Looking for a Few Good Homes

Walking in the entrance of the Kentucky Humane Society (KHS) was different than I expected. In my mind, I imagined that a sheltering agency would have a sad vibe, but instead, I was greeted by smiling faces and a lobby reminiscent of a luxury hotel. “We like to make sure it feels warm here,” says KHS public relations manager Erin Clephas. Clephas, who interned with KHS while she was in college, has officially been with the shelter since December of 2009. If you listen to WFPK, you might recognize her name from the Paws Report. “WFPK and Laura Shine in particular are such great supporters of ours! The whole building absolutely loves the animals and it makes me feel like I have really brightened their day when they get to see a pet,” says Clephas with a glimmer.

Indeed, the people at KHS work tirelessly to make sure that the pets they receive find good homes. According to Valerie Merrifield, the KHS education manager, “It is an amazing feeling to work with people that all share a common goal and passion… and our love for animals and our desire to find each and every shelter animal a loving home. This is a direct result of the fact that we are non-profit. None of us are here to make money… We are here for the animals.”

Clephas and Merrifield gave me a lovely tour of KHS, I got to play with some of the animals, and honestly, I was very impressed with everything I saw. Cats and dogs have indoor and outdoor spaces to hang out together, and they get a lot of socializing with staff and volunteers.

The ladies debriefed me on some amazing programs they have going on right now, and they also cleared me up on some KHS details.

“One huge thing I would like the public to know about KHS is that we are NOT affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS),” Clephas states. “We are a private, non-profit organization not affiliated with any other organizations, local or national. When people donate to HSUS, we do not receive any of that funding. We have lots of fun events during the year that provide people with ways to both interact and donate. We also have great volunteer and foster programs that are awesome ways for people to get involved.”

– Stacy Geyer

Some of the cool programs at KHS are:

1) The Barn Cat program:

“This is an amazing way for kitties who would otherwise be unadoptable to find a great home,” Clephas explains. “This is for feral or semi-feral cats who prefer to live on their own in the great outdoors. We require that they be provided with adequate food, water and shelter. They can serve as ‘mousers’ or ‘working cats’ in a barn, warehouse or other structure. Also, there is no adoption fee for these kitties!”

2) The Little Dog License program:

“It is just AWESOME, and I say this as a lover of ‘little dogs’, ” Clephas declares. “Oftentimes, smaller breeds have confidence issues directly related to their lack of stature. These issues can sometimes lead to aggression or guarding problems, which would normally cause an animal to not pass our behavior evaluation. Since these issues can many times be remedied with training, our amazing behavior leader, Kat Rooks, developed this program. Smaller dogs enter this program when they have a little extra attitude or perhaps fearfulness, and Kat trains them to be happy and confident dogs. After completing this program, the dogs are made available for adoption and are able to move on to happy homes!”

3) The S.N.I.P. (Spay / Neuter Incentive Program) Clinic:

“Again, it is simply amazing,” affirms Clephas. “It is a low-cost/high volume spay/neuter clinic in our very own city. Without promoting spay/neuter among pet owners, we would not effectively and proactively carry out our mission to end pet overpopulation. The S.N.I.P. Clinic allows people of all income levels to have access to affordable alteration surgeries. In addition to our great prices, we have several promotions throughout the year with pricing specials, an allotted amount of free pit bull surgeries each month and financial assistance available at times for those who still cannot afford the prices we offer. To date, the S.N.I.P. Clinic has altered more than 38,000 owned pets in our community!”

“Another cool thing to note,” adds Clephas, “is that we also offer other services such as vaccinations and micro chipping at the time of surgery. We cannot provide regular veterinary care, but can at least get owners started on the right track.”

4) Educating the Public:

As for KHS’s educational programs, I’ve never talked to anyone more earnest and dedicated than Valerie Merrifield. As the Humane education manager, she works with children in all capacities. “During the school year, I visit schools throughout Kentuckiana and do presentations on everything from staying safe around dogs to animal welfare issues that affect our four-legged friends,” Merrifield informs. “I also do numerous workshops for the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and American Heritage Girls. Last year, my dogs and I worked with close to 7,000 children. During the summer, I run a camp that reaches about 500 children. The children spend a week with our shelter animals, while learning all about responsible pet care. The goal of all of my programs is to educate the next generation of pet owners about pet guardianship.”

Merrifield’s two little dogs, Lulu and Anna, also work ambassadors for KHS. She adopted them both from the shelter, and they get to go everywhere with their mom. “I love teaching the children, and Lulu and Anna are the best coworkers I could ask for,” she professes. Merrifield has been working with JCPS for the past two years in conjunction with their Care for Kids program. “We are continuing that relationship this year, which means I will most likely see even more students. I hope to beat last year’s number of 7,000.” As I teach high school myself, I plan on having Merrifield, Lulu, and Anna come to my tenth grade classrooms to teach my students, many of whom claim to want to work with animals in come capacity, about college and career opportunities.

KHS is a remarkable place with a staff that feels passionately about what they do. I’m hoping to take the volunteer training course so that I can go back and spend time with more animals that need love. “KHS is a wonderful organization and I am so happy to work here,” says Clephas. “We all love the animals so much,” adds Merrifield. “That feeling never goes away.” From what I experienced there in one afternoon, I have to agree. KHS is a huge part of what makes Louisville great.

To find out more about programs and pet adoption, visit kyhumane.org.

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