Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
www.houltonanimalshelter.com
    A couple of years ago, a very sweet lady donated a car to the animal shelter. Up until that time, staff had used their personal vehicles to transport animals to the vet, run errands, pick up litter, you name it, and we had paid mileage. Once we had the car, we had to decide how to use it and after looking at the money we could actually save by having a shelter vehicle, we sold the car and used the money to buy a van.  
    The van has been a lifesaver, not only do we transport 10 to 20 animals at a time to the vet to be spayed or neutered, but we also use the van to haul an entire pallet of cat litter at a time, items to and from yard sales, we go to adopt-a-thons with it, we put it in parades.
    The van was not new when we purchased it and it’s been used hard, but maintained well. We have been so blessed that a local mechanic has helped us out whenever we need him and has been very generous, often donating time and parts.
    But the van is wearing out and now starting to cost more to fix each time it breaks down. We have an opportunity to buy another van, in mint condition, for just $2,000. We have until May to raise the money for this van. We could sell the current van to help towards this cost, so we’ll do that, but we’ll still need probably $1,000 to $1,500 to buy the new van.
    We’re going to start a fund-raising drive to help fund this purchase. If you would like to help, please send your tax-deductible donation to the Houlton Humane Society, P.O. Box 548, Houlton, Me 04730. Watch for upcoming events, such as bottle drives, etc., to help raise the money for this project.
    We are also about to embark on a new project, our Virtual Adoptions. For just $20 a month you can adopt a kitty or a dog at the shelter and support that pet until a new home can be found. You can pick out which pet you would like to support or you can let the staff do it for you. You will receive a photo of your Fluffy or Fido and an update on the status until your pet is adopted. When your pet is adopted you can either discontinue your monthly contribution or you can choose another pet to adopt.
    Shortly, we will post available pets on Facebook for your selection. If you don’t have access to the Internet, we will mail your information to you. I’m really excited about this program. I think I’m going to adopt the big orange kitty from the B Road. He is just magnificent and loving and I can’t believe nobody has come looking for him. He obviously belonged to someone and just wandered off for a little while, maybe chasing a mouse, maybe in search of a girlfriend, but he ended up at the Shelter and is now awaiting a new home.  
    We’ll start uploading photos shortly to Facebook, or you can check our available pets on petfinder.com. You can email the shelter at animal@pwless.com and let them know which pet you would like to adopt or you may mail a check with the pet of your choice included with your payment. It’ll take us about two weeks to finish putting this program together so stay tuned for more information.
 We’ll be doing a membership drive and, of course, preparing for our St. Patrick’s Day Box lunch. If you would like to help with any of these programs, please call Heather at the shelter at 532-2862 so we can sign you up!