Humane Society of Wilkes

Happy New Year!

We hope that everyone had a pleasant holiday and is enjoying the new beginning that a new year brings. The Humane Society of Wilkes had a very successful year in 2003, and we are excited about the new year ahead.

As you read about our activities and projects, please consider how you might volunteer your talents to help. We have a real need for members, new ideas, and volunteers. If you see a program or project that interests you, and that you would like to become involved in, please contact us. If you have an idea that you would like to offer, please forward them to us as well.

Current board members and their telephone numbers are as follows: Carol Childers 667-2547 Mitzi Combs 957-2985 Margie Edgerton 838-4658 Steve Jackson 667-3424 Arlene McGrane 973-8343 Sylvia Smith 667-1109

Hidden Oaks Dog Park

Construction has begun on the Hidden Oaks Dog Park. The walking trail and the parking lot have been graded, and the first layer of gravel has been spread on the trail. Town employees will add a layer of rock dust and a layer of sand to the trail, and the parking lot will be graveled. Once this work is complete, the fence can be installed.

Metal frames for benches have been made and delivered, and picnic table frames are being constructed.

There is no specific target date to completion; much depends on the weather and the availability of Wilkesboro town employees to finish the project.

Contributions towards construction and maintenance of the park are appreciated. They may be mailed to P. O. Box 306, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659. Or contact any board member for more information.

Responsible Dog Ownership Day

In September we held the first annual Responsible Dog Ownership Day. Sponsored by the AKC, this day was set aside to increase awareness about the responsibilities and realities of pet ownership.

The event was held at the site of the Hidden Oaks Dog Park in Wilkesboro, and included a groundbreaking ceremony for the park. We were honored to have Audrey Absher and several Wilkesboro town officials in attendance. Mrs. Absher is the mother of Barbara Eldridge, in whose memory the park is named.

We had a wonderful day! We had a large turnout of dogs and their people, and everyone seemed to have a good time. We had health information available on various topics, as well as a veterinarian who administered rabies vaccines and implanted microchips.

Thanks to Tammy Helt for doing an agility dog demonstration, and to the Wilkesboro Police Department for giving a demonstration with their drug dog. Our adoption committee was present with pets from the animal shelter for adoption and information about adopting a new pet.

We also sold our 2004 calendars, as well as other humane society items and refreshments. Items donated by local businesses were raffled off to lucky ticket purchasers.

Thanks to all who helped out with this event – we could not have pulled it off without all your hard work.

Apple Festival

We had a very good day at the Apple Festival in October. We had a new supply of neat pet toys and collars and leashes to sell, along with our 2004 calendars and tee-shirts.

We gave away human refreshments and dog bones too. It was a wonderful opportunity to interact with the public and get our name and our mission into public view.

Thanks to all those who set up, worked all day, and cleaned up and put away at the end of the day. We truly appreciate all your hard work.

Halloween on the Greenway

Halloween at the Greenway was another fun event for us this fall. The crowds were overwhelming! We decorated our table with black cats, ghosts, bats and spiders, and gave away fun animal-related items to the kids, and dog bones for our canine friends.

Thanks to Arlene McGrane, Carol Childers, Blair Hancock, Barbara Gray and Sylvia Smith for setting up, decorating, handing out toys, taking down and cleaning up.

Downtown North Wilkesboro Christmas Lighting

We also attended the Christmas lighting festivities in downtown North Wilkesboro in November. We sold toys, collars, leashes, bandanas, and blankets for the pets, and calendars and refreshments for the people.

Thanks to all those who participated in this event as well.

Christmas Parade

We had a large group of dogs and people who braved the frigid temperatures to walk in the Christmas parade. Steve Jackson drove his truck and pulled our decorated trailer. This is a fun event that is enjoyed by all.

Harry, Shep, Rambo, Leo, Molly, Splash, Figaro, Rex, Nadia, Max, Ralphie, Tigger, Bear, Precious, and Pumkin made it through the entire parade without any barks or complaints, and eagerly greeted parade watchers along the way. Many of the children and adults were eager to give a dog a pat.

Accompanying the canines were Blair Hancock, Arlene, Guy and Erin McGrane, Belinda Laws, Mary, Ed, Katie and Andrew Parsons, Carol Privette, Leslie and Seth Roope, James Phillips, Kelly and Sid Thompson, Courtney Cameron, Bradly and Lacy Hayes, Mary and Jessie Elmore, Anna Hayes, and Carol Childers. No complaints were heard from them either! Members who didn’t have their hands full with the dogs passed out dog biscuits with information about our spay/neuter program attached.

