How much is Your Pet Worth? – The True Value of Adoption

Press Release – SAGA – June 1, 2011 – Many people don’t realize how much their pet is worth. Pets are tremendously valuable. Aside from their traditional roles as guards, farm workers, hunters and companions – research shows that having a pet makes us healthier. Pet owners have better general health and lower blood pressure than non pet owners. Kids with pets in their home take fewer sick days from school and have better non verbal communication. Older pet owners are less lonely and more likely to be active if they own pets. Of course, human beings only receive these benefits if they are responsible pet owners.

This year SAGA has seen an increase in the number of pets that have been purchased at great cost to the owner, given up for adoption. Why would people spend hundreds of dollars on a dog, only to give it away to SAGA?
Many people will share stories of the local pot licker, its loyalty and good temperament with children. If the ‘pot licker’ were considered a breed, maybe it would have more value. Certainly, the Belizean pot licker is a unique dog and Belizeans should be proud to own one. But some people want something specific - such as a certain coat color or size - and so they go to pet shops or breeders to buy a pet off the shelf, in much the same way they’d buy a box of corn flakes. The big difference is that a healthy, well cared for pet can live for 14 years or longer. Pet ownership is a big commitment and should be taken especially seriously by parents wishing to teach their children about behaving responsibly.
The pets that are being given up to SAGA did nothing wrong except grow up. The cute little puppy that was purchased six months ago has turned into a demanding, large and active dog that needs training, exercise and company. Unfortunately, the people who purchased the puppy didn’t think it through and now there is an unhappy ending. The children are sad and feel like failures, the adults have lost several hundred, maybe thousands of dollars raising the puppy and the dog is homeless, no longer loved or wanted.

If you are considering getting a pet, try your local humane society first. In San Pedro, it’s SAGA. Pet ownership is not a decision to take lightly or to make on the spur of the moment. The experts at SAGA will help you to find the perfect pet for your needs. Once you have adopted a dog or cat, you’ll soon discover how valuable a pet truly is.

Nety Wasn’t Just Hanging Around

Kitten Saved from Death by SAGA

SAGA just doesn’t help the San Pedro Community to deal with stray dogs, they also do cat ‘round ups’ too. Volunteers and staff will travel around San Pedro and trap or capture stray, sick, abandoned and neglected cats.

It was very lucky for little Nety that SAGA was doing a roundup that very day. Nety, a tiny little kitten had managed to get herself all tangled up in some netting on a fence. She had been stuck in the fence for hours in the hot sun before SAGA discovered her.
On that day two members of the SAGA team were looking for stray and abandoned cats when they found a terrified and dying kitten in desperate need of help behind a house near the bridge. They gently released the poor kitten and immediately realised that it was seriously dehydrated and gave it some water before quickly getting back to SAGA for some tender loving care.

Of course the name ‘Nety’ stuck and she recovered to become a healthy and beautiful cat. Her experience clearly left her with a huge appreciation for human beings and so she was quickly adopted by a loving family and now has a permanent home, where she gets plenty of fresh food and water, tons of love and attention and a family to call her very own. SAGA paid for all of her veterinary costs and made sure that she was spayed so that she won’t have any unwanted kittens that might end up in the same danger that she found herself in because she had no one to care for her.
In five years, one single female cat can be responsible for 20,000 descendents. There are just not enough loving homes for all of those cats. Of course kittens are adorable, but until there are no more unwanted cats in San Pedro, please have your cat spayed or neutered. It is the right thing to do and one of the best ways that, as an animal lover, you can prevent cruelty and suffering.

Come and visit Nety’s friends who were left behind at SAGA Humane Society.

If you see a cat or dog that is injured or suffering call SAGA on 226 2366 and they will be there to help.

HSI Spay Day photo online photo contest to benefit SAGA

Your pet is very cute – but does he or she have what it takes to win Humane Society International’s 2011 Spay Day
Pet Photo Contest, presented by Zazzle?

