Sunday, January 29, 2012

2011 Year In Review

HSEC continued to serve the community in 2011, providing a temporary safe haven for homeless dogs and cats. Like you, we look back over last year and try to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses, making New Year’s Resolutions of new goals to strive for in 2012.

Due to financial constraints, we underwent some significant changes during the year. The most noticeable difference is that the number of animals housed at the facility has been decreased. We hope that this is a temporary situation and we know that with your help we can be up and running again at normal capacity.

We had a lot of successes in 2011 and we’re looking forward to 2012. Here on the blog, you can look forward to more educational content, including tips for adopting a new animal, information about common animal diseases, and even instructions for training your dog. We will continue to highlight a Blog Dog and Purrfect Post Cat of the Month and to check in with our fosters and volunteers. We’re adding a Wordless Wednesday post and more pictures of our adorable adoptable animals, and we’re making plans to get some inside views on HSEC from staff and volunteers.

We’ve set our goals high, but we know we can reach them! A huge thank you to our readers. You can help us spread the word about HSEC and about the HSEC blog through Facebook, Twitter, and your favorite social networking site. Follow us on Twitter @HSEC.

Now let’s take a look at stats from 2011. In total, we took in 321 animals and adopted out 363!







Cats:
149 cats entered the facility.
  • 24 abandoned
  • 7 returns
  • 25 strays
  • 53 surrenders
  • 40 transfers
158 cats were adopted this year, including 76 adults and 82 kittens!

Dogs:
171 dogs entered the facility.
  • 6 abandoned
  • 22 returns
  • 49 strays
  • 42 surrenders
  • 52 transfers
188 dogs were adopted this year, 121 adults and 67 puppies!

Below are some adoption highlights from this year. Celebrate with us, and remember that all of these once unwanted animals are in loving homes today because of YOU and your support.

If we’ve missed your new favorite furball, post a picture to the HSEC Facebook page.


Abbott

Amber

Coco

Cody

Eve (AKA Emmy)

Genevieve

Huckleberry

Jethro


Lester

Lizzie

Hank (AKA London)

Mufasa

Napoleon

Pluto

Rudy

Sadie

Shadow

Skitter

Thistle (orange)

Tina Turner

Trust

Zeke

Zoe

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Purrfect Post Cat of the Month - Mona

Meet Mona!


As you can see Mona is a gorgeous black and white cat with glowing golden eyes!  She is completely black with the exeption of a small white diamond of fur on her chest, not quite a tuxedo but not all black either.  As you may have gathered from her name, Mona loves to chat!  Most of the time she's a quiet and relaxed kitty but when it's time to eat she'll be sure to let you know how hungry she is and remind you how long it's been since you last filled up the food bowl!  Mona loves treats more than any other cat we've ever seen at the HSEC.  Just shake a bag of treats and you've got her undivided attention right away!


Mona has been living at our facility for some time now and we'd love to see her find a foster home or better yet, a forever home!  Poor Mona has never been a huge fan of living with us because she'd prefer to be the only cat in the cat palace.  Volunteers and potential adopters often mistake Mona's temper for meanness when if fact she's just hissing at the other cats she sees around her.  This sweet lady has a lot of cuddles in her, she just needs to let them out in a home environment.


Please come and meet Mona today! 

All cats with the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina are spayed/neutered, up to date on vaccines, dewormed, on flea prevention and tested for FIV/FeLV. Adoptions come with a small bag of Hill's Science Diet food and one month free of pet health insurance.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Welcome to Wordless Wednesdays!

On Wednesdays we will be posting a photo with no words, and let the photo do the talking!  For our first Wordless Wednesday, we are actually going to use some words to talk about animal photography. Animals are fun, and tricky sometimes, to photograph.
Trying to capture a kitten while playing is challenging!
Here are some tips for pet photography:
  • Be patient and take lots of pictures, it might take a lot of trial and error to get one good shot but it will be worth it.
  • If your pet is in motion constantly, use a fast shutter speed to capture them in action without the blur
  • Let your pet play or amuse themselves briefly, and when you are ready to snap a picture, call their name or whistle to get their attention and have them look alert. For dogs, this turns out well because their ears perk up and it makes them look very cute!
  • Fill up the frame and take close ups. Capturing those “puppy dog” eyes makes people melt!
  • Take pictures outside or in a well lit room so you don’t have to use the flash, which can often frighten your pet, cause red-eye, or make the picture look harsh.
  • Make the focal point of your pictures the pet’s eyes and get on their level by sitting on the ground or lying on the floor
  • Let your pet explore the camera if they are curious, and you can take close up pictures while they do!
  • Use treats, toys, or “funny noises” to get your pets attention or have them look in a certain direction
(Thanks to Digital Photography School and Pets in Pastel for some of the inspiration for tips!)

