Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
www.houltonanimalshelter.com
    Out on a four wheeling trip, a couple came across a small dog, badly injured and needing medical attention. They scooped him up, took him home, and called their local animal control officer. The dog was brought immediately to the animal shelter where he was taken for care and treatment to our vet. He was severely dehydrated, cold, matted fur, and had cuts all over him. The vet felt he had been kicked, repeatedly. He had numerous health problems and was put on medication.
    Back at the shelter, everybody agreed that he would be more comfortable in a home environment so our shelter director took him home at night, something she does frequently. You have no idea how many kittens and dogs she has taken home and gotten up for every hour all night long to feed or medicate. This dog was no exception.  He was given tender loving care and quickly recovered from his injuries.
    Everybody fell in love with this little pooch and he was quickly adopted and is now living the good life, king of the house, never again to fear being injured, lost, or abandoned.
    We will never know what happened to this beautiful little fellow, if he was a beloved companion for years and then wandered off to be abused by someone because he tried to get a meal out of their garbage, or if he was a family pet who became old and bothersome and was kicked out on the street, we’ll never know. Just like the thousands of other animals that come through our doors, the stories are known only to Fido and Fluffy. And they can’t tell us — except with their eyes.
    For over 60 years, the Houlton Humane Society animal shelter has provided care and medical attention to the stray and abandoned animals of southern Aroostook and worked hard to find new homes for all those in our care. Right now, there are several beautiful dogs looking for new homes and 200 cats and kittens. Yes, we have kittens, itty bitty kittens, some of them just born and not yet ready to go. But you can visit and fill out a pre-adopt so that when they are ready, we can call you to come pick up your new companion.
    If your home is already full of furry friends, you can still help. Right now we need high energy laundry detergent, dish detergent and bleach. And, of course we could use help with the bills.  Our annual budget is $130,000, this pays for employees, lights, heat, mortgage, insurance, payroll taxes (that bill alone is $12,000 a year) and one of the biggest bills we have, our veterinarian bill. Every dollar that comes into the shelter goes back out in the community as our employees shop locally, and we purchase goods and services locally.
    You could donate directly or you could attend a fund raiser. On Saturday, Oct. 24, we will be hosting a “Spayghetti” Supper at the Littleton Museum. This event will include something new and fun — a “ticket auction.” I’ll bring you more details on how this auction works or you can show up for the supper and receive instructions. Suffice it to say that just for attending the supper you will receive six tickets that you can use to bid on a multitude of gifts and you can purchase additional tickets if you see an item you just can’t live without, just to make sure you’ve outbid the “other guy.” Dinner is $6 and we will open the doors at 4:30 p.m. to allow time for ticket purchases and shopping.
    The menu will be spaghetti and meatballs, salad, garlic bread and gingerbread with whipped cream for dessert. Join us for dinner or, if you would like to help cook or serve, give me a call at 532-2345 and we’ll sign you up. We could use about a dozen servers as this will be a sit down meal with table service.
    As always, we appreciate your help and support so we can continue our work with and for these animals who depend on us. Thank you.