By Nina Johnson
The Humane Society for Hamilton County hopes to find permanent homes for their Featured 50 pets by Dec. 31, and the community can help through two holiday programs.
The Homeward Bound for the Holidays program features 50 dogs and cats that have waited the longest for a home. The Humane Society’s website lists the Featured 50 with photos and personality profiles.
Manager of marketing and public relations Jennifer Judd explained that a volunteer writes a custom profile for every animal at the shelter.
“Having over 400 animals to write a profile for can be a challenge, so you try to find that one special thing about each cat or dog. One of our amazing volunteers, Rebecca Ebert, single-handedly writes all the profiles, and we truly think they make a difference,” Judd said.
All Featured 50 pets adopted through the Homeward Bound program will come with a Noah’s Animal Hospital gift package. This package includes a free annual exam, booster vaccines and a dental cleaning. Featured 50 dogs also come with either an additional Paws and Play or Ultimate Canine training package.
The Holiday Sponsor program offers another option to help a shelter animal. Sponsors choose between three levels of support and two ways to dedicate their gift. Sponsors who dedicate their gift in the name of someone else will have a card sent to their recipient.
Cards feature professional photos of six different shelter animals. Sponsors can also choose to honor their family, a pet or the memory of those who have passed away. Sponsored names will be displayed on an ornament decorating a shelter animal’s cage.
Judd reports the community has made the programs successful.
“We’ve had a dog adopted that has been waiting since August 2011, and a cat that has been waiting for almost two years,” Judd said. She encouraged the public to visit the wide variety of animals and pointed out that purebred pets are among those available.
“About 40 percent of the cats and dogs in our care are purebred,” Judd said.
The shelter also welcomes basic supply donations such as liquid laundry soap, trash bags, bleach, and canned cat and dog food. A wish list of more specific items can be found at www.hamiltonhumane.com.
Adoption hours: Friday, Saturday, Sunday – Noon to 5 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday – Noon to 7 p.m. Visit www.hamiltonhumane.com to view photos of available pets.
