Meadow Lake & District Humane Society

When choosing a new pet for your family, much time, thought and research into your decision is required. Pet ownership is not something one should enter into lightly. Owning a pet should be a LIFE LONG commitment, however, there are those that enter into pet ownership for the wrong reasons and with the wrong expectations, and more often than not it is the pet who suffers in the end. If Fluffy doesn’t fit into the owners lifestyle or live up to their expectations, then we get a phone call, and another animals comes through the doors of the shelter.

Contrary to popular belief, puppies and kittens grow up to be dogs and cats. Said dogs and cats don’t come pre-programed; any behaviors that you want/don’t want them to exhibit, YOU are responsible for teaching, this includes house-training!

Now that you’ve done the adequate research and you feel you are ready for the next step of choosing a pet,  you need to decide WHERE to get your new family member from. There are several options for this. Dogs and cats are not in short supply. In fact, there is a pet overpopulation problem, and sadly there are not enough homes for the amount of animals that are out there.

The 3 main sources of pets are Breeders, Shelters & Back Yard Breeders/Puppy Mills.

Seeing as this is a Blog for a HUMANE SOCIETY, there’s no question as to where we encourage everyone should get their pets from! But we wanted to provide information on the other sources of pets so you can make an informed decision.

BREEDERS:

When done responsibly and properly Breeders are excellent at providing families with specific dog/cat breeds that can make happy and healthy life long pets. It is the owner’s responsibility to do the research and locate a reputable breeder to purchase their pets from.

The following are traits of a good breeder:

- They demonstrate detailed knowledge on the breed’s traits, history and temperament as they have years of experience dealing with that particular breed.

- They do not sell their animals through pet stores. They require an extensive adoption application, interview and approval process to ensure that their offspring are the right fit for a person’s home and lifestyle.

- Will have the mother of the litter on the premises for potential buyers to observe her health and temperament.

- They evaluate the health of their litter’s through health and genetic testing. They also vaccinate and deworm their offspring, and will not let them leave the mother before they are 8 weeks old. They will also provide a health guarantee.

- They are focused on improving the breed and will only breed healthy animals with good temperaments.

- If for any reason the purchaser is unable to keep the pet, the breeder will take it back or assist with re-homing it.

BACK YARD BREEDERS

These are people who breed animals for fun, or profit, without thinking of the quality of puppies/kittens they are reproducing, or the health and well being of the breeding dogs/cats. Their animals are seen as “breeding machines” and are forced to pump out litter after litter. They do not see puppies or kittens in need of homes. They see dollar signs and will sell them to anyone who is willing to pay the price, regardless of what type of home situation they come from. Back Yard Breeder’s do not test their animals for health problems, nor do they strive to maintain the reputation of the breed they are selling. They breed any available male, to an available female, regardless of genetic makeup or temperament. Back Yard Breeders ruin the breed that so many professional and reputable breeders strive to maintain.

If you are looking for a new pet, a Back Yard Breeder is the LAST place you should go.

SHELTERS

Shelters are literally full of dogs and cats looking for forever homes. They come from a variety of places and backgrounds. Some are surrendered by owners for a number of reasons: for not meeting their owners expectations, got too big, too hairy, allergies, moving, the arrival of a new baby, their cat/dog had a litter etc. Others are abandoned after their owners moved away. Most are strays, found wandering the streets left to fend for themselves.

Shelters literally have something for everybody. Large breed dogs, small breed dogs, old dogs, puppies, and yes, sometimes we even get Purebred dogs! We have big cats, small cats, loud cats, quiet cats, playful cats, reserved cats, short haired, medium haired, long haired, and in any color imaginable (except rainbow!). When choosing a pet, a shelter is a great place to start. Although we cannot provide a detailed lineage or genetic makeup of your dog, we do try to ensure that they have a good temperament, are spayed/neutered, vaccinated and dewormed and healthy before they leave our shelter. We also provide 30 days of free health insurance just in case! These animals are one unique and one of a kind! And the best part of all? They NEED you! Breeders and Back Yard Breeders produce their dogs based on supply and demand. People want these breeds, therefore each puppy/kitten will get a home because there is someone out there who wants it. If you don’t purchase a dog from a breeder, chances are someone else will. It is different for a shelter animal. They are unwanted, abandoned, neglected and are in need of homes. We don’t have people beating our door down for these animals. They need loving and caring people like you to give them a safe, warm and happy home. It is my personal philosophy that every animal in our shelter has an owner…they just haven’t found them yet. We work hard to keep these animals as long as it takes for them to find a home, but in other shelters there are those that are not so lucky, and they never find their forever home.

