Dear Animal Lovers,
The Emanuel County Humane Society would like to say THANK YOU to everyone that has supported us over the past 9 years. We greatly appreciate your donations and support. We feel like we have accomplished a lot over these years, but we still have many more challenges ahead of us to get done. Many of our board members are weary. We need your help. We are looking for people with new ideas on ways we can help our homeless population of dogs and cats in our community. We are looking for people who have a passion and love for animals, who don’t mind speaking up for these animals that can’t speak for themselves.
We are looking for help with the following:
1. Writing grants to assist with spaying/neutering pets
2. Fostering
3. Posting lost and found pets on Facebook
4. Posting shelter animals on Facebook
5. Planning and helping with adoption events
6. Helping transport animals to rescues
7.Educating to improve animal welfare in our community
8.Organizing and helping plan some fun events like Bark Fest
9. Ideas on things we can do to improve the animal welfare in our community and animal shelter
10.Coming to monthly meetings with ideas and support for our community animals
11.Going before our city/county officials asking to form a Shelter Advisory Board and their support with other projects or needs we see
12.Financial support
The ECHS is a 501 3c non-profit organization. We are completely separate from the Betty Gambrell Animal Shelter (formerly called The Swainsboro/Emanuel Co. Animal Shelter). However, all the money we raise goes to support our animal shelter. We spend eight to twelve-thousand dollars every year in part to purchase vaccines and worm medicines for the shelter to keep the shelter dogs healthy. The city/county is not required to budget this in the shelter budget. We have helped to save many dogs’ lives by sponsoring the dogs at adoption events. We pay for their adoption fees, spaying/neutering and rabies shots, which cost us $146.00 per animal. We were asked to and did write a policy and operations guide for our shelter, but it was never used. We succeeded in getting animal cruelty/neglect laws passed and enforced. Shelter facility improvements have been made, thanks to the SPLOST funds.
Over 9 years ago, Emanuel County Humane Society re-organized with new officers and Board members. The night we met at Franklin Memorial Library was a great night! The room was packed with city and county officials, animal shelter staff, and a large number of community animal lovers! We all met to voice our feelings and concerns about the Betty Gambrell Animal Shelter. The shelter was not being run with the care and compassion it was noted for during the 25 years that Mrs. Betty Gambrell volunteered her time as Director. We wanted to see changes.
Over the course of these 9 years, the Emanuel County Humane Society members and with community support, have made a positive change on our animal shelter and animals in our community. We have met with city/county officials numerous times to discuss animal welfare, laws, shelter improvements, spaying/neutering, shelter staff training, shelter budget, budgeting worm medicines/vaccines for the shelter, requesting the county control the shelter budget and running of the shelter (Currently it is under the City of Swainsboro/ Police Department.) We asked for a Shelter Advisory Board to be formed. Some of these projects have been successful, others we are still working on and need help. Along the way we have “hit many road blocks”. Some we have been able to over-come. Presently, we feel like the road is blocked. This is why we are reaching out to you and asking for your help.
As a humane society, we work very closely with the Betty Gambrell Animal Shelter staff by assisting them when they need help, finding rescues, transporting, fostering, and advertising dogs for adoption. We have become the voice for those dogs at the shelter. We care about the welfare of the dogs in their care. We want them to be given a second chance to live a full and wonderful life. But for many of those dogs and puppies at our shelter that dream is not possible. There are many reasons: pet over-population from animals not being spayed/neutered, and our current economy. Lately, there has been a large intake of dogs and puppies coming into the shelter daily. Some are strays and others are owners surrendered. The shelter staff is so frustrated by so many coming in and not having enough pens to house them all. Their state license only allows them to house up to 50 dogs.When they reach their max of intakes, they must make very difficult decisions. Dogs must be moved out to make room for the ones coming in daily. Adoptions are very slow right now. Rescues are pulling fewer dogs because they are full. The only choice the staff have is to euthanize. This is a heartbreaking task for them to do because they are animal lovers, too. They are just doing their job as animal control. A city/county shelter’s purpose is to protect the public.
Before the pandemic hit, our shelter was almost a “No Kill Shelter”. Adoptions were going well, rescues were pulling hundreds of dogs. After the pandemic it has been a much different story. In 2023, the shelter took in 1013 dogs. They sent 361 to rescues, 203 were adopted, 105 returned to owners and 298 were euthanized. The way things are going now we fear the numbers of intakes and euthanizations will be even higher this year. One of our greatest fears is our shelter is going to become a “pick up and put down shelter”. We don’t want to see this happen. This is one of the “road blocks” we are facing.
With all of this being said, the few Humane Society officers and board members who attend the monthly meetings are still fighting for our shelter dogs and companion pets. We are not giving up our fight, but we are weary and need help. We are looking for compassionate people who can help us continue the work in our community; to help animals to live better, healthier, and happier lives. We need ideas how we can increase spaying/neutering and decrease the number of unwanted animals being born. We want to find ways to improve our shelter so it will be a positive place to go. We would like to invite all of our animal lovers to join us on August 8, 2024 at 6 p.m. We will be meeting in the Smith Room at Franklin Memorial Library. If you can’t make it to the meeting, but would like to get involved, you can contact Shari Watt at Franklin Memorial Library at 478-237-7791.
We need your ideas, talents, skills or people who love animals to come together and let’s share our ideas on how we can be the voice for fur-babies.
Sincerely,
Emanuel County Humane Society Officers and Board Members
