Since I wrote this last, we have had a lot of animals surrendered to the shelter. From cats and kittens, two dogs and puppies, we are overfull with young animals that can’t go on the adoption floor yet.
We saw a few months ago that there would be a slowdown in kitten season, because there have been so many programs helping people spay and neuter. Unfortunately, the last two weeks, we have figured out that, even though the programs have done a lot of good, there is still a lot left to be done.
In the last few weeks, we have taken in a lot of kittens and seven puppies. All are way too young to go on the adoption floor, so we’re relying a lot on our foster home and donations from people like you. On average, to have these puppies in foster care takes $25-$30 a day, between food, formula and puppy pads.
Right now, we’re looking for your help in finding new foster homes and in helping us with supplies. The latest group of puppies that we have taken in will have to be in foster care for five to six weeks, which financially adds up to a lot. Any donations of supplies are greatly appreciated right now.
We are also taking in a lot of kittens, as well, so we are in desperate need of canned food, kitten food and cat litter.
All of these animals that we have taken in lately, which are costing us so much money, are mostly owner surrendered. People are reaching out to us because they need help, and we can’t say no because that’s what we’re here for. Money or not, that isn’t one of the factors that we consider when agreeing to take an owner surrender. We always find a way to financially survive, but right now, with over 35 babies in our care, it’s costing us a lot of money.
So, if there ever was a time that you wanted to donate to us, now would be the time. Even $1 helps us out tremendously. If everyone reading this article right now donated $1, think how much money we would have!
We’re hoping that this season of kittens and puppies will die down, but until it does we’re here to help. If you could help us help them, that would be a tremendous weight lifted off my shoulders.
Thank you, as always, for supporting us and thank you for helping us continue our mission!
Heather Miller is the executive director for the Houlton Humane Society.
