Cute puppies and kitties can”t tug heart strings if nobody sees them, so the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society is putting the cuteness on display on Main Street.
Tuesday was the first day of operation for the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society”s new 408 Main St. adoption center. Several kitties will be at the adoption center around the clock and two or three dogs brought in every day so passers-by can get a quick reminder of the plight of homeless animals.
“(The purpose) is just to hopefully have more animals seen by the public,” said Karen Johnwick, executive director of the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society. “A lot of people don”t like to go to the shelter because they don”t like looking at all the caged animals.”
Adoptions will be processed on the spot for animals at the adoption center, but the location will also function as a drop-off spot for supplies or monetary donations. The adoption center will not accept surrendered animals.
Johnwick says visitors won”t receive the hard sell to adopt an animal. If you”d like to swing through on your lunch break and play with the kitties, feel free.
“I don”t care if people just want to pet (the animals). It”s not like there”s a pet store here. If people want to come in just to see the animals, that”s fine,” she said.
But if you get attached to a dog or cat during a visit, all you”ll need to do is fill out a short adoption request form. Humane Society workers will review the answers to determine if you have adequate resources to care for an animal and if you pass you”ll be asked to sign an adoption contract.
Adoption fees are $65 for dogs or puppies and $30 — down from $50 — for cats or kittens. The fee pays for vaccinations, deworming, spaying or neutering the animal and microchipping.
The microchip is a small piece about the size of a grain of rice implanted between the animal”s shoulder blades. It doesn”t include GPS capability, but if your animal gets lost and is turned in to any Humane Society location, the workers can scan the chip and retrieve the animal”s owner information.
Johnwick says returns of lost animals to their owners has risen 10 percent in the two years since the Humane Society began microchipping animals. She said one local man hadn”t seen his dog for two months after it was stolen from his yard and had given up hope.
“When we called him he was so happy he didn”t know what to do,” she said.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
