Pike County Humane Society celebrates 50th anniversary

MILFORD — Each animal has its own story. And regardless of why and how they end up at the shelter, the Pike County Humane Society continues to serve as a safe haven for pets.

“Our shelter is a shining example of what other shelters can be,” said Barry Haim, the Executive Director, Treasurer and Humane Police Officer for the Pike County Humane Society.

Celebrating 50 years
The Pike County Humane Society recently celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sept. 6. Founded and incorporated in 1963, it was created to address the needs of a growing number of homeless animals with the influx of people either moving to the area or summering there.

According to Barry, there was no physical shelter for the first 15 years. Property was donated and a small kennel was built. Dogs and cats were housed in the same building and the small well — which was dug — barely yielded enough water.

Today the society has 26 acres with four buildings to house animals and an office, two sheds, a well that yields 50 gallons a minute and a trailer where Barry and his wife reside to be available for the animals around the clock. There are large fenced in areas for dogs to run and play and a special area for new dogs to acclimate. Afterwards, the dogs are placed together with dogs of a similar size.

Even the cats, who are housed in a separate building with two beds and carpeted cat perches have a way of being outside with the new addition of an outdoor enclosed porch. The porch is complete with shelving so cats can go outside for fresh air and sit while be protected by a heavy duty mesh that keeps wild animals out. The recent addition was partly an Eagle Scout project, with donated materials and help from volunteers. Prior to cat porch, they were kept in a small area that was half office and half cats.

The only animals kept in cages are birds, bunnies and animals in quarantine. Except for a carrier pigeon who refuses to leave and is kept inside in the winter months. All of the other animals roam free.

“I was told by other shelters that this could not be done. There are very few shelters like this in the country,” he said.

Over the course of its 50 year history, Barry says the society has rescued some unusual animals including an emu, a peacock, snakes, pigs, a pot bellied pig and most recently a couple of goats. The shelter takes in anything that is domestic and even rescues animals from high kill shelters.

“We don't turn any domestic animal away,” he says. “We put them wherever we have to, we don't put them down.”

Adoption
He is proud of the 94 percent adoption rate for the past seven years. In January of 1998, hardly any animals got adopted and it was more like a 3.2 percent adoption rate.

Donations
Over the past 50 years, the society has managed to stay afloat due to regular contributors.

“Most people believe that they are contributing to local humane societies when they sign up for regular deductions to the national humane society, but none of that money trickles down to the local shelters. That money is used for national disaster rescues of animals as in Hurricane Katrina,” said Barry.

They also get a small amount of money per year from Pike County and local municipalities because they are the only shelter in the area.

They also hold four major fundraisers a year. Their “Tricky Tray” in September is a major one for them. And they have a memorial tree donation program where for $150, a person can have a fruit or shade tree planted in memory of a loved one with a plaque dedicating the tree.

They had been using a 1994 cargo van donated by a neighbor of Barry's mother with 289,000 miles on it to transport animals, but it had no air conditioning so it couldn't be used in the summer. More recently they got a 2012 cargo van to transport animals to a veterinarian two hours away. The society will make the travel because they receive a discount on computer chipping spay and neutering — which is done for all the cats and dogs that come into the shelter.

Donations are down due to the economy and rising amount of foreclosures in the area. The society has eight volunteers but the cost of running the shelter remains high at $29,000 per month. They try to maintain hospital standards of cleanliness to keep illnesses to a minimum, using 16 gallons of bleach a week and all of the animals are well fed, clean and happy.

While they have come a long way in 50 years, Barry hopes to one day have another building to do spaying and neutering on site with medical technicians. He wants to line the walls of the cat rooms with non-scratch-able material that is easily washed.

In the end, what keeps Barry and his wife going is their love for the animals.

“You don't do this for money or benefits,” he says, “you have to love doing this or I wouldn't do it.”