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photo by Steve VanGunda
Puppies line up for attention at the Natchez Humane Society Monday afternoon. The Humane Society has between 150 and 200 animals on a daily basis.
Humane Society begins raising money for new shelter
Published Tuesday, September 30, 2008
NATCHEZ — Three sets of bright blue eyes peered out of a wired-shut cage. Mildew covered nearly every wall. A small, sad whine accompanied the gaze. But hopefully this sad picture will change.
The Natchez-Adams County Humane Society is kicking-off a fundraising campaign for its new facility.
The board is hoping to raise the $750,000 necessary to build the new facility, building committee chairman Vidal Davis said.
“(Thirty years ago) animal shelters as a rule were built very utilitarian,” Davis said. “They were just meat and potatoes, a way to feed them, a way to house them. Now it’s much more than that.”
Photo by Steve VanGunda
Kennels line both walls in the main indoor room.
Animal shelters are about adoption, education and allowing people to volunteer.
“You’ve got to have an upscale, an uplifting atmosphere for people to work in and for the animals,” he said.
The building fund has already accumulated $168,000 and has existing real estate worth around $50,000. The building committee, made up of Davis, Becky Morris, James Browning, Sue Stedman, Nan Garrison and Gail Healy, will now try to bring in the remaining balance.
“This is starting in earnest,” Davis said. “We have a list of people who have historically been members of the humane society and have given generously and they are certainly on our A-list.”
The committee plans on calling on their regular donors first, and then widening the campaign and having public fundraising events.
“That’s down the road,” Davis said. “Initially we’re just going to call on people to try to meet our goal.”
And while the Humane Society has never asked for this much money, board member Nan Garrison she thinks they can reach their goal.
“We’ve been raising money, but not officially raising money,” Garrison said. “We are now officially beginning our fundraising drive where we’ll be going out and calling on people.”
And the funds for a new building are not a want, Garrison said, they are a desperate need.
“The plumbing is old and decrepit, the electrical is old and decrepit. I mean, it’s just falling down around our ears,” she said. “All you have to do is go out there and see what 30 years of high water use does to a concrete building.”
Photo by Steve VanGunda
Volunteer Steve Cook pets a dog while Windell Weeden and Natchez Humane Society Assistant Manager Nezzie Merritt talk about the best way to repair door hinges on the kennel cages Monday afternoon.
One of the worst things the water does is cause major mold and bug problems. And because the building houses between 150 and 200 dogs and cats, they cannot use much bug spray, Garrison said.
“We just have to piece stuff together,” she said.
The building fund is separate from the regular Humane Society fund, which pays for its day-to-day operation.
Comments
Posted by ntzmom (anonymous) on September 30, 2008 at 12:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Not to be crappy, but I hope y'all arent just blowing smoke. I dont have much money to donate, but I will give what I can. I have given in the past and am just sick of waiting for these animals to be given decent, humane treatment and shelter.
Seriously, lets get this done this time.
Posted by regard (anonymous) on September 30, 2008 at 12:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope the Humane Society gets the funds it needs, and quickly. Nezzie, Claude, Clyde and others have been doing a remarkable job with limited resources and with "decepit" (to put it mildly) surroundings for a lot of years, and both they and all the animals deserve better.
Those of you who have pets but lack the resources to contribute money? Contribute something equally important: Get your animals spayed or neutered, help stem the endless flood of animals the Humane Society must try to care for. While all the folks there and at Humane Societies worldwide may love their jobs, I'm sure they would love to be put out of business, if magically the world became a place where there were no abandoned or unwanted animals.
P.S. I currently have one dog from a shelter in Omaha, another from a shelter in Kansas City, another from the local shelter, plus one cat from a shelter in Gladstone, Missouri, and several others that were "pre-rescued"--that is, we took them in rather than see them go to the local shelter. Every one of them is a daily delight to me. If you cannot spare money for a contribution to the building fund, maybe you can find a few dollars to invest in your own happiness and that of one of the critters currently housed at the Humane Society--go on down there and adopt one (or a few. Well, maybe not a FEW, but you get what I mean).
