We at the Waseca County Animal Humane Society do a lot of talking with people. A lot! And we love meeting each and everyone of you. We noticed that we get a lot of the same
(Thank you to Dr. Jennifer Williams and her excellent article in Equus Magazine for inspiring this post, and for saying some things better than I ever could. Her article can be seen here.)
Myth #1: All Rescues Are The Same
Reality: Each rescue is a unique organization with its own policies and procedures. While local rescues sometimes network with each other toward a common goal, each organization has their own core members/board of directors, fundraising and volunteer staff, and mission statement.
This is a pretty common one. We often hear people say, "You were the ones who took my dogs." WCAHS is
not animal control, nor do we have the power to seize animals. We may sometimes work with animal control officers or impounds when they have overflow animals who need placement, but if you had an animal removed from your home, WCAHS was not directly involved.
We also hear, "We already donated to you" quite a bit. There are a great number of animal rescues in southern Minnesota. We, the Waseca County Animal Humane Society, are not affiliated with any of them. If you donate to Safe Sanctuary, for example, that money does not get spread around to other area animal rescues. If you do not donate directly to WCAHS, then we didn't see any of that money.
On that same note, some people mistakenly believe that all humane organizations are a part of one big organization, such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) or the Animal Humane Society (AHS) in the Cities. This is not true, and is particularly damaging when animals are seized from a bad (or faux) rescue by authorities, or when one organization acts in a way that leaves a bad taste in a person's mouth. Those people might then believe that all humane organizations are bad.
Here are some ways in which rescues differ:
• Private versus 501(c)(3). If a nonprofit
organization qualifies for 501(c)(3) designation from the Internal
Revenue Service, it doesn't pay income tax on the money it raises and
your donations to it may be tax-deductible. 501(c)(3) organizations must
have a board of directors and make their financial information
available to the public.
Private rescues are often run by a single person or a very small
group of people rather than a board of directors. Donations to these
groups are not tax-deductible, and they're not required to make their
records public. They are required to pay income taxes on any money they
receive from fundraisers, adoptions, etc.
• Intake methods. Dogs, cats, horses, and other animals can come to rescues from
auctions, impounds, owner surrenders, or seizures. Some rescues focus only on animals coming in from single sources or categories--high kill shelters or impounds, for example. Others take only owner surrenders, or turn away any animals with behavioral issues.
Myth #2: Rescues already get my tax dollars. Why should they get any more from me?
Reality: Rescues, including WCAHS, do not receive
any local, state or federal funding. There may be some exceptions depending on a case-by-case basis (such as an animal hoarder having to pay a rescue for an animal's care before getting that animal back) but this is very uncommon.
Because we don't receive government support, WCAHS must finance animal care through grants and fundraising--and, to a lesser degree, through adoption fees, although often the fee may cover that animal's vet care, and nothing else, and sometimes we even lose money on each adoption.
The plus about donating to WCAHS? We are a 501c3, which means that you can write any donations off on your taxes.
Myth #3: Why do rescues need more money? They're already getting goods and services for free.
Reality: WCAHS does receive discounted services from
some local vets
some routine work--which is incredibly generous for them to do. HOWEVER, this discount is probably much smaller than most people assume, and some services cannot be discounted at all. Vets have to make a living too!
WCAHS is 100% run by fosters. This means that our volunteers are using their own time and money to care for foster animals. WCAHS pays for all veterinary costs, and sometimes we will pay for items needed for an animal's care--for example, foldable crates or behavior-related items, such as Thundershirts. Sometimes we have items on loan, such as pet taxis, leashes, or litter boxes. But most of the time, the foster is footing the bill to feed and care for that animal on an everyday basis.
Myth #4: You're just a pet store with a fancy name.
Reality: Every animal that enters WCAHS's foster system is there because it had nowhere else to go. Whether it was trapped from a feral cat colony, found on the side of the road, or surrendered by its owner, each and every pet was born or conceived before WCAHS got involved. We very strongly encourage people to spay and neuter their pets!
