Volunteering at the shelter is always welcome with many opportunities

The Pope County Humane Society recently shared some of their statistics from 2022 and some of them are quite staggering. The numbers of incoming animals versus outgoing adoptions is unfathomable.

Cats have been long-standing issue when it comes to finding homes for them and taking them in until they find a home. 64 stray cats were brought into the facility and only one was returned to its owners. There were 24 surrendered cats, an increase of 37 percent. Adoptions increased by a slight two percent. 

There were 32 stray dogs that were returned to their owners, but 13 of them were not. There were 20 surrendered dogs and 12 seized by law enforcement. Dog adoptions increased by 43 percent.

On average each month, there were 43 cats in the shelter and 10 dogs. The numbers do not reflect found animals that were posted as found or missing on Facebook and not brought into the shelter. It also doesn’t reflect animals that are born at the shelter.

Good things are happening at the shelter including a donor recognition wall, feline intake kennels, a new dishwasher, new phone and internet, a new roof, low cost spay and neuter and microchipping and nail clipping services.

Fundraising is a large part of what makes the shelter run smoothly. Last year, the Paws on the Patio event at Rolling Forks was a success as well as the Community Picnic. Goals for 2023 include some fencing updates, a new storage space with an indoor dog area and replacing the cat adoption kennels. More fundraising opportunities are currently underway and are being added. There are a few t-shirt fundraisers, the AJ’s .05k, the Share the Love event and silent auction, meat raffles, kitten showers and animal birthdays, supply donations and they’re looking to add Kitten Yoga to their fundraising adventures.

Pope County Humane Society is currently looking for a volunteer foster coordinator and a Class Act Thrift Shop manager. They plan to work toward being open six days per week and continue the low cost spay and neuter program.

Volunteering at the shelter is always welcomed and there are several opportunities. A tier one volunteer includes cat socialization, animal transportation and well-behaved dog socialization. Tier two adds some cleaning and socializing most other dogs and tier three consists of assisting with office work, impound and intake room cleaning and other opportunities as they become available.

Other ways the public can help the humane society are dropping off aluminum cans at Tom’s in Glenwood or Starbuck and at the shelter, drop off or mail Tom’s receipts, donate to the thrift store, shop at the thrift store, donate supplies, order items from the shelter’s Chewy or Amazon wish list and looking for donation boxes at local businesses.