WWW arkcity.net

Photo by Donita Clausen click image to enlarge

By RACHEL BELL
CC Humane Society

When Teresa Harden took over the duties as shelter director for the Cowley County Humane Society nearly three years ago, things looked much different.

At that time, the shelter was helping considerably fewer animals than it currently serves. The biggest challenges Harden faced then were disease control, lack of funding and lack of help.

"It was -- and still can be -- very hard at times," Harden said. But, as the shelter has grown, the challenges have changed. "Now our primary concerns are providing more veterinary services to entice adopters and finding homes for the increase in animals."

The shelter has been open four years in August and has served more than 8,500 an mals. In 2006, 2,262 animals came through the shelter's door and the numbers to date indicate 2007 will see several hundred more.

"We have increased our exposure throughout the state in the last couple years," said Board President Rachel Bell.

"That not only increases our adoptions, but also our intakes. The number of animals we help has increased every year since our doors opened in 2003."

Today, CCHS tries to make viewing adoptable animals easier through a variety of media sources. Animals at CCHS and in area foster homes have pictures on the shelter's web site at www.cowleycountyhumanesociety.org. CCHS also utilizes Arkansas City's Cable Channel 7 with a "Pet Parade" and "Pets of the Week" are featured in the Arkansas City Traveler and Winfield Courier.

Although the shelter has been open for nearly four years, the Cowley County Humane Society has been around for more than 20 years.

The organization started as a group of citizens who volunteered at Winfield's pound to try to get animals adopted or placed into rescues.

In 2001, several discussions were held concerning the need for increased animal services in the county. This culminated in the creation of a shelter when CCHS received a $120,000 bequest from Jeannette Foskett.

By 2002, construction and additional fundraising efforts were underway.

When the shelter opened its doors in August 2003, construction efforts were deemed a success. But the work and hours necessary to complete it had taken its toll on board members and soon after nearly half of the board members resigned to allow them more time for family and other commitments.

Meeting a new challenge

Once the doors opened, the scope of the work changed.

While the remaining board members and staff worked to get animals out the door, they were also met with an influx of animals from the cities as well as from citizens throughout the county.

The shelter was created as an open-door facility to accept all domestic animals regardless of health, age, temperment or breed. CCHS also provides shelter and care for animals brought in by law enforcement due to bite, neglect or abuse scenarios.

Not only were the numbers of animals staggering at times to take care of, but the shelter itself was also difficult to maintain. In the first year, the staff had to work out the "bugs" sometimes left in new construction. A plan for operations had to be established and finances were scrutinized.

Some months, the expenses far exceeded the income and the shelter drew largely on its money market account.

Most expenses were expected and had been included in the budget: animal care, staffing expenses, and maintenance. Other expenses, such as utilities, exceeded the board's wildest imaginations and soared into the thousands during the shelter's first winter.

In October 2004, Executive Director Jessica Kindt who had overseen construction and the shelter's first year of operations resigned. Harden, who had been working part time as Adoption and Education Director for the shelter, moved into the Director position.

In late 2004, shelter volunteers received a boost both financially and emotionally when its Holiday Homes Tour brought in $5,000. This marked an important turning point for the Humane Society's fundraising efforts and was quickly followed by other successful events.

"We have tried several different ways to raise funds for the shelter," Bell said. "After three years, we have established three main events: the winetasting, the homes tour and the golf tournament."

All of the challenges have been met with positive attitudes and hard work. Over the last three years, Harden has sometimes put in up to 70 hours a week. Board members have donated 20 to 30 hours a week and the shelter's volunteer base has grown.

Volunteers have also worked tirelessly to place animals into rescue operations. So far in 2007, 84 animals have gone into various rescues throughout the United States. This amount is on pace to exceed the amount of animals placed into rescues during any other year of the shelter's operation.

"Rescues are very important to us," Harden said. "They allow us another avenue to place animals that otherwise might not be adopted."

Reid, whose work in the last year has focused primarily on rescue placement, described shelter activity like an unending cycle. "Unfortunately, with every animal that's adopted, several more come in. The task of placing Cowley County's homeless animals is never done," she said. "Fortunately, we do have other options such as rescues to turn to when our kennels are full."

Reaping the rewards

With the hard work and sacr fices have come great rewards.

"We have a lot to be grateful for," Harden said. "Our donors and supporters have stepped up to meet the demand for more assistance."

Funding for the shelter comes from a variety of sources. The cities of Arkansas City and Winfield and the County all contribute in exchange for the services CCHS provides for the citizens.

"The need for funding is ongoing. Even though we get assistance from local governments, almost two-thirds of our budget comes from what CCHS can produce," Reid said. "That comes from fundraisers, adoptions and donations."

But the rewards to both the community and the animals have been worth the sacrifice, Bell said. "As a board, we have to look at our budget against the task at hand. In several cases, we have determined that in order to offer more services, we have to bite the bullet and reduce the budget in other areas."

One example of this is vaccinations for the animals. Originally a big concern for the staff, disease at the shelter is under control thanks to vaccination upon entry. Although this was a large budget expenditure, it has paid off in the larger picture of the population health.

Animals are also microchipped upon adoption, helping staff and animal control officers more easily identify an animal if it is brought back in to the shelter.

This also aids in a speedy reunion with its owner.

Thanks to the hard work of volunteers and the generosity of supporters, CCHS also increased medical assistance from area veterinarians; implemented Canine-ality and Feline-ality programs to match adopters with animals; completed several facility projects to lower disease and ease maintenance at the shelter; and implemented new software for shelter operations as a whole.

"We could not have accomplished any of those things without the help of our supporters," Harden said.

Among them, she credits the Cities of Arkansas City and Winfield, Cowley County, area veterinarians, the Department of Corrections, and the citizens who have generously given their time, talents and finances to help the shelter improve its services.

On the horizon

According to Bell, the future looks promising for the Cowley County Humane Society.

"We have several possibilities and opportunities looming on the horizon," she said. "This next year promises to be an exciting time for us. We hope others in the county will choose to be involved and share in our successes."

Specific goals for the future include increased public education, additional adoption hours, covered outdoor kennels and, eventually, more staff. An immediate focus remains on shelter operations and fundraising.

On July 21, CCHS will holds its Third Annual Benefit Golf Tournament sponsored by S and Y Industries. Later in the summer, the shelter will celebrate its fourth birthday with a party on August 11.

The obstacles faced by the Humane Society may seem overwhelming at times. However, Board Vice President Mary Reid received a nice reminder during a conference sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States in April.

"Directors from the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) and ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) commented how the organization was so young. Karen Medicus, a director from Austin's ASPCA stressed that the first years are rather hectic trying to find out what works in our area," Reid said.

"The main goal for the staff is to stay positive," Harden said. "We continue to find homes to the animals we can and provide care and compassion for the rest."

Cowley County Humane Society
Highway 77 near Strother Field

Hours
Tuesday through Thursday - Noon to 5 p.m.
Friday - Noon to 6 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mission
The Cowley County Humane Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the animals of Cowley County by providing care and treatment for lost or stray animals, educating the public on the importance of responsible pet ownership and spay/neuter, and providing adoption services for the homeless and unwanted animals in the community.

Above: Teresa Harden, the Cowley County Humane Society's new shelter director, plays with "Thunder," a blue heeler recently accepted to be placed into a rescue operation.