Humane society staff, supporters deserve thanks this year

I know this isn’t a very original idea for a column, but it’s sincere, it’s long overdue, and this is, after all, that Thanksgiving time of year.

I’d like to offer a gratitude list, not only for myself but also on behalf of the Lawrence Humane Society’s board of directors and its staff members, its volunteers, and its devoted friends and supporters. And, of course, on behalf of the companion animals it serves.

First off, we’re thankful for the city of Lawrence, which understands the importance of financially supporting an animal shelter and animal control services. Our community leaders know that without the Lawrence Humane Society, every square inch of our city would be filled with stray dogs and cats – unvaccinated, un-neutered, unspayed and reproducing at horrifying rates, exposing us all to those things that animals do when left to fend for themselves.

We’re thankful for Midge Grinstead and her absolutely awesome staff at the shelter, who come to work each morning knowing that their first duty is cleaning up doody from some 500-600 animals who depend on them for all the basics. These are the folks who head out on the cruelty and abuse calls and witness things that no one should ever have to see. They’re the folks who take home motherless kittens and wake up every few hours during the night to make sure those little guys get the feedings they need. They’re the workers who spend eight and nine hours a day answering phones that never stop ringing, happily providing critical information on every animal subject imaginable. They comfort sick critters, dole out love and ear-scratching, and then sweep up all that fur so the shelter building stays clean.

And that reminds me of how grateful we all are for that wonderful huge building at 1805 E. 19th St. Charles Ise started that shelter for us, and the remainder has been paid for by our loyal donors and supporters and fellow companion animal lovers. There isn’t enough space in this entire newspaper to list everyone by name, but we know you, and we know that without you, we’d still be in a trailer with a few meager cages and runs.

Which brings me to our thankfulness for the many, many Lawrence businesses that are so generous in their giving each year during our annual Mutt ‘n’ Strutt, Pawsible Dream Auction and animal fair, and, in fact, any time we call them to ask for help. They come to our rescue with products and services and gift certificates, with labor and supplies and cash donations, and they do it with smiles on their faces and a lot of love in their hearts. Their names are on our Web site under the “Pawsible Dreams” link, and we also are thankful to all of you who support these businesses just as they support us.

What would we do without our devoted volunteer force? We’re so thankful that you all take the time out of your week, and in some cases out of every day, to come in and hook a leash to a dog who desperately wants to play outside, or to hold a cat or kitten who wants nothing more than to be adored and petted. You run our dog washes and adoption days, you take pets for visits to nursing homes. We can’t even begin to express our thankfulness for all this.

We’re thankful for every single one of you who come through the doors of our shelter loaded down with towels and blankets and bottles of bleach, packages of paper towels and bags of cat litter, bottles of dish soap and containers of laundry detergent. You help keep us going every day of the year, and your generosity means we have more money to devote to medical supplies and other necessities.

We’re thankful for all the amazingly generous children in our community who have their parties at our shelter, asking for donations to our cause instead of gifts for themselves. And that reminds us of the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, fraternities and sororities, and every other group that volunteers time and service to us. We’re so thankful for all of you.

We’re thankful for every penny that gets dropped in our Coins for Critters jars, and for every aluminum can you bring to us instead of tossing in the trash. All this money goes to our Spay/Neuter Fund, which helps keep the animal population down.

Then we come to all of you. Thank you, every one of you, who takes good care of your companion animals. We’re thankful for each of you who remember that summers are hot when you’re wearing fur, so you keep fresh water and food and shade available for your friends. We’re thankful for all of you who make up a warm place in the winter, out of the wind and bitter cold, for your outdoor animals. Thank you for buying straw and blankets and water heaters, so no one has to suffer. And we’re especially thankful to those of you who are vigilant and report neglect and abuse cases to us, so we can step in and do our job to help those who can’t care for themselves.

And finally, as we head into the December holidays, I want to thank both Santa and photographer Homer Frank, who volunteer their Sunday afternoons for our annual Santa Paws events. It’s that time again: bring your friends to the shelter Nov. 26 or Dec. 3 to have your pictures taken with Santa. Visit us online at www.lawrencehumane.org, or phone us at 843-6835 with your questions. We’re thankful that our desk staff will be happy to help you.

– Sue Novak is president of the Lawrence Humane Society board of directors.