It’s that time of year again! The leaves have fallen off the trees, the air has become bitterly cold, the snow is falling, and the shelter is full.
We currently have 17 wonderful K9s that are currently calling our 14 cage shelter home, so if you do the math, we’re OVER full. We’ve got puppies, teenagers and adults of every size, shape, color and activity level. There’s something for everyone! We also have 23 furry felines for adoption!
We have put the SOS call out to other shelters in hopes that they can take some dogs off of our hands but we have yet to hear back. Many shelters are already dealing with their own influx of animals now that the cold weather had hit.
Since we are full we have closed our doors to new intakes. Some people have been really understanding, even offering to keep stray’s that they’ve found until we have room, but others, not so much.
“What’s the point of having a shelter when you won’t take my dog?”
“You call yourselves a humane society?!”
“If you don’t take it I’m just going to dump it/kill it/____.”
“Why can’t I just leave it outside your building?”
It’s a fact of life, shelters get full, and when our options are to either euthanize current dogs to make space, or to close the shelter to intakes until we generate more adoptions and make room for new animals, the choice is simple. Our shelter is not a No-Kill shelter, but we are very, very very low kill. Since January of this year only 4 dogs and 1 cat have been euthanized. That is greatly reduced from previous years, and is just a small drop in the bucket compared to other shelters. It is a shame to euthanize a perfectly healthy animal due to space, and when our volunteers have developed emotional attachments to the animals in the shelter, it is extremely difficult to put an animal down that is loved by so many. To someone on the outside it’s just another dog or cat, but to our volunteers who spend every day with these animals, it’s an extension of their own family.
You may be wondering “What can I do to help?”. Well thanks for asking!
SPAY & NEUTER – If everyone spayed and neutered their own animals we wouldn’t have nearly as much unwanted litters as we do now. People let their animals breed, not thinking in the long term. Yes kittens and puppies are cute, but they grow up to be cats and dogs, and to put it simply, there aren’t enough homes for all of them. The graphics below show just how many kittens and puppies can be produced when people don’t spay/neuter their pets.
ADOPT – This is an obvious choice! If you are looking for a new best friend for life, please adopt a shelter animal! We’ve got something for everyone! Our available animals can be seen on our website.
FOSTER – We are in need of Full Time & Part Time foster homes. MLDHS only has a handful of foster homes which is not enough for the amount of unwanted and abandoned animals that Meadow Lake generates. Fostering can be as short as a weekend or as long as it takes for a dog to get adopted. If you are uncertain about adopting a dog and the commitment involved, please consider becoming a foster home! You can take a shelter dog into your home for a weekend or longer to give it the experience of a home environment, lots of attention, and socialization, as well as a much needed break from the shelter! Many great shelter dogs are with us for long periods of time, and while we try to make their stay in the shelter as comfortable as possible, nothing is better than being in a home, even if it’s just for a couple of days! If this sounds like something you or someone you know would be interested in doing, please contact MLDHS
IF YOU FIND A STRAY – If it does not appear to be in distress or in poor body condition, leave it where it is. Many people in Meadow Lake let their dogs and cats roam outside. Eventually these dogs and cats will find their way back home. If you feel uncomfortable leaving it, take it in and call us with a detailed description of the animal in case an owner calls. We are happy to provide you with food to feed it. And once we have room at the shelter, we’re more than willing to take it in. Please be patient.
BE KIND – This may seem like an odd one, but it is very important. One thing that people need to realize is that MLDHS is 100% Volunteer run. We all have our own lives, own jobs, own families and own pets to look after, but we choose to work as hard as we do for the humane society because we are passionate about animals and want to make a difference. No one gets paid for the work they do. It is a difficult job, a tiring job and often a thankless job, but the reward for all the hard work is when a dog or cat finally finds their forever home. Knowing that you played an integral role in helping someone find their furry best friend is priceless. The quotes mentioned above show that not everyone who calls MLDHS or shows up at the shelter are very kind and respectful. Please remember, we are all volunteers, doing the best we can, with little resources. When you are contacting MLDHS, a little kindness goes a long way!
Thank you for your continued support of the Meadow Lake & District Humane Society!
Meadow Lake & District Humane Society 