Pet Talk

    Going into the grocery store over the weekend, an animal shelter supporter stops me in the parking lot and hands me $20 to help take care of our animal babies over the holidays. Inside the store, another supporter stops to tell me how much she enjoyed the concert and how she wished she had brought more friends with her.
    You have no idea how much this means to all of us, just these random acts of kindness, these words of encouragement, these comments of support, they lift our spirits and boost our morale at a time when funds are low and population is up.
    I find that the people in this area are generous beyond words, and I am so grateful to be a part of this community. There are certainly frustrations when you are involved in any non-profit endeavor, whether it’s MS Research or raising funds to help find a cure for cancer, or animal welfare, it’s often nerve wracking to come with a new and exciting idea to support your cause. Few of us like to walk up to strangers and say “can I have a dollar to help save an animal,” but most of us don’t mind baking brownies for another bake sale or taking a day off work to help make sandwiches for a box lunch. 
    But wouldn’t it be fun to come up with something different, something exciting, something fun for the entire family? So I’ve been researching some various ideas and I think you’re going to be really excited the first of the year when we announce our projects for the season. I believe there will be something for everyone, maybe an outing or two for the kids, an opportunity to have a little fun with your neighbors, an event where you can bring Rover and Fluffy, and of course we will continue with the traditional fundraisers that everybody has grown to enjoy and anticipate.
    The Box Lunch fundraiser is one that we would not abandon. Everybody seems to really enjoy having a delivery of a lunch on St. Patrick’s Day, after a long winter of little to look forward to, this event has always been a hit. And our Rockin’ The Doghouse event has been a huge hit and will continue another year. Each year this event grows a little bigger and we add more to it as more people wish to assist in our fund-raising efforts.
    But these events are next year, and we won’t have to worry too much about making sandwiches in March if we can’t get through January and February. These are the toughest months every year, especially trying to keep up with fuel oil costs, higher electricity, and other expenses that we know from personal experience are higher in the winter. While we struggle to pay the staff just one more week, all of us personally have the same issues to deal with. I have an oil bill at home to pay, and a light bill, and Christmas debt to pay down, and other financial commitments. I know what it’s like to live paycheck-to-paycheck, and I know how hard that extra dollar comes. So asking for money this time of year is painful, we don’t have any but we know a lot of you don’t either.
    So all we ask is that you keep us in mind when the bottles pile up in your garage over the winter, maybe you could just donate those to the shelter. I bet we could even find someone to come pick them up if you didn’t want to drop them off. Or maybe you will be doing a little house cleaning in January when all the parties die down and you have a month or two of quiet time. Maybe you’d like to put a few items aside for a yard sale for the shelter. Or what about a penny jar, how many of us have been saving our pennies for a rainy day and we look at that jar and have no desire to count and wrap those pennies, maybe you could just donate that jar to the shelter. We have volunteers who would love to count and wrap.
    Maybe you have some scraps of material and an old sewing machine. How about making a few dog or cat beds for us to sell. Getting a new cell phone for Christmas? You could donate your old cell phone to the shelter, we can turn them in for cash. How about going to Machias Savings Bank’s website and just clicking “like” on their Facebook page. For every “like” that is registered, cash will be donated to several animal shelters across the state, including Houlton Humane.
    There are all kinds of ways you can help without it hurting too much but most of all we would ask that you consider adoption. Right now, there are close to 50 animals in the shelter that need new homes. Photos of many of them can be seen on our website or on Facebook. If you “friend” Houlton Humane on Facebook, you will receive regular updates on what is going on at the shelter, what’s available for adoption, and upcoming fundraisers. We have a beautiful, and I mean beautiful, new Maine Coon kitten for adoption right now. Think how excited your kids would be to have a new kitten Christmas morning. But don’t wait till Christmas Eve to consider adoption. The Shelter will be closed Christmas eve, as well as the 22nd and 23rd, to allow staff time to prepare for their own holidays, so come soon if a new kitten is a gift you’d like to consider.
    Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers over this holiday season, and for your support.