In celebration of both the season of giving as well as his grandmother’s birthday Andrew decided to donate money to HSHV. He love animals and wanted to pass on a little seasonal joy. Thank you Andrew for your generous gift!
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Posts by Wendy Welch
Thanks-giving
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” -A.A. Milne As I reflect on what I am grateful for this Thanksgiving, I think immediately of our supporters, staff, volunteers, Junior Volunteers, and Board members who give so much to help prevent the suffering of innocent animals. Call me biased, but I believe people who feel such great compassion for animals are the best of humankind. I am so thankful to work alongside them and that we are able to ban together through this noble institution to put our
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“Just” animals? Or are they family?
Studies show a growing number of pet owners, now about 90%, think of their animals as family. We buy them birthday presents and special treats, and even dress them up in pretty dresses. As such, HSHV is widely celebrated for connecting so many animal lovers with new furry family members. But there are so many other ways we help pet lovers that don’t get as much notice. I recently received an emotional reminder of one of them. I was contacted by a former Ann Arborite who had surrendered her two cats here last year. She explained that her mother was
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The wild within
The other day my daughter was up during the wee hours doing homework in the kitchen and in walked one of our cats…or so she thought. When she looked up she found herself face to face with a small but plump raccoon, also a juvenile. They looked at each other, equally surprised, and ran in opposite directions. This clever little fellow had used our dog door to come in for a tasty meal. (Solving the recent mystery of a suddenly empty cat food bowl and strangely muddy water dish.) But while my daughter was jarred by this unexpected encounter, there
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11,000 cats are counting, not multiplying
This spring marks HSHV’s 10th anniversary of doing Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR)! Ten years ago, HSHV was at the forefront of a new movement to reduce population and end needless death of outdoor living cats: becoming the first animal shelter in Michigan to institute our own TNR program. Today, we are very proud to have sterilized over 11,000 cats through TNR. When I started here, we were euthanizing about half of our animals, many perfectly healthy animals like feral/outdoor living cats. It was tragic, needless death, and it was horrible for our staff and toxic to the organization. Euthanasia is supposed to be
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What happens in the dark?
When I was a little girl, I was scared of the dark. I was sure there were demons lurking in my closet just waiting to get me. Fortunately I had my trusty dog as my loyal defender. I am no longer afraid of the actual darkness, but I am of the figurative kind. When it comes to powerless populations in the custody of others, “light” is a critical defender. Too commonly, underfunded or profit-driven institutions abuse their power and become cruel when their actions are hidden under a cloak of darkness. We learned decades ago about the gruesome abuse suffered
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Why breed bans don’t make sense
Without even getting into the messy muck of debate about DNA and what actually is a “pit bull,” I can say without hesitation that breed bans are senseless. A sweeping city-wide or housing-wide ban on a type of dog, based on sensational new stories about another dog of *possibly* the same breed, are the epitome of prejudice and discrimination – to judge and treat one because of the actions of another. Similar to banning a group of people from a community based solely on race or ethnicity. Dogs can be dangerous. The bigger they are the more harm they can do. This
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October & November big months for deer-vehicle collisions, Here’s how to avoid them
October & November big months for deer-vehicle collisions: Here’s how to avoid them We’ve all seen the carnage of an animal hit in the road. Some of us have been in such accidents. Animal collisions injure and kill animals and can be dangerous to people. The Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) responds to hundreds of calls related to hit-by-car animals–both wildlife and domestic animals–each year. “Although we’ve seen a few disturbing cases where people hit animals on purpose, most people want to avoid hitting an animal and are very upset when an animal has been hurt. Our goal
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