To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.
WestChesterBuzz.com also added a new video page last week. To view West Chester and Liberty Township related videos, visit westchesterbuzz.com/videos.
Boehner makes visit on eve of State of the Union – On the day before President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, House Speaker John Boehner of West Chester told workers at the Vinylmax LLC facility in Hamilton that the government needs to help the economy by passing a budget. Employees of the company didn’t ask many questions, but the one that drew the biggest response was when someone asked Boehner if he was going to run for President in four years.
Julie Mercer of Pike Pet Pals takes Sarge out of the flexi USA warehouse on Saturday. Sarge, who wasn’t adopted or rescued, faced an uncertain future. Photo taken Feb. 9, 2013 by Carolyn Evans of www.phodographer.com.
Saving Sarge at My Furry Valentine – Sarge, who couldn’t be adopted through a Pike County dog shelter (Ohio) since he was part pit bull, faced an uncertain future. After a final attempt to get adopted or rescued failed at My Furry Valentine in West Chester, Cincinnati area animal lovers stepped up and, officially, this past Saturday Sarge was finally adopted.
West Chester settles with bar patron for $265K – West Chester Township recently reached a settlement with a Blanchester man, paying him $265,000 for a May 2012 incident in which township police repeatedly hit him with batons at a West Chester bar. Surveillance video of the incident was released to the media in June. It showed three officers approaching Jeremy Lewis, 29, on the deck of Win, Place or Show Sports Bar & Grill in West Chester Township about 2:30 a.m. May 6.
Postseason brackets released for Ohio state tournament – Both the Lakota East and Lakota West boys’ basketball programs wrapped up the 2012-2013 regular season with road games this past Friday and now get ready to start postseason play. The girls’ basketball postseason officially tipped off this past weekend.
Update: Sarge was finally adopted on Feb. 16, a week after a Pike County, Ohio, shelter took him to My Furry Valentine in a last attempt to find him a home.
Approximately 4,000 people attended and a total of 227 animals were adopted at the My Furry Valentine main event at flexi USA in West Chester Saturday and Sunday.
The total number of adoptions are expected to grow this week after rescues, like Adore-a-Bull, perform home checks. The rescue, which saves local pit bulls and pit bull mixes, received 35 applications for adoptions during the two-day event.
One of the animals up for adoption at My Furry Valentine’s main event in West Chester Saturday, Sarge, odds of survival are low just because he has traces of pit bull in him. Shelters have trouble finding pit bull or mixed pit bull breeds a home. Photo taken Feb. 9, 2013 by Carolyn Evans of www.phodographer.com.
It is also unknown how many pets were adopted at the other 50 satellite locations, which included shelters, rescues and pet stores throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
Last year, 100 animals were adopted at the main event location. The total of pets adopted last year, combined between the main event and satellite locations, was 266.
One dog, who was left behind at this year’s main event, was rescued.
Sarge, who couldn’t be adopted through a Pike County dog shelter (Ohio) since he was part pit bull, faced an uncertain future.
Stray Animal Adoption Program (SAAP), which is located in Newport, Ky., stepped up at what appeared to be the dog’s final hour and rescued him.
Meet Sarge, the shelter’s favorite dog
Pike Pet Pals, a non-profit organization that assists in transporting shelter dogs to approved rescues throughout Ohio, thought My Furry Valentine was the event that was going save the Pike County Dog Pound’s (in Waverly, Ohio) favorite dog.
When the dog was first brought into the pound by deputies from the Pike County Sheriff’s Office, he didn’t have a name and was emaciated.
Volunteers at the shelter fell in love with the dog, who they named Sarge. In fact, Sarge was so adored by the staff that he spent most of his time in front of the office instead of back in the kennel.
They all wanted him to find a loving home, but since it was determined that he was mixed bred with traces of pit bull, it became very difficult.
After dealing with shelter visitors, who were adopting pit bulls for the wrong reasons, the dog pound implemented a policy that made it nearly impossible for a pit bull or a pit bull mixes to be adopted.
Once the group found out about My Furry Valentine, they saw a way out for Sarge.
