Shelter in need of support
WAYNESBURG – Kitten season is upon us. And each day more and more of these tiny felines find themselves guests of the Greene County Humane Society shelter in Waynesburg. Fortunately, puppy and kitten seasons do not have much overlap. That is something the shelter staff and volunteers are grateful for, said shelter office manager Barb Clemens.
The need created by the influx is great. As the shelter runs solely on public and private donations, fundraising efforts and public requests for help have been amped up. A request made via the Humane Society of Greene County Facebook page for dry puppy and kitten food went out last week to the 1,600 people who have liked the page. That request was shared by more than 40 of them to reach an even broader audience. Many friends of those 40 plus then shared the message as well.
On Wednesday, three of the cat rooms at the shelter were full. In one of them, two cages housed mother cats with newborn kittens the size of mice nursing. Multiple adjoining cages contained a family of kittens that are just about ready for adoption.
“There is a mother and kittens in foster care right now until they are old enough to be adopted. That’s not even counting them,” Clemens said. “The last two weeks we have really been getting hit. The rooms were pretty empty and then, bam.”
The overall number of cats and dogs may sometimes drop at the shelter but it is never for long. Ten dogs were taken by an animal rescue organization over the weekend. Two new dogs were scheduled to arrive Wednesday and most of the cages remained full.
Shelter director Jane Gapen said she is grateful to the rescue organization for continuing to help these and many other pets find families. Gapen noted that the organization is blessed with more financial resources to work with than the Greene County shelter.
Burrito, a large, lovable dog at the shelter with a vision problem, may reap the rewards of the rescue organization’s resources and receive surgery to correct it. He isn’t the only dog in the shelter with a physical disability. Andy, a gentle Chihuahua mixed breed dog who arrived May 26 appears to have lost vision almost completely in both eyes.
“We were excited because he had a tag,” Gapen said. “When we checked with the treasurer’s office, the dog listed for that tag was a female Pomapoo. We called the number, but it was disconnected.”
Dogs like Andy can be hard to place but they find a loving and caring environment at the shelter or with foster families.
It makes the need to raise funds all the more important, to care for animals like Andy long term. The Greene County Humane Society shelter is a no-kill shelter.
Those who are interested in donating food, blankets, dog or cat toys can do so anytime through the donation box outside the building or by visiting during operational hours. The shelter is open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.
Other ongoing and upcoming ways to help include the purchase of Greene County Humane Society T-shirts, available at the shelter; participating in the annual golf outing; buying one of the society’s calendars; and donating or attending the society’s yard sale.
Each calendar is imprinted with a three-digit number that is valid on the Pennsylvania Daily Lottery’s evening drawing. The cost has currently been reduced from $30 to $15 for the calendars. The minimum prize amount for each day is $30 with larger amounts for holiday and weekend drawings. Each month features a photo of animals that have been cared for at the shelter. Calendars are available for purchase during shelter hours, or online by clicking the “one time donation” icon and entering, “lottery calendar” in the item field. Purchases can be paid for with PayPal or a credit card.
The golf outing is scheduled for 8 a.m. July 27 at Carmichaels Golf Course. For more information, call Sheena Martin at 724-322-2174. The yard sale will be held starting at 8 a.m. July 6 at the Greene County Fairgrounds. Donation items are being accepted. The shelter cannot take clothing, televisions or old computers. The yard sale is cash and carry.
As always, shelter officials urge the public to be responsible and spay and neuter their pets to help cut down the population of unwanted kittens and puppies.