Our Birthday Wish List

There’s nothing better than a birthday celebration!  And we’re not ashamed of our age- in fact, we’re

Buy your own dog birthday cake hat here! (Not affiliated with HSEC)

proud to say we’re turning 35 (that’s 245 in dog years)!

We’re grateful for the support from the community that has allowed us to serve homeless dogs and cats, and we know the pets we’ve placed are grateful for a second chance.  We’ll be celebrating our birthday all throughout May, and we’ll be hosting a virtual party on our social media sites (the blog, Facebook, and Twitter) on May 15th, as well as a special party at our facility on May 18 – more details to come!

One of the toughest things about birthday celebrations is knowing what gifts to bring.  We’ve made it easy for our friends by creating a wish list on Amazon.  After clicking on the link, it’s a piece of birthday cake to order some of the items we really need.

Our list is modest and practical, starting with litter boxes and food bowls at less than $6.  Greenies pill pockets allow us to hide medications to be gobbled down like treats.  Sprayers will help us keep the facility clean, and a variety of carriers and cages on our list will help us transport our furry friends and keep them safe. 

“Adopt Me” vests can be worn when our pets are offsite, encouraging potential adopters to spend a few moments getting to know and love them.  Gift cards at Lowe’s and Sam’s Club are also on our Amazon list; available in any denomination, they will allow us to remain well-stocked.

With your support, we’re looking forward to the next 35.  We hope we can count on you to donate, volunteer, adopt, spread the word – and join the party animals at the Humane Society for a celebration of our milestone!  Tail wags and kisses of gratitude will surely come your way!

Surrendering a Pet

Sometimes things happen. Regardless of our best intentions, plans, or dreams, sometimes things happen. And sometimes, we are unable to care for our pets and must decide what to do next. In this post, we'll look at what to do if you find yourself in this difficult position.

For the purposes of this post, we'll assume that you have done everything possible to resolve the issue you are facing with your pet, and have decided that it is no longer possible for you to keep them in your home. In the future, we'll take a look at common behavioral issues that prompt people to give up their animals, and what to do about those problems. But of course, it could also be that you are no longer able to keep a pet because of financial reasons, health reasons, job demands, and so on. We know. Sometimes things happen.

The most important element to consider in this situation is time. If you want to make sure that your pet is rehomed or placed in a no-kill facility, this most likely will not happen right away. All rescues and no-kills are full, all the time. For any of these organizations, including HSEC, to accept your animal, you must get on a waiting list and wait for a spot to become available. It's best to plan on about 4-6 weeks of waiting time.

As soon as you make the decision that you cannot care for your pet, please get in touch to secure your spot on that list. You can always take yourself off the list later on if circumstances change. And while you wait, take the opportunity to look into other options in your area. Don't put all your eggs in one basket - diversify!

But be sure as well to do your homework. Not all rescues and no-kill facilities are the same, and some will have policies or conditions to which you would not want to subject your pet. Ask questions about an organization, check out their website, even arrange a tour of their facilities if possible. According to the Humane Society of the United States, all shelters should have the following programs:

• A comprehensive volunteer program
• An effective foster program
• A network of rescue partners
• Innovative, aggressive adoption programs
• Behavior programs that maximize adoptions
• Medical protocols to reduce disease and keep shelter pets healthy
• A positive approach to engaging the community in solving pet homelessness

If a shelter, rescue, or no-kill organization does not provide these programs, that is cause for concern. You can familiarize yourself with normal shelter/animal welfare facility operations here.

Take some time to research other options that might assist you in your specific situation. For example, there are several organizations that find foster homes for active military during deployment, like Dogs on Deployment. There are also many regional organizations that assist with foster care for pets whose owners are facing illness or disability. See what is available in your area.

Once a spot opens at HSEC, your pet will be brought in for an evaluation of behavior and overall health. There are no guarantees that any animal will be accepted into the facility. There is a surrender fee of $50, which defers but by no means covers the costs that we incur while caring for your pet until it finds a new home. You must be able to demonstrate that your animal is up to date on all vaccinations, including rabies.

Finally, it's best if you can find a new home for your pet on your own. This way your pet will go right from your arms to a new family, without having to enter a rescue (we do our best, but our facility is no substitute for a loving home). In addition to word-of-mouth, spread the information about your pet far and wide, using Facebook, Craigslist, and good old fashioned fliers or newspaper ads. Some rescue groups allow courtesy listings of available animals as well.

Finding a new family for your pet may seem daunting, but use your common sense and don't be afraid to ask questions. HSEC can provide a copy of our adoption application (with our name removed) if you would like to screen potential adopters. If you and the adopter are comfortable with it, you can also schedule a home visit to see your pet's possible new home. Read more about finding a new home for your pet here.

