Businesses lauded for helping rescue pets

Carson City Animal Services today will present awards to Pet Supermarket and Serenity Support Services for their help in assisting animal services with pet adoptions.

"Serenity Support Services is the one who takes the photos of the animals and puts them on color posters for display in area businesses," said Tracy Edgar, office supervisor for animal services.

"This service is done at their expense. Their staff then distributes the posters throughout Carson City.

"And Pet Supermarket has installed several cat cages in their store and will keep the animals there until they are adopted."

Cats placed in Pet Supermarket are selected by animal services staff and taken to local veterinarians for physical exams and shots. The store has a 100 percent adoption rate since the program began in March.

Edgar said the department has seen an increase in the amount of adoptions from their facility with the help from the two businesses.

Awards will be handed out during today's Carson City supervisors' meeting which begins at 8:30 a.m.

Sherry Newsom, owner of Serenity Support Services, a publishing company, said it was the company's 13 employees who came up with the idea of helping animal services.

"We wanted to do something for the community and this was one of three choices," said Newsom. "The choice was unanimous. We are all animal lovers and wanted to help the animals in the area.

"Getting this award is very exciting. It hurts us to see stray animals on the road not being taken care of. It's a crime they're not being taken care of by their owners. We feel the posters are one way we can help."

Newsom said she and the employees thought it would be a grand idea to take pictures of the animals, place them on a poster and put the poster into area stores and businesses which would let them.

"We're going to be placing an ad soon in the Nevada Appeal thanking those who have allowed us to place posters in their business and asking those who don't currently show the poster if they would like to be a part of this. If they would, we will be more than happy to get them a poster."

Additionally, having animals at other locations has freed up space at the shelter allowing the staff to keep animals at their facility for longer.

"This was my idea at the store level," said Susan Paul, manager of Pet Supermarket on South Carson Street.

"I then asked our corporate office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and they said it would be OK. They ordered us a three-level cat condo, which houses three adult cats or up to 18 kittens, six in each level.

"The public's reception has been excellent. Many of them say to us 'Oh, I'm so glad you're doing this,' because they would rather come here and make a choice than go to the shelter and see so many left behind."

Paul said the cats have free run of the store for an hour in the morning to allow them to play and exercise.

"They run around and then we try to find them. It's a lot of fun. And the food we fed them is donated by one of our suppliers, Nutro. I simply asked if they would and they said, 'OK.'"

Paul said the employees enjoy the program and animals so much it's hard sometimes for them to give up the animal.

"They get attached, too. And, we hope to start a similar program in the spring for dogs," Paul said.