by Cathy Davis
Less than a week until Christmas, can you believe it? Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, maybe it’s because I’m so busy but goodness, time seems to fly any more.
Each year at Christmas, I send out a Christmas wish list for those who would like to remember the Humane Society during the holiday season. This year is no different.
First and foremost, it is my hope and desire that each and every one of you have a wonderful holiday, surrounded by friends and family. That’s what it’s all about. It’s not about the pushing and shoving at the 5 am store opening, it’s not about who bought more or whose present is better, it isn’t about how much is given or received, it’s about family, including extended family, those who have no one left and might be home alone over the holidays. So my first Christmas wish is that you cherish and treasure each moment with your family and that you look outside your family to see if there are others who are less fortunate who might enjoy sharing your day or sharing a meal.
This is going to be a tough winter, everybody is going to struggle. With oil prices being so high, many people will be living in cold houses and possibly eating less. We all need to pull together to get through this and we at the animal shelter understand that this year we may be on the bottom of your giving list, if there at all, and we know we’ll have to work extra hard to get through this winter, just like everybody else. So when I put together our personal wish list, don’t feel bad if you can’t give, not everybody can. If you can give, please know how much we appreciate your support.
My second wish on my Christmas wish list is that each and every one of you who owns an animal that has not been spayed or neutered, would you please call the Vet and make an appointment to do that now. As your gift to your pet, as your gift to the thousands of homeless animals, will you please make a commitment to stop adding to this problem? Having your pets spayed and neutered is good for their health, and is the only answer to the tremendous over population problem we have, especially with cats. Every single day we receive calls about litters of kittens abandoned here and there, all of which we end up with, because someone would not take responsibility to have their female spayed. Can’t afford it? Call us, we have information we can give you on several programs that will help pay most of the cost of this surgery.
My third wish is that you do everything you can to help end the suffering of the animals. It doesn’t have to be a dollar donation; it could be something as simple as calling to report an abuse situation that you know of. There are dozens of cases pending with the state right now where they will be unable to obtain a conviction simply because people will not testify because they don’t want to “get involved.” Please get involved. People who abuse their pets are more likely to also be abusing their children and spouses, it’s a known fact. We can’t be afraid to speak up.
People are always asking us what we need at the Shelter so this will be the end of my wish list, the tangible day-to-day items that we use that you could donate if you would like to, and if you can afford to. Every month we use 400 pounds of cat litter, so that is number one on our list. We do not use the clumpable litter as this could damage our drains, given we have 100 litter boxes being washed daily, but the regular clay litter from Wal-Mart is perfect.
We also use Clorox Bleach – it has to be Clorox as there is something in their formula that kills certain germs that no other bleach kills, high energy (front load) laundry detergent, fabric softener sheets, dish detergent, hand soap, paper towels, toilet paper, brooms, mops, and large heavy duty garbage bags, lots and lots of garbage bags, the 33 to 39 gallon size. And of course, cash, we can always use cash to pay the fuel oil bill, the payroll, the light bill, the phone bill. If you have questions you can reach us a 532-2862 or mail us at P.O. Box 548, Houlton, Me 04730.
Like I said, this is the holiday season and it’s not about “things” – so I feel bad even listing “things” that we need, but we are so fortunate, we have a huge number of loyal and faithful supporters who ask the question, “what do you need,” so there’s the list.
Thank you for your continuing support and encouragement, happy holidays.
