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FAQ's & Important Reminders
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If I am registered with another organization, am I covered under KPETS insurance?
If you are wearing your KPETS ID and volunteering for a KPETS sponsored visit or event, 'yes'. If you are just visiting on your own, 'no'. We need to know where you are going and have record of it along with the facility's contact information and the name of their coordinator you work with.
2. Do I need to be R.E.A.D. certified to do Library or School reading programs?
To do a KPETS Reading Program (which may have various names depending on location), no. If it is a R.E.A.D. Program, yes - and your KPETS insurance coverage is not applicable.
3. Am I covered if I have my dog off lead during a visit or program?
In accordance to KPETS guidelines, dogs must be on lead at all times. Only with prior approval from KPETS, are some exceptions made for AAT situations.
4. If I have two registered KPETS dogs may I take both of them on a KPETS visit, program, or event?
KPETS guidelines state: one dog per handler. With prior approval from KPETS, a rare exception may be made.
5. What if I am given a donation for a speaking engagement or activity I did for KPETS, what do I do with the money?
Please have checks made out to KPETS and mail it to the KPETS office. All donations and funds (going in or out) must be documented properly on our books for tax purposes.
6. We are doing an event in my area. What must I do?
Notify the office of the event along with details, contact information of the events' coordinator, and any forms that need to be completed, etc. As with any visits, we need to document this in order for our insurance to apply.
Safety Reminders !
Dogs must be kept a minimum distance of two feet apart when acting in behalf of KPETS.
KPETS insurance is liability insurance and for people only - not pets.
Watch your pet at all times. Be sure he/she is not stressed and that he/she is enjoying the visit. If he/she is not comfortable, and if pushed, it is a form of abuse.
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CMark Your Kalendar!
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So Much is Happening!!
Be sure to check out the KPETS Kalendar!
Round Table Breakfast
May 12, 9 am
Bon Ton Community Days
Selling coupon books for Bon Ton Community Days has been a great fundraiser for KPETS in past years. If you'd like to join the fun a the malls, contact Konnections@kpets.org for Park City sales or HarrietH@kpets.org for York store sales !
Pet Grief Support Group:
Every third Thursday at Fred F Groff, 234 W Orange Street,Lancaster 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Light refreshments. No charge. Just rsvp to lizkhoff@gmail.com or call 717-397-8255
Save the Date!
KPETS Patriotic Pet Expo:
Sunday, June 10!
We have an awesome committee formed for this event so it's going to be bigger and better than ever. Watch for more details coming soon!
Businesses that Care Expo Saturday, May 12 from 10 am to 3 pm at
Lancaster Farm & Home Center. Chance for KPETS to win $1000 or $2000 awards! You can help! Click here for more info!
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EXTREMELY Important Links | |
If you have trouble or want to review previous KEYNOTES, they are available on the website at www.kpets.org
under the ABOUT tab. |
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| Orientation/Workshops | |
Orientations:
Sat, Mar 24 @ 9 am, York
Sat, April 14 @ 9 am, Lancaster
Wed, April 18 @ 7 pm, Hanover
Sat, May 20, @ 1 pm Palmyra
Coming soon! Godfrey's Dogdom, Mohnton
Workshops:
2nd and 4th Tues, Lancaster 6:30 pm
4th Mon, 6:30 pm Palmyra or Lebanon (alternating months)
5 wk Training and Workshop:
Next one starts Sun, March 25, from 3-4pm
in Lancaster
For any of the above please RSVP to: Konnections@kpets.org
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Hours Logging
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TIckspot Volunteer Hours Tracking
Thank you for taking the time to log your volunteer hours in Tickspot.com.
Please be sure to let us know if you do not see a facility you visit regularly in the 'task' list in Tickspot. We will need to add it for you.
It is imperative that we have places you visit in our database for insurance purposes. Remember, you are only covered when going on behalf of KPETS. Part of going on behalf of KPETS is that we KNOW and have contact info for where you are visiting.
Please be sure to log the number of people you visit and your mileage. Do this in the notes field. Example of visiting 7 people and traveling 15 miles is entered in "Notes" as: 7, 15,
Thank You VERY Much!
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Pet FIrst Aid Training
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Our Volunteer Round Table for March held last Saturday (3/10) was a training session on Pet First Aid presented by our own KPETS volunteer and veterinarian, Nan Hanshaw.
With 29 people in attendance, we filled the Blair Room with barely enough room for the two dog and two cat manikins. The manikins were used to practice CPR and also on how to find your pet's 'pulse'.
The 3.5 hour session gave us all a lot of practical knowledge on how to handle an emergency situation if one would arise. (God-forbid!)
With such a great turnout, we are hoping to offer this again and open it up to the general public. Watch for more details coming in the near future. Check out the photos in the article on the right.
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Meet our March Sponsors!
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Internet Sponsor: 12 needed for $110 - one for each month
Rent Sponsor: 12 needed for $420 - one for each month
Phone Sponsor: 11 needed for $55 - one for each month
(Only 4 more printer sponsors needed in 2012!) ~ Thanks everyone!