This summer we took in a mother dog and her seven puppies (see the story of the Lucky 7
here.) The puppies accompanied us to the Waseca County Fair, and, because we were in the spot formerly known as the Puppy Place, many assumed we were selling the puppies and asked, "How much." Rest assured that every person who applies to adopt an animal through us has to fill out an application that includes reference checks. Our animals are adopted to the best homes possible, not to the first person to show an interest. And we are most definitely not in it to "make a buck."
Myth #5: Most rescues are happy to take in my dog or cat.
Reality: WCAHS often works with owners who do not want or are unable to care for their pets. We know that surrendering a pet is often a difficult decision, and want owners to know that their pet will receive excellent care in our foster homes, and that we will do our best to place that pet in its ideal forever home.
HOWEVER, we are a small organization, and have a limited number of foster homes. The number of fosters who are equipped/able/want to deal with an animal with physical or mental issues is limited. Most of our fosters do this on a volunteer basis and work out of the home, so cannot give 100% of their attention to (for example) a dog with severe separation anxiety, a cat with major physical issues, or a completely untrained horse.
Here are a few things you can do to make your pet's transition to foster care easier for everyone:
- Let us know ASAP that your animal needs a new home! This will give us time to line up a foster home and to prepare for that pet. Please do not call us on December 28 because your animal needs to be rehomed by January 1. This is not fair to us, and it is not fair to your pet.
- If your animal has issues, be up front with us about them. If it's something you can work on while waiting for it to enter foster care (leash training, food aggression, barking, potty training, separation anxiety, etc.), please do. We would be happy to give pointers on behavior issues. The more appealing you can make your pet, the faster he/she can get adopted. We have gotten dogs with severe separation anxiety who have been in foster care for months. Those are months that could have been spent fostering dogs already prepared to go to their new homes.
- Be 100% certain that surrendering your pet is what you want to do. Once you sign that pet over to us, we spend our money feeding it, getting it up to date on shots, groomed if needed, etc. If you change your mind, you will be asked to fill out an adoption application, and, if approved, will need to pay our adoption fee.
Myth #6: If I bring my pet to you, you'll just kill it.
Reality: WCAHS is a NO-KILL organization. This means that we will not euthanize a healthy animal for any reason. In 2013 we euthanized exactly one animal--a stray cat that, after we took her to the vet, was found to have severe and advanced cancer.
On that note--if you take an animal to the police station or impound, there is a chance that that animal will be euthanized. City impounds must keep animals for 5 days. After this time is up, the animals can be adopted out, released to animal rescues, or euthanized.
Myth #7: I can't donate money or foster. I guess there's nothing I can do to help.
Reality: We need you! :D
Running a rescue takes an enormous amount of work. WCAHS is 100% volunteer run, and I guarantee we can find something for you to do! Here are just a few possibilities:
• Trasporting. If you love to drive (and don't mind the sound of mewing cats or panting dogs), we would love to have your help! Sometimes fosters can't bring their pets to foster events, or we might need an animal pulled from a shelter in a surrounding area, like Faribault or Rochester. If you have a few hours to bring an animal or two to an adoption event or drive a dog to a new foster home, we need you!
• Adoption Events. WCAHS tries to make it to at least two adoption events a month. If you love talking to people and holding animals, we'd love your help! There will always be an experienced foster at an event to offer information and guidance.
• Dog Walking. Like to walk dogs? Our dog fosters would love someone to come walk or let out animals during the day!
• Training. Do you have experience working with dogs or horses? We always appreciate help from trainers and experienced animal handlers! Anything you can do to make an animal more adoptable is of incredible value to us
• Fundraising. Bringing in the
money necessary to keep a rescue going is a nonstop concern. Volunteers
are always needed to organize and participate in fundraising.
• Marketing, public relations, accounting, writing and more. In
many ways running a rescue is like operating a business, and all the
same professional skills are needed. If you have a skill you would like
to use to help animals, a rescue can help you put your experience to
work---and it looks good on a resume, too.
Animal rescue is a tough job--and a second job, to many of us. Whether you're looking for your next companion or wanting to fill some spare time, please consider WCAHS! Together we can do so much to improve the lives of animals in need in our community and beyond.
