Pets of the Week
This past week was another hectic one at Have a Heart. All our kennels are full with strays, unwanted pets and more puppies than ever. HAH is currently caring for 25 dogs (9 adults and 16 puppies) and 19 cats (10 adults and 9 kittens). Our core volunteers are overwhelmed. Not only do they care for the animal’s basic needs (feeding, walking, cleaning litter boxes and kennels, vetting and socialization), they deal with phone calls and online messaging all day, Thrift Store shoppers, and potential adopters. We also have to plan multiple trips to the vet’s office for spay or neuter, and running puppies for shots and health certificate so they can go on transport. Some of our animals have special medical needs which require extra attention. All of this is done with the same small group of dedicated, reliable volunteers, but it’s getting to be too much. These folks put in so many hours it’s like an unpaid job. It’s not that our volunteers don’t like what they are doing. They love helping the fur-babies.
HAH desperately needs the help of additional dependable volunteers. Our current volunteers can’t keep up like this day after day. They have families, jobs and outside interests too. If we do not get more volunteers there will be no choice but to cut the hours of operation and not take in as many dogs and cats. So please, if you can spare a few hours once or twice a week, come in and sign up to volunteer. Our community has been generous with monetary donations and the HAH board members feel like our organization is an asset to our community, but we are in need of more “hands on” help.
With that said, it’s on to the featured pets. This week there are two featured kittens named after characters in the movie Toy Story. Sherriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear are adorable male Siamese mix kittens born January 7th to a Siamese colored Mom. They are black but there is some faint striping and some white neck and belly hairs. They will be neutered once they are over 2 lbs and older than 2months. These cute little boys are full of energy and would love to be adopted together to keep each other company as they get into the kind of trouble only kittens can find. Since they are not fixed yet, they would be “Fostered Pending Adoption”. Visit the Shelter to meet these cute little boys and see them “in action”.
Our featured dog for the week is an adorable, sweet natured little pup named Junior. Junior is a tan and white hound mix who is about 4 months of age. He loves kids and has a great personality. Junior has small paws so he will probably not be very large as an adult. He would be a great family pet if you have the time and patience to devote to a puppy. Stop by HAH to meet Junior and all our other fur-kids that are hoping to find their fur-ever homes. You can also view our pets on our website www.haveaheartpetshelter.org or www.petfinder.com. Have a Heart is located at 657 Highway 202 in Yellville. We are open 9am to 3 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Phone 870-449-7387.