The Spay Day Pet Photo Contest to benefit SAGA HUMANE SOCIETY
is now OPEN - GIVE US YOUR BEST PHOTO!

To Enter Now, GO TO hsi.org/photocontest

When you enter, please choose Saga Humane Society to benefit from your pet’s photo. After your entry is complete, help save animals’ lives by asking friends and family to vote for your pet. Each vote is just a $1 USD donation, and every vote your pet receives will help us spay or neuter even more pets after Spay Day (February 22nd, 2011) is over -- AND increase your chances of winning!

More than 600 entrants whose photos have received the most votes will win stellar prizes. And even without votes, you'll be in the running to win big -- the panel of judges will award prizes to their favorite 36 entries.

The earlier you enter the more time you’ll have to get votes and raise critical spay/neuter funds for Saga Humane Society. Please upload a photo of your pet now at hsi.org/photocontest to get started!

Saga HS will also be sponsoring a Spay Day 2011 Event in San Pedro Town during the month of February, details to be announced soon.

Thanks for your support!

SAGA HUMANE SOCIETY, SAN PEDRO TOWN, BELIZE

P.S. Don’t want to enter your pet’s photo (or don’t have a pet)? Please vote for one of the pets benefitting our organization! Visit hsi.org/photocontest and then:

*Click on the “Search Pets” tab
*Click on “Filter by: Local Organization”
*Click on SAGA HUMANE SOCIETY. A vote for any of the pet photos shown in this view benefits Saga!

NOTE: Funds designated for organizations that fail to meet the requirements listed at http://www.hsi.org/issues/spayday/factsheets/spayday_eligibility.html will be added to the general fund and divided among spay/neuter programs of The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International and all eligible organizations.

Cat Walking in San Pedro

Several people congregated at the Bowen and Bowen dock on Tuesday evening to take part in a fun Cat Walk, that eventually ended with them jumping into the ocean at the end of the red carpet runway.

And just what is the Cat Walk?

Marije a.k.a. Cat, a 27 years old from The Netherlands, is currently on San Pedro as a part of her “Catwalk around the World” project. While she is not a model, and is not a size zero, Marije has a mission. Her mission is to promote awareness to citizens from around the world of the enormous strength of body language and inspire human beings to follow their heart and use all venues available to make their dreams come true! It is her goal to do the catwalk in at least 20 countries. A red carpet carried by Marije serves as the catwalk. Every catwalk that she performs is being documented on camera. At the end of her mission – she hopes to take all the videos that she collects and convert them into a short movie, which she hopes to share with the world via YouTube. Tuesday's fun event was hosted by Dixie Bowen, who generously provided Belikins to those who attended.
In San Pedro, Marije has been hosted by the following individuals, Changes in Latitudes, Banana Beach Resort, Holiday Hotel and Moncho's Golf Cart rentals. Snorkeling was provided by Lil Alfonse.

With the help of individuals that she comes in contact with through her travels, she has been able to acquire assistance to help her finance her project. A very interesting way that individuals can assist in this cause is the “Give me a Challenge” method. This method invites viewers and friends of the cause to pose challenges to Marije and propose a payment amount for completing each challenge. When the challenge is completed, she is paid by the entity that poses the challenge. What’s very interesting is that Marije has linked up with the T.E.S.S. Foundation in Guatemala.

The Foundation T.E.S.S. Unlimited was founded by Tessa de Goede and serves to help children with cleft palates by providing finances for cosmetic plastic surgery to fix their smile, provides assistance to malnourished children and school children with “English language classes”. Upon accomplishing each challenge, Marije pledges to help T.E.S.S. Unlimited by donating 50% of the proceeds to the foundation and the remaining moneys is to further her travels and so forth for the catwalks around the world.

For further information on Marije and Catwalksaroundtheworld, kindly visit http://www.catwalksaroundtheworld.com where you can find information detailing her every stop and performance as well as pictures and videos and provide details about her journey.