November 2020 Heart Connections
November was a spectacular month for adoptions, with 31 cats and 25 dogs finding their forever homes, including 7 senior pets! Also 48 animals were transferred to adoption-guaranteed partners through our Highway to Home program. Thank you to everyone for making November such a great month for the people and pets of the communities we serve.
Adoptions continue to be conducted by appointment only and with an approved adoption questionnaire. You will be excited to know this approach is working: We are making more heart connections than ever before! Visit GMHS on the web to view all the homeless pets searching for a forever family and submit your adoption questionnaire electronically. Once approved, a member of our Adoption Team will schedule a time for you to make your very own heart connection!
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GMHS Hosts Giving Tuesday Angel Fund Fundraiser
Giving Tuesday (December 1) offers the opportunity to play a role in saving and transforming the lives of homeless pets through our Angel Fund.
Our Angel Fund provides life-saving care for homeless pets who require surgery; suffer from rare, treatable muscular or neurological diseases; and require expensive treatments for ailments above and beyond basic veterinary care.
Because of you, our pets receive life-saving medical care.
Because of you, they recover and go on to lead healthy, happy lives.
On this Giving Tuesday, your support will help ensure ours remains a life-saving shelter.
Thank you making GMHS a beacon of hope and safe harbor for homeless pets!
Those with a heart for homeless pets are invited to support GMHS on Giving Tuesday via a fundraiser on the shelter’s Facebook page, online giving, or by mail at P.O. Box 385, Gloucester, VA 23061. Charitable donations made in 2020 to qualifying organizations are 100% tax deductible. |
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GMHS is neither affiliated with any national animal welfare organizations nor do we receive funding from the ASPCA or the Humane Society of the United States. |
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November 2020 Shelter Snapshot
November was another super month for adoptions and and transfers through our Highway to Home program. We are grateful to all who made it so! The generous support of staff, volunteers, and donors enables GMHS to provide daily care, cover special medical needs, foster animals in homes as needed, and arrange transportation to adoption-guaranteed partners. We are also committed to education, outreach, and transparency. Our annual statistics are available on our website, and we also offer you a monthly snapshot.
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Volunteer Opportunities
GMHS hosted our first virtual volunteer open house on November 12 via Zoom. It was a great success! After completing the open house, volunteers received individualized training to promote physical distancing and everyone's safety and well-being.
The shelter's greatest need is for Highway to Home volunteers who transport pets to rescue shelters located 300 or more miles away. Current volunteer opportunities at GMHS also include canine/feline wellness assistants and front desk assistants.
Our next virtual volunteer open house will take place on January 14, 2021, at 5:30 PM, via Zoom. To attend the open house, email Shelter/Volunteer Manager Waynette Petty at volunteer@gmhumanesociety.org.
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Fixin' to Save Spay & Neuter Clinic Supports TNR
Feral cats (or often called community cats, barn cats, or backyard buddies) are cats who live outdoors and do not have an identified individual owner. Some were once pets who were lost or abandoned by their owners. Some were born to homeless mothers and never socialized to people. They can be found anywhere, alone or in groups called colonies.
Fixin' to Save Spay & Neuter Clinic Director Cassandra Six shared, "One unaltered female cat can have up to three litters in one year, leading to more unaltered cats. It is not hard to imagine how quickly this can get out of control, leading to unwanted kittens and cats that need homes, and pain and suffering due to malnutrition and illness. At Fixin' to Save Spay & Neuter Clinic, we alter hundreds of feral/community cats each year. It keeps these cats out of shelters, and it keeps the stray cat population in check."
TNR (Trapping, spaying/Neutering/vaccinating, and Returning feral cats to their environment) is the most humane and effective method to help and limit the number of feral cats. GMHS' Fixin' to Save Spay & Neuter Clinic strongly supports TNR efforts by committed caretakers by offering a special Feral Package for these cats which provides spay/neuter surgery and vaccinations at a low or no-cost. They also loan humane traps.
If you would like to help feral cats in your community, please contact Fixin' to Save Spay & Neuter Clinic Monday through Wednesday of each week at (804) 694-0349 or email fixintosave@gmhumanesociety.org.
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Success on the Highway to Home
GMHS is excited to share more than 460 pets have been transported in 2020 through our Highway to Home Program. When a pet from GMHS goes to one of our incredible adoption-guaranteed partners, they average less than one week in their new shelter before being adopted. Pictured is GMHS alumnus Norman, who found his home just in time for the holidays!
GMHS Highway to Home Coordinator Jessica Outten shared, "I can't begin to express how grateful we are for our incredible network of adoption-guaranteed partners, especially during these times of uncertainty. In the midst of a global pandemic, our shelter partners have worked tirelessly to ensure GMHS is able to provide animals with opportunities to find their forever homes. We can't say thank you enough."
Many thanks to all of our volunteers and adoption-guaranteed partners for helping pets meet their matches!
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Southern States of Gloucester presented GMHS with a 2,000 lb. pet food and cat litter donation, which was matched by Ken Houtz Chevrolet Buick. Every year Ken Houtz Chevrolet hosts Corvette vs. Camaro Cruise-In, a pet food drive. While COVID-19 prohibits the in-person event, businesses with a heart for homeless pets are rallying together to make a similar large pet food donation. In fiscal year 2020, GMHS distributed more than 30,000 lbs. of pet food via our pet pantry, which helps keep pets out of the shelter and in loving homes. Shelter pets also will benefit from the donation as 40,000 lbs. of food are fed to pets in the care of GMHS annually. We are grateful to Ken Houtz Chevrolet Buick and Southern States of Gloucester for their donation! |
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Feline Wellness Volunteer Martha Sawtschenko recently crafted and donated 64 beautiful face masks for GMHS to be given to adopters. Martha has been a valued member of our Volunteer Program for more than two years, and we thank her for sharing her time and talents with us! |
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GMHS recently had a transport with one of our Highway To Home partners Treetops Kitty Cafe - Treetops Rescue, and they sent donations back with our volunteers. They held a special donation drive specifically for GMHS. We are so thankful for their generosity and grateful to call them one of our life-saving partners!
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Like and follow GMHS on social media to stay in-the-know about the latest shelter news, homeless pets available for adoption, adoption success stories, and more! |
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