The hope was – if one of the 2,500 people, who attended the first day of the main event of My Furry Valentine, fell for Sarge then they could get one of the rescues on hand to perform the standard home check, which by policy the shelter couldn’t do themselves.
“He has been there (in the dog pound) the longest and if we can’t find him a home soon he will have to be put down,” Julie Mercer of Pike Pet Pals said at the event on Saturday afternoon.
“He is a very good dog. He loves other dogs. He just wants attention and to sit in your lap…he is a very good tempered dog. We just love him.”
Sarge breaks hearts at My Furry Valentine
Julie Mercer of Pike Pet Pals takes Sarge out of the flexi USA warehouse on Saturday. Sarge, who wasn’t adopted or rescued, faced an uncertain future. Photo taken Feb. 9, 2013 by Carolyn Evans of www.phodographer.com.
Carolyn Evans, who organized, My Furry Valentine’s main event in West Chester this past weekend described her experience with Sarge as an “emotional roller coaster.”
Just a half hour after the first day of My Furry Valentine ended on Saturday, only a few volunteers remained and Sarge was the only dog left in the building.
The dog, who won the hearts of the volunteers at the event, wasn’t adopted nor was he rescued. And since the group, Pike Pet Pals, who brought him to the event was located in Pike County and needed to get back to help other homeless dogs, Sarge’s chances for survival appeared to be slim.
As tears were shed, volunteers of My Furry Valentine pleaded for Sarge’s life.
“Lots of people were stopping by to meet Sarge and I think we just all thought he’d get adopted. We were in shock at the end of the day,” Evans said. “We were trying to get them to stay, working out (a deal) if Sarge could stay with us.”
After hearing about Sarge’s story, Evans thought if no one adopted him that Adore-A-Bull would rescue him.
Adore-A-Bull co-founder Danny Kaiser worried if he had rescued Sarge that he wouldn’t get adopted since people approach his organization looking for pit bulls, not Sarge, who doesn’t look anything like one.
“He is caught in limbo,” Evans said. “There are 20 types of dogs that are mislabeled pit bulls. I believe that is where he falls. It is just a tough position for this poor dog.”
Eventually, Sarge left – without a home.
Saving Sarge
When Sarge arrived back at the shelter late Saturday in Pike County, his spot was taken. A stray dog, who had been tied to a tree and left by the shelter, had taken Sarge’s kennel.
My Furry Valentine volunteer Michael Lehmann, who along with fellow volunteer Teresa Scherl drove to the Pike County Dog Pound to fetch Sarge back, pets his new friend as Sarge’s arrival is announced at the My Furry Valentine main event in West Chester. Photo taken Feb. 10, 2013 by Carolyn Evans of www.phodographer.com.
But, unbeknownst to the Pike Pet Pals, Evans had been working the phones – trying to find a rescue for Sarge.
Eventually, she was able to get ahold Caroline Rollins of the Stray Animal Adoption Program (SAAP). Rollins, who is a dog coordinator at the Newport, Ky., rescue, met Sarge at the event and said that she would like help him.
“We decided to take Sarge for a couple reasons,” Rollins said. “Sarge was in dire need to find a rescue or forever home. He appears to have a bit of pit bull in him, which makes adopting him out extremely difficult.
“Sarge has a wonderful personality … we were happy to help him.”
With Sarge saved, the only problem was that he was a long way from his rescue – about 2 and a half hours away to be exact.
Despite not being able to reach the Pike Pet Pals or the Pike County Dog Pound, My Furry Valentine volunteers Teresa Scherl and Michael Lehmann decided to make the drive to get Sarge back to the main event on Sunday.
The pair drove two hours, found Sarge, and drove two hours back.
When they arrived at My Furry Valentine that afternoon, Sarge’s arrival was announced over the loud speaker. The crowd cheered.
Sarge still needs a home
“He is currently in his foster home and doing great,” Rollins said. “He loves dogs, kids, all people, and even does well with cats and other small animals.”
If anyone is interested in adopting Sarge, visit www.adoptastray.com and fill out the dog adoption application.
