Humane Society finding ways to continue adoptions
By Jensen, Randy on April 8, 2020.
Manager Barb Grodzicky gives Denver a little neck scratch in the kitten room at the Lethbridge and District Humane Society facility. Herald photo by Ian Martens @IMartensHeraldGreg Bobinec
Lethbridge Herald
The Lethbridge & District Humane Society has made changes to its operations and are still allowing adoptions during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Humane Society is not allowing the public to come in and look through their facility for possible adoption candidates, but rather doing it over the phone and finding the right match for a person’s or family’s lifestyle.
“We are going day by day. We have a group of volunteers that are consistently coming, so we are taking care of all of our cats and dogs in house. I know there are lots of places looking for fosters, but we are not. It is better for us to take care of them in house,” says Barb Grodzicky, manager of the Humane Society. “We are doing adoptions by appointment only, after a phone interview where we ask lots of questions and we determine that they are a hundred per cent serious about adopting a pet. We ask questions to make sure that we have something that would fit their lifestyle, so if we don’t have something that will fit their lifestyle, then we don’t have them come in.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Canada, the Humane Society says they have not seen families surrender their animals to them, which is a positive in their eyes, but if they did have anyone who was considering it, they would try to help them before accepting the surrender.
“We have had a couple phone calls about strays and we do the best we can, but in terms of owner surrenders, that is at a standstill right now which is good and we hope that doesn’t change,” says Grodzicky. “If we do get a call and it is an owner surrender for a case of food, we will try our best by giving them food and supplies versus surrendering their pet.”
With most people spending all their time at home, Grodzicky says it can be a good time to welcome a new pet into a home and get familiar with people living in the home. But, it is only good for people who know they will be able to make the commitment once life returns to normal.
“We have had some adoptions of cats. Most people that have come in have said they were thinking about it beforehand anyways, and since some of them are now bound in their homes they think it’s a good time and the pet can get adjusted while someone is there more often,” says Grodzicky. “Only if they were thinking about it before, and as long as the pet will remain there when they go back to work and back to their daily lives, the last thing that we want to see is us sending pets home and after how many months this will go on and we get phone calls to take them back.”
With many animal shelters and rescues at their max capacity, they are hoping families will find ways to keep and support their animals during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to reach out to organizations or community members if struggling. For more information on how the Lethbridge & District Humane Society services are working, visit lethbridgehumanesociety.com.
Other local pet rescues include: Purrfect Endings Rescue (phone Linda (403-381-9269) or Sam (403-382-0977); Paw Society (pawsociety.com); The Last Chance Cat Ranch (www.thelastchancecatranch.com); and Windy City Rescue (www.windycityrescue.com).
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