Aspen is a cat that is currently in foster care due to stress. Without a loving foster home, Aspen’s quality of life would be impacted at the shelter. She is available for adoption. Learn more about Aspen by visiting www.bchumane.org.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by news of lost, abandoned or abused animals that want only one thing: their very own family.
There are so many, how can we ever hope to make a difference?
A large task that is best handled by taking the big problem and breaking it up into manageable pieces. One at a time, every week, month and year.
Brown County Humane Society (BCHS) can attest to this truth.
Beginning in 1966 with no resources, we were a tiny beacon in the night for lost and suffering animals. Now, 56 years later, BCHS is able to offer community services like the rabies vaccine clinic, public spay/neuter transports, temporary pet food assistance and trap-neuter-return for feral cats.
And of course, a safe place for animals to come when they don’t have a home of their own. We have achieved a 98% save rate for over eight years. These successes were achieved one bite at a time.
Volunteers play a huge role in our success.
Pet fosters are especially important for animals that need a little extra help and can easily slip through the cracks. They provide a temporary home for animals that are frightened, need time to recover from illness or injury, newborns that need extra care, or would benefit from a quieter environment away from the shelter.
Foster volunteering can be flexible, rewarding and fun. It’s a way for people that can’t make a lifetime commitment to a pet of their own to enjoy a cat or dog’s companionship. It’s also a great way to see how a dog or cat would fit into your household.
Foster volunteers help prepare the animal for adoption. This may be socialization skills, basic training, feeding newborns, or providing a safe quiet environment for physical recovery.
Foster homes are lifesaving bridges for lost or frightened pets. It allows them a chance to learn how life in a house works, that people can be kind, that there is plenty of food and warm, safe beds to sleep.
It’s important, valuable work that makes an enormous difference in their lives.
If fostering doesn’t sound right for you, there are many other ways in which to volunteer for the humane society. We currently have openings for morning animal care, afternoon dog walkers and more.
To make a real difference in the new year, please visit www.bchumane.org for more volunteer opportunities and information.
Happy New Year!
Submitted by Megan Gushwa, Brown County Humane Society Community Relations Manager
Submitted by Megan Gushwa, Brown County Humane Society Community Relations Manager