Or meet Sarge in person, as he will be at an adoption event this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Petco in Fort Wright, Ky.
Sarge is neutered, microchipped, vet checked and up to date on his shots. His adoption fee is $100.
NOTE:Adore-A-Bull Rescue worked with My Furry Valentine volunteers to help find the best rescue for Sarge. It has been brought to the attention of WestChesterBuzz.com, that the organization which helps hundreds of pit bulls throughout Greater Cincinnati find homes, has been criticized on its Facebook page. Again, while the organization did not rescue Sarge, it helped with Sarge’s rescue process.
See video – filmed on Saturday – “Trouble finding a home for Sarge”
Photos captured by Tony Jones of The Cincinnati Enquirer
Flexi USA, Inc. Distribution in West Chester hosted this past weekend My Furry Valentine, a big pet adoption event that brings together dozens of shelters and rescues, hundreds of adoptable animals and thousands of potential pet adopters from throughout the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
Cincinnati’s largest adoption event continues Sunday
Update: At approximately, 8:15 p.m., Sarge was rescued. He, however, still needs a home. To adopt him, contact the Stray Animal Adoption Program (SAAP), which is located in Newport, at 859-391-1234 or at SAAP@fuse.net. It is unknown when he will be available for adoption, however, since he is currently on his way back to the Pike County Dog Pound.
Story written at end of event: More than 2,500 people visited and roughly 150 animals were adopted during the first day of the My Furry Valentine main event at flexi USA, 8494 Firebird Drive, in West Chester Saturday, but one dog, in particular, was left behind.
Sarge, who may not look like it, has pit bull in him. He was brought to the main event in West Chester from the Pike County Dog Pound in Waverly, Ohio, which is roughly two hours away.
Due to traces of pit bull, the shelter claims that it is not allowed to list Sarge on its website and is unable to do the proper screenings for him to be eligible for adoption.
One of the animals up for adoption, Sarge, odds of survival are low just because he has traces of pit bull in him. Shelters have trouble finding pit bull or mixed pit bull breeds a home. In photo, Sarge embraces Sue Peek, who is a volunteer with Pike Pet Pals. Photo taken Feb. 9, 2013 by Adam Kiefaber.
“We have a lot of people coming in (the shelter) with the wrong intentions,” said Julie Mercer of Pike Pet Pals and Pike County Dog Pound. “We really work to get them to the rescue because we don’t want the dog to fall into the wrong hands.
“We can’t do home visits ourselves, so that is why we need to get them to the rescue.”
If not rescued, Sarge could likely become part of a staggering statistic.
Just last year, more than 3 million animals were euthanized at shelters nationwide due to homelessness. According to Adore-A-Bull Rescue co-founder Danny Kaiser, roughly a third of those animals were pit bulls or pit bull mixes.
“People tend to shy away from the breed due to the reputation and the negative stigma therefore making it a lot harder on the shelters,” Kaiser said. “A lot of shelters deem them as vicious or not adoptable. Sometimes the only way a pit bull can make it out of a shelter is through a rescue.”
Last year, Adore-A-Bull Rescue rescued 218 pit bulls and found homes for 176 of them. They claim to have never euthanized a dog.
But, they couldn’t rescue Sarge because he doesn’t look like a pit bull.
“We are just shocked. Everyone wanted to pet him,” Mercer said. “But no one adopted him. It is too bad because he is such a great dog. He is one of our favorites.”
Pike Pet Pals brought a total of four dogs, all were adopted except for Sarge.
“He is caught in limbo,” said Carolyn Evans, who organized My Furry Valentine. “There are 20 types of dogs that are mislabeled pit bulls. I believe that is where he falls. It is just a tough position for this poor dog.”
My Furry Valentine doesn’t just feature pit bulls, or dogs who may have traces of pit bull in them, but many other breeds of dogs, as well as cats, rabbits, rats and mice.
In addition to the West Chester location, there are 50 other satellite locations, which include shelters, rescues and pet stores who are participating in the adoption event this weekend.
