Program:
Dog Day Adoption
- Budget:
-
$1,500
- Category:
-
Animal-Related, General/Other
- Population Served:
-
Adults
Program Description:
Partnership with local goverment dog shelters to offer dog adoption days once a month on a Saturday, a day the shelters are normally closed. This facilitates dog adoptions as it makes it much easier for families to visit and select a dog. An added incentive is that the Humane Society pays for the spay/neuter of dogs adopted on this day each month, April through October.
Program Long-Term Success:
Long term success is that we have raised the public awareness of shelter dogs in our communities and the adoption rate has increased. We realized there was little publicity about the dog shelters in our communities and we have instituted pictures of adoptable dogs in newspapers each week to help raise public awareness. We have also done extensive advertising of the shelters and also our Saturday Dog Day Adoptions.
Program Short-Term Success:
Short term success are the dogs who find "forever homes" both on our special Adoption Saturdays and during the week when families come back to the shelter as a result of learning of shelter dogs. We find homes for approximately six dogs each month on our adoption Saturday.
Program Success Monitored by:
We know the Adoption Day is working by the number of families who come to the shelter that day as a result of our advertising in newspapers and on radio and blanketing the town with signs. The shelter employees have indicated they have seen an increase in adoptions during the week also. The pictures in the paper have helped people realize there are wonderful dogs who end up in shelters and raised awareness of them as suitable for adoption. We have learned this through comments made from the public to various members of our group.
Program Success Examples:
A local businessman heard about shelter dogs when we asked his help in advertising our Saturday Dog Adoption Days by putting the information on a sign in front of his store. He later told us that adopting the dog from the shelter has been one of the most rewarding experience of his life. And we just know the dog is the happiest he has been in a long, long time. Many times, adopted families have contacted us to thank us for helping them adopt a pet and follow-up from our group to adoptive families have generally yielded very positive comments and updates.
Program:
Horse Protection
- Budget:
-
$2,500
- Category:
-
Animal-Related
- Population Served:
-
Adults
-
Aging/Elderly/Senior Citizens
Program Description:
We are available to do initial drive-by investigations of calls from the public about neglected or abused horses. Then we will accompany the appropriate law enforcement official or government worker, if requested, on their investigation. Our emphasis is on working with the owner to provide improved care. We do this through education and through financial assistance with feeding and medical care when needed. In some instances, we foster horses for owners, either on a temporary basis, or if they choose to surrender an animal, on a longer basis until we can find a permanent home.
Program Long-Term Success:
Long term success would be more community awareness of the needs of large animals such as horses with neighbors keeping an eye out for signs of neglect or abuse and knowing that help is available.
Program Short-Term Success:
Many times an owner is grateful to receive some assistance in caring for their horses as temporary financial help can make a big difference in some instances. Other times, an owner may choose to relinquish a horse they can no longer take care of in an adequate fashion. Sometimes, all that may be needed is more instruction in proper care or medical needs.
Program Success Monitored by:
County animal control officers appreciate knowing the Humane Society has the ability to help owners with instruction or financial needs in horse care. Being able to offer fostering for horses is also a great benefit and one we anticipate continuing to be a need in our county.
Program Success Examples:
In some instances, horses have been removed by the court due to grossly inadequate care. This is considered a success since it saved the life of the animal. In other cases, an owner has been able to step up and do what needs to be done to provide adequate care with some short term assistance from the Humane Society. This is a very much needed service in our rural county and calls about horse welfare are a frequent occurence.
Program:
Pet Food for Low Income Families
- Budget:
-
$2,000
- Category:
-
Animal-Related
- Population Served:
-
Aging/Elderly/Senior Citizens
-
Adults
Program Description:
Through a Community Enhancement Grant previously received, we are able to help low income families with the expense of pet food for their dogs and cats. We are currently helping people as needed through self-referrals as well as referrals from agencies. We also have a monthly delivery established to social service agencies who distribute the petfood to low income families they are serving. The agencies we are working with at the present time are the Good Samaritans and Meals on Wheels in Manchester and Tullahoma and the home nutrition program of the South Central Human Resources Agency. We estimate we are providing food for approximately 150 pets per month through these endeavors. We have also arranged for some free petfood periodically through pet food manufacturers and local retailers to enable us to continue this worthwhile program.
Program Long-Term Success:
The purpose of helping low income seniors is that some may go without food themselves, to provide for their beloved pets. By helping them feed their companion animal, we are adding to their quality of life and helping the pet. With persons who have recently lost jobs, helping them temporarily with pet expenses may keep them from having to turn their pet into a shelter or abandon it. The social service agencies such as Good Samaritans are providing food for low income people, so being able to also provide these families with petfood for their animals is so appreciated by the families. For some, this has allowed them to be able to keep their pets rather than surrender them to local shelters.
Program Short-Term Success:
Short term success is measured the same in this instance, as long term.
Program Success Monitored by:
These programs are growing in clients served as we are better able to identify persons in financial need through working with other agencies in the community who provide social services to the targeted group (low income).
Program Success Examples:
Persons are very grateful for this help in our experience. Many low income people and the elderly depend on their animals for comfort and companionship in difficult times. Helping them sustain these relationships not only is good for the welfare of the animal but is good for the emotional well being of the owner.
Program:
Spay Neuter Project
- Budget:
-
$20,000
- Category:
-
Animal-Related, General/Other
- Population Served:
-
Adults
Program Description:
The Coffee County Humane Society's big project for 2011, is a spay/neuter project targeting the pets of low income families and made possible by a $5000 grant from the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Lillian Ashley Field of Interest Fund and from a $5000 grant from the Two Mauds Foundation. We advertised the availability of this service through social service agencies who serve this population and through newspaper articles. We have been greatly aided by six veterinary clinics, and one very special veterinary office has offered multiple cat clinic days for us when 25-45 cats are spayed or neutered in one day at a greatly reduced cost. We were able to spay or neuter approximately 485 cats and dogs in the calendar year of 2010 and plan to continue this work in the coming year and years. We hope to continue this push throughout the coming years, until we can have an affect on stabilizing the pet population in our county. Our municipal facilities only accept dogs so we are hoping to be able to have some impact not only on litters of puppies being brought to area shelters, but also to the large population of homeless and feral cats. Several families are involved in helping our organization tray/neuter/release cats to curb the ever-expanding cat colonies that exist in this rural area, with good hearted individuals attempting to feed them in many instances. The response from the community to our efforts has been very rewarding, with very few missed appointments. People are so very grateful for this valuable financial assistance for their pets and very motivated to take advantage of the opportunity. We ask for a $10 per pet co-pay, with CCHS paying the rest of the cost. Rabies shots are also given at the time of the spay/neuter if needed.
Program Long-Term Success:
Our ultimate goal is to see a measurable affect on stabilizing the pet population in our county. This will be achieved by education the public as to the importance of spay/neuter and helping low income families pay for the surgeries.
Program Short-Term Success:
In the calendar year of 2010, we spayed and neutered 485 cats and dogs. We hope to achieve as much success in 2011, although the financial climate continues to be challenging.
Program Success Monitored by:
We know the program is working by the number of applications we receive. We keep careful records of the animals who are spayed and neutered and require financial verification of need from families who receive service from CCHS.
Program Success Examples:
People are so very grateful for this valuable financial assistance for their pets and very motivated to take advantage of the opportunity. We receive letters of gratitude and most people are willing to do the nominal co-pay which we ask. We do waive this if the family is unable to comply. We receive applications for assistance almost on a daily basis and are continually scheduling surgeries.