Somehow, given the on-going impacts of the pandemic, “Happy New Year!” seems a bit inappropriate. Rather, we’ll say that we hope this finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe and that you are finding some joy in this ever-changing climate.
In some ways 2021 was just as challenging as 2020 for us individuals and for The Humane Society, as an organization. Mask wearing, new protocols, and additional cleaning procedures soon became the norm. Then, for a brief moment we as a country and as a staff, breathed a collective sigh of relief. Vaccines became widely available, masks came down and we talked of once again opening our doors again our broader Humane Society family welcoming friends, volunteers, and adopters. But that, as we all know, was short lived. First the Delta variant, soon followed by the Omicron variant and we were back to the established protocols.
We now recognize that we, like so many others, will need to learn to navigate and in fact, figure out how to excel in the new norm to provide much needed services for our community, to continue to hold ourselves to a high level of care for our shelter animals and to develop our small, dedicated staff.
As we go forward, we are thankful that you have been and continue to be, beside us, supporting us in so many ways. In this newsletter, we’d like to share some of the successes your support has made possible.
Thank you from all of us! And, we wish you the very best for the year ahead!
Once again – A Huge round of a paws and an enormous Thank YOU
The Numbers for 2021
We hosted 162 canine guests in 2021, clearly an increase compared to 121 in 2020. We ‘re happy to say that we didn’t see the “return” of pandemic pets as many in the animal welfare industry feared. This enabled us to assist other shelters, both regionally and nationally taking in 43 dogs from other shelters. 83 dogs were found as strays, some were seized by law enforcement, and 15 were surrendered by owners. Of the 83 dogs found as strays, 68 were successfully reunited with their families and a total of 90 dogs were adopted.
Spay/Neuter Program
The spay/neuter program continued strong, in its 18th year (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?) with a total of 955 companion animals having been sterilized, just 4 short of last year’s surgeries. In 18 years that’s a cumulative total of just under 16,000!!! 757 cats and 182 dogs were spayed or neutered this year alone. The demand for services remains strong as we enter 2022, continuing with “curb side” service and following strict COVID-19 protocols. We have to admit,there are times that ask ourselves, “Where DO they keep coming from?”.
Bailey and Friends
A generous grant from Bailey and Friends, a fund of the Tom Golisano Foundation, helped to fund approximately half of the surgeries of our shelter animals in 2021. Bailey and Friends strives to support and build capacity of caring, competent providers and organizations, create opportunities that strengthen the importance of the human-animal bond in personal, occupational, and therapeutic capacities, and promote responsible, loving pet-ownership. We are greatly honored to have been selected as a recipient of this generous funding.
The Christmas Cats
As many of you know, we were notified of an abandonment situation just before Christmas. So, our intrepid cat team went to work and over the course of the week gathered a total of 15 cats, ranging from about 2 months of age to adult. With lots of TLC they are all improving, but it will be at least a month before most are ready for adoption. Once again, you responded with help – monetary donations, and donations of food and litter. For that, we thank you! We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again. We couldn’t do what we do without your support!
The Betty White Shelter Challenge
Betty White, perhaps best known for her role on the hit TV show The Golden Girls, passed away at the age of 99, just shy of her 100th birthday. Apart from her notable and long-lasting acting career, White was a true advocate for animals.
White’s passion and support for animals spans decades and since her passing the #bettywhitechallenge has become a viral sensation across the internet. The challenge calls for everyone to donate as little as $5.00 on January 17, 2022 to a local animal shelter or rescue of their choice, on what would have been Betty White’s 100th birthday.
This challenge not only honors the late Betty White but has the potential to impact hundreds of shelters across the nation, changing an animal’s life for the better. Giving in her name would be a wonderful way to honor her memory. Many thanks to those of you who have already donated. Our generous supporter who is matching financial donations will extend the date of matching through January 17th. Donations can be made online, via our PayPal account, or by check to us at 124 Marina Drive, Montour Falls, NY 14865.
Caroline Says Thank You!
Caroline works hard to collect cans and bottles almost every day and she knows you do too! Together you surpassed last year’s total with over 80,000 cans and bottles! The proceeds feed the shelter animals provide medications, pay veterinary bills and help to pay our dedicated staff.