The main event will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Evans, who is a board member for Cincinnati’s United Coalition for Animals, said there will be plenty of animals ready to be adopted on day 2 of the event.
“Sunday will still be a great opportunity to come out,” Evans said. “We will not run out of animals. There are more than enough animals in the Tri-State looking for homes.”
The event is free to attend. Parking is also free.
NOTE:Adore-A-Bull Rescue worked with My Furry Valentine volunteers to help find the best rescue for Sarge. It has been brought to the attention of WestChesterBuzz.com, that the organization which helps hundreds of pit bulls throughout Greater Cincinnati find homes, has been criticized on its Facebook page. Again, while the organization did not rescue Sarge, it helped with Sarge’s rescue process.
IF YOU GO
What: My Furry Valentine
When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Flexi USA, 8494 Firebird Drive, West Chester, four miles west of Union Centre Boulevard exit from Interstate 75.
Armchair program – Residents of West Chester Township are invited to experience Scandinavia without ever leaving their hometown. The region will be discussed at this week’s Armchair session at Township Hall, 9113, Cincinnati-Dayton Road, at 7 p.m. Friday.
Craft for the Cure – Student groups at Lakota East High School are sponsoring crafting activities for people of all ages. All materials will be for sale at the event. Crafts will be inexpensive (50 cents to $10) and easy to create, according to the event’s flier. Proceeds benefit East’s Relay for Life. The event will take place after school from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday.
Lakota boys’ basketball – The regular season is winding down and both Lakota West and Lakota East will host conference opponents Friday at 7:30 p.m. Lakota West (13-6 overall, 7-5 in Greater Miami Conference) will host Fairfield (13-7 overall, 8-4 in GMC), while Lakota East (14-6 overall, 7-5 in GMC) will host Middletown (11-9 overall, 8-4 in GMC). Both East and West are a game out of first place in the GMC, which currently has three teams (Fairfield, Sycamore and Middletown) in a tie with conference records of 8-4.
Saturday
My Furry Valentine – Hundreds of adoptable pets from dozens of animal rescues and shelters throughout the Tri-State area will be brought together under one roof for the My Furry Valentine Super Adoption Event, Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at flexi USA located at 8494 Firebird Drive in West Chester, just four miles west of I-75 on the Union Centre Blvd. exit.
Winter farmers’ market – The weekly farmers’ market season is over, but the winter farmers’ market will be open this Saturday at the Square at Union Centre. This Saturday’s market will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Like in the summer, the winter farmers’ market also features all local vendors with produce and meats grown and raised locally and products made by hand.
Lakota girls’ basketball – Both Lakota West and Lakota East will finish the 2012-2013 regular season with road games Saturday at 2 p.m. Lakota West (18-3 overall, 11-3 in GMC) will visit Oak Hills (6-15 overall, 3-10 in GMC), while Lakota East (7-14 overall, 6-8 in GMC) will visit Fairfield (7-14 overall, 4-9 in GMC). Postseason play begins next week. East will play its first game next Saturday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m. at Kings High School against Little Miami, while West won’t play until Tuesday, Feb. 19, at Harrison High School against the winner of the Walnut Hills and St. Ursula matchup, which will be played on Valentine’s Day (Thursday).
Bella Vino grand opening - To celebrate its recent grand opening, Bella Vino Wine Merchants and Bar will be hosting an event that will feature craft beer and wine specials, as well as live music. There will also be complimentary bites. The celebration will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday. The wine shop is located at 6064 West Chester Road.
Sunday
My Furry Valentine – Day 2 of the event. In its inaugural year, a total of 60 rescue shelters and eight animal advocacy groups participated in My Furry Valentine. Overall, 99 animals were adopted at the main event in West Chester and a total of 266 adoptions occurred throughout Greater Cincinnati. Those numbers are expected to grow with it being a two-day event in 2013.
My Furry Valentine is region’s largest animal adoption event
Photos from last year’s My Furry Valentine in West Chester
More than 3 million animals were euthanized last year at shelters nationwide.
This weekend, the region’s largest pet adoption event of the year hopes to do something about that number.
