Region’s stray animals have a safe haven with a happy ending
Nothing was in place in the region to support stray animals until 1999 when the Oconee Regional Humane SocietyOconee Regional Humane Society was formed. Since then, thousands of strays, including nearly 600 dogs and 300 cats since January 2007, have received a helping hand from humans.
What makes the success of the Humane Society even more remarkable is that it continues to operate without a facility. The stray animals taken in are placed with one of the organization’s many “foster families” until they can be adopted. Katherine Calhoun who is director of the cat program fosters most of the kittens in a nursery which ORHS outfitted in her home. Besides the safety and welfare of the animals in their possession, the Humane Society has finding a building they can call their own as its No. 1 priority.
“We are continuing to look for a permanent facility,” said Linda Pack, chairman of the 13-person board and a Reynolds resident. “It would be a no-kill facility which means that once we get the animals in our possession, they are safe.”
Beyond providing homes for strays, tackling the problem of pet overpopulation is another important goal of the Humane Society. To that end, the organization runs free and low-cost spay and neuter clinics for pets of low-income families in Greene and Putnam Counties and also ensures that all rescued animals are either spayed or neutered before they can be adopted. Moreover, the Humane Society operates two rabies clinics each year for only $8, using the grounds of the Greene County High School and the skills of generous veterinarians who donate their time.
Bonnie Stewart, who has been on the board for two years, works with the active foster homes where strays are placed and cared for until they can be adopted. Stewart, a Plantation resident, said the foster parents will help train and assess the animals as necessary, and the process can last anywhere from a couple of hours to four months.
“When people look at making an adoption,” Stewart said, “our foster homes are able to give a very thorough, accurate and truthful analysis of the pet so we make sure we have the right fit. It doesn’t serve any purpose to get the animal back after a few days.”
Since January 2007, the Humane Society has rescued 563 dogs alone, a fact that makes Stewart beam with pride, particularly since it is being done without a facility.
“I look forward to the day we have a facility but for now we’re making it work,” she says.
Pack said she and her non-profit organization keenly understand that a facility of their own will come with a cost but says they have done a good job to this point in raising money and ensuring it’s fiscally prudent to take the significant step.
“Lots of people help us on many levels, and we are grateful to all of them,” Pack said. “There are many such examples in the community, and we did not ask most of them to donate … they came to us!”
Pack cites RF Designs, The Rotary Club of Greene and Putnam Counties, plus children with their lemonade stands, as just some examples. And every Saturday in Athens, Pet Supplies Plus allows the organization to hold an adoption day that exposes the animals to a wider audience.
A lover of dogs, Stewart goes to work one week a year at the noted Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, and also worked to save pets in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Not surprising is the fact that Pack, who is partial to cats, and Stewart have wound up with their fair share of strays that, for one reason or another, proved to be tough adoptions. Pack has generously taken in five cats, ages 4 months to 13 years, while Stewart provides a loving home to no fewer than four rescue dogs.
“Since 1999, we have had thousands of rescues,” Pack said. “We are really fortunate to have a seemingly endless supply of people willing to help.”
If you’d like to learn more…
Contacts: Bonnie Stewart, dog adoption/volunteer program, (404) 550-5503; Katherine Calhoun, cat adoption/voluneer program, (706) 453-1222.
Mailing Address: Oconee Regional Humane Society, P.O. Box 3986, Eatonton, GA 31024.
