Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “There are three faithful friends… an old wife, an old dog, and ready money.” Today it is reported that forty percent of households in the United States own at least one dog.
There is truly a special bond between pets and their humans. Often, people cut back on their own needs to pamper and care for their pets. Hundreds of breeds make their homes in an American house. Benjamin Franklin was right when he said dogs were faithful. Generally, they want to creep into our laps to be snuggled with attention, but some dogs can be trained for specific tasks.
Many dogs help individuals by being present. Other dogs can be trained to help someone in need; individuals who may need to be alerted for medical needs. Some dogs are trained to sniff out drugs, diseases, and even silent anxiety that can cripple a soul. Over 50,000 wounded soldiers and 300,000 suffering from PTSD are being aided by non-profits, Pets for Vets and K’9s for Warriors. We often hear about dog heroes, most often Dutch or German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, but the most famous four-legged hero is “Stubby,” an American Pit Bull who served with the 102nd Infantry during World War 1.
We also have therapy dogs, known to “heal” by being present and providing emotional support. Yes, folks, cats are getting praise as therapy animals as well! Let’s not forget the K-9s who work to rescue victims, detect danger, and sniff out crime. We will never forget watching the dogs deployed after 9-11. There are tracking and trailing dogs and HRD, (human remains dogs) who are vital for searching and finding the lost or deceased or even solving crimes.
Now, let me tell you about some other heroes. People here in Cottonwood at the local Verde Valley Humane Society take their role as protectors very seriously. The bottom line is that these heroes help stray, surrendered, and ‘dumped’ animals find forever homes. The animals are fed, watered, spayed, neutered, and examined for medical issues. A recent challenge since April 2022, has been the number of dogs coming into the shelter from hoarding situations. Seventeen Dachshunds living in a trailer in a foot of feces, fifteen Labradors tethered with chains or wire and bolted in cages, and then seventeen Mastiffs living in deplorable conditions. Can you imagine the strain on the staff who see these animals brought in, who want to wrap their arms around each one and tell them “You’ll be okay, we’ll take care of you?” Over the summer, six Chichahuas were found running loose in an unpopulated area, six German Shepherds were dumped, and boxes of puppies were brought in from various parts of town.
Not to be overlooked, the feline population pours in as well. Cats and kittens brought in supposedly stray, infant kittens who need to be bottle fed every two hours, pregnant mommas, cats abandoned in homes, and surrendered cats find their way to our shelter, especially in the spring.
It’s tough to hear this goes on in our community. We try to analyze the reasons behind all of this but even if we know whether it’s a slow economy, past COVID, or what, we still have to do the best we know how and take care of the precious animals. We hope our community understands that each animal is placed in our shelter as a safe environment. They are fed, watered, and loved beyond measure by our HEROES, the staff, and committed volunteers.
Imagine your life in a Kennel. Fortunately, VVHS has dedicated people who work very hard to see that dogs are walked daily or placed in our courtyard for free time, ball playing and hugs galore. We also have an agility yard where dogs are paired for playtime. Each dog has a trundle bed to keep them off the concrete floor, and toys to keep them stimulated. Cats and kittens are handled by staff, volunteers, and gracious Fosters. They are stimulated with toys and good loving touch and they even have a ‘Catio,” built by a generous donor so they can frolic in a safe outdoor environment.
What’s missing for the dogs, are soft squishy couches or soft chairs to cuddle with a human. There is no doggy door to go in and out of at will, no beautiful fenced yard to run in freely all day if they want to. Not even a car ride to the store or a favorite park. Cats, dogs, kittens, puppies, none of them have their human to bond with forever.
Most shelters are struggling. As a non-profit, we depend on constant fundraising and generous donors to keep our doors open. This is the only way we can offer our community the services we are committed to. Adoption fees vary, but they are far less than the expense of all the types of hero dogs I mentioned at the beginning of my blog. Our fees are tiny in comparison.
Verde Valley Humane Society Heroes can sleep at night knowing the animals are kept alive and loved to the best of their abilities. So… unless you own a service dog or have the skills to train what I call a hero dog, won’t you consider your next dog or cat might come from our shelter? Your heart will be blessed and I guarantee your dog will be just as faithful as Ben Franklin’s “old dog,” You’ll also have more ‘ready money’ in your pocket! Maybe you even have an old faithful wife!