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 Hard times caused by rising
food and gas prices are hurting everyone, even pets. The Bay County
Humane Society shelter is facing closure if it can’t raise more money.
Catherine Zehner, the marketing director for the Humane Society, says
the lack of giving forced them to use their reserve fund.
“We’ve been living off
that fund, dipping into it as needed, for the last five years,” Zehner
says.
Now the fund is depleted, and
the Humane Society is trying to raise $100,000 before September 30th
in order to keep helping animals in need of homes.
Many people think giving to
the Humane Society of the United States helps all Humane Societies,
but that isn’t the case.
“We’re not affiliated with
the Humane Society of the United States,” says Zehner. Bay County
receives no funds from H.S.U.S.
Donations of food are great,
but Zehner stresses that it takes more than food to run the Humane Society.
The power bill is high because turning off the air conditioner when
the staff leaves for the night isn’t an option. Animals have to stay
cool, too. Plus, workers are desperately needed to keep the animals
clean and healthy, so they look appealing to future-adoptive owners.
Currently, the no-kill shelter,
is full. The shelter has been unable to accept any new animals for some
months. Inside, cats meow and stretch out their paws at people who come
in looking for a new pet. Dogs and puppies, some of them purebreds,
stare out with sad eyes, hoping someone will take them home. The people
running the shelter work hard to keep the animals fed and happy. But
if the shelter is forced to close, Zehner says that will all change.
“If we close our doors,”
she says, “animals will die. If we don’t give them safe haven in
our shelter, they either run at large or get killed.”
It isn’t just the Humane
Society that will suffer. Animals in Bay County will also suffer, but
it doesn’t have to end on a sad note.
To help the shelter, the Humane
Society is asking for monetary donations. You can also shop at the Humane
Society of Bay County’s Thrift & Gift Store on 23rd
Street. For more information, call 628-4048 or visit the shelter at
1600 Bay Avenue, behind the Panama City Police Department.
Images by Desi Gardner
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