I am a concerned member of a small but growing number of volunteers worried about the less-than-ideal conditions at the Huachuca City Animal Shelter (HCAS). It's a (or was, rather) a notorious high-kill shelter than killed off any animal that had been there for more than ten days. This was especially true for cats. I noticed this about ten months ago when I quit the Bisbee Shelter and started coming to this shelter to photograph the animals who often languished in feces-filled small kennels while the two city employees sat in the front office surfing the internet. At that time there was no city-approved volunteer program to allow people to help walk the dogs or tend to sick animals. Sickness meant immediate death.
My presence at the local PetSmart in Sierra Vista, where on Saturdays several local animal shelters or rescues bring in their best adoptable dogs for public viewing has helped me get the word out about the squalid conditions at the HCAS. I've met several active and animal-loving ACOs from Benson, Douglas and Tombstone who go out of their way to move animals from crowded shelters to those with room. They all know me by name. And while I don't take the photos of the animals anymore, now that there's a professional in town who does that on Tuesdays every week, I'm less noticable.
I still help when the "real" photographer can't make it, like during the busy Christmas season when family portraits are in demand. It's my way of helping the animal rescue programs of Cochise County. As long as so many animal owners abuse, neglect and abandon their animals, there is a need for people like me and "Peace for Paws." Any help this new group gets is through donations via ChipIns; right now four women are helping 14 foster kittens make it through young kittenhood. They also helped the over-crowded Douglas Animal Shelter transport chihuahua pups last month to homes that could help them get socialized right away. A big help comes through social media networks like Facebook, where the ACOs and volunteers post current photos of their animals. Facebook helps out where Petfinder.com and the weekly newspaper ads sometimes can't help fast enough.
Animal welfare, however, is never easy. Animals do and will continue to die while in foster care or at shelters. There simply aren't enough resources for all that is needed in this county. I don't want to let my life be consumed by saving them all, like I did while at the Bisbee Animal Shelter (which still does an outstanding job networking and saving as many animals not only in Bisbee proper, but the surrounding areas), were the other active volunteer took over the shelter management and started running things her way (even if they weren't the city's approved way.) I simply don't have the time or money to help out all the local causes all the time. In the animal-saving world, once you donate time and money you are somehow expected to continue giving your time and money to all subsequent causes.
I was the first volunteer for the "Peace for Paws" group to show up promptly at 10am, but was told by one of the Animal Control Officers (ACO) that the training didn't start till 10:30am. Denise showed up for an hour tending to the cats but had to leave at 11:25 for Tombstone. I started walking the dogs and was on #2 when Robin came by, and with her helping out we got all the 11 dogs walked until the shelter closed at 2pm. I hadn't planned on being there all day, but it was nice talking to Robin, who hails from outside of Boston.
The formal training didn't happen since Carol, the group president, wasn't there. She had a last-minute health emergency with her foster cats who came down with a serious bout of calicivirus last night. The official training will be postponed for another Saturday. I just don't know if I can make it every Saturday, especially since I also need to hike at least once a week to maintain my girlish figure. I don't want to get too blubberized in my age.
I must have walked at least three miles in the warmth, picking the big dogs while Robin took the smaller breeds. There are six Black LabX pups (all female), two German Shepherd mixes at the shelter, three pitbulls, a Boston terrierX, a young Black Lab surrendered by a deploying soldier from Fort Huachuca and a senior dachshund that shook uncontrollably. All the dogs looked healthy.
Unfortunately, there was also a small blonde dog on death row,"Fluffy," an "aggressive" dog that lived in a hoarding environment. The dog was never socialized. Although the dog looked at me quietly, it did growl when I got closer to photograph it. Sadly this dog is a victim of human neglect and will pay the price with its life when its ten days quarantine are over.
We walked around a rather nice and quiet neighborhood in town with small, nice homes. I didn't realize Huachuca City had a nice part of town! One only sees the sleaze while driving through town on SR92.
By the time Robin and I were done it was closing time (2pm) and we were tired and hungry. We stopped at Ray's diner in Huachuca City. That's a nice little family diner with bar! I had never been in there before and it's been open for two years. We each had a cheeseburger with fries. The walls are decorated with a local artist's Southwestern art. On another wall are donations made by locals sponsoring deployed soldiers. And a man at the bar said the place offers $1 tacos on Saturdays. That's something to check out!
I got a serious sniff test from all the dogs when I got home at 4:20pm. Kevin was busy in the kitchen finishing his famous Patty Melts with Texas Toast, just the way I like them, but as soon as I walked in I was the center stage. I was immediately surrounded by four dogs with an intense sniff-down by all of them. Busted! They weren't too pleased to smell strange dogs on my jeans. I felt so "dirty" playing with other dogs today. I'll make it up to them tomorrow.
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