By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Foster families are needed in Wood County – to take in furry four-legged family members next month.
During renovations at the Wood County Humane Society, in Bowling Green, animals cannot be housed in the shelter. That means good-hearted humans will be needed to share their homes.
The humane society will provide the food, treats, litter, crates – “whatever they need that we have,” said shelter manager Erin Moore.
“All they have to do is open up their homes and give some tender loving care,” Moore said.
The shelter, located on Van Camp Road, will temporarily be closed from Jan. 16 through Feb. 4 for renovations to the floors. It’s unknown exactly how many foster homes will be needed.
“It’s a lot of guesswork,” Moore said.
The humane society already has some standby foster families, but more are needed since no animals can live at the shelter during the renovations.
“Getting fosters is pretty hard,” Moore said. “You can never have too many fosters.”
“It’s going to be a good thing to have more people than we have animals,” just in case there are emergency needs, she said.
Currently, the humane society shelter has about seven dogs and nearly 30 cats. By the time the building renovations begin, the numbers could be higher.
“Up until we’re closing, it’s business as usual,” Moore said. “We really can’t predict how big the needs will be.”
Adoption specials are being offered prior to the renovations, in an attempt to reduce the need for so many foster homes.
Ideally, the foster homes taking in animals will do so for the entire period from Jan. 16 to Feb. 4.
“That’s important for the animals,” Moore said.
Even better – the foster families won’t be able to part with their new furry family members when the renovations are completed, she said.
That has been the case with some of the dogs and cats visiting local homes as part of the humane society’s “sleepover” program, Moore said.
During the renovations, humane society staff will not be present at the shelter. There will be construction personnel working on the building but they will not be answering the doorbell and will be unable to assist any visitors.
The humane society is asking that people do not drop off or abandon animals at the shelter. Abandoning animals at the shelter during renovations is illegal and could result in harm or possible death from exposure from not being found in a timely manner.
The humane society’s humane agent will still be responding to cruelty calls, and the best way to report would be via email. The shelter does have a voicemail that will be checked daily for urgent needs and requests.
The Wood County Humane Society is a private, non-profit, managed admission shelter providing care for homeless and abused or neglected pets. The shelter provides care for more than 1,000 animals each year – from dogs and cats, to the occasional pocket pet or farm animal.
All animals admitted into the adoption program are housed and cared for as long as it takes to find their adoptive home. Visit the humane society’s website for further information at: wchumane.org.
The organization receives no funding from national humane organizations for daily operations, instead relying on earned revenue and the generosity of individual donors and businesses to fund programs such as humane investigations, Safe Pets, food assistance programs, low-cost spay/neuter opportunities, and educational presentations.
