Many of the “pandemic puppies” who were adopted since March 2020 may be experiencing their first holidays with larger family get-togethers this year now that vaccines are more widespread.
Read More
Posts by Wendy Welch
Animals Welcome Local Children on the Autism Spectrum
Ann Arbor, MI (October 26, 2021) — Story Time at the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) just got warmer and fuzzier. “We’ve offered our Little Paws Story Time for several years, but we know some children struggle with sitting still for longer stories, or feel overwhelmed by bright lights or crowded spaces,” says Jessie Hitt, HSHV’s Humane Education Manager. “So we’ve started ‘Sensory Story Time’ to offer a welcoming space for neurodivergent and autistic children and their families.” Sensory Story Time recently launched on select Tuesday mornings at HSHV. It includes stories, fingerplays, and personal interactions with the adoptable
Read More
Free food getting to pets in need in Washtenaw County
HSHV, Community Action Network (CAN) and Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels (AAMOW) have recently partnered to help feed the needy furry residents of Washtenaw County.
Read More
TNR Survey Results
In 2020 HSHV conducted a phone survey of past clients that were involved with our TNR program. This was done to give a sense of how well HSHV’s TNR program is doing, as well as to help benchmark the effectiveness of TNR overall. TNR Survey HSHV conducted a phone survey to help determine the effectiveness of our TNR program for clients who leveraged our program between 2014 and 2017. Questions were designed to help us understand the size and condition of the colony in 2020 as compared to when TNR began at the location. Out of the 136 individuals contacted,
Read More
Navigating Pet Insurance
Even if your pet is healthy, accidents and illnesses can happen suddenly. Pet insurance can help you focus on your pet’s recovery—rather than the medical bill.
Read More
Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners commended by HSHV for opposing wildlife killing contests
Ann Arbor, MI (July 9, 2021) — The Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) applauds the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners for passing a resolution Wednesday opposing wildlife killing contests in Michigan and encouraging the state to ban them outright. The resolution notes that such contests promote indiscriminate killing, are counterproductive to wildlife management and violate responsible hunting practices. It also states that, while all wildlife play a critical role in Michigan’s ecosystem, mesocarnivores like coyotes, foxes and bobcats are especially important, naturally controlling rodent populations and keeping diseases like Lyme disease in check. Wildlife killing contests are also opposed
Read More
Meet the TrapKing
This month we want to highlight this year’s Compassionate Feast’s guest speaker, TrapKing Sterling Davis! Sterling Davis embodies the new momentum and energy within the TNR community. Located in Atlanta, Davis founded TrapKing Humane in 2015 as a mobile unit to help community cats. In addition to creating multiple connections within the community to come together to help community cats, he has also brought awareness about TNR to many people through his outspokenness and his music. A great example of Davis’s community building capabilities is a recent event he planned with the goal of TNRing 300 cats – in a
Read More
What “fine” looks like
When we say our pets are “fine,” we need to explain what “fine” looks like. Animals can have different fear responses, which include the well-known “fight or flight” behaviors, but also “fret” and “freeze.”
Read More
Bald Eagle rejoins Ann Arbor family, after rescue from fishing wire
Ann Arbor, MI (May 21, 2021) — Dangling upside down, entangled in a mass of fishing line which tied him to a branch hanging over Huron River, about 4 feet from shore and 1 foot from water, a Bald Eagle needed rescuing. Fortunately, a Good Samaritan called the Humane Society of Huron Valley’s (HSHV) wildlife rescue line Saturday. “He was still tangled up, and many of his feathers had been broken,” says Michael Shivak, HSHV Rescue Field Agent. “Thankfully, with our veterinarians’ help, we were able to remove the rest of the fishing line from the bird who, luckily, didn’t
Read More
How to become a cat person
My last cat died before I was married and my husband had never had a cat at all. He used to have a dog. I missed having furry family enough to switch teams and get a dog, but my husband knew how much I love cats – so he agreed to be the one to switch. We found Scotty at HSHV. He was about 7 years old and was friendly even in the stressful shelter environment. When we brought him home he hid for a few hours before coming out and settling in on my husband’s lap. He has spent
Read More