To the editor:
When I made the move from Montana to the Houlton area one year ago, I knew I had done the right thing. The splendor and beauty of the wildlife and natural surroundings rivals the looming mountains of the Bitterroot Valley. Winter is a bit tougher here, but I can’t complain.
My love of animals has led me down an unexpected path. In Montana, I discovered the joy of working with shelter dogs. The naughtier the better. This is probably a carry-over from my school teacher days when the challenges of working with some of the most difficult children in the grade level became so rewarding. Fast forward to Houlton, Maine.
With my first winter experience under my belt, I found myself at the Houlton Animal Shelter. I was drawn, once again to those four-legged furry parallel critters. I do love cats, too, and occasionally find myself in the cat room. Both shelter cats and dogs readily respond to any extra attention and affection they can get.
My past experience with training volunteers to handle shelter dogs had taught me about the positive power that the human touch can have on a dog’s or cat’s emotional state. In the past, after a couple of weeks of working with a dog, I would often see improved kennel behavior, usually to the point where the animal was soon adopted. Being touched in a loving, compassionate manner, participating in socialization-building activities, getting off-leash exercise, a bit of behavioral modification, and leash training made all the difference to many of these dogs. Shelter cats benefit from increased human contact in much the same manner.
Shelter animals seem to display similar behaviors no matter which animal shelter you visit. When humans visit the facility, over-excitement in the dogs can manifest itself in the form of snapping, barking and lunging. The dogs can display what appears to be aggression, depression, poor socialization skills, failure to thrive, illness, and the list goes on. Occasionally this leads a dog to go “kennel crazy,” making it literally impossible to handle it or walk it on leash.
The poor things probably don’t understand why they have been snatched out of their familiar surroundings and are being “punished” by being stripped of their freedom and confined in a kennel in a strange environment with strange people. They probably wait and wait for their person to come and rescue them, but oftentimes the day never comes. I have seen abused and/or neglected dogs pine away for their owner for weeks on end. I am sure they eventually lose hope when all the dysfunctional summoning behaviors don’t result in the appearance of their person, and they sometimes “go crazy.” On top of all this, the echo of the collective barking of the other dogs and the steady march of other dogs being led past their kennel every day can contribute to their meltdown as well.
The bottom line is common knowledge: The longer the stay in the animal shelter, the less likely that the dog will be adopted (unless some human intervenes), due in part, to the sense of hopelessness and deteriorated mental state of the animal. It is a confusing and mixed up world out there for these dogs (and cats).
The staff of an animal shelter has such a big job to do. It is not only emotionally exhausting, but physically as well. Their hearts break to witness the agony of these animals, they get attached to them, and come to love each and every one of them (even the wild monsters). Sometimes the animals arrive sick and starving, wild and confused, mean and aggressive, fearful and cowering. They need so much. They want to be loved and understood. Potential adopters walk by their cage every day, and just pass them by because they appear to be fearful or unmanageable. But given a chance — given the opportunity to learn to trust and regain their composure, they would more than likely evolve into that loyal, loving, and trusting companion for which one has been searching. I know this can happen, because I have seen it happen time and time again. That is why I am drawn to the worst behaved dogs in the animal shelter.
As a volunteer, it is often difficult to go home at the end of the day and leave the dogs in their kennels, because I do bond with them. My heart breaks and I often cry on the way back home. I want them all. But I can’t take them all home. In the Montana shelter, if I did not foster or adopt some of these confused animals, they were euthanized, despite the fact that they were improving, or were sweet, affectionate, adoptable cats or dogs. As crushing as it was, after a brief recovery period, I picked myself up and returned to my shelter work. Potential happy endings trumped the occasional broken heart.
Our local Houlton animal shelter has a different perspective…and that is to do everything possible to help the animals and find them loving homes. Killing them is not on the agenda. Saving them is.
The dedicated, hard-working shelter staff needs you. The animals need so much. They cannot give these animals all they need all by themselves. They have so many chores to do — walking the dogs, feeding the animals, cleaning cat rooms and dog kennels, attending to sick and/or fearful animals, answering the phones, running errands, fulfilling office and administrative duties, to name but a few of the job demands. It takes a special human being to fill their shoes, especially when the light at the end of the tunnel seems unobtainable.
There are many ways we can help. We can volunteer our time to socialize with the animals … one gentle touch or soft, kind word can have an indiscernible impact — perhaps not immediately apparent, but the affect can be cumulative. The shelter budget must provide food, cat litter, medications, various other necessities, utilities, employee salaries, even a monthly mortgage payment. I was astonished when I discovered that just a few small bags of cat litter and cat food the manager had purchased cost the shelter over $50. These are items that some of us could easily donate.
By now I guess you get my point. The animals need you. When you are opening your hearts and are making donations this holiday season, please remember the homeless animals. Without our help, none of the hard work the staff does for the animals would be possible.
I would like to challenge individuals, businesses, and organizations in our community to budget at least $10 or more per month to donate to the Houlton Animal Shelter. Or perhaps you could make a monthly donation of food, cat litter, blankets, toys, etc. Shelter employees can provide with a wish list.
Your volunteer time is just as precious as any other donation. Your weekly visits would brighten the day for the animals and staff. The thought of this may tug at your heart strings, but when you experience the change in a cat’s or dog’s demeanor from your attention, you won’t mind the little bit of emotional investment. You will look forward to following the animals’ progress and adoptions! For me, joy trumps fear of attachment!
In a perfect world it would be a wondrous miracle if the board of directors no longer had to worry about making the monthly mortgage payments. This way they could focus on raising money for the necessities, and they would have a little more time to invest in the animals.
Let me leave you with this challenge: My family will donate $10 for every $10 donated by members of the community (with a maximum of $1,000) until December 31 of this year. This would be the best Christmas present ever! But then, of course, the animals’ needs do not stop after Christmas. They need us just as much next year as they do now! I think I feel the winds of another challenge next spring.
You may contact me at 532-9246 regarding any questions or donations. I will refer them to the appropriate shelter official. If you prefer, you may contact the shelter at 532-2862. The animals thank you!
Freda Iwulski
Cary Plantation
