28 Dec Second Chance: 2022 Best of…
Second Chance Humane Society’s Animal Resource Center and Thrift Shops have been serving San Miguel, Ouray & Montrose Counties since 1994. The shelter is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 11 to 5:30. Community veterinary services are available by appointment.
View shelter pets and services online: www.adoptmountainpets.org.
Go here for more on Dr. Shari DePauw of Second Chance. Second Chance veterinary clinic is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Call (970) 626-9713 or email clinic@adoptmountainpets.org
Go here for more options from Second Chance.
It really was an eventful and exciting year.
Kittens! We had over 100 babies find their way to us. Our staff and volunteers put in extra effort to save the tiniest and most fragile including Medusa, a tiny three-day-old orphan who needed around-the-clock care, a litter of grey tabby babies who were orphaned at about one week old, Sheba, a 7-week-old kitten who came in with a broken leg that had to be amputated, Huck & Finn who were found nearly frozen and are now gaining strength in foster care, and Po was found on the side of the road before her eyes were open: sick, skinny, and alone.
Huck & Finn
Po
Other happy feline stories are the senior and special needs cats who are now living in loving homes. These include Charlie, Henry, Wonder, One-Eyed Jack, Harbor, Augustus, Phoebe, and Tres.
Several dogs who had been with us a long time finally found their people: Mowgli, Sturgill, Brute, Chuck, Trey, and Bear. Their happy stories are a testament to our staff and volunteers’ dedication, talent, and patience.
A particularly heartwarming adoption was Louie. He was the shy, timid dog who escaped in Telluride and was missing for over two weeks. Our staff, board, and volunteers spent countless hours searching for him. The search was finally successful when a social media follower, Greg, stepped forward to give expert advice. Louie is now a treasured member of Greg’s family and is a relaxed, confident, silly dog.
LOUie at home
We came to the rescue of dogs in challenging circumstances this year.
In the spring, we helped rescue 11 dogs from one property where their person was not able to care for them. They were an assortment of mystery mixes, some of whom were friendly; others nervous. All were full of personality. We were so happy when they went to loving homes.
In the summer, we collaborated with other rescue groups to help a group of over 40 dogs living on one property. Some were very unsocialized, some needed medical care, and they all needed patience and love. We were at capacity, but were able to take in three of the dogs. Two of them are still with us, waiting for their people (Oscar and Molly).
Oscar
Veterinary Services were a huge highlight of this year. Our dedicated veterinarian, Dr. Shari, with techs Tabby and Tina, gave so much to our community and our shelter. As of the end of November, we treated 1869 pets. In addition, 934 pets have been spayed or neutered, with 406 of those being feral cats. Compare this to last year, when we saw 679 pets and spayed/neutered 535 (87 ferals) and you can see just how needed this service is to the community.
On the people side, we said goodbye to our executive director of almost 18 years, Kelly Goodin. We welcomed Annie Guion as our interim executive director and are now searching for a permanent replacement to join us in the spring.
AND… To continue the Second Chance Highlights section, we want to share the following:
Magic in the Cat Castle
All kinds of cats end up at Second Chance: all sizes, ages, temperaments, colors, and health. Some come to us ready to be loved and placed in new homes, while others are shy, nervous, frightened, or downright antisocial. While we don’t accept feral adult cats (successfully socializing them is nearly impossible), we do accept kittens who have never known human interaction and shy/under-socialized adult cats. Some of us have said, “That cat will never come around.” That’s when Cinda and Jessica just smile and say, “We’ll see.”
Those two are the heart of the cat castle. They clean, feed, facilitate adoptions, and perform all the duties needed to keep our cats healthy and cared for. While they’re very good at all of that, where they really shine is teaching cats to trust. Their dedication and patience have helped so many cats turn the corner. They deserve our gratitude for working every day to help frightened felines. We are in awe of their successes. And we appreciate them not saying “I told you so.”
Executive Director Search
We are actively searching for our next Executive Director. Please check out our recruitment package (link above) and pass it along to anyone you know who might be a good fit.
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