In 2012 I was an employee at HSHV. I worked in the surgical area and had helped to provide treatment for probably a thousand animals by that time. It was difficult to not adopt every animal that needed a home, but I was looking for the right one. I’d never had a dog of my own but when I interacted with Ellie, formerly Brownie, I knew she was my forever companion. She was brought to HSHV by a nice farmer in the bed of his truck. He said that he found her and another dog running through fields in the
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Monthly Archives May 2020
Identifying Responsible Breeders
How to identify responsible, caring breeders: Meet breeder in person at the location the dogs are housed and bred – no off-site, roadside, or parking lot meetings Ability to see the conditions the puppies – and their mother – are housed in Conditions should be clean, spacious, and temperatures appropriate for the specific dog breed – not crowded or caged continuously Dogs should be provided with nutritious food, bedding, and toys as appropriate Research the breeder beforehand – a quick Google search of their name for news articles or negative reviews can help you identify bad actors Ask what happens
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Ozzi is a Hit!
We were looking for a friend for our ferret, Rosie, after she unfortunately lost her companion. I found Ozzi on Petfinder and immediately knew he needed to be part of the family. A few days later, we were on our way home with him to meet his new sister. They bonded right away and have been best buddies ever since! We couldn’t be happier with him! Thank you for allowing us to adopt such a sweet, loving and silly boy!
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My New Home
Hi – My name is Scooter (when I lived at the shelter, I was called Garth). I have a new home now, and I’m settling in well. At first, I was kind of scared – I even hid behind the couch. But my new family helped me feel safe and comfortable. They take good care of me, including giving me yummy salmon treats. My dad even built this great climbing/lounging/scratching tower for me that you see in the picture. I like to sit on it and look out the window. My family tells me it’s a difficult and scary time
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The Senior Pup that brought us together
Jake and I had started dating in high school and continued into college. Almost four years passed, and for a number of reasons, we broke up. As with many first loves, we still very much cared for each other and kept in contact. When Jake bought his first house that just happened to have a doggy door, I joked with him that he was then obligated to get a dog. After some time, he decided he did want a dog, and I suggested he adopt. During this time, feelings started to spark again, and I told him I would come
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Azzy Found His Person
I, like so many others in the United States, suffer from depression and anxiety. With these struggles, a companion often helps. With the help of my family, and some searching online, I found Falstaff. He was 9 months old when I met him in December of 2019, and after meeting with him twice, he melted not only my heart, but the hearts of my family members. It was already a goal of mine to adopt a cat in need- one that had been at the shelter for a long time, an elderly cat, or a cat that needed extra love
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Humane Society Offers Virtual Class on Co-Existing With Coyotes
May 11, 2020 (Ann Arbor, MI) – Have you spotted a coyote in your neck of the woods lately? You’re not alone. Coyotes are highly adaptive and can thrive anywhere, including in wilderness, suburban, and urban areas. And they are an essential part of a healthy ecosystem, controlling rodent populations – and thus rodent-and tick-borne diseases like Lyme and Hantavirus – and protecting crops. As the Michigan DNR points out, homeowners can take basic steps to discourage coyotes from their properties, and there are many ways for us to coexist peacefully with them. “There is so much misinformation and hostility
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A Very Good Boy!!
My partner and I have lived in Ann Arbor for the past 2 years for graduate school in a non dog-friendly apartment – the first time in either of our lives without a furry friend running around. We had been eagerly waiting to move so we could adopt our new family member! In April we finally were able to start searching for our perfect fit, which was complicated due to adoption limitations around COVID-19. We absolutely love HSHV with many friends having happy adoption stories, and had email alerts set to let us know about dogs since we were not
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Cat Enrichment Ideas During Times of Change or Stress
[print-me] It’s been an uncertain time for all of us – including the kitties in our lives. We’re home more and our cats are likely wondering why their nap schedule has been suddenly thrown off by human intervention. Cats thrive on schedule/routine, and even if they’re used to you being home, they’re likely not used to you being home ALL of the time, and their normalcy can be easily disrupted. Cats may respond to this change in many ways, like being active at times they’re usually not (cat suddenly waking you up at night?), vocalizing more than normal, seeking
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Sadie’s Furever Home
It was October of 2005. We had been looking for a dog for a couple of months but had not yet come across one that we felt was right for our family at the time. It was a half day and our parents promised that we would go to the shelter after school. We spent the day looking at various places with no luck, and HSHV was our last stop. We were familiar with HSHV because we had visited a few times before, and our mom said that if we didn’t find one here, we were going to take a
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