The Twin County Humane Society (TCHS) launched its activities in the new year in the face of a post-COVID population surge of unintended animal litters, financial hardships, and reduced animal intake at the Galax-Carroll-Grayson Animal Shelter. continues. In short, despite the best efforts of volunteers, there seem to be more homeless and unwanted animals. Pictured from left are volunteers James McLaughlin, Rebecca Goodhart (standing), Susan Heavy, and Stephanie Cordick, organizing cats for the Catch, Neutralize, Vaccinate and Release program.
David Broyles | Carroll News
GALAX — The Twin County Humane Society (TCHS) plans to launch a new year in the face of a post-COVID-19 population surge, including unintended animal litters, financial hardships, and reduced animal intake at the Galax-Carroll. I roll up my sleeves to keep going. – Grayson Animal Shelter. In short, despite the best efforts of volunteers, there seem to be more homeless and unwanted animals.
TCHS, in partnership with Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, recently captured over 100 feral cats and returned them to their territories as part of their ongoing Trap, Neuter, Vaccine and Return (TRVN) program.
“This is what we do independently year-round, but with our regional partner Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, we do it on a large scale once or twice a year as part of the Trails UP program. In 2022, TCHS will provide these services to more than 700 cats across the Twin Counties,” said Stephanie Cordic, Society Vice President. “Our volunteers capture cats and TCHS pays for clinics to perform surgeries. We are limited by the amount of funds we can raise.Simply too many people have too many spayed or unspawned cats.This problem goes on and on.We encourage people to have pet cats. I’m going to have you spayed and neutered.”
The society’s financial director, Susan Heavy, explained that this not only protects the community and cats from disease, but is a proven way to rely on feral cats’ protective instincts to deter future births. Interestingly, two of this batch were found to have already been neutered, suggesting that the post-COVID ‘feral’ cats were actually ‘owned’ cats that had been lost or abandoned. We support volunteers to comment.
“We neuter and neuter them, vaccinate them for rabies and distemper, put them in a microchip. and evacuated).People don’t seem to realize that it starts with one cat…and that cat has kittens…and kittens have kittens.” Heavy said, “Our main mission to me is neutering. If we had spayed that one cat, we wouldn’t have had a problem. We’d get 10 cats.” If you can afford to neuter 10 cats, we try to tell people who are neutering your dogs and cats, but you don’t have this problem.”
More than 2,000 animals have been saved from starvation, disease, suffering or homelessness, according to the association’s impact statement. Last year, TCHS celebrated his 21st year. In 2022, 565 animals were rescued, 75 were locally adopted, 483 were transferred to community partners, and 7 were recovered by owners. His 301 pets were raised in TCHS foster homes. The TNR program treated 707 stray cats and spayed 277 cats and 63 dogs.
All volunteer programs delivered 441 vaccinations, microchipped 265 dogs and cats, provided 66 emergency veterinary grants, and provided emergency food to 112 pets. rice field. Society is also interested in attracting more support from businesses.
“Some companies support us. We try to support the people who support our business. We support it,” says Hevy. “This time our TNR sent 50 cats to Roanoke (to be spayed or neutered). Carroll County Veterinary Clinic took 17, Healing Springs took 15, and Mountain View took some. Our local vet will help as much as we can, I don’t know what would have happened without our local vet.”
TCHS’ local veterinary partners include Carroll Veterinary Clinic, Healing Springs Animal Hospital, Mountain View Animal Hospital and Galax Veterinary Clinic. Partners involved in local birth control and neutering clinics include the Angels of Assisi of Roanoke and Mountain View Humane of Christiansburg.
According to information provided by the TCHS Board, it operates the only TNVR for feral cats in the area, subsidizes cat and dog sterilization and neutering, and offers free or low-cost vaccinations and micro-vaccination. We support chip clinics and provide emergency veterinary grants to pets in need. Distribution of emergency pet food. They report spending more than $70,000 on veterinary bills alone so far this year. Interested parties can obtain more information about the Society’s programs online at www.twincountyhumanesociety.org.
Homeward Trails recently donated 5 pallets of pet food as part of TCHS’ Looking Ahead: Pet Food Program. Hevy and Kordick said “there were cars lined up around the block” at the association’s headquarters in Galax, with locals eager to deliver donations.
Several local businesses are also supporting TCHS efforts by setting up donation boxes. These are located at the Red Hill General Store, Hillsville Mercantile, Shawnee’s, County Line Cafe, El Torito, Galax Veterinary Clinic, Carroll Veterinary Clinic, JR Pet Service Wagon Train. There are also pet food donation boxes at Tractor Supply, Galax’s Food City, Skyline Bank, Galax Veterinary Clinic, and Carroll Veterinary Clinic.
In addition to individual donors, business sponsors of the TCHS community include Cox Auto, Rotenizer, Trans Pro Pak, Inc., Creek Bottom Brewery and others.
David Broyles can be reached at 276-779-4013 or Twitter@CarrollNewsDave.
