Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
www.houltonanimalshelter.com
    The most pressing and urgent need of any animal welfare organization, be it state, local, or national, is funding.  There are limited numbers of grants available and many of them will only fund special programs, not operational costs.  There is a limit to how much you can charge contract towns for fees before they begin searching for other alternatives, many of which could be less appealing in terms of quality of care, no-kill philosophies, overall program offerings etc.  
    It is a daily challenge to find unique ways to continue to pay the bills.  The state of Maine has come up with a program that they feel will help support the state animal welfare initiative – a new auto registration plate. 
    In order for the legislature to approve this plate, 2000 plates need to be pre-sold. The specialty license plates are $25 per plate and the 2000 need to be pre-sold by September 1st. 
    The state’s animal welfare program mission is to ensure humane and proper treatment of all our state’s animals.  Maine is ranked in the top 5 states in the nation for the best animal protection laws.  Maine is also responsible for the nation’s first law allowing animals to be included in protection orders in domestic violence cases.
    Income from this program will help fund the “Help Fix Me” program which subsidizes the cost of spaying and neutering.  It will help fund State Humane Agents salaries, the State Veterinarian, and help pay for the cost of enforcement to continue to protect the animals who need our help.  Please consider purchasing one of these specialty plates.  You can go to www.planetdog.com/plate/ to purchase a plate.
    For more local animal welfare work, please join us Saturday, August 16th, at the Riverside Park for our second annual Dog Days of Summer.   This is a very exciting event with a farmers market, barbeque, many activities for the kids, dog agility course, contests, auctions and more.  From 10 am to 4 pm there is something going on everywhere.  Stop by to purchase some beans and potato salad to take home for supper, grab some chili or a burger, purchase some fresh garden produce or play a few games. Stay around for the auction, there are always great items to be sold during the auction!
    Also, we are looking for a part time employee for the Shelter.  This is a position for just two hours a day, from 7 to 9 am, cleaning cat cages at a downtown location.  Thursdays and Sundays off.   If you live right in town, are an early riser, love cats, and would like to just get out of the house mornings and do a little to help the animals, please call the  Shelter at 532-2862 and ask for Naomi and she will fill you in on the details and arrange for an interview.  Perhaps you would even like to volunteer for this position.
    The Shelter can always use more volunteers – what we really need is someone who can give us one day a week from 8 am to 2 pm, same day every week, who is willing to work hard, get dirty, and have fun.   Please call Naomi at the shelter if you are interested and she will have you scheduled in and make sure you are properly trained.
    Thanks for all you do every day to help care for the animals in our area, and thank you for helping us each and every day.  Your interest and your contributions keep us going, you are the angels on our shoulders, we can’t do it with you!
    Come visit us on the Callaghan Road (go out past WalMart about 2 miles on the Ludlow Road, turn right on the Callaghan Road and we are a little over a mile in on the right) or contact us at P.O. Box 548, Houlton, Me 04730.