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AVHS works to keep Pets together with their Humans

AVHS works to keep Pets together with their Humans
by
December 12, 2024
in Humane Education Column
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2022

By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice Chair

A moment I will never forget is a woman, a complete stranger, who upon seeing me outside the post office in my AVHS volunteer shirt, stopped me to share her story. She began with, “The Ark-Valley Humane Society helped me keep my cat, Annie, when times became tough for me. They gave me cat food and supplies. They were so kind and understanding.”
Then the woman began to cry as she added, “Annie was my only family. I could not imagine life without her. Thanks to AVHS, I did not have to give up my furry friend. Times are better now, and Annie is still with me. Please tell them thank you,” and she hugged me. Then we both cried.

This is one story. For every statistic, there is such a heartfelt story of gratitude for the kindness and humanity of AVHS.

As of October 31 of this year, AVHS made 711 distributions from their food bank, each one helping a person or family feed and care for their precious pets, just as Annie and her mother were helped.

The mission of the Ark-Valley Humane Society is to ensure the welfare of companion animals through compassion and care, and an important part of that mission is to show kindness toward people and pets that find themselves in difficult situations. AVHS recognizes that pets are family, for some their only family, and therefore highly values keeping pets and their humans together.Pets are family. The bond between pet and human is strong. Numerous scientific studies and research have shown:

Pets give purpose to humans, making them smile, laugh, and feel happy.

Pets prevent loneliness. They can provide a sense of companionship and unconditional love which improves mood, outlook and level of hope.

Bonding with a pet boosts feel good hormones which can promote a sense of general well-being and comfort.Taking care of a pet can have the health benefits of lowering blood pressure, easing anxiety and lessening depression.  For many, pets can provide emotional support and a sense of security. These wonderful companion animals depend on their humans for their care and welfare and are just as attached and bonded to their humans as their people are to them. Their home is with their humans.

This special pet-human bond is what inspires the Ark-Valley Humane Society to do as much as it can to keep people and pets together.

In addition to the pet food pantry, AVHS also provides emergency pet boarding by partnering with the Alliance Against Domestic Abuse and other human service organizations to offer short-stay free pet boarding for Chaffee County families in crisis due to a medical issue, domestic violence, housing insecurity or other crisis.

To prevent community families from surrendering a pet because of behavioral issues, the AVHS team offers behavior support and counseling. They also now offer assistance for Chaffee County residents who are experiencing behavior issues with their dog and need financial support to obtain dog training.

AVHS partners with positive reinforcement dog trainers to offer 4 free individual training lessons for dogs in need.
Pets may need life-saving medical attention which any pet owner knows can become quite expensive. In partnership with the Chaffee County Community Foundation, AVHS established and seeded the Community Pet Fund to help with these costs.

This fund is used for dogs and cats of Chaffee County residents that have a good prognosis, but have been suddenly affected by an accident or life threatening illness. It can cover 50% of the medical expenses, up to $500. Additional uses are available to those unsheltered or low income in the community. As of mid November, 2024, because of this fund, 16 pets received the medical attention that saved their lives and kept them a loving part of 16 families.

Another equally strong partnership keeps pets together with their humans. It is the partnership between AVHS and Chaffee County Hospitality that offers motel room stays for unsheltered individuals and their pets during the coldest nights of the year. As of October 31, eleven people were able to spend the night in warmth with their pets.

All these services/programs along with spay/neuter and microchip services help keep hundreds of pets and their humans together. All can be accessed via the AVHS website, ark-valley.org or by calling 719-395-2737.

The Ark-Valley Humane Society not only cares for animals, helping them find forever homes, they also see that the bond of love between pet and human is not broken, that people like the woman I met at the post office are not parted from the furry friend who makes their life complete.

 

 

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