And now, for the WORDLESS part...



Friday, January 20, 2012

Blog Dog of the Month - Remi

Meet Remi!

The HSEC blog volunteers wanted to make sure we had a good start in 2012 so we've selected Remi as our January Blog Dog of the Month!  This sweet shepherd mix has been looking for a new home for some time now and we think January is her lucky month!

Remi is a big dog with a lot of heart.  Based on her good looks and loyalty we suspect she's got some German Shepherd in her family.  Remi tends to be a little bit shy at first, especially around men, but after just a few moments she'll stick by your side and never forget you.

If you're looking for a dog who is just as ready for a home as you are for a pet then this is your girl!  Remi gets along well with other dogs, she is housebroken, and what a breeze to walk on a leash!  This lovely lady has already been spayed and is up to date on all vaccines.  She has been dewormed and is on heartworm and flea prevention.  Her adoption fee is $100.  If you're interested in meeting Remi please visit our website, send us an e-mail, or give us a call at (252) 413-7247.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Christmas Wrapping with Linda and Joan

Volunteers wrap presents at Greenville Mall
“Hello, this is Joan Pollock from the Humane Society.”

If you’re a volunteer for HSEC, you’ve probably gotten at least one call from Joan Pollock. And you’ve probably found yourself telling Joan that you’d be happy to fill whatever volunteering opportunity she’s phoning about. Joan just has that effect on people.

“Blame it on Joan,” says Linda Anselmi, who has been involved as a volunteer with HSEC for eight years. It was Joan who first got Linda involved with the fundraising committee, of which both women are members. Linda and Joan, along with Stella Strickland and Sylvia Harrison, coordinate the gift wrapping fundraiser held annually at Greenville Mall.

Linda and Joan do much of the on-site work, with Joan generally on the day shift and Linda there during the evening. They are joined by an army of volunteers, including students from Arendell Parrott Academy in Kinston, ECU students, and - for the first time this year - members of the Greenville Newcomers Club. General HSEC volunteers also assist with gift wrapping, and “we drag all our friends out too,” Joan says. The amused gleam in her eye indicates that she’s not speaking purely metaphorically.

Historically, gift wrapping has often been the year’s largest fundraiser for HSEC, though in recent years it is second behind Canine Crawl. The mall has always been exceptionally generous in providing space and support for the fundraiser. Major thanks for this must be given to Nathan Kelly, the mall manager, who is also an HSEC volunteer.

Wrapping began this year on December 3rd and continued through Christmas Eve. This year Greenville Mall sponsored the first Saturday of gift wrapping by paying for all wrapping which occurred on that day.

The scene at the gift wrapping table is generally frenetic, especially close to Christmas.  Many of the volunteers are young, though a cross section of the community is also represented. “People seem to like the service,” Linda says, adding that they often see repeat customers. For shoppers, it’s a nice way to check a chore off the Christmas to-do list as well as donate to a worthy cause.


HSEC has run the wrapping booth for at least ten years, taking the area over from a professional wrapping operation. And Joan has been involved with wrapping since the beginning. When asked how long she’s been a volunteer for HSEC, she frowns and says, “longer than I can remember.”


Joan has always had dogs - “I told my parents they followed me home,” she says, laughing. She started to help with the dogs before HSEC had a facility, then began fostering. Her speciality was puppies, and she estimates that she’s fostered over one hundred dogs. Slowly she became more involved with HSEC, eventually serving as a
Joan (center, in black sweater) with volunteers
board member for a time.

Like Joan, Linda gradually found herself taking on more opportunities with HSEC. Linda became aware of the organization through her involvement with a Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie) rescue group. Her family owns two Shelties. Linda decided to devote more of her volunteering energy to local causes, and began volunteering for HSEC. Her favorite fundraiser is the book sale, which she and Joan are also involved with coordinating. When she’s not volunteering, she enjoys writing.

Joan also has hobbies outside of her work with HSEC, most notably her love of travel. She recently returned on a Mediterranean cruise and is planning trips to Arizona and China. After another successful gift wrapping fundraiser, Joan and Linda have both earned a little time to relax.

A version of this article appeared in the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina’s quarterly newsletter. If you’re interested in receiving the newsletter, please contact hsecgeneral@gmail.com