What a great year we had at Houlton Humane Society! We had hundreds of adoptions, over 5,000 new Facebook likes, lots of new volunteers and thousands of dollars in supplies. We could not have done any of this without all of you!
Our end of the year totals for adoptions are amazing! In 2014, we adopted out 514 animals. This is up from 2013. Because of so many wonderful families, over 500 animals now have a place to call home. Some of these animals were abused, some were starved and some were abandoned at our front door. Some came to us bleeding and some came to us so scared, we could not touch them. But after hours of love and TLC, they all went home. They will never know this life again. They are all loved now because of the amazing team at HHS.
Facebook started out small for us, but in 2014 grew by over 5,000 new likes. We have over 9,000 friends and supporters on our social media site. Every day these people share our posts, read them and bring us supplies or donate money. Facebook alone was the No. 1 tool for adoptions and donations in 2014. Every day we go onto it and see pictures you all post of our animals in your homes. Everyday, you post nice comments about who we are and what we do. This tool has been the saving grace for hundreds of lives and we truly appreciate our Facebook family.
In 2014, we also started our foster team as well as our transport team. Between the two groups, we have over 60 people who coordinate driving and who open their homes to the ones needing help. We bring up and save a lot of puppies from the south. Some of these puppies come in to Maine through our transport company at 1 a.m. Every time, sometimes twice a month, one of our faithful transport members has been there to greet these sweet souls and let them know that life is better in Maine. Every one of these puppies needs a five-day hold and every time I post on our group page, they all step up offering to help. They all open their doors and their hearts to these puppies, not once thinking of themselves. Some of our fosters do longer holds, trying to socialize or medically treat. They never complain and never ask for anything. These lives are changed forever because of these volunteers. Many lives have been saved because of these two teams!
Last year alone, we took in over 600 animals and all these animals require a lot of supplies. Food, litter, treats, beds toys and so much we need on a daily basis. Every day someone comes in and donates something — a bottle of bleach, a roll of paper towels or even goodies for the staff. We could not care for these hundreds of animals without your support. Your generosity every time we post a “help us” post on Facebook is amazing. You all put aside your things and bring us what we need. We admire that support in all of you.
The year 2014 was amazing and made possible by so many people. From the volunteers, to the dog walkers, to the children who read to our animals, the transporters, the foster families, to the board of directors, to the staff, we are only as good as our support system. You all made this year the year it was for Houlton Humane and we thank you for that. Here is to a fabulous 2015!
