It may still be winter, but puppy season is already here at Natchez-Adams County Humane Society.

Over the past month, well over 100 puppies have been dropped off at our local shelter. These beautiful puppies have come in all shapes and sizes. We currently have lab mixes in all colors, hound mixes and many types of shepherds, including some beautiful naturally bobtailed Australian shepherd/lab mixes. If none of these types appeal to you, we’re taking in more pups each day and chances are that we’ll soon have the type of puppy for which you’re looking.

Space is always at a premium. Our small shelter building is nearly always at maximum capacity as we try to give each dog, cat, puppy and kitten as much time as possible to find an adoptive home. With the huge onslaught of new puppies, our shelter is overflowing.

If you are thinking of adding a canine member to your family, please consider adoption of one of these nice puppies. The adoption fee is only $45, and for this price you get vaccinations, an “exit exam” at a local veterinarian’s office to ensure that the puppy is healthy, and the spay or neuter surgery when the puppy is old enough to have it (usually around 5 or 6 months). This is a great value.

If you would like to adopt but don’t want to deal with the “puppy stage,” we always have a nice selection of adult dogs. People often surrender their adult dogs due to changes in their own life such as moving to a nursing home or other place where dogs aren’t allowed. Some of the most beautiful and desirable of dogs end up in this situation and they often make the best of pets. People constantly report that the adult dog they adopted seems to understand that they were rescued and gives a very special kind of love and devotion to the adoptive family.

We also have a nice selection of beautiful, friendly and affectionate young adult cats, many of which were surrendered by families that could no longer care for them due to changes in their own life situation. Kitten season is starting up, and we’ll soon be losing space for these adult cats.

Many of the wonderful pets that are available for adoption can be seen on the Natchez Pet Adoptions website at www.natchezpetadoptions.org. This website was renovated recently to allow much faster posting of available pets. Due to the high volume of pets taken in at NACHS, not all of those available will be listed on the website, and visiting the shelter to see all of the pets is a good idea.

Especially with puppies, there may be a few days waiting period allowing for vaccinations to be given.

If the puppy you wish to adopt is not yet ready, you can leave your name and contact information and we will get in touch with you when the puppy is ready for adoption.

When you choose to adopt a pet from NACHS, you are truly saving a life.

Adoption fees are $45 for dogs and $35 for cats.

If you cannot adopt but wish to help in other ways, tax deductible monetary donations are appreciated and we are always in need of “wet” pet food and many other items which are listed on our website under “help.”

Most importantly, please remember to spay/neuter your own pets to prevent unwanted litters.

Kathy Fitch is a volunteer with the Natchez-Adams County Humane Soceity.