Dianna Sutton's - "Philanthropy Corner"
Sunday, October 18, 2009
On Dogs that Read, Pigs That Fly ... and Volunteers

By Dianna L. Sutton

Have you heard about the dog that can read? Yeah, when pigs fly, you might say.

But it's true. Not only did I see it on national network news this past week, I have witnessed it personally.

It's my brother-in-law Dan and his dog, Abigail, a highly trained Canine Companion for Independ-ence. Abigail can read commands on flash cards. She assists her owner, who is an art teacher for children with special needs, to improve academic performance in reading and writing. Dan and Abigail are quite the celebrities in St. Lucie County, Florida.

Companion animals need our help in return. So I gladly accepted the Florida Keys Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (FKSPCA) invitation to be a celebrity guest bartender this past weekend at the BottleCap, along with a number of more notable local personalities, to help all the dogs, cats and other animals at the Key West Animal Shelter.

The FKSPCA is a private nonprofit that contracts with the county to run the shelter to provide a clean, safe environment, health care, environmental enrichment and adoption service for abandoned, unwanted and mistreated companion animals. The primary goal of the agency is to place all adoptable animals into caring, loving, lifelong homes.

The Key West Animal Shelter is an open admission shelter that cares for anything called a pet -- rabbits, rats, birds, lizards, snakes and pigs. One of three animal protection agencies in the county, the Key West Animal Shelter serves the greatest number of animals, about 1,500 each year. The FKSPCA contracts with the county to provide animal control, adoption services and investigate animal cruelty and neglect. Additionally, the FKSPCA works with other humane organizations in the Florida Keys to reduce the number of feral cats and offer free spay surgeries for feral cats.

And yes, pigs do fly. Moo, a pot belly pig, was flown to a Central Florida pig rescue farm by the Pilots for Paws, a nonprofit organization that works with the FKSPCA to transport animals to new homes.

Because funds from the county budget only provide 62 percent of the budget, just enough to cover basic animal care but short of what it takes to run the shelter, the FKSPCA relies on donations and grants. Donations help pay for services such as medical care, spay and neuter clinics, microchips and, by supporting the Six/Sixty program for anyone over 60 to adopt an animal six years or older, for free.

Other groups such as the Xena Fund, the Lower Keys Friends of Animals and other rescue organizations also collaborate with the FKSPCA for the benefit of the animals. With no veterinarian on staff, local veterinarians are very generous with spay, neuter and medical services.

"We want to give animals the best of everything," says the shelter's executive director, Connie Christian. Volunteers are core in adding to the enrichment of the animals' lives at the shelter. Between 10 to 15 volunteers are needed each week to help care for the animals. Because of current conditions, "We desperately want to build a new shelter," adds Connie. A new location is desired due to flooding, heat, pest control and spawling that exists at the current shelter located on Stock Island. A building fund has been established at the Community Founda-tion to accept donations for a new animal shelter that will be owned and operated by the FKSPCA who will continue to provide animal control services under contract with the county.

The FKSPCA is just one of the many nonprofit organizations in the Florida Keys that rely on volunteers to provide critical services. Numerous opportunities exist for individuals to become engaged in our local community by volunteering their time and talent.

In partnership with the nonprofit sector, the Community Foundation is hosting the Keys Volunteers online database to connect individuals with volunteer opportunities at local nonprofit organizations. Individuals can search the Keys Volunteers postings to match their skills with volunteer opportunities. Current job postings range from curator to docent, usher, writer, drivers, tour guides and office help.

This is an ongoing, continually expanding effort to include all nonprofit organizations in the Florida Keys. If you want to post your volunteer needs, log onto the cffk.org website for instructions.

For more information on Keys Volunteers, visit our Web site at cffk.org.

I wonder if dogs can read online?

Dianna Sutton is president and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys. She can be reached at 292-1502 or sdutton@cffk.org