Calhoun County Humane Society |
What are Mobile Adoptions and "Why?" Even though we have a home in the City of Port Lavaca Animal Shelter, we continue to go out to the public with our animals and bring the adoption process to you. You can find us at Tractor Supply on the 3rd Saturday of each month and at Petsmart in Victoria on the 1st Saturday of each month with our dogs and at as many community functions as we can. Come meet us and your future pet! And here's a "blast from the past" of our first trailer, a borrowed fireworks stand, and some of our first animals that we hauled out to meet YOU! |
The Calhoun County Humane Society is a Texas Non-Profit Corporation. In January of 2006 we received our 501(c)3 tax exempt status. We organized and established this all-volunteer group to enable more adoptions of dogs and cats from our local animal shelter through our intervention. Many animals are euthanized each year. In some cases this is unavoidable due to their illness or behavioral problems. But many wonderful pets are abandoned and end up at the shelter, pets that have so much to offer and that have no chance without a great deal of effort by caring humans. Working with animal control, we make available to the public dogs and cats that will be wonderful companion animals and that have been tested, vaccinated and spayed/neutered. The adoption fee for cats is $80; the adoption fee for dogs is $100. All testing, vaccinating and spaying or neutering is included in this cost - a bargain and a good deed, all in one.! |
When an animal is rescued from animal control, it is held at the animal shelter or in a foster home environment. Most of us are already fostering animals and more foster homes will always be needed. The number of pets we can save is now dependent not only on the number of foster homes we can find but also on how many volunteers we have to man the shelter for adoptions. If you would like to become a foster parent or know of someone who would or would like to volunteer at the shelter, please contact us by calling and leaving a message at 361-553-8916 or e-mail us at: cchs@tisd.net |
Whether it be a special activity or our regular adoption site at TSC, the 3rd Saturday and PetSmart the 1st Saturday of every month, we "have animals, will travel" so come and meet us and learn more about the Calhoun County Humane Society. |
ABOUT OUR SOCIETY |
A PLEA FOR HELP!!! We are told, over and over, by so many people, “You are doing such good work. We are thankful you exist.” Well, we want US to become YOU, as well, so that we can continue this work. If you can become a hands on volunteer you will – guaranteed – never feel more appreciated by four legged critters! The joy and excitement of the dogs as you approach their kennel to let them out and walk them, the eagerness of the cats to dig into their newly clean litter box first, before even eating, is a great “upper” each and every time.” What can YOU do? If you love animals and want to help at the shelter you can [1] Come visit and spend the day learning what it involves. You can then pair with another volunteer until you feel comfortable doing it on your own. [2] You would like to help but are afraid if you spent time around the animals, you’d want to adopt every animal there? Then man the phone, work in the office talking to drop ins, do laundry so the volunteer can clean without having to watch the door constantly, ferry animals to the vet for tests and shots. [3] You have only an hour or two several times a week? Come by and walk some of the dogs. They need to learn to walk on leashes, to obey commands so they are more readily adoptable and this is something you would love doing – and, oh the love and affection you get back in return! [4] Dogs go to Petsmart the first Saturday of every month and Wal-Mart the third Saturday for mobile adoption. Come in and bathe them so they look and feel good. Volunteers are also needed at these adoption events to walk the dogs and greet the public. WE NEED YOU! Link to "Volunteer Application" OUR ANIMALS NEED YOU! Link to "Foster Care Application" PLEASE??? |
Good Morning, America! What better way to start your day (as a volunteer or visitor) than this? Out of their kennels, running around, playing with each other (improving those social skills), getting exercise, it never fails to lift our spirits as we watch them enjoy grass and dirt and each other. Come see us and our happy dogs and cats. Maybe your perfect companion animal is already here, waiting for just YOU :-) |
And don't forget... |
AND DOGS, PLEASE!! |
Here we are at another mobile adoption: The grand opening of the Calhoun Air Center under the new management of Dianna Stanger. It was a great occasion for all who attended, a chance to meet new friends and old as well as a successful dog adoption! |
Our first hurricane evacuation; thankfully Ike did not come here. This was a massive undertaking that would not have been possible without the use of Harry and Carol Frankson's cattle trailer. A HUGE "thank you" to Carol who drove up to New Braunfels on the 12th and returned our 56 animals back here on the 14th. Pictured unloading are Gloria Saylor, Carol Frankson, Janice Holladay, Megan Strauss and Margaret Yanta. Megan and Margaret are not regular volunteers but showed up in our "hour of need", greatly appreciated. Also helping at the shelter with cleaning and unloading were RaDonna Marek and Barbara January. We hope we don't have to do this again for many years, but it was definitely useful to learn just how BIG a job this is! |
And being a volunteer - or a friend of animals - can mean other kinds of activities... |
CCHS says, "Save Our Tails!" |
"Hey, doesn't anyone know IT'S HOT! We think there's air conditioning in there somewhere. Maybe if we whine or scratch at the door...?" |
And here we are again at the Calhoun Air Center for the special activities on 12-12-09. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. Heavy fog prevented planes from flying in and it was cold for us and the dogs. But we got to meet old friends and new ones, always a winning combo. |
