The Humane Society of Mccormick County

Back in 1999, the entire county of McCormick had no animal shelter, no animal control, and no veterinarians. The newspaper was running stories about people being chased out of the cemetery by wild dogs. Three women started picking up dogs and cats and finding them homes. I have always loved animals and I would sneak up to their outside pens and pet the dogs. One day they caught me and asked if I would like to walk the dogs. I started going almost every day. One time, I was with a group of people that were trying to pick up two adult stray dogs. They looked very hungry but they were wary of us. I threw peanut butter sandwiches at them and they would run away. They looked like labs and one was blond and one was black. The black one looked unfriendly to me. I told them that this dog would never be adopted. A local resident said they had a large outside kennel and that they thought they could put food in it and catch the dogs. He did. We were able to corral them in to separate crates and we took them to the vet. On the car ride over, we talked softly to them and they started to wag their tails. By the time we reached the vet in the neighboring county, both dogs were acting friendly and we were able to put a slip collar on them to go inside. The vet said that he thought they were mother and daughter. Several weeks later, we took them to their first adoption event. Because we had no shelter, we took them to a nearby town and sat outside a store. The two dogs laid down and fell asleep with one laying its neck over the other’s neck. From then on, we knew they had to be adopted together and they were! Seeing how sad and lonely a dog can look and then seeing how happy they can be when they finally have a loving home is a wonderful experience. I have been volunteering with them for 10 years and spending time with the animals and going on adoption events is the best part.

 

Of course, I also help with fundraising because we receive no funds from the local, state, or federal government. We are all volunteers so all the money raised goes to help the animals.

 

In 2005, we started offering free to low-cost spay and neuter services for dogs and cats in McCormick County. This proactive approach stops the problem of too many unwanted animals at the source.

 

The organization has grown since it became an official 501c3 in 2000 but we are still a small group tackling a large problem. I know that my efforts and the efforts of the other volunteers are making a difference. We have adopted out over 1,000 dogs and cats and have altered even more. I am proud being a part of the Humane Society of McCormick County.