by Cathy Davis
It’s been a great week at the shelter. The vet came and neutered two puppies, a rabbit and a cat. We had a new cat come in who was vetted, and people stopping by with donations. We have lots of kitties, rabbits and two dogs looking for homes, so hoping for a busy adoption week next week.
We also had a visit with Katie and Suzanne from the Humane Society of the United States. It is always a treat to have such a great organization stop by and ask what they can do to help us. HSUS was instrumental in assisting with the purchase of cages in the past and the ASPCA funded an awesome consultant who came in and helped us review our policies, by-laws and board responsibilities. For such huge international animal welfare organizations to even know we exist is monumental!
If you are online at all, please check our Facebook page. People who have adopted are always sending us photos of their new families and showing us how well their pets are fitting into their new homes. I love the photo of one of Chinas puppies, what a handsome boy he is, and many who adopt allow us to post their photos the day of adoption.
Houlton Humane Society was also invited last week to participate in a week long discussion on WAGM news about pet adoption. Great job, Heather, in helping people to understand what’s involved in taking a new family member home and giving great tips for helping Rover settle in.
Running an animal shelter isn’t just about this one stray cat that was picked up on Columbia Street, it’s about maintaining an atmosphere of acceptance, warmth and love. The animals that come in to us need to feel safe and secure. They sometimes need to learn new manners and some need to learn to trust again after some pretty rough treatment in their former lives.
Shelter staff isn’t just there to clean out litter boxes and go home, they are there to help counsel new adopters, they are there to walk and train dogs, to socialize those who have not yet known the loving touch of human hands, they are there to make sure that the right pet goes into the right home, not just “any” home, but a home that fits their size, temperament, and personality.
Shelters also provide public information, educate your children during classroom visits to the shelter and staff visits to school, we have a wealth of information and new educational material to help children understand the appropriate way to handle a pet, train a pet, and love a new pet.
Shelters are there primarily for the animals that have lost their way, those who for whatever reason cannot find their way home – some are lost because they’re on a trip with mom and dad and wander away from the campsite or vehicle, some are lost because they’ve followed their noses into unknown territory, maybe chasing a squirrel or just chasing a scent.
Shelters have also been asked to help in other situations, but we are not able to solve all your problems. The shelter staff has so many things going on in any given day. The saddest thing that happens, other than when you work so hard to save a sick cat or dog and then lose the battle, is when someone calls you up and wants to bring their dog or cat in, just give it up, because it has a bad habit, and you tell them that you’re full right now and they start to get mean. We’ve had our staff yelled at, sworn at, things thrown across the desk, we’ve had people be downright cruel, all because they were unable to control their own pet and decided it was someone else’s responsibility to do it.
Can you imagine the hurt that you carry home with you, when you dedicate your life to saving animals, when you go in day after day, not for the miniscule pay check, but for the love of the animals, many times you go home with bandages on, you smell bad, your shoes are worn out, your back aches, and your heart aches for these animals, only to have someone call you a really bad name. Not because you did anything wrong, made a bad mistake, but because they were tired of their pet and you weren’t able to take it in this day under these circumstances.
And yet tomorrow, you do it again, you drag your tired body out of bed, go to the shelter, walk in and there they are, all so excited to see you, abuzz with anticipation about what the day holds, and you walk up to a cage, open a door, gather up a bundle of fur, tuck it tight to your chest, its little head resting on your shoulder, and you let it purr away all the troubles of the world. Or you kneel down and let puppy kisses soothe your broken spirit.
Please remember your animal welfare partners today, tell them how much you appreciate their hard work, their dedication, their heart for the animals. They are there for the animals, every single one of them, not for glory, or honor, or fame or fortune, they are just there to find one more home for one more pet.
