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November 28, 2008

Pets find new homes

Stephens county humane society’s open house benefits shelter, animals

Jayne Boykin

DUNCAN — When the Friends of the Humane Society held the annual Bark in the Park a few weeks ago, participants came, parked and barked. It was a fun day, but no animals went home with the visitors.

However, it was a different story when the group held open house at the shelter at 714 Martin Luther King Blvd. on Nov. 22, said Betty Burk, president of the Friends.

“It was wonderful. A lot of people came to look us over and a lot of dogs and a few kitties went home with them on that day and nearly every day since.

“We had gifts and stocking stuffers for sale, and that raised about $600 that will probably go toward providing the $25 certificates for people to get their animals spayed and neutered. It’s not just for low-income people, but anyone who has a pet that needs to be spayed or neutered can pick up one of the certificates to help with the costs,” Burk said.

Spaying and neutering pets is one of the big keys to helping reduce the number of homeless animals that wind up in shelters or on the streets, she said.

There are still plenty of animals available at the shelter, Burk said, in all ages, sizes and varieties.

“People should come visit us and see what we have. You really need to take time to visit with a dog to see if it’s the right one for you — or in the case of a cat, if you’re the right one for the cat!” she said.

Although many of the recently adopted animals were chosen for Christmas presents, Burk cautioned against giving someone a pet without checking first to see if the recipient really wants and can care for an animal. Such surprise and unwelcome “gifts” often wind up homeless again.

It costs $100 to adopt a dog from the Humane Society Shelter. That includes a health check by a veterinarian, spaying or neutering the animal just before it leaves the shelter, and a rabies shot. Cost for adopting a cat is $75, which includes the same services, along with a check for feline leukemia, she said.

“We were so pleased with the turnout for the open house. Our new Sheriff Wayne McKinney and his wife came to visit. He has assured us that he will work with us to help prosecute cases of animal abuse, and that’s wonderful,” she said.

The Bark in the Park did have a footnote — paw note? — she said.

“We had taken in two big ridgebacks. One of them had been shot and was in bad condition. We took him to the vet and had him taken care of. Then we discovered that the female had heartworm, so she had to go back to the doctor. When they were healthy, we took them to the Bark in the Park.

A lot of people saw them, but they’re such huge dogs that most people couldn’t provide for them, and the dogs wanted to be together, as that was the way they came in to us.

“We posted their pictures on our Web site, and a lady from Arizona saw them. She had lost hers and wanted another. She drove all the way out here to Duncan to pick one up, and when she learned there were two of them, she took them both! She was so happy. She has sent us pictures of the dogs in their new home,” Burk said.

For information on pet adoption, call the Humane Society at 580-252-7387. Visitors are always welcome, Burk said.

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