Humane Society needs your help
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — Butler County Humane Society members hope the season of giving isn't completely over.
The no-kill animal shelter at 1015 Evans City Road needs donated supplies and volunteers to help care for the society's 47 dogs and 84 cats on site and another 15 dogs and nine cats in foster care.
Michele Slupe, the society's executive director, said the kennel population is typical for this time of year, but once the weather breaks “we expect the number of cats at BCHS to increase.”
“The majority of our animals are brought in by Good Samaritans, the local dog officer, state dog wardens and the new humane officer volunteer,” she said.
The average length of stay at the society's shelter is four weeks for a dog and three months for a cat.
The Humane Society's “Wine and Whiskers” dinner and wine-tasting fundraiser is next month, said Slupe, but the group can use donations of money and time now.
“We get no county, state or federal funding. Our name is misleading because people automatically think we get county funding, but we don't get any county funding at all,” Slupe said.
She said the society's annual $600,000 budget is “met through the kindness and generosity of donors throughout the community.”
The money is used to pay for the shelter's many functions.
For example, Slupe said, when an animal arrives at the shelter, it is held for 48 hours before it is screened for disease, dewormed, and given vaccinations. The health care administered by a veterinarian can range in costs upward from about $60 per dog and $55 per cat.
All animals are implanted with a microchip and spayed/neutered, which can cost up to $100 an animal.
Slupe said these numbers represent the medical care for more than 1,000 animals annually.
“Our goal is to ensure that each animal receives the medical treatment necessary to become available for adoption, but we also make certain they receive social and emotional help as well through focused staff care and socialization by our team of volunteers,” Slupe said.
In addition, there is still the daily care for the animals that must be factored in: things like food, treats, toys, kitty litter, beds and other additional goods needed when taking care of multiple animals.
Also, once warmer weather returns, the society will sponsor a cat spay-and-neuter clinic at the shelter where owners can drop their pet off for the operation.
But day-to-day care of the shelter animals is expensive.
“Monetary donations are welcome,” Slupe said. “And we are always low on cat food, both wet and dry.”
The shelter's supply wish list includes: canned dog food, small chew dog treats, leashes, clay cat litter and bleach.
Debbie Aglio, the society's community outreach director, said in addition to money and supplies, the shelter can always use volunteers to exercise and play with the animals, feed and water the cats and dogs, launder bedding, maintain the shelter and clean the kennels.
Slupe said, “Volunteers are the heart and soul of the Butler County Humane Society. In 2017, the value of one volunteer hour was put at $23.07.”
People interested in volunteering should visit the society website at http://butlercountyhs.org.
WHAT: Wine & Whiskers Butler County Humane Society Annual Dinner and Wine TastingWHEN: 6 to 10 p.m. Feb. 12WHERE: Narcisi Winery, 4578 Gibsonia Road, GIbsoniaINFO: For more information or to purchase tickets, call 724-789-1150
