Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
www.houltonanimalshelter.com
    On a daily basis, there are 1,000 things going on at the animal shelter at the same time. You have the routine cleaning which is anything but routine, with 60-plus cages to wipe down, 70-plus litter boxes to wash, dishes to wash, blankets to wash, floors to sweep and mop, and all the while trying to spend just a little time socializing with the animals as you go. This is very hard work and we are fortunate to not only have a hard working dedicated staff, but also, some wonderful and long-term volunteers.
    It amazes me every day, the volunteers who have been coming to the shelter for years — not just months, but years — to clean, walk dogs, brush cats, clip nails, whatever they can do to make the lives of each animal just a little brighter until that magical day when a new home is found.
    It also amazes me when I see how our part-time underpaid employees constantly give back to the shelter.  For them it’s not about the money, that’s quite obvious, they are there because they care about the animals and they believe in the mission. They believe that every animal has a right to quality care and they not only work hard to maintain that quality of life, but some of them donate much of their paycheck right back to the shelter!
BULLSEYE — This beautifully marked, friendly cat is about five-years-old and has been neutered. He gets along with other cats and dogs. Bullseye has had his shots and needs a loving home after being abandoned at the shelter.
    While all this hard work is going on behind the scenes, there is also a ton of paperwork associated with running a shelter. We have annual reports, monthly reports, we have to notify the towns when we adopt dogs to their towns and notify towns when strays come in from their towns. We have to send the state all kinds of paperwork, we have to keep our Web designer up to date with new photos and let her know when a pet is adopted so old photos can be removed from the Web site, we have to make sure all the animals are in the computer and that information is automatically transmitted to Petfinder.com so that hopefully the information you see on their Web site is current.
    There are also the dozens of phone calls, from people wanting advice on animal care to people wanting assistance with vet bills (sorry, we have no funds for that), spaying and neutering bills (we are working on funds for this), food (we do have a pet food pantry) and other animal-related issues.
    And then when a stray is brought to the shelter, there is a ton of work that goes into each and every animal. First it has to be logged in (paperwork and computer work), then it has to be checked over for any signs of disease or injury. Then we take a look at where it came from and we start a search to see if we can locate the owner. If we know people in the neighborhood we start making phone calls, canvassing the neighbors to see if anybody recognizes the animal’s description, trying to make sure the pet is returned to his rightful owner.
    There are also vet runs, which usually means a van full of carriers with critters going to be spayed or neutered; there are supply runs, which means sending the van out for a pallet of litter or other supplies; and there are special projects, which involves hauling animals to adopt-a-thons, or putting together parade floats or taking yard sale items to the grange, or using the van as a refrigerator for the box lunch.
    The Shelter is a fun place to work, there is never a dull moment and there is always something to do, as you can see. Nobody is ever bored there, ever. And there is always room for one more volunteer, one more foster home, one more idea for a fund-raiser.
    We would like to invite you to join us. This is a joyful experience, working hard to assure that each and every animal is treated kindly and respectfully, that each and every animal gets just a little special attention.  We may not be in a position to hire new employees but if you have just four hours a week, maybe you would like to come help us clean a little, or come walk some dogs, or come mow the lawn this summer.
    We are in special need of qualified foster homes so please call 532-2862 if you would like to apply to be a foster home (we mostly need homes for cats).         Thank you for all you do to help us!