We have decorated our float in the same way for the last four years. If you have any new ideas for decorating, please let us know. Next year, we would like to have even more members and dogs participate.

Newsletter

We are giving some consideration to sending newsletters out via e-mail instead of snail mail to save on the cost of postage. If you would prefer to receive your newsletter by e-mail, please send an e-mail to SJSDVM@AOL.COM.

Adoption Committee News

In 2003 we had 117 adoptions! We accomplished this by having 13 adoption fairs, fostering 47 pets in volunteers’ homes, and facilitating 16 purebred rescues. These numbers compare to 107 adoptions in 2002 and 62 in 2001.

Reflecting back on 2003, there are many people that we need to thank for this success. First of all, thanks go to Blair Hancock and Donna Peterson. They have been invaluable, not only with rescues and fosters, but also in helping with adoption fairs and our web page. Blair holds the record for the most fosters (including two litters of puppies). Donna holds the record for the most pictures taken of shelter animals. This is no easy task – our version of wildlife photography!

We also thank Deb Zelensky, Leslie Roope, and Tammy Helt. They have filled in whenever we needed them at adoption fairs. And thanks to Kay Hall, our professional puppy washer. She works behind the scenes washing pups and setting up for fairs.

Mary and Katie Parsons, and Belinda Laws are new volunteers this year. They have helped at adoption fairs, and fostered animals as well.

Dave Ritter’s energy and good humor keep volunteers and the public laughing. He also lends the use of his truck! Thanks also to Sheila Smith, Joyce Shew, Laua Bennett, Meghan Barker, Melissa Cody, Fran Edgar, and Lisa Adams for taking time out of their busy weekends to help with fairs.

And last but not least, a big thanks to Arlene McGrane for all her work organizing events, recruiting volunteers, and keeping things running smoothly.

Adoptions

Our adoption committee does need more volunteers. We have a wonderful group of people, but we can use more people to help with adoption fairs, to take pictures of pets at the shelter, to help post pictures on the web page, or posting photos of available pets around town. Let us know how you would like to help by contacting Arlene McGrane at 973-8343 or arlenemcg@aol.com.

If you or someone you know is looking for a pet please check www.humanesocietyofwilkes.org or www.petfinder.org/shelters/NC249.html for pets that are available.

Food Lion Shop and Share

We have not yet had enough people participating in this program to receive any funds. If you shop at Food Lion, please link your MVP card to our organization. It is easy and costs you nothing. Go to www.foodlion.com and follow the prompts. You can also register at any Food Lion store if you do not have internet access.

In Memory

We are deeply saddened at the death of Judy Ayers. Judy was a long time board member of the Humane Society of Wilkes. She worked faithfully on all our projects, and was a warm and compassionate person who truly cared about both animals and people. She will be greatly missed, and our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.

Spay/Neuter Program

Our Spay/Neuter program continued to grow in 2003. We paid part of the cost of spaying or neutering for 184 pets (56 female cats, 43 male cats, 57 female dogs, and 28 male dogs). Our cost for this program was $5,410 in 2003; 78% of the vouchers go to families with incomes of less than $25,000.

Families who live in Wilkes County and need assistance with the cost of spaying or neutering fill out an application and turn it in to the humane society. They receive a voucher that they can take to their veterinarian to pay for part of the surgery. The vouchers can be used only for spay/neuter; the owner pays any remaining balance. Voucher amounts vary from $10.00 to $50.00, depending on the income of the family and the type, sex, and size of the pet. Anyone who needs a voucher application can pick up one at the local veterinary hospitals or the library, or you can print one off of our web page.

We appreciate the veterinary hospitals that work with us by accepting the vouchers.

Monetary support for this program is greatly appreciated. Please send any contributions to P. O. Box 306, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659, and indicate that it is for spay/neuter.

Mailing Labels

The date on your mailing label is the date your membership will expire. If there is a discrepancy, please contact Sylvia Smith at 667-1109.

If there is no date, you are not currently a member - but we would love to have you join us. Membership dues are $15.00 per year.

Contributions

The following contributions have been received by the Humane Society of Wilkes from August through December, 2003. We appreciate your kind and generous contributions.

In Memory of People:
Judy Ayers