Posted by wonderingirl (anonymous) on September 30, 2008 at 12:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There was so much interest shown recently for David Carter and his horse Silverado. Maybe the Humane Society could talk to Mr Carter about giving an exposition as a way to raise money for the shelter. I would love to see in action some of the performances that led to Silvarado's 4th place win in Fort Worth. I will donate regardless, but I thought I would make the suggestion.
Posted by NatchezBell (anonymous) on September 30, 2008 at 5:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
God Bless The Humane Society with their building fund. Please organise all types of fund raisers. Children are great fund raisers with their families, friends and neighbors. Also...ask the Church to start a collection especially for the animals new home. They are homeless pets now but shortly will have a new home.
I'd like to see an area set up at the Balloon Races for the animals...I'd volenteer and I know a lot of people that would too. While there you could teach, let the kids touch and raise money for a Wonderful Cause.
Please Democrat<<<<<Help this Cause...advertise for them often.
With God's Speed...Amen
Posted by picture_music101 (anonymous) on September 30, 2008 at 6:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
They really do need a new building! I went there about month ago and that entire building smelt so bad...it smelt like i dont know what and talk about dirt...all on the walls,windows,floors. PEEYEW!
Posted by sayaprayer (anonymous) on September 30, 2008 at 8:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I dont know how many people on here already know this but thought this a good article to mention it on. There are ways to help these shelters. anyone can help daily by using their computer. All you have to do is use goodsearch.com as your search engine and make sure the Natchez Humane Society is chosen in the cause field when you search. every search you do will donate to the shelter. I have it as my home page. Also if you are an internet shopper go to IGIVE.com and sign up chosing the Natchez Humane Society as your cause and everytime you shop on the internet if you go through this site the company you shop with will donate to the shelter. There are alot of stores on this site. you would really be surprised at how fast it can add up if everyone would use these sites. Please check them out. I do not work at the shelter but I have rescued many pets from there and I highly respect the people that do the great jobs that they do there.
Posted by vdavis (anonymous) on September 30, 2008 at 9:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The time is right and the steps are in place to make this new shelter a reality. If you are considering a donation or know someone that is please remember to put on the check Humane Society Building Fund. The shelter has a General Fund and a Building Fund and you must note where the funds are to be used. The building fund address is-Natchez Adams County Humane Society P. O. Box 332, Natchez, Ms 39121. We will attempt to reach as many folks personally as possible but we cannot and do not know many who are willing to give to this worthy cause. Please let us hear from you and a member of the building fund will be happy to call on you and give you any information you need in order to make a decision on your level of giving.
Many thanks to all who contribute for the love of animals.
Posted by JessiMac (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 10:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is a great cause, and very worthwhile. If the animals have to be stuck in a rathole like Natchez, they should be made comfortable and treated well. This is probably the most worthwhile cause in Natchez, and everyone should contribute.
Posted by djarum_black (anonymous) on October 5, 2008 at 5:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Regarding picture_music's comment..
Yes they DO need a new building. As bad as you think it smells and as dirty as you think it is when it's open, think about the fact that at least two (usually three) people are working there every morning from 6am and on to get the place THAT presentable by 2:00pm. The only reason I mention it is that it's not unusual for people to enter the shelter and complain about the condition its in, sometimes suggesting that the place isn't properly cared for and thus, the shelter doesn't deserve funding until its workers can "get their act together". The sad fact is, there's just not much to work with there, and the building is falling apart. Even if the current building were new, that particular structure simply isn't geared toward what it's being used for. Believe me, these are some of the hardest working, least paid people in Natchez.. doing a very difficult job in extremely difficult circumstances.
Give a dollar if that's all you have, but give SOMETHING. Remember.. even if you're not an "animal person", the shelter works with animal control and houses the animals picked up, so it's a necessary facility to the people who live in Natchez. Without the shelter, there would be nowhere for unowned animals to be taken, not just the unwanted offspring of unaltered pets.
