To the editor:
Halfway Home Pet Rescue has helped nearly 600 animals since January 2009. This not-for-profit, volunteer community effort saves stray, lost, and injured cats and kittens, helps people in crisis place their pets in safe homes and enables them to keep their pets with the aid of our Free Pet Food Pantry. We provide a service like no other in the greater Caribou area — and at no cost to the city. We rely on the generosity of the public. And increasingly, the public is relying on us.
A nurse at Cary Medical Center recently called us to request we go to the police station on behalf of her patient whose anxiety about her little dog was interfering with her treatment. Amidst the chaos of the ambulance and police, the beloved pet was terrified. He was being held at the police station awaiting his fate. Even though HHPR is not contracted with the city, we agreed to step in and help find a workable, compassionate solution. We were able to find a temporary foster placement for the dog and allow the patient to focus on getting well. There was no fee or charge.
Our Feral Cat Trap/Neuter/Return program is successfully clearing out colonies of cat overpopulation that cause concern for many pet owners, property owners and landlords. We receive referrals from local officials when there is a stray or homeless cat and there is no space at Central Aroostook Animal Shelter (the contracted shelter for Caribou). We provide a temporary safe environment and medical care beyond the basics, often amounting to $200 per cat. Our system of rehabilitation for strays relies on the dedication of our foster home network. We could not do it without them. We are a network of people from all backgrounds who share a deep understanding of the bond between humans and animals.
We are grateful to our supporters who are not only in Caribou but around the state and beyond, thanks to the Internet. And we appreciate hearing from everyone. The work we do is challenging, often sad, but always rewarding. Even in these tough economic times, we receive donations from people on fixed income who can only afford a dollar. But they send it. Why? We receive letters of gratitude not only from our adoptive families but from people we’ve never met. Why? I think one of our supporters sums it up: “Thank you for letting me be part of a community of giving again.”
We thank the citizens all over the U.S. and even overseas who make this mission possible. No matter how you help, it is a benefit to the animals that have no voice in their own life. HHPR specializes in helping people and animals through difficult times by helping to keep the entire family intact. HHPR, PO Box 488, 11 Pioneer Ave., Caribou, ME 04736
Robyn Smith and Norma Milton
Halfway Home Pet Rescue Board of Directors
www.halfwayhomepetrescue.org
Caribou