INSIDE VS. OUTSIDE? With few exceptions, we want to place our animals in home environments. Please give some thought to the following: [1] Even large dogs make wonderful companions inside, once house trained, provided they have a large fenced yard in which to run and play (and which also protects them from strays that might attack them). [2] Animals that come in and out bring pests such as fleas and ticks and often diseases. [3] Animals that live inside live longer and their health can be monitored. Cats in particular can develop urinary tract infections that will not become noticeable to you until they are near death, often they will hide when they become ill. [4] Kittens, puppies and small dogs are in danger of predators outdoors. As more land is developed, "critters" are driven closer to humans. Coyotes are being seen in subdivisions, and even a large dog can be mauled or killed - smaller animals stand no chance at all. Great horned owls and hawks can take even adult cats, especially in rural areas. And cats kept indoors will not harm our beloved song birds. All of us at CCHS want the very best for these animals we rescue, work with, take care of, get to know and love. We want our adopters to feel the same way and be able to provide a loving, safe and secure new home for each of them so they are not in harm's way. THANK YOU! |
A mobile adoption in the parking lot of Wal-Mart on Highway 35 - have trailer, will travel! |
As said before on our home page, we are very happy that the Calhoun County Independent School District donated a surplus portable classroom building to CCHS. It was moved on to the shelter property, both the acquisition and moving being a huge project that one of our volunteers, Carol Frankson, took on herself to make it all come together - this wouldn't have happened without her. We foresee many uses for it that will expand our rescue work, one of which has been to provide a "cat habitat" so the cats can be taken out of their small cages, run, play, get some much needed exercise and socialization. We would like to acknowledge again and thank Adelmiro Cantu of Formosa Plastics, Palacios Marine Industrial (Greg Garcia)and Carboline of Corpus Christi (Lee Roy Navarro) for working together to provide us with paint for the building!! The following are some photos of the building, inside and outside, before renovation and building of the cat habitat and then a few of the many cats who have been and are now enjoying this wonderful space. All renovations done were made possible by donations from some wonderful supporters of CCHS for this specific purpose. |
In addition to the adoptions we do at the shelter, PetSmart and mobile adoptions, we also do "breed rescue" work. Dogs often come through the shelter that are purebred or very nearly so, and the rescue organizations for specific breeds will take them in. Two of many such rescues are shown here, one by a Greyhound group, the other Springer Spaniels. |
And then Piper, an English Pointer, was accepted by a breed rescue group. One of our volunteers, Carol Frankson, drove Piper to the Sugar Land airport where Mark Powell in picture at left, had volunteered to fly Piper in his personal plane to Baton Rouge. Picture at right shows Mr. Powell, his son and the woman from the English Pointer Rescue group who took him. Do we go to great lengths to save worthy animals? You bet we do! |
And we so appreciate the acts of kindness that comes to us from the community, individuals and groups such as the following: |
Junior Girl Scout Troop 9510 held a food drive for our animals outside Wal-Mart. Claire Reinhard and Kaylee Price, above, earned the Bronze Award, the highest award that a Junior Girl Scout can earn . This award requires 15 hours of planning and working a community service project. Many thanks to Claire and Kaylee and their fellow troop members for honoring us and helping to feed our dogs and cats, they had a very successful drive! Also many thanks to all the great people of this area who donated the food as well as cash donations. A very active troop, they are becoming good citizens who care about their community. Below are photos of their recycling work, something we laud as CCHS recycles also. THANK YOU from all of us at CCHS, 2 and 4 footed critters alike! :-) |
Another remarkable rescue was Zeke who was taken to Houston by Kim Tatum, one of our volunteers who works very hard on rescues. From there he went to his foster mom in New Iberia, LA who is with the Delta Humane Society of Rayville and then to his new home in Fort Plain, NY! From PL in TX to NY, quite a trip and all because we and others care so very much. |
Dexter, a wonderful black lab and Midnight, a Great Dane, both transported by a CCHS volunteer to a breed rescue and new homes. |
And keep watching for photos and stories of our continuing breed rescue work, very worthy dogs being given a second chance.... |
Koda (our 1st Akita) |
Sebastian |
Bear (what a guy!) |
Jax |
Storm |
WINNING TEAM |
RUSSELL CAIN'S 65th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION and FUND RAISER FOR CCHS Russell held a golf scramble tournament October 13th at Hatch Bend Country Club that benefited our humane society. He asked that in honor of his birthday people would consider making a donation to CCHS. He and Cherre are ardent animal lovers, having both dogs and cats. The response of the community to this request of his "milestone" birthday was INCREDIBLE! Everyone was so generous, and all had a great time. There was a breakfast, a buffet lunch, music, a silent auction - a very well planned and wonderful day for Russell and CCHS. We're sorry we don't have names to go with the photos below, but some will be familiar, we're sure. We want to thank Russell again for holding this event, it was a huge success! |
We are also to be found at PetSmart in Victoria on the first Saturday of each month when we take some of our dogs out to the public for adoption. |
And now, recent photos of another friend of CCHS, Tractor Supply Company, which is hosting adoption events, the latest being 2-15-14. THANK YOU, TSC! 3 dogs adopted!!! |