A home for the holidays

A great reputation can be both a blessing and a curse.  

Ours is a tough job to do, but at Woodford Humane Society we work hard to do it right.  Our placement rate is between 90 and 95% annually, and we place no age or breed restrictions on the pets that come through our doors.  Nobody has a time limit on their stay, either; as long as we can keep a pet happy and healthy, it can wait with us for as long as it takes for the right family to walk through the door.  With the help of the VCA Woodford Animal Hospital, we provide exceptional veterinary care; with the help of staff, supporters, and volunteers, we provide exceptional daily care and love.  We wouldn’t have it any other way.  

But there’s a catch.  The knowledge that a pet will be safe with us makes us the destination of choice for people wanting to give up a pet, but that very same knowledge makes many potential adopters turn elsewhere to choose a pet that may not be so safe.  When those two things collide, we find ourselves in a perfect storm of high intake numbers and sluggish adoptions.  

In a perfect world, we could soldier on regardless of all obstacles, but in reality, there are very real limits on the space and resources we have to work with.  We are currently housing twice as many animals as our facility was built to hold, and many of them have waited a long time for their new homes.  25 of our pets have been homeless for more than a year; another 30 have been waiting for more than six months.  We have puppies and kittens, and seniors up to 14 years old.  We have every size, shape, and color, and every personality type from shy to spunky.  They all need homes as soon as possible, even though we don’t give them any deadlines to meet.  

For most of us, the holidays are a time for family; maybe that’s what brings this issue into sharper focus this time of year.  The hundreds of pets in our care don’t have families to spend the holidays with, but they could – they just need someone to adopt.  If you’ve been thinking of adding a furry friend to your family this holiday season, please make adoption your only option and find your new family member with us.  When you choose to adopt, you change the world for that pet, and you open up a temporary home for the next pet waiting in line.  When we, as a community, choose to adopt, we make it possible for organizations like Woodford Humane to continue providing top notch care – to continue placing 95% of our pets in great homes, and never setting time limits.  We wouldn’t have it any other way, but we can’t do it alone.  

So here’s our holiday wish, on behalf of our staff, volunteers, supporters, and pets present and future: a busy adoption center through December and beyond, and the gift of a home for the holidays – and forever – for our patient pets.  You can meet them at our adoption center 7 days a week at noon, or get in touch with us at 859.873.5491 or manager@woodfordhumane.org. Or, browse our online pet listing here before you visit.