As a pet owner, you have decided to take on responsibility for that pet, which can sometimes mean finding it a new living situation. If this is the last thing that you can do for this animal, do it well.

Changes to the Volunteer Program

It's a big day for HSEC! We're announcing changes to our volunteer program that includes a new schedule for volunteer work and a hi-tech, 21st century way to sign up for volunteer positions, view your schedule, and track your hours. It's like we're living in the future!

Every volunteer opportunity will be available to view on our new scheduling website, and volunteers may sign up for spots at their convenience. In addition to our other volunteer opportunities (adoption stands, Bow Wow bingo, etc), every day there will be set shifts to work with cats and dogs. Each shift can only hold a certain number of volunteers - including daily dog walking and cat socialization. Volunteers must now use our new website to schedule a particular shift for every activity. Please do not come to the facility if you are not scheduled for a shift. 

This change is not intended to discourage volunteers from coming out to socialize the dogs and cats. On the contrary, we're hoping for better, more even coverage! Right now, volunteers may all come at the same time, meaning that we sometimes have too many volunteers, while at other times we do not have enough. Animals thrive on predictable schedules, and this will also help the facility staff prepare to assist volunteers. This new program is based on successful programs at other animal welfare organizations, and we're very excited about it!

We hope this change will make it easier on your schedule too. Pick the same shift each week to make your volunteer work easy to remember. Sign up with a friend or two - make it a weekly date! If you come in to volunteer without signing up for a shift, you will be welcome to take any open spots on the schedule. If none are available, you will be asked to schedule yourself for another time.

If you don't see a volunteer opportunity that fits your interests or needs, let us know. We always have odd jobs like facility maintenance, gardening, data entry, and so on. If you have a skill, chances are we have a need!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about our new system, please contact Katie Benson: hsecvolunteergmail.com or 252-227-9193. You can also leave your questions here in a comment and we will continue to edit this post with the answers so they are available to everyone.

In order to use our scheduling site, you must first register with us.

If you have NOT volunteered with us before:
For adults, click here.
For juniors, click here.

Junior volunteers are ages 13-17. All junior volunteers must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to orientation, and volunteers who are 13-15 must be supervised by a parent or guardian at all times. We do not allow volunteers younger than 13. Sorry, it's a liability/insurance issue.

Once we receive your form, you will be able to sign up for orientation. After orientation, you can use the rest of the site as normal to sign up for opportunities.

If you are a CURRENT volunteer:
For adults, click here
For juniors, click here 

After you are registered, you can use your login (email and password) to view and sign up for volunteer opportunities at the Volunteer Information Center here. You may want to bookmark this page, and the link will also be available through our website.

Need a little more direction to complete this task? Read on for details!


Filling out the Volunteer Information Form:

The link for adult volunteers will take you to a page that looks like this (the junior volunteer page is similar):

Fill out the information (required areas are marked with an asterisk), be sure to accept the terms and conditions at the bottom of the page, and click 'continue'. When you have registered successfully, you will see this page:

 

You can then sign into the Volunteer Information Center using the link above. After signing in with your email address and the password you created in the previous step, you will see this page (except obviously with your name instead of mine):

This is your Home page. When you want to return to this page, just click 'Home'. Each of the options will take you to a different part of the site. Be sure to use the links on the page to move around, don't use the back button.  Our new volunteer website allows you to see when we have a need for volunteers. It also has a spot for you to track your hours and view your service history with HSEC.

If you want to sign up for a volunteer opportunity, or just see what is available, click 'My Schedule'. Scroll down, and you will see this calendar:

On every day when there is a volunteer opportunity, you will see a 'Help Wanted' sign. If you want to see only certain types of volunteer positions, you can select from the drop down menu in the blue box:

Click on the 'help wanted' sign on each day to view the opportunities available, and scroll down to see the schedule:

Click on 'Job description' for more information about each task. If you would like to volunteer for this position, click on the green 'Schedule me' button to the right of the task. And look! There, on September the 27th, the very first volunteer opportunity is the blog meeting at 7pm at the Tipsy Teapot! I'm going to schedule myself for this amazing and fantastic opportunity to serve HSEC.

Clicking on the 'Schedule me' button takes me to this page:

Just click Yes (or No, if you do not want to sign up for this spot), and you will see a confirmation screen thanking you for signing up. Clicking 'Continue' takes us back to the calendar, where you will now see your event scheduled:

You can continue to look through the available volunteer opportunities and sign up for as many as you wish. Links below the calendar will take you to the previous month or to next month.

When you're through using the site, click on 'Exit' to be logged out.

Questions using the site? Leave a comment below and we'll address it at the end of this post. Don't be shy! If you have a question, chances are someone else has the same one.