The second annual My Furry Valentine takes place Saturday and Sunday at 36 sites across Greater Cincinnati. The event is organized by Carolyn Evans, a board member for Cincinnati’s United Coalition for Animals.
“There are a lot of animals dying every year in our shelters (33,000 estimated) because there are not enough people who are adopting them,” Evans said. “It seems like an insurmountable problem at first glance, but, if we could just get people to think about adopting, then animals wouldn’t be dying in our shelters.”
In 2012, its inaugural year, the event found homes for 266 animals. This year’s event will be held at flexi USA, 8494 Firebird Drive. Representatives of 47 rescues and shelters will attend, with 481 animals available for adoption. Another 35 satellite locations, which include shelters, rescues and pet stores, will participate, with another 1,600 pets available.
Nathan Winograd is founder of the No Kill Advocacy Center in Oakland, Calif. He said Cincinnati historically puts down 70 percent of its shelter animals, largely due to the lack of awareness of adoptable pets.
“That (rate) is worse than the national average (50 percent), and it certainly doesn’t reflect well because people in Cincinnati care about animals,” Winograd said.
“Every year 23 1/2 million Americans bring a new pet into their home, but unfortunately the majority don’t adopt,” Winograd said. “About 17 million of those people don’t know where they are going to get their next animal. We just have to convince 20 percent to adopt to end the killing.”
The event not only saves lives, it changes them.
“I have always wanted to adopt a greyhound, but I live in a condo and didn’t think I could,” said Laura Blackwell, who attended last year’s event. “When I talked with the Homeward Bound Greyhound Association, they told me they make great apartment dogs.”
Blackwell, of Springboro, adopted Lina, a former racer. She loved Lina so much, she adopted another greyhound, Lilly, in May.
Since the event, Blackwell has adopted two dogs, become a foster parent for Homeward Bound and traveled with the group to save greyhounds in Birmingham, Ala.
Large pet adoption event taking place throughout Greater Cincinnati
Photos from last year’s My Furry Valentine in West Chester
Hundreds of adoptable pets from dozens of animal rescues and shelters throughout the Tri-State area will be brought together under one roof for the My Furry Valentine Super Adoption Event, next Saturday, Feb. 9 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and next Sunday, Feb. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at flexi USA located at 8494 Firebird Drive in West Chester, just four miles west of I-75 on the Union Centre Blvd. exit.
In its inaugural year, a total of 60 rescue shelters and eight animal advocacy groups participated in My Furry Valentine in 2012. Overall, 99 animals were adopted at the main event in West Chester and a total of 266 adoptions occurred throughout Greater Cincinnati.
In West Chester alone, approximately 1,700 visitors came out to the main event. In addition, more than $75,000 in gifts and prizes were awarded to adopters and visitors.
“We finalized our first adoption just minutes after the doors were opened. Groups were calling in reinforcements during the day to have volunteers bring additional animals when they realized they were going to run out,” said Carolyn Evans, event organizer. “Shelters that had doubled-up on kennel space for years went back to empty kennels that they had never experienced before.”
This year’s event features family friendly games and activities including face painting, a balloon artist, a caricature artist, Mr. Cowpie’s farm animal petting zoo and live entertainment.
Pet supplies and services from various vendors and sponsors will also be available.
Parking and admission are free. Pet adoption fees and applications vary.
For those who are unable to attend the Super Adoption Event at flexi USA on February 9 and February 10, various rescues and shelters throughout the region will be hosting adoption events in collaboration with My Furry Valentine. For a list of the participating shelters, please visit www.myfurryvalentine.com.
For more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Event Organizer, Carolyn Evans, at myfurryvalentine@gmail.com.
To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.
Community leader passes away – The West Chester and Liberty township communities grieved the loss A. Christian Worrell III, who was responsible for the Graydon Head Legal Counsel Butler/Warren Office and was a member of countless local committees. Worrell’s funeral took place last Tuesday afternoon.
T.C. Rogers. File photo.
My Furry Valentine to come back – The organizer for My Furry Valentine, a large pet adoption event that took place throughout Cincinnati, said that she expects to host another event next February. This past February, the main event was in West Chester. There have also been discussions to add another large pet adoption event in the summer or in the early fall.
