Pet Talk

    Two weeks ago I introduced you to the new board of directors. Last week I talked to you about the Shelter in general and what the purpose and mission of Houlton Humane Society is. Today I’d like to talk to you about how the Shelter is funded and supported and what keeps it going.
    As I mentioned last week, the state requires that every town either own an animal shelter or contract with a licensed shelter. At the time the law was enacted, Houlton Humane already owned and operated a small facility and it was a natural direction for communities to turn.
    Up until that time the Shelter was funded mostly by private donations, there were no regular visiting hours, there was no obligation to take animals that came in as strays, if there was no room, an animal could be turned away.
    I can remember in 1985 when I first became involved with Houlton Humane, the annual operating budget was $11,000 and this included lights, fuel oil, insurance, cat litter, Veterinary bills. But in 1985 we had a building less than 1000 square feet, we had 12 cat cages and 8 dog cages and no payroll. We did have a donated mobile home and a family lived in that home rent free in exchange for cleaning the kennels. 
    When we agreed to provide contract services for, at that time, 26 southern Aroostook communities, more animals were coming in, regular hours were necessary to accommodate arrival and departure of animals, our adoption program had to be ramped up, we needed more space and more cages. More and more animals were coming to the  Shelter and now we were under contract, we could not turn them away if we were full. 
    In 1986 we hired one full-time individual to run the shelter and one part-time, as this is obviously a seven-day a week job. The full time person worked for $70 a week, a 40 hour week mind you, doing everything from cleaning kennels to mowing lawns, doing the books, maintenance, adoptions, everything and anything. I don’t know too many of you that would work that hard for that little. Even in 1986 this wasn’t much money.
    Over the years we had to keep adding onto the shelter as more and more animals were brought in. We received a grant and built on a new cat room. The state changed the law about dog kennels and we spent $8000 building quarantine cages, as required.  Before we knew it, instead of 12 animals we had 40, and then 50, and one or two people could not  handle the work load.
    Today we have a new facility, 3000 square feet, very energy efficient, very pet friendly, and over two-thirds of the cost was covered by fund raising, a local donor who had faith in our mission and donated $25,000, the Rotary who donated $5000 toward the plans, and a generous bequest. But we do have a mortgage and just the mortgage payment alone is close to $1000 a month. We now have a full-time director, part-time Assistant Director and three part-time employees who work mornings cleaning kennels, minimum wage, no benefits, seven days a week. They are the backbone of the organization, they clean kennels, bath animals, give meds, do adoption counseling, clean toilets, scrub floors, launder the bedding, they are just incredibly devoted individuals. We have several awesome volunteers who come in and clean and have been doing it for years and without them we could not survive, and we need more, we always need more. It’s a lot of work, taking care of multiple animals, there is always something to be done.
    Having employees means payroll, and payroll taxes. Having more animals means higher Vet bills. Having a larger  building means the fuel oil bill is higher, the light bill is higher. But it’s all necessary in order to give quality care to the animals. 
    Our projected budget for 2011 is $109,000. This is funded, in part, by town allotments, but over half of it still needs to be raised by private donations and fund raisers. In any given week I receive a call from our treasurer advising we have just enough money to get us through one more week, and then we can’t cover payroll. By the Grace of God, we have managed for 60 years to find just enough money for one more week, and then one more week.  By the hard work and sweat of the board members, who willingly give up week after week of their time to organize, run, and work at fund raisers, we just barely get by. 
    Every night I go home and there is an entourage of animals that meet me at the door. I sit down and there is a cat in my lap and a jealous dog who tries to chase her off.  I go to bed and I am comforted and warmed by purring felines and a lazy Scruffy dog who adores his mother and follows me everywhere. And every night I think about the animals at the Shelter who are just waiting for new homes,  and I wonder and worry about where the next dollar is coming from to keep us going so we can save them, re-home them, care for them until they are adopted. Where will we find the $3 a day that we need per animal to make sure they have food, litter, medical care, a warm, safe, healthy and comfortable environment. Where will next week’s payroll come from to pay the staff who work so hard to save these animals. Every night I pray.
    You can help, you can become a Humane Society member for $25 a year (family membership). Membership letters will be going out within the next month. You can sponsor a pet, you can become a member of our calendar club where you choose a date on the calendar and donate that much every month. It can be the first of the month and you give a dollar, or the 10th of the month and give $10, whatever fits your budget. Maybe at the end of the year you are looking for a tax write-off.  Houlton Humane is a 501c3 non profit and your donations are tax deductible. Maybe you have loved animals all your life and would just like to mention us in your will.  
    Whatever you can do, whether it’s a dollar or a thousand dollars, know that your support is greatly appreciated. Donations can be mailed to PO Box 548, Houlton or you can go onto our new website www.houltonhumane
society.org and donate via paypal.  
    We can also use bleach, laundry detergent, cat litter, paper towels, 33-gallon extra heavy duty garbage bags, and canned cat and dog food. 
    No money, no problem. You can drop off your used ink cartridges or returnable bottles and we can convert those to cash. Either drop off at Varney Agency (across from Tim Horton’s) or at the Shelter.
    Best of all, if you can, adopt. Dozens of beautiful healthy dogs, cats and kittens are just waiting for you. 
    Thank you for all you do for the animals, thank you for caring.