care & Protective Services 2020 Forest Street Jacksonville FL 32204 Visit us on the web: www.friendsofjaxanimals.com