Posts by Wendy Welch

11,000 cats are counting, not multiplying

11,000 cats are counting, not multiplying

April 11, 2017 | Comments Off on 11,000 cats are counting, not multiplying

This spring marks HSHV’s 10th anniversary of doing Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR)!  Ten years ago, HSHV was at the forefront of a new movement to reduce population and end needless death of outdoor living cats: becoming the first animal shelter in Michigan to institute our own TNR program. Today, we are very proud to have sterilized over 11,000 cats through TNR. When I started here, we were euthanizing about half of our animals, many perfectly healthy animals like feral/outdoor living cats. It was tragic, needless death, and it was horrible for our staff and toxic to the organization. Euthanasia is supposed to be
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What happens in the dark?

What happens in the dark?

February 16, 2017 | Comments Off on What happens in the dark?

When I was a little girl, I was scared of the dark. I was sure there were demons lurking in my closet just waiting to get me. Fortunately I had my trusty dog as my loyal defender. I am no longer afraid of the actual darkness, but I am of the figurative kind. When it comes to powerless populations in the custody of others, “light” is a critical defender. Too commonly, underfunded or profit-driven institutions abuse their power and become cruel when their actions are hidden under a cloak of darkness. We learned decades ago about the gruesome abuse suffered
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Why breed bans don’t make sense

Why breed bans don’t make sense

December 7, 2016 | Comments Off on Why breed bans don’t make sense

Without even getting into the messy muck of debate about DNA and what actually is a “pit bull,” I can say without hesitation that breed bans are senseless. A sweeping city-wide or housing-wide ban on a type of dog, based on sensational new stories about another dog of *possibly* the same breed, are the epitome of prejudice and discrimination – to judge and treat one because of the actions of another. Similar to banning a group of people from a community based solely on race or ethnicity. Dogs can be dangerous. The bigger they are the more harm they can do. This
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October & November big months for deer-vehicle collisions, Here’s how to avoid them

October & November big months for deer-vehicle collisions, Here’s how to avoid them

October 1, 2016 | Comments Off on October & November big months for deer-vehicle collisions, Here’s how to avoid them

October & November big months for deer-vehicle collisions: Here’s how to avoid them   We’ve all seen the carnage of an animal hit in the road.  Some of us have been in such accidents.   Animal collisions injure and kill animals and can be dangerous to people.  The Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) responds to hundreds of calls related to hit-by-car animals–both wildlife and domestic animals–each year. “Although we’ve seen a few disturbing cases where people hit animals on purpose, most people want to avoid hitting an animal and are very upset when an animal has been hurt.  Our goal
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