- KPETS continues to grow rapidly and we still do not charge those we visit for our services. However, those services do not come without a financial burden to KPETS!
To help us stay focused on our mission and services, we are in desperate need of sponsors for the above monthly expenses. Any individual, business or group can cover a monthly expense and be featured on our website's Sponsor Page AND be recognized on our home page during the month of their sponsorship.
Please consider a pledge to cover just one of these expenses for only one month each year. Ask your friends, co-workers, employer, etc. Feel free to contact me for more information - kareng@kpets.org
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Second Annual Spring Dinner - Italian Feast at Union Barrel Works | |
The Annual Spring Dinner is one of our bigger fundraisers to keep KPETS in the ($)black - and this year was no different! Sixty-Eight attendees enjoyed a great Italian Feast and camaraderie with others who appreciate what KPETS volunteers do!
We want to recognize and greatly thank our course / beer sponsors! Their sponsorship's truly helped make this event a BIG success. Please, be sure to check out their websites and services below!:
And thank you to the businesses below who donated some spectacular items for our Raffle and Prizes. Please check out their business and websites too!
Union Barrel Works, Godfrey's Dogdom, Agway, Ephrata, Cortazzo Foods, Judy Bechtol, Avon Rep, Beth Cardwell Photograpy, Foxy Hound Grooming Salon, Sheldon's Gallery, Lancaster County Magazine and we can't forget our anonymous KPETS friend!
With five courses served, no one went home hungry. We had door prizes, raffles, trivia games and five scrumptious courses to enjoy with friends. Feedback has been positive, so it sounds like everyone had great time!.
Thanks to all who came out and helped make the event a fun time while supporing KPETS too!
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| PCA&D Design-a-thon helps KPETS | |
PCA&D (Pennsylvania College of Art & Design) held their 24 hour Designathon, from 6 pm, Friday, Feb 24 - 6 pm, Saturday, Feb 25. KPETS, along with six other non-profits, were chosen to participate. Each non-profit had a project for a group of students to design in the 24 hour time frame. KPETS' project was a tweaking and redesign of our website. The goal was to make things easier to find for those visiting kpets.org.
 | | PCA&D Team + KPETS Board Member, Lori Roscoe (can you tell who she is?) |
Friday night was the kick-off and board member Lori Rosce and Karen Gerth attended to introduce KPETS to the students. They knew nothing about thier projects until they were informed at the presentation. All six non-profits shared briefly who they are and their mission, along with their projects and goals for the design team. After the group presentations, each of the design teams met with their non-profit for more details.
Then it was off to the food before getting down to the labor. Each organization brought in food to help the students get through the next 24 hours. Knowing Karen is not known for her domestic skills, Lori agreed to provide KPETS' share. Thank you, Lori.
To see the website they came up with click here. They only had 24 hours so it is not completed or totally functioning. We are looking for someone to take the design and complete the site for us - preferably pro bono if possible. If you know anyone who may be interested in taking it to completion, have them contact KarenG@kpets.org!
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-What KPETS is all about ! 
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Your heart-warming stories and/or testimonials are welcome. Please send them to blogger@kpets.org so we can share them!
Doggone Good Books
KPETS teams Angie Jones/Mercy and Wendi Mitzel/Meeko were featured in the York paper in January. Be sure to check out the article! Click here! Great pics, too!
Good Samaritan Hospital starts Therapy Dog Program
Click here for the news article from the Lebanon Daily News on 2/25/12. Pics too!
Murray, the Celebrity - from Mary Gottfried
Murray The Basset Hound: Eight Years of Service To Elizabethtown
Murray the Basset Hound is a familiar sight to many Elizabethtown residents. He'll be 10 years old this June, and is slowing down a little on his daily walks, but he hasn't slowed down in the services he provides to the Elizabethtown Community. Click here to see his story in the Elizabethtown Journal!
Gilly, the Comforter - by Nancy Houston
As soon as we walked in, a lady who was there for her therapy session immediately lit up with a smile spotting Gilly. Naturally, Gilly went right over to her and she began to give him a hug. As I spoke with her she told me she had lost her home to the recent floods and she now lives in an apartment building. Still hugging and petting Gilly, she continued to tell me about her four cats that lived with her, until the flood. Sadly, she told me they had to be taken to the Humane League as she was not allowed to bring them to her new apartment, but that she visits them when she is able. As she began to play ball with Gilly, it was clear that she was happier than she had been for a long, long while. Then, she looked up at me and said "God sent Gilly to me to have some comfort". Clearly, on that day, the pain of missing her four beloved cats was eased just a bit with a brief visit from Gilly..
