Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
www.houltonanimalshelter.com
    I don’t know if I’ve ever given readers this information before so I want to share with you a way that you can communicate with me if you have any story ideas, any issues related to the operation of the animal shelter, any fund-raising ideas. This is the very best way to reach me, as I’m usually tied up during the day and hard to reach by phone, and at night I’m almost impossible to reach. So if you want to ask me something, tell me something, share a little something, please e-mail me at  houltonanimalshelter@gmail.com and I promise you that I will get back to you the same day I read your e-mail.
    I wish I had time for blogging and facebooking and all the other computer-related communication tools we have today, but right now I’m trying to cram 28 hours of stuff into a 24-hour day. Maybe when things “calm down” (whenever that might be) I can do a blog and you can check out the daily happenings at the shelter. There is never a dull moment, I think you’d actually enjoy it.
    Anyway, speaking of never a dull moment, don’t forget that this Friday night, Aug. 21 from 5-8 p.m., we will be at the Congregational Church on High Street setting up for a giant yard sale. We are very grateful to the church for allowing us the space to do this. The parking is great there, there are plenty of tables, and best of all, everybody there is a friend. The church has been very supportive of the shelter efforts and is very active in the community.
    Saturday, Aug. 22, we will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you have ever been to any of our yard sales you know they are unique in that we do not price anything except the most valuable items. We let you decide what to pay. Your donations for your items go a long way in keeping the animal shelter going so keep that in mind when deciding on your price. If you come very early you will find some exceptionally nice items. If you come later, you might be able to fill a truck for a dollar. But whenever you come, please do stop by and visit, chat with the volunteers, and help us raise a little money for the cause.
    Speaking of the cause, the Houlton Humane Society is not only interested in relieving the pain and suffering of companion animals, we are also dedicated to doing everything we can to help end the local population explosion. There are too many cats and kittens, not enough homes. And only one reason. Not enough cats are spayed and neutered. Whether it be lack of education on the part of the owner (“oh, wouldn’t it be nice to let Fluffy have just one litter so we can watch the miracle of birth”) or lack of funding to pay for the surgery, for too long we have allowed this to continue.
    Recently, the Humane Society was awarded a small grant from the ASPCA to help pay a portion of the cost of the spay/neuter surgery for cats. This grant is geared toward low income and elderly households that have limited incomes. The shelter will be able to pay a portion of the cost of the surgery to those qualified. This is not a loan, this is a grant, so there is no need to pay this back.  
    If you have an unaltered cat and would like to have assistance in having it fixed, would you please call the shelter at 532-2862 and ask for an application or e-mail me at the address above and we will see that you are enrolled in the program if you qualify. If you are housebound, we might even be able to help with transportation.
    The way this works is that we issue a voucher to you which you take with you to your vet. When they spay or neuter your cat, they send the shelter a copy of the spay certificate, the voucher, and we reimburse the vet directly.  
    Funds are limited so please apply early and remember that you might have to wait a while to get an appointment with your vet as they are very, very busy so in the meantime do everything you can to keep Fluffy innocent and childless please.
    Thank you for all you do for the animals and we hope to see you Saturday at the yard sale.