Some time ago Houlton Humane conducted an internal audit of finances. Following the internal audit it was determined that we should contract for a full CPA audit in order to assure the public that their donations to Houlton Humane Society were secure, used for the purpose intended, and not diverted in any way.
That audit was recently completed and the results are available for review at the shelter.
I have had a few people from out of state suggest that it would be difficult for them to view this audit from their location so we are willing to mail copies out if anybody would like one. The cost of this audit was over $4,000, funds we could not afford to expend, but at the same time, could not afford not to.
This is about public trust and confidence and by looking back, we can determine not only the safety and security of your donations but also put into practice the management recommendations of the auditor to assure that going forward there are more checks and balances in place.
We will have the books audited by a CPA on an annual basis to continue that assurance that your financial support is going directly to the care of the animals.
What our audit could not do is follow donations made to any account other than those owned by Houlton Humane Society so if you have questions about other accounts, these files are not available to us for review, you would have to go to the authorities for those questions.
It took some time for this audit to be completed and we are grateful for your patience and understanding through the process and we appreciate your interest.
Records are so important, receipts, paper trails, documentation, and not just in the handling of donor’s financial contributions but also in the intake and adoption process. We have determined recently that we had some glitches in the record keeping and we are working hard to resolve that issue – for instance, if baby kittens came in without a mother and we had a nursing mother in-house, and if she would take the new kittens, it seems that momma’s biological kitten paperwork may have gotten mixed in with her adopted kitten paperwork, so the staff is working tirelessly to assure that moving forward all records are up to date.
Records are also important at your end. If you are adopting an animal from a private owner, we strongly recommend that you get that transfer of ownership in writing, with all health records included.
Recently Houlton Humane faced a situation where there was a question of which of two families owned an animal that was brought in as a stray, this created great controversy and drama, all of which could have been avoided had there been a paper trail of ownership transfer. But when there is a he said/she said ownership transfer, the long-term implications could be devastating. For instance, what if an animal is injured and ownership was transferred verbally, suddenly faced with a large vet bill. Could owner two go back to owner one and say “you pay it,” while Fido waits for treatment? It just makes sense, whether it’s a kitten from a “free to a good home” ad or a sale of a pure bred with paper, transfer of ownership in writing is a very good idea.
The Houlton Humane Society open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located on 263 Callaghan Road, Houlton, ME. Officials can be reached at 532-2862 or via email at HoultonAdoptsAPet@gmail.com.