Posted by sammohon (anonymous) on October 7, 2008 at 7:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I would be willing to design the building pro-bono...every dog needs a pro-bono on occasion.
Seriously, I am an experienced architect (for those of you who may not know me). I worked for a veterinarian several summers as a teen and I recently designed the Louisiana Emergency Animal Clinic and Shelter at Dixon Correctional Center in Jackson LA. It is the place animal victims, large and small, are taken after a Katrina type emergency for care and shelter.
The clinic building contains indoor-outdoor dog runs, segregated runs for normal vs. aggressive/court case canines, feline, feral feline and miscellaneous (other species) cage rooms, food prep and storage, surgery and lab, grooming and bathing and administrative spaces. It also contains a central hall designed to showcase adoptable animals like a showroom.
I might add that having some drawings to encourage fund raising is usually a good thing to have.
I want to do it and my company actively encourages community service of this type and I'd be able to do it for my hometown...it's a win/win.
Who do I talk to?
Posted by ladyrider (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sam, contact Nan Garrison 601 445 5698 or Linda Harper at 601 442 3766.
Posted by meluvcookies (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 10:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sam, that's absolutely a wonderful idea! I'm all for it. Thanks for the input. I hope it comes to pass!! Also, I wish it would become a no-kill shelter like the one in Livingston Parish.
Posted by sammohon (anonymous) on October 9, 2008 at 10:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
meluvcookies...I have no power to control others, but I'm like you, I'd like a different alternative...if the animals are showcased and the building is an attractive showcase, the people will come making it much less likely that euthanasia will be their fate. I've had to participate in euthanasia and it's never a good outcome for the animal or the people involved, it's just sometimes sadly inevitable.
I'll talk to Nan and see if there is a way for me to help. I know I'll see her at Balloon Fest.
ladyrider...thanks for the info, but you might should have done that via email instead of giving phone numbers on a blog.
Posted by notfromnatchez (anonymous) on October 12, 2008 at 9:30 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on October 13, 2008 at 7:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I wish the very best to the Humane society in this endeavor and hope that they can raise the needed funds. I have spoken with Vidal Davis and Good Hope Construction and offered services and contacts to them to help keep the cost down as much as my partner and I can. I hope others in the area will do the same to help out this worthy cause. Reach for you wallet if you can, but reach for your heart and help raise funds if you have none to give yourself. Thank you.
Posted by sammohon (anonymous) on October 13, 2008 at 8:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
redusmfan...maybe we should discuss a turn-key design-build proposal for the Society...it might be good for us to come to know each other professionally, and good for the Society as a cost savings route to get the facility they so need. Win/win!
Posted by regard (anonymous) on October 14, 2008 at 1:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
notfromnatchez, that made me laugh out loud!
You may already know this, but the Humane Society used to have (and maybe still does) an Asian guy come in and try to adopt a "small dog," right around certain Asian holidays. Once he even came in disguised as a woman. Yes, the potential adoptee would have wound up as a holiday meal. Somehow Claude and the other Humane Society folks caught on to what the guy was trying to do, and turned him away (apparently several times).
Hey, I'm not picking on Asians here--a lot of people around the world would no more eat what WE eat, than we would eat what THEY eat, and what may sound "horrible" here may be a delicacy there, and conversely. It was just funny, though.
Posted by notfromnatchez (anonymous) on October 14, 2008 at 7:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
For the record, dog isn't half bad. Living in Asia for a year, i had to try to the local cuisine.
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on October 15, 2008 at 7:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When a person is raised on a food, it is hard for them to turn away from it no matter what others may say when they are older and in foriegn countries. Many of them think Americans are crazy for eating pork, cow, and chicken. So, I am glad they are not letting him get a dog to adopt to eat, but lets not call him crazy for his rearing.
But, I do not want any on my plate....argh!!!..and I do not want any snake either.....lol
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