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PAGE 2 - June 29, 2011

The Newscaster - Nature Coast News

Citrus County gets PetMeals grant

Pet Patrol

from Banﬁeld Charitable Trusta $1,750

Citrus County Community Services’ PetMeals Program recently received

grant from Banﬁeld Charitable Trust to help provide pet food for the companion pets of

homebound seniors.

Banﬁeld s mission is to keep pets and families together. The trust, a non-proﬁt

offshoot of Banﬁeld Pet Hospital, has been making it possible for pets to enjoy a better qual-

ity of life, the trust states, by giving back to communities and helping advance pet-related

charities.

Citrus County’s Home Delivered Meal Program provides a nutritious daily meal

to seniors in Citrus County. Hunger can become a mutual problem for pets as well as their

owners, especially when the owners are homebound.

People have been known to go without eating so that their companion pets can

eat. The PetMeals Program was created to help seniors provide the proper food for their

dogs and while getting their own proper nutrition from Meals on Wheels.

Banﬁeld Charitable Trust has teamed up with Meals on Wheels Association of

America to help start and sustain pet food distribution programs with more than $1 million

Rocky is a cute Boxer puppy that was saved

annually awarded to non-proﬁt

“Poor little J-J is still waiting for you to

from a shelter. He is only about 10 weeks old

organizations across the country.

adopt her. She is a 4 yo CALM, loving rat

and has the most adorable face and beautiful

Citrus County’s PetMeals Program partners with the Key Training Center. The

terrier or Jack Russell, and is a little dream

brindle coat. He likes children and wants to

program is 100 percent donation based and volunteer driven. While the grant from the

girl companion. She is a lap dog, couch po-

play with all the dogs. He will need the re-

Banﬁeld Charitable Trust will help provide for the program, it is always seeking help with

tato, TV watcher, housebroken, leash and

quired puppy training but will make a won-

donations of unopened pet food, as well as volunteers to help deliver the pet food to clients.

crate trained, enjoys playing but jealous of

derfulpet. Adopt A Rescued Pet, Inc. does

There is currently a need for a volunteer coordinator for the PetMeals Program.

other animals, so must be the ONLY pet, NO

home visits prior to adoptions, therefore, we

The coordinator would coordinate the meals ofﬁce, the volunteers from the Key Training

children. A Humane Society of CENTRAL

can only adopt to the Citrus County and ad-

Center who package the pet food, and the volunteer drivers who deliver the food. For more

FLORIDA Pet Rescue, Inc. does home visits

joining county areas. If you are within these

information about either the Home Delivered Meals Program or the PetMeals Program, call

prior to adoptions, therefore, we only adopt

areas, please, phone Adopt A Rescued Pet,

352-527-5978.

Fireworks prohibited under current burn ban

to the Citrus County and adjoining county

leave your name, number, at 352.795.9550.

areas. She and 2 Pomeranians, 2 sweet Chi-

All of our dogs have been sterilized, tested

Under the burn ban now in effect, setting off ﬁreworks of any kind is illegal in

huahuas, and a Papillion X Chihuahua mix.

negative for heart worm, on heart worm

Citrus County or Levy County. Unless the county receives signiﬁcant rain in the near future,

The adoption fee is $150 Donation. Please,

prevention, on ﬂea prevention, up to date on

the burn ban will continue through July 4th.

phone AHSCFPRInc at 352.527.9050.

vaccines, ID chipped and vet checked.

New Shelter Group Gets Non-Proﬁt Status

Citrus Fire Chief Larry Morabito said the ordinance under which the ban is in-

voked speciﬁcally prohibits the use of ﬁreworks, sparklers, ﬂares or trick noisemakers. He

Friends of Citrus County Animal Services (FOCCAS) has been granted its 501 (c)

said last Wednesday that if it began raining daily, it was conceivable the ban might be lifted

3 status, making donations to its non-proﬁt cause tax-deductible.

by the Fourth, but as things stood on Wednesday, June 22, ﬁreworks are illegal.

The new support group for the animal shelter has also launched a website, and has

Anyone in violation could be subject to the prohibitions and penalties of the ordi-

created a Rescue Committee under the leadership of board member Pat Rupp.

nance, but Morabito said the concern on everyone’s mind beyond the legality and personal

Since September 2010 FOCCAS, has placed 162 dogs into qualiﬁed rescue orga-

danger should be danger of starting a wildﬁre – the reason for the burn ban in the ﬁrst place.

nizations when the dogs were running out of holding time and had not been adopted. Those

Fireworks tents are setting up in the county, and Morabito said everyone should

dogs would have been euthanized if they had not been placed.

understand that until the ban is lifted, using any kind of sparkler or ﬁreworks is illegal and

The Friends group began less than a year ago as an afﬁliate charitable advocacy or-

could set off ﬁres that can do considerable damage, not to mention endanger lives. He point-

ganization to support the shelter. The group’s fundraising is directed at the care and welfare

ed to the wildﬁres currently raging around the state and nation – one of which in Florida has

of the animals while they are at the shelter, including those with special needs, to increase

already killed two ﬁre ﬁghters.

their adoptability.

In Florida only sparklers are legal when burn bans are not in effect, unless the

To donate, volunteer or join FOCCUS, call 352-201-8664.The mailing address is

buyer signs a waiver to protect the seller attesting that he, the buyer, owns a mine, railroad

FOCCAS; P.O. Box 641; Inverness, FL 34451.

or ﬁsh hatchery and is buying them for that exempted use.

Morabito urged residents to keep the county safe from ﬁre and stay legal by not

R&M

buying or using ﬁreworks. He said the legal, safer and better alternative is to attend a mu-

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