Rogers keeps lead in commission vote – Political newcomer T.C. Rogers kept his edge over Courtney Combs as the Republican nominee for Butler County Commissioner last Tuesday when absentee and provisional ballots were counted. But the race is destined for an automatic recount by law because the margin is less than half of 1 percent. The recount is expected to take place this Monday.
West Chester playing role in Ohio’s economic development – The Atlanta-based magazine Site Selection awarded Ohio and Governor John Kasich first place in its annual Governor’s Cup rankings. The Governor’s Cup, which was announced in its March issue, ranks the 50 states according to their success in attracting capital investment projects. West Chester Township played a role in the state’s accomplishment.
Ezekiel "Zeke" Stepaniak. Photo provided.
The Cone opens for the season – A West Chester landmark and popular location in the summer, The Cone, officially opened for the season last Thursday with a surprise opening night. The seasonal destination is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday and from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Lakota community comes together after fatal wreck – Lakota West High School and others in the school community mourned the loss of one its students – junior Ezekiel “Zeke” Stepaniak – and prayed for the recovery of another student – sophomore Ashley Stacy. Throughout the week, students showed their support in many ways.
Office Depot donates $97,000 in supplies to Lakota – The Lakota school district announced that it received $97,000 worth of office supplies from Office Depot. According to school officials, Office Depot donated 79,000 items that included highlighters, pens, trash bags, paper towels, batteries, glue sticks and binders.
The organizer for My Furry Valentine is expecting to host the another super pet adoption event in February of 2013.
“My Furry Valentine filled a great need in our community,” said Carolyn Evans, event organizer. “While the shelters and rescues have adoptable animals year round and participate in various adoption events throughout the year, nothing has ever been done on such a large scale in our area.”
This past February, a total of 60 rescue shelters and eight animal advocacy groups participated in My Furry Valentine. Overall, 99 animals were adopted at the main event in West Chester and a total of 266 adoptions occurred throughout Greater Cincinnati.
In West Chester alone, approximately 1,700 visitors came out to the main event.
“We finalized our first adoption just minutes after the doors were opened. Groups were calling in reinforcements during the day to have volunteers bring additional animals when they realized they were going to run out,” Evans said. “Shelters that had doubled-up on kennel space for years went back to empty kennels that they had never experienced before.”
In addition to the adoptions, IAMS/Eukanuba made a $25,000 food donation to the Cincinnati Pet Food Pantry.
The event was so successful that Evans already has sponsors committed to hosting again.
As of right now, My Furry Valentine has a tentative date for Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013. Evans also said the event could add another event in the summer or in the early fall. The date and time frame has yet to be determined, but organizers are thinking about “Sweetest Day” in October.
Photos of My Furry Valentine taken in West Chester by Tony Jones
My Furry Valentine, which took place Saturday, had approximately 1,800 adoptable animals at nearly 40 locations in Greater Cincinnati. The main adoption event took place at the Flexi Distribution Center, 8494 Firebird Drive, in West Chester Township.
By mid-day, there were 150 adoptions. A total number of adoptions will not be known until later in the week.
“We’re really looking forward to getting the final tallies, which will take a few days to finalize,” said Carolyn Evans, event organizer.
“This was definitely a record-breaking weekend for so many groups and for the Greater Cincinnati animal welfare community.”
A total of 60 rescue shelters and eight animal advocacy groups participated in My Furry Valentine.
In West Chester, approximately 1,500 visitors came out to the main event.
In Greater Cincinnati, all seven of the Adore-a-Bull pit bulls, who had home visits Saturday were adopted; the Boone County Animal Shelter had 13 animals adopted; and the Stray Animal Adoption Program had a weekend record 41 adoptions.
“My Furry Valentine shows that when you give people something to get excited about, they will volunteer their time and resources to make it happen,” Evans said. “It affirms how much people love animals and want to be a part of saving lives.
“As the event coordinator, I wanted to do something big for animals in our community. As it turns out, so did a lot of other people.”
