Virtual Shelter Tour & Our Shelter
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VIRTUAL TOUR
COMING SOON!!!!
WHY WE DO THINGS AT OUR SHELTER Our shelter has
been in our community for over 50 years. Through the years, and the wear and
tear of housing animals, it has become run down and old. That doesn’t mean
that our care and procedures are too!! Our animals are provided with the
utmost care and treatment we can provide to them. Nonetheless, we sometimes
hear complaints from people regarding our facility and our procedures. There are very good
reasons for everything we do. Old
and run down, temporary facility We are getting
upgraded!! Our shelter may be a mess now, but its only temporary!! Our old
shelter is being retired, and the new one is coming along!! We are so excited
about our new and updated facility!! The upgrades are costly though and could
use the help from our community to help cover all the costs of our new
shelter. If you want to help or know ways how please contact us at
lendapaw@ochumanesociety.com. Check back in the next few weeks to find out
about the Grand Opening Event!!! Animals kept hidden
from the public There are many
reasons why a few of our pets are not available to the public. The first reason
is that an animal in a new environment, particularly one that may be
confusing or frightening to them, may bite or scratch defensively. Having the
animals out of reach reduces the chances of accidental injuries to visitors.
Giving them a few days to get used to the place helps them, and the public. It
also allows for the lost animals to be found by their owner. Preventing the
public from seeing unavailable animals, prevents from possible owners not
finding their pets and disappointment from finding out you fell in love with an
unavailable pet. Second, sick and wounded animals are kept isolated and away
from the rest of the population. This prevents from the rest of the animals
from also getting sick. Unfortunately due to the unknown history of each of
our animals, disease control can be very tough. To help prevent others from
getting sick, we try to isolate any pets on medication or showing signs of
illness. It also allows our sick animals some privacy and quiet so they can
get better faster. Lastly, we work with our communities various City Animal Control,
and hold or quarantine their aggressive pets or animals pending court cases.
These animals are not safe to be in the public and we do our best that they
stay isolated. There are times though that lack of space or available cages
prevents us from keeping anyone of these type of situations isolated. The
animals have to sit in a cage all day Yes, sitting in a
cage is not something we want for our pets. Unfortunately due to lack of
knowledge and responsibility there is an overpopulation of unwanted pets. Our
animals are given the best care that we are able to provide to them. Most of
them are probably in a better situation then where they were before. Our
staff and volunteers are constantly giving them love and attention. All of
our dogs are walked, sometimes twice a day! All of our cats are cuddled. With
the help of our wonderful volunteers our animals are given the best tender loving
care possible. There’s
no food/water for them There’s
pee and poo in the cage Our shelter opens
for the public each morning at 9am, but what you don’t see is that our staff
is there at 7:30am. This allows us to feed and clean the cages before opening
time occurs. Our animals are fed in the morning and in the evening before we
go home, so no feeding is needed during the times you see our pets. Each time
you pass by our pets cages, what do the animals do? They jump and run and
bark for attention, knocking over everything around them, including their
water bowls. Don’t worry though our staff will fill it up again soon!!! The main
reason why we don’t keep food out all day: the mess the animals will make.
Animals will pee and poo as they please. We cannot be there the instant it
occurs to clean it up. Please keep that in mind when you see a messy cage.
Our staff our constantly checking the cages for messes, and unfortunately
cannot prevent from the public from seeing the mess. Animals make messes if
you are not able to handle that, an animal is not right for you!! The animals are all
sick and have diarrhea, and no one is doing anything Diarrhea is caused by many things change in a pet’s diet or food,
change in their environment, stress or anxiety are just a few. These are
things each one of the animals will experience being in a shelter. Food is
donated and can vary on the brands. Being in a cage and people walking by is
very new. The overall feeling is just stressful for them. So unfortunately
diarrhea is a common ailment in a shelter. Each of our animals are monitored
and accessed for other symptoms, just in case it is something else. They made me go
home and get my paperwork!! They make you show proof of owning. Over half of the animals in a shelter are there because the owner could
not take it to wherever they were going. That’s only one of the many reasons
why our shelter is needed. Our way is preventing it from happening again to
our pets is to make sure they go to a permanent home. Please understand our
concerns and be patient through our processes. They turned me down
to adopt a dog! Our one and only
concern is the wellbeing of our pets. We access each potential adopter and
the pet chosen. If at anytime OCHS staff feels that your lifestyle or home
environment will not match well with the pet you have chosen, we will decline
to do the adoption. Be patient, your perfect match will come, we cannot force
what we know will not be a good match.
RULES/POLICIES
TO REMEMBER: Please read all
cage signs and follow all instructions. Pay close attention
to CAUTION or Quarantine postings. Wash your hands
between each pet visit, to prevent from the spread of diseases Never open a cage
or enter one Watch your hands
and fingers when putting into a cage, although they mean no harm, you are a
stranger entering their only home, you would protect it too. Always ask a staff
member for assistance when visiting a pet Remember, most of
our animals enter our facility with unknown history, there is no guarantee to
the disposition or health of an animal.
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