By SUE ANN WERLING, guest columnist
Every day they arrive. Some with broken spirits, neglected and abused. Others so loved that their families break down because life circumstances make it better for the pet to be left at the shelter. And yet others tied to the front porch or thrown over the fence, circumstances unknown. They all need the same thing — a safe and stress-free place to stay — until that perfect family can be found.
That place is the Brown County Humane Society. Organized in 1966, BCHS has provided the only animal sheltering and adoption option in Brown County.
More than 25,000 pets have called the shelter their temporary home. What started as a small, foster-based group is now recognized as one of the most successful animal shelter organizations in the country.
When the current shelter was first built in 1987, no one in the animal sheltering industry believed that it was possible to save every family-friendly pet that entered an animal shelter, but as the new millennium arrived, BCHS made a commitment to use every available avenue to care for each homeless pet until a family was found. That fundamental shift in attitude turned things around.
A massive effort was put forth to create programs aimed at rehoming every pet that enters the shelter. Marketing, training, partnerships, off-site adoptions, transports and other methods were used, and by 2008, the humane society had achieved a 90-percent save rate. More animals were adopted that year than ever before.
The following year, the Serving Pets Outreach Team (SPOT) was created, with the goal of reducing the number of animals entering the shelter. With a focus on helping owners keep their pets at home and out of the shelter, and providing low-cost spay/neuter services to prevent unwanted pets, the SPOT program has resulted in a 57-percent reduction in homeless pets, and the save rate rose to a remarkable 98 percent.
This year, SPOT celebrates 10 years of service to the Brown County community.
These amazing statistics got the attention of national animal welfare organizations and BCHS has been invited to speak at several national conferences. Animal welfare advocates across the nation have been eager to learn about the programs and success of our “Little Shelter with Big Results.”
Our humane society is a true community organization. Whether directly or indirectly, every resident is touched by the work that we do, providing a safer and healthier county for our people and our pets.
That’s why we are so excited about the project for a new shelter building. In addition to creating a safer, healthier and more pleasant experience for the animals, we look forward to being able to provide even more ways to collaborate with community members.
A large meeting/education room will allow us to host classes and training as well as group events. The space will accommodate more young volunteers, crucial for training the future generation of animal welfare leaders. The enhanced space will draw even more people to our community to adopt their new pets.
Amazing work has been done in our 33-year-old little building. But its time has come to an end, and our work isn’t finished. As a community resource, we hope we can look to all of the community to join in our efforts to build the new shelter, something we can all continue to be proud of.
Plans for the new shelter are coming along, and lots of work is happening behind the scenes. We all look forward to the day when we can finally break ground and see the dream begin to take shape. As a nonprofit organization, we won’t be taking out any loans to get started. But we’re getting there — 87 percent of the money has been raised. Now it will take the efforts of all of us to make that final push to the goal. We hope you’ll join us.
Learn more about the new shelter project and how you can help at unleashbc.com, or join us on Sunday, Oct. 6 at the Bean Blossom Animal Clinic from 2 to 5 p.m. for a special event to raise money in honor of Doc Brester to name the Dr. James Brester Animal Treatment Room at the new shelter.
Sue Ann Werling is president of the Brown County Humane Society Board of Directors.
