What a year it has been for Houlton Humane Society! We have so much to tell you, but we don’t know where to start. One thing we are proud of is our numbers. In the year of 2012, we did about 250 adoptions. This year, we did over 450 adoptions! These numbers are astounding and it is because of all of you. We almost doubled the lives we saved and re-homed and this truly is a blessing.
Another number we are proud of is 4,883! This is the number of “likes” or supporters we call them on our Facebook page. This past year we have received almost 1,500 new likes. Every new like we get, is a new friend, supporter and member of our team. We are so happy to have all of our Facebook followers.
Every day, you share our posts, tell your friends about a stray dog we took in or talk about an upcoming fundraiser. And because of this, our growth as a shelter and a family is huge! Facebook has become our No. 1 adoption tool. This tool is the reason we can continue to grow and when you share our page, you help us do this.
How about the number 130? This is a very powerful number to us, as it is the number of dogs and puppies we have imported and re-homed from the south. This is 130 lives that would have been euthanized if we did not save them…we meaning all of us! These babies are living wonderful lives, with special families, because we were able to bring them up here. We were able to do this because you share their pictures, you tell your friends, you donate your money to the “southern” fund and you adopt some of these dogs and puppies. We together, made this number a reality!
This next number is a guess I would say. Maybe it’s an estimate, but one that we smile about every time we say it. This past year, we saw about five or six special people, sometimes more, bringing in carloads of supplies every week. It is amazing to us, everyday, to see the generosity of the local and people far away. In the past 12 months, we have spent less then $2,500 on supplies, such as paper towels, bleach and laundry soap. This is astounding to us!
The people who stop in come from all over the state of Maine and even as far away as Connecticut to see us and drop off goodies! We receive packages of supplies from as far away as Texas and California. It is so humbling to open these gifts or see the smiling faces walking in, knowing you are all helping us help them. We thank you everyday when we open a roll of paper towels or wash the kitchen floor.
All of these numbers and so much more is why we can do what we do. We can save lives, help sick puppies, bottle-feed kittens and so much more because of these statistics. And again, these are because of each and every one of you. So please, give yourself a pat on the back for all the support you show us and the animal community. You all make a difference when you help us and we could not do it without you. Here is to even bigger numbers in 2014. Have a wonderful Holiday and thank you again!
Heather Miller is the executive director of the Houlton Humane Society.