If more people spayed and neutered their own pets, there wouldn’t be the problem of pet overpopulation. And if more people adopted from shelters, there would be less animals facing euthanasia due to lack of space.

When it comes to choosing where to adopt a new family member, the choice is yours.

But keep in mind: Somewhere, a life depends on your choice.

When it comes to finding the perfect pet, it seems that there is no distance too great for adopters to travel to bring home their new family member.

MLDHS is no stranger to long distance adoptions. We have adopted animals all over the province, across the country and even to the United States! When potential adopters look at our website and fall in love with one of our animals, they go the distance (literally) to retrieve their long distance pet.

We have received a lot of compliments from long distance adopters on the quality of our website and adoption profiles. We strive to make the most of this valuable resource  as it contributes substantially to our adoption rate. We include a detailed pet bio, good quality photos, and a video in with every adoptable pets’ bio. That way, it gives long distance adopters the chance to “meet” the animals and view their personalities in a way that most shelter’s bios cannot.

“This is dog #42565 he is a nice dog” is not an effective way to advertise and promote adoptable pets. We believe that it is in our animals best interest to go above and beyond and make their profiles as detailed as possible to give them the best possible chance at finding a forever home. And sometimes we get lucky and make a long distance match!

One memorable match we’ve made was Tom. Tom was a HUGE husky cross that was abandoned in a northern community.

His adopter saw him on our petfinder website and said that once he looked into those big brown eyes he knew that he had to have him. He made the long trek from Rochester, New York to Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan in the middle of winter to pick up his new best friend! The love for man’s best friend knows no bounds!

We currently have 2 dogs with pending long distance adoptions. Both Hannah and Jess have adopters that are driving and flying to retrieve them! Hannah will be heading to British Columbia and Jess will be heading to the Northwest Territories!

If you are looking for a new family member, don’t be afraid to go the extra mile. There are great dogs and cats in shelters across the country and if you can’t find what you’re looking for close to home, then look a little further. We may just have your new best friend waiting for you in our shelter!

Our shelter is currently filled to capacity with cats. Because we have several long term residents we have decided to waive their adoption fee in hopes that they will find a forever home as soon as possible. In most shelters it is almost unheard of to keep cats for an extended period of time, but as long as we have room for them we will keep them as long as it takes. We have 7 cats that have been with us between 6 months and over a year and a half. These cats are in URGENT need of homes. They are FREE to good homes provided that an adoption application is filled out and approved. All of these cats are spayed/neutered, dewormed and vaccinated. We do long distance adoptions all the time and we will work with adopters to make travel arrangements. We have sent cats across Canada and as far as San Fransisco, USA, so please, if you have a loving home for one of these cats, there is no distance too great!

Pixie was brought to our shelter January 30, 2009 after she had a litter of kittens. Her owners decided there were too many cats in the household. Rather than keep Pixie and find homes for her kittens, the novelty of a new kitten outweighed the responsibility of taking care of the cat they’d had for over a year so the owners kept another one of her kittens while Pixie and her 2 kittens were surrendered to MLDHS. Pixie is a fantastic cat. She is very sweet and affectionate and loves attention but won’t pester you for it. She loves to be groomed and has a silky smooth coat that she will happily let you brush. Even though she has a medium length coat she is does not shed very much, if at all. Pixie gets along great with other cats and doesn’t mind dogs. She loves to stretch out on one of the perches in the communal cage and watch the hustle and bustle of the shelter. We have had several groups of students come to our shelter for visits and she does well with all of the attention. She is a shelter favorite amongst the volunteers and we still can’t believe she hasn’t found a home. Her forever home is out there, they just haven’t found her yet!

Puss n’ Boots is a 3 year old orange and white tabby female. Smokie is a grey and white female. They were surrendered from the same household on May 11, 2009 after their owner had developed allergies. They are both spayed and microchipped. They lived in a home with children and did well. They are both very outgoing cats and are always looking for attention. Puss n’ Boots loves to be brushed. She can most often be found lounging in a hammock. She is a very patient cat and is good with kids. When someone comes to visit the shelter Smokie is usually front and center, jumping up on the cage gate and reaching out to say hello. They both get along great with other cats and are good with dogs. These beautiful girls have been waiting over a year for a home. Please make their wait worth it and adopt!

