Shaboozy was the October Dog of the Month. She is young, black, spayed, medium-sized and mixed-breed. You may have seen her poster, or similar ones around White Station High School depicting the Dog and Cat of the Month. These posters are set up by the Humane Society to attract students to these animals.
“I remember last year you would see [students] in the hallway and then you would see people, they’d be like, ‘Oh my gosh, that dog is so cute,’ and they would take a picture of it,” Madelyn Golden (12) said. “That … increases their chances right there of somebody like just taking a picture [and] putting it on social media. Then that gives many different people [the opportunity] to see, ‘Oh, this is this dog.’ They might have a chance to be adopted.”
Golden is a member of the Humane Society, which helps the local shelter profit and assists animals in finding forever homes. The Humane Society Club also helps Golden prepare for her future job.
“I actually want to be a veterinarian,” Golden said. “So I think Humane Society, helps me with trying to, first of all, get more like hands-on experience with animals and then also just being able to get more connection with them and their owners as well. It’s very an eye opener of seeing like how much of a difference these animals can do for a family and even for a family to do for the animal.”
Each poster’s Dog and Cat of the Month is selected by the Humane Society Club’s president. Then, the club spends its meetings making posters for the potential adoptees.
“I just scroll through [the Humane Society website] and try to find an animal that I think is cute” Adele Thompson (12) said.
Thompson is the current Humane Society president and has been involved in the club since her freshman year. Although she plans on going into government, Thompson feels that the Humane Society is a learning experience.
“I think that [the Humane Society is] very much a part of the community,” Thompson said. “I definitely, in the future, want to continue doing community service.”
On every poster, information about the animals is included so that potential adopters can understand each animal’s characteristics. This increases the probability that every animal will be placed in their potential home. One important characteristic that is commonly overlooked is the neutering and spaying facts.
“If a dog is neutered or spayed, it helps them get better chances of getting adopted,” Golden said. “If they’re not neutered, they are … more aggressive.”
There are many ways to get a new pet, including breeding, adopting or even purchasing from a pet store. However, many dogs purchased through pet stores come from puppy mills, which breed dogs rapidly under poor conditions.
“We really want to promote, adopt, don’t shop” Thompson said. “Try to adopt from a shelter.”
The Humane Society club has made many efforts to improve animals’ chances of being adopted. This volunteer work for animals also has positive effects for the humans who help.
“I think [the Humane Society Club has] helped me a lot, especially with finding new friends and understanding that we’re all collaborating with each other to make something happen,” Golden said.
The Humane Society also helps its members understand how to protect and care for animals. For many Humane Society members, this guidance helps them gain insight into what a potential future as a veterinarian could look like.
“[The Humane Society Club] trains you how to take care of the animals … [in a medical sense], if they get hurt or sick,” Rhyan Parker (9) said.
Parker is one of many who believe that animals are a scapegoat of society. Animals have been close in relations to humans for centuries but have also been used and discarded by them as well.
“I feel like society takes them for granted, like with pollution,” Parker said. “[Pollution] harms the animals, I feel like [society] should value them more.”
Although many people have great relationships with their pets, many others have abandoned them or abused them instead. The reasons why one might choose to release an animal are numerous, but the effects still cause the animal to suffer.
“It’s very hard for us to see these animals just walking around like they have no home,” Golden said. “They’re searching for food. They’re really skinny. They have all these diseases. So it’s very difficult. I feel like [society has] so many things that they’re more focused on that they don’t really take too much care of the animals right now.”
Despite animals being treated poorly, the Humane Society Club still tries to make a difference through their posters found around the school. Rhyan Parker has advice for anyone looking to make a difference with their interests.
“If you are inspired to do something, like how I aspired to be a vet and I joined Humane Society, find clubs that help you benefit [society],” Parker said.
