City Recognizes 20th Anniversary of "Pets Without Partners"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 27, 2006

For more information, contact:
Laurie Ringquist, Director, Animal Care & Control, City of Bloomington, 349.3492
Maria K. Heslin, Communications Director, City of Bloomington, 349.3569

Bloomington, IN - Mayor Mark Kruzan announced today that the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter is excited to be celebrating 20 years of its cable access television show "Pets Without Partners." The program has the distinction of being one of the first and longest-running cable access shows of its kind in the nation.

A Community Collaboration with local television access station CATS-TV, the show first aired in November 1986. Since that time the weekly program has provided area residents with helpful pet advice, helped adopt out many homeless animals and shared information about the Shelter's services, the importance of spay/neuter, and the multiple benefits of having pets in our lives.

"This program is an important outlet for showcasing the Shelter's adoptable animals and reuniting lost animals with their guardians," Kruzan said. "The City is grateful to Michael White and the staff of CATS-TV for their dedication to this valuable program and is honored to recognize the show's 20th anniversary."

The show is a 30-minute program hosted by Dr. Jo Liska, Behavior Consultant and Outreach Coordinator for the City of Bloomington Animal Care and Control department and Muff Johnson, a former Shelter employee and long-time Shelter volunteer. The show features discussion of animal behavior and training, medical issues, unusual facts and myths about animals, stories and poetry, information about dog and cat breeds and photos and descriptions of animals available for adoption at the Shelter. The show airs seven times per week on channel 3.

The show was originally developed by Michael White, General Manager of CATS.

"After I was hired for the position in 1985, I proposed this idea to then Library Director Bob Trinkle," White said. "Bob, a dog lover himself, gave the idea a smiling thumbs-up and in November of 1986, the weekly tour of the shelter began."

Since the show's implementation, the pet adoption rate has increased from six percent to more than 50 percent.

Pets Without Partners can be seen on CATS Channel 3 at the following times: Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday at 5 p.m.; Thursday at 6:30 p.m.; Friday at 4 p.m.; Saturday at 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday at 4:30 p.m.