Posts by Wendy Welch

Welcome to HSHV’s TNR Blog

Welcome to HSHV’s TNR Blog

June 29, 2020 | Comments Off on Welcome to HSHV’s TNR Blog

July 6, 2020 – Hello everyone. We are glad that you have made it to HSHV’s new TNR blog. We hope to use this as an outlet to convey new and useful information regarding TNR, both to better educate the general public on the usefulness of TNR, and also to provide useful information to those who are actively working to help our community cats. We have a wealth of knowledge from the people surrounding HSHV’s TNR program, including our medical team and our multiple trappers who have been TNR’ing for years, and we want to share that information. Our goal
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Humane Society of Huron Valley ranked in top 3% of Charities

Humane Society of Huron Valley ranked in top 3% of Charities

June 24, 2020 | Comments Off on Humane Society of Huron Valley ranked in top 3% of Charities

Ann Arbor, MI (June 23, 2020) — The Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) was awarded a ninth straight topmost 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. Only 3% of evaluated charities have received more than eight consecutive 4-star ratings. Charity Navigator says HSHV outperforms most other charities in America. “We are honored to receive Charity Navigator’s highest rating again,” says Tanya Hilgendorf, HSHV’s CEO. “This distinction reflects our accountability to all our supporters and commitment to remain true to our mission to promote respect and compassion, to protect from needless suffering and to help ensure loving,
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Report Community Cat Colonies

Report Community Cat Colonies

June 23, 2020 | Comments Off on Report Community Cat Colonies

Please report any colonies you are aware of, to help HSHV monitor cat colonies to help us better understand and care for our county’s community cats. None of your personal information will be shared and we do not publish specific addresses.     How much does HSHV charge for TNR? HSHV offers TNR  as a community service to support both our area’s free roaming felines and their caretakers. For this reason, we charge only what it costs to cover the costs of services. Costs are as follows: In county TNR Service – spaying/neutering, distemper vaccination, rabies vaccination and a flea
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HSHV & Tiny Lions cat café reopening to the public with added safety measures

HSHV & Tiny Lions cat café reopening to the public with added safety measures

June 15, 2020 | Comments Off on HSHV & Tiny Lions cat café reopening to the public with added safety measures

Beginning Wednesday, June 17, the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) and their Tiny Lions lounge and adoption Center will reopen for limited public visitation. “While we continually offered essential services including pet food assistance, intake of stray animals, and emergency veterinary care during the shut down, we’re delighted to see more of the animal-loving community again and safely allow people to enjoy the benefits of animal interaction and vice-versa,” says Tanya Hilgendorf, HSHV’s CEO. “HSHV takes the health and safety of our human visitors, employees and volunteers very seriously,” says Hilgendorf. “We are following guidelines from the CDC, state
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Identifying Responsible Breeders

Identifying Responsible Breeders

May 21, 2020 | Comments Off on 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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Humane Society Offers Virtual Class on Co-Existing With Coyotes

Humane Society Offers Virtual Class on Co-Existing With Coyotes

May 12, 2020 | Comments Off on 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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Cat Enrichment Ideas During Times of Change or Stress

Cat Enrichment Ideas During Times of Change or Stress

May 7, 2020 | Comments Off on 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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Dogs and Masks

Dogs and Masks

May 6, 2020 | Comments Off on Dogs and Masks

[print-me]   There is no doubt, the recent weeks have been strange and stressful for all of us.  Coming months will also likely bring more changes and adjustments in our lifestyles for both us and our pets.   One of the new sights that you might increasingly be encountering out on walks may be people wearing CDC-recommended face masks or other facial coverings.  You may be getting used to this new sight yourself, so imagine how strange it may look to your canine companion, who is suddenly wondering why humans look so different.   Help your dog out by getting
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Returning to work? How to prepare your dog

Returning to work? How to prepare your dog

April 24, 2020 | Comments Off on Returning to work? How to prepare your dog

[print-me]   Is your dog actually loving the current stay-at-home order?  Pets may be the one part of the population who are not minding this new routine, as now they have you all to themselves all day long!  While you are hopefully enjoying all this extra time with your pets, you may have concerns about how your puppy or dog is going to adjust when things start to return to normal and we are leaving during the day again.  Now is the time to start working on preparing your dog for this eventual change.   First, set up a special
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Animals and COVID-19

Animals and COVID-19

April 10, 2020 | Comments Off on Animals and COVID-19

As you may have recently heard in the news, a tiger in the Bronx zoo became mildly ill and tested positive for COVID-19. There have also been media reports about a small study just published suggesting that domestic cats are susceptible. Dogs may be vulnerable too, but the evidence points to this being less likely. In this study, a few cats and kittens were injected with mega doses of the virus, contracted the disease and infected other cats. Understandably, these stories are adding to the confusion and worry about how to keep ourselves and our animals safe.  But neither the zoo
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