Walking through the front door of my apartment, being greeted by my kitty’s purrs and leg rubs and my dog’s slobbery kisses is my favorite time of day!
I am so lucky to have found these amazing animals! Many animals are waiting in shelters and foster care to find joy and love that a forever home would provide.
How to Help When You Can’t Adopt
Giving a shelter animal a home to lay its head and all the love they need is one of the most precious gifts you can give. If you are not able to adopt, there are many ways you can help our fur babies. These include: donating food, supplies or money to your local Humane Society, paying the adoption fee on an individual animal, donating your own time to play and walk with the animals at the shelter, or by becoming a foster parent.
Lost Animals
Taking the correct steps to making sure that an animal is taken care of and safe is an important task that I hope many will take seriously. However, not all animals that are lost or wandering are without a home. Many times our little ones can get away from us no matter how hard we try to protect them.
What to do When Your Pet Gets Away
Slipping a collar, running out the front door, or chewing a leash are common ways our pets can get away. If your pet gets away and you can not find them, call your local Humane officer, Humane Society or dog warden to notify them as soon as possibly so they can help in the search. Also, notify local friends and family to be on the lookout as well. Many retail stores will let you post flyers for missing animals as well. Some humane societies have a facebook page where they post photos. For example, Noble County has one.
What to do When You Find a Stray Animal:
Many times we may see an animal wandering around on the streets, or some place they should not be.
- Call for help. Immediately call your local Humane officer and Sheriff’s office to report any stray animal. If by any chance there is no one to help and you are willing to try and keep the animal until help can be reached, please take extreme caution.
- Approach with Caution. Helping a lost animal can be a rewarding experience, however every situation needs to be approached with caution. And sometimes it’s best to wait for help. Never go up to a stray animal or make any fast movements toward them. Most strays are scared and can act out or be mean because they don’t know what is going on.
- Watch body language. Pay close attention to the animal’s body language and attitude, approach slowly and speak in a calm voice to let them know you are not going to hurt them.
- Isolate the stray. Never take a stray animal that you know nothing about around your family pets until the stray has seen a vet. Many health conditions that are common with strays can be contagious to your pets such as mange. Mange is caused by a tiny mite that burrows into the skin and causes extreme itching and hair loss in small patches or over large areas of the animals body. Feline leukemia is another example and can be fatal. You can isolate the animal in a dog crate or a room.
Consider Pet Adoption
When you have decided to open our heart and homes to a new animal, please consider helping out one of the lost souls at your local Humane Society or Rescue.
Many animals are waiting to be adopted every day, but many never will be.
It’s a sad truth.
Consider adoption from a shelter and avoid promoting puppy mills. Make sure to neuter or spay your pet is important to avoid future heartache. There are many places and clinics that specialize in spaying and neutering at a cheaper price than most vets.
We love our pets! they deserve the best!!!
Audie’s Angels
304-917-9361
Audrey Lohrey – Owner and care giver