I would like to invite you to a super fun event at the animal shelter on Saturday, June 11, beginning at 11 a.m. Houlton Humane is located on the Callaghan Road, if you have never been there, you go out the Ludlow Road past Walmart — two miles out you turn right on the Callaghan Road (it’s your second right) and the shelter is one mile in on the right.
The shelter is hosting an open house where you will have an opportunity to tour the building, meet the director and many board members, visit with the critters, but beyond that, have a little fun. There will be pony rides, face painting, a bake sale, tag sale and we will be selling raffle tickets for a kayak and other prizes including some beautiful stained glass. There will be a live remote by WHOU radio, hot dogs, just an overall fun day. And, drum roll please, yes, as of June 11 there will be puppies and kittens ready for adoption.
It has been a long winter for Houlton Humane Society. As you may know, we have had our share of challenges, but I am a firm believer, personally, that if we use trials to build wisdom; if we face hardship, not with dread but with joyful anticipation of what we can learn; that the sun will rise tomorrow on a better day, and tomorrow is a better day.
Over the last months Houlton Humane has, as an organization, faced multiple issues and addressed them head on. There are still more in our future, as we listen carefully to the supporters and the critics alike, and build on the lessons learned. An internal audit has been performed and steps implemented to assure that your donations are going to exactly the cause you wish to support. If you have a passion for spaying and neutering and wish to make a donation to spay a kitty before adoption, we can dedicate those funds accordingly. All accounts are secure and we are grateful for those who continue their financial support as this has been the greatest challenge in the past few months.
Meetings are public and advertised, new board members have been added and the board is currently full, but there will be a formal annual meeting and election of officers in October. By-laws have been reviewed with legal counsel and amended to conform to current standards as the by-laws were originally drafted more than 60 years ago and needed to be tweaked as changes in corporate law have taken place over the years.
One of the questions that has come up recently is the Houlton Humane position on euthanasia so I will reiterate here that HHS is a “no-kill” shelter. The definition of no-kill is that the shelter does not ever euthanize for space. This does not mean that a badly injured animal who is suffering and has no hope for recovery is not eased of its suffering, but that will be done only by a veterinarian and only with the consent of the director and a standing board member. That could mean a long drive and several phone calls at 2 a.m. if there is an animal hit by a car in the middle of the night, but that’s how it has to be, no one single person can make these decisions, and the shelter will not directly euthanize any animal.
What seems to be slow progress to many has actually happened quickly. It’s just like spring, it seems to take forever to get here but what you don’t see is the earth coming to life below the surface, the rich dark soil warming, the roots beginning to take hold, the strong but tender shoots reaching up for the light. And just when you reach out your arms and go “there, there’s the sun” it snows, and you have to deal with the snow and struggle through it and reach for the sun again. But the sun does shine and the plants do grow and Houlton Humane will have its occasional struggles, just like any organization, but we will force our way through that rich dark soil and we will conquer the cold wet snow. Watch us bloom, help us bloom. We want to be better, we want to be the voice of the animals in our care, with you we can do this.
We hope to see you June 11, help celebrate our spring.