Max, the Teacher - by Susan Lee
On Friday, Max and I stopped at HACC on our way to the nursing home. I had some paperwork to drop off at the Welcome Center, and since Fridays aren't busy days there, I brought Max along in with me. There was a girl behind the counter who said, "Oh, he's so pretty!" I said, "would you like to pet him?" She said, "Oh, no, I'm afraid of dogs!" Three people chimed in with, "no need to be afraid of that one, he's really good!" (He's been there with me before, he likes to go to college, makes him feel smart, I think.) She came around the counter, sort of hesitantly, but I had him sit and she came over, held her hands out and he went up to her. She started petting him very slowly, and within a minute had her hands buried in his fur, and her face right down next to him. He sort of leaned into her and just let her pet him. When she looked up at me, she looked so happy, she said,"If all dogs were like him, I'd never be afraid." It's moments like that that make what we do mean so much, and I wanted to share it with you :-) Susan and Max
Sammy - the Instigator - by Karen Gerth
Sammy, my 10 year old Golden visited with his new special friend on Friday for the second time. We were just to be there to interact and play with him in hopes it may get the little guy to speak. And guess what! Mom was so excited. He said three words AND a complete sentence. She told me he doesn't usually do that, but just the interaction and the presence of Sam some how helps him 'connect' and make the words come out. "I love you, baby" was the sentence he spoke - same has Mommy always tells him. Made my day, that's for sure!
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| Speical Volunteer Recognized |
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Several times in the past we've recognized various volunteers that we just had to make you all aware of, and this time we'd like to let you know all that one special volunteer does behind the lines for KPETS.
Many of us, myself included, started doing pet therapy to spend time with and share my dog with others. Once KPETS was born, that all changed. There is a lot of administrative work that goes on behind the scenes to keep our organization functioning at all levels.
One of several people who helps out in this way is Diane Rima. You may know her as Chester's mom - she shares his adventures quite often on his blog as well as sending them to be shared in our newsletter.
What you may not be aware of is: Diane is actually info@kpets.org. So any emails addressed to info@kpets.org get filtered through her first. If she can handle it, she does. If not, she forwards to Jenny or me to take care of.
With our 888 phone line having limited minutes (soon to change), many times phone calls go into the voice-mail, which in turn, are sent to Jenny or my email accounts. We listen to them, but if it is something Diane can help us with, we then will pass them on to her to return the call.
We get so many calls and emails for various reasons: People with dogs who want to do pet therapy, facilities or individuals looking for pet visits, students looking for advice on how to get involved for various school requirements, other organizations wanting to learn or share ideas with us, Tickspot questions, event/fundraising correspondence, and so on. It's just busy, busy, busy! Diane helps us where ever she can.
Diane is also our "Human Resources" assistant! Diane is the one who sends out the 'get well', congratulations, and sympathy cards as needed. I must say, the worst part of being in the office at KPETS is hearing of the many precious therapy dogs who pass away all too soon.
Diane is always there for us, whenever we need extra ears and/or hands.
On top of all this, she and Chester are quite busy with many weekly visits to places like Schreiber Pediatric, private homes and helping clients of UDS. Not mention covering presentations and other one-time requests we receive.
Diane and Chester, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you do to keep KPETS functioning during these busy, busy times!
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| Answer to Prayer? | |  Extra Funding Coming to KPETS
Sometimes you just have to sit back and ponder in amazement at how things come together. And that is just what I've been doing since "Cleaning From the Heart" contacted us over a month ago.
Dawn Cobb and her husband Joel, started a new business called "Cleaning From the Heart". Dawn contacted me several weeks ago, wanting to meet with me to discuss their business venture and how it could help KPETS. Although another meeting was the last thing I needed, we agreed to meet. Dawn came to the office from her home in York to find out all about KPETS and to share what being a partner with them would mean.
Cleaning From the Heart was featured in the York paper a couple weeks ago because of their philanthropic plan for their business. Each client who signs up for their services is given a choice of six to ten local non-profits to choose from. Cleaning From the Heart will then donate ten percent of that client's service costs to the organization they chose. AND KPETS is one of the chosen few!
Now the part that is amazing. How did they find KPETS? Dawn was sitting at a restaurant reading through the paper and came across the article about Mr. Blue's and Tremendous Life Books book signing which just happened to be donating the proceeds to KPETS! Mr's Blue's donations from this book signing is a similar story. They found us! Dawn said she tore the story out of the paper and put it in her purse. She went to our website and cried as she read through the testimonials! That is what prompted her to contact us.
But that is not all. There was another organization they had been trying to set up a meeting with. But that person decided they just did not have the time to meet. Dawn said, it was another sign that KPETS was to be included in the chosen few.
This kind of funding is absolutely the best! It brings in much needed dollars, but allows for Jenny and I to stay focused on KPETS services and mission and that goes into providing teams where requested and needed. What a blessing Cleaning From the Heart has been.
SO that said, if you have been considering a cleaning service for your home or business, why not contact Joel and Dawn from Cleaning from the Heart. Use this link to their website and be sure to tell them KPETS sent you:)
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KPETS PET FIRST AID Session a Success | |
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CPR on the kitty.
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Barbara puts some muscle in the compressions.
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 Barbara observes as Amanda gets ready to preform CPR on mannequin.
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Nan holds Copper while a student finds Copper's pulse.
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