Zeke is a 5 year old male orange and white tabby. He was brought to our shelter October 14, 2009 after he was rescued from an unfortunate situation. He lived on a farm where his owners used him and his 2 farm mates as mousers, but did not care for them properly or provide regular food. Zeke was literally starved both for food and attention. He came to our shelter underweight, but with several months of food and love, he is as good as new! Zeke is our resident dog lover. He is the only cat who will actively seek out the dogs to cuddle up to. As soon as he is let out of the communal cage he runs up to the dog cages and rubs up against them. He loves attention and loves to be brushed. He gets along great with other cats. He enjoys spending time outside, but also loves to cuddle up on a nice soft bed indoors. He may have been an excellent mouser but cats cannot survive on mice alone and need to be fed regularly. Hopefully he will find a forever home that will give him the love and care he deserves.

Autumn is a 9 year old calico female. She was brought to our shelter October 23, 2009 when she showed up on a farm, emaciated and in poor body condition. She was skin and bones and her coat was dry and full of dandruff. She has put on quite a bit of weight since being at the shelter…maybe too much! We have learned that free feeding a cat that has been starved is not such a great idea, as she assumes every meal is her last, and eats accordingly. Even though she is now pleasantly plump, she is a very sweet old girl. She loves to be brushed and will sit in your lap and soak up all of the attention. She gets along with other cats and doesn’t mind the barking dogs. Please don’t let her age deter you from adopting; cats have been known to live up to 25 years if taken care of properly! If that’s the case, then this girl isn’t even middle aged! Please give this beautiful girl a comfortable home to call her own!

Vincent is a 4 year old male tuxedo cat. He was brought to our shelter on December 2, 2008. He was adopted January 10, 2009 and enjoyed a year being in a home before he was returned March 27th because his owner was moving to an apartment that did not allow pets. Vincent is a great cat who has had a difficult life. He lost both of his ears to frost bite after enduring a cold winter outdoors. What he lacks in ears he makes up for in heart! He is a very affectionate boy but will not pester you for attention. You can pet him, walk away, and he will still be in the same spot you left him when you return. He is very patient! He loves to perch on your shoulder and purr loudly in your ear. He gets along great with other cats but he does not like dogs. In his previous home he was very polite and did not scratch the furniture. He kept his scratching to a scratching pad his owner purchased. He is a one person cat and will be devoted to you if you offer him a warm lap to curl up on. He loves to sit out in the sun and relax in the warm rays. He was an indoor cat at his previous home, but enjoys spending time outdoors in the fenced in enclosure at the shelter. It took him a few days to warm up to the idea of being outside but once he finally went out, he thoroughly enjoyed himself! We hope Vincent will get his second chance at a forever home.

If you have room in your heart and home for one (or more!) of these long term shelter cats then please visit our website www.mldhs.petfinder.com to fill out an adoption application!

Please save a life and adopt!

Welcome to the Meadow Lake & District Humane Society’s home in the blogosphere!

The Meadow Lake & District Humane Society started in the summer of 2003. We have come a long way from our humble beginnings and in the 7 years we’ve been operating we have found homes for 649 dogs and 462 cats (and counting!).

We operate out of a fantastic facility located in the Industrial Park that currently houses 11 dogs and 30 cats. The majority of our cats are kept in communal style cages with 4-8 cats in each area. There are trees to climb, perches to stretch out on and hammocks to lounge in. Our kitties have got it pretty good! We have recently completed renovations to the south side of our building to offer a completely enclosed outdoor area for the cats to spend time in the sunshine. Construction on the north side will be completed in the near future. For cats that aren’t kept in the communal cages, they call a 2 storey condo home. These also include perches to sit on and hammocks to lounge in.

Our dogs live in kennels that have access to outdoors through a dog door. They also have access to 4 large dog runs, as well as the large fenced in perimeter to run off their energy! Our great volunteers take time out of their busy schedules to groom, play and walk the dogs.

We strive to make sure that the animals in our shelter receive the best care in a safe and comfortable environment!

MLDHS is a 100% volunteer run organization. Without the support of our fantastic volunteers the shelter would not run as smoothly as it does! From shelter chores, maintaining the website, answering emails, taking photographs of animals, answering phone calls, fundraising, fostering, transporting animals, walking dogs, grooming, and spending time with the animals, our volunteers have their work cut out for them, but they do an amazing job! We have a small group of core volunteers but what we lack in numbers we make up for in heart! A HUGE thank you goes out to our dedicated volunteers!

Thank you for visiting our Blog! We will use this space to update the public on upcoming events and information regarding our shelter. Please visit our website at www.mldhs.petfinder.com to view our adoptable pets!

“You can’t change the whole world by adopting one animal, but you can change the whole world for that one animal” -author unknown