With the constant background noise of barks and meows reminding them of their mission, employees and volunteers with the Borderland Humane Society have been busy in recent months adjusting to their change in responsibility and location after their merger with the city of International Falls’ pound.
“It was a lot of responsibility to take on and basically start a business,” said Angelique LaFrance, BHS vice president.
The non-profit organization, which serves abandoned, abused and neglected pets in International Falls and Koochiching County, took over the operation and management of the former city pound, now the BHS holding facility, on July 1. The staff has since been working on updating the building and taking care of more animals, as well as handling new bookkeeping and policy creating that went along with making the change.
LaFrance said that the humane society had to make several adjustments from the way the city ran the pound due to different state guidelines between a city pound and non-profit humane society.
“We had to get our feet on the ground to operate the facility accordingly,” she said.
In addition, she said that the building was cleaned and disinfected from floor to ceiling, many of the spaces got a fresh coat of paint, they updated the office, and got new cat kennels.
“It made for a more pleasant, welcoming environment for the public and the animals,” she said.
The BHS will hold an open house Thursday from 3-6 p.m. for members of the community to see the renovations to the former city pound and meet some of the animals that the organization serves.
“The public is welcome to come see what we’re about,” LaFrance invited.
The event will include a ribbon cutting with the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, and several local officials have been invited to attend. LaFrance said that several of the animals currently being held at the BHS holding facility, and possibly some living in foster homes, will make an appearance to meet the visitors.
The humane society is different from the city pound in that it must, among other changes, be open to the public 20 hours per week, use animal-friendly cleaning products, visit the animals more frequently, keep logs of the animals coming into the facility, and conduct a more thorough interview screening with prospective adopters. Adopters will now pay a fee, which partially covers the medical expenses incurred by the BHS. The city pound previously offered free adoptions.
BHS has hired three part-time “animal care technicians” to staff the office 20 hours each week. The rest of the BHS staff includes volunteers and a volunteer board of directors.
And, LaFrance notes, the transfer of management has allowed the humane society to help more local dogs and cats.
“We’ve been able to help more animals and adopt more out as well,” LaFrance noted.
When BHS first took over the pound, LaFrance said that, “It was crazy. Everyone was bringing in dogs and cats ... left and right.”
But she notes that the traffic has slowed down some recently.
From July through September, the organization has taken in 34 cats and 51 dogs. LaFrance further explained that many, at least one-third most months, of the dogs were returned to their families after having been lost.
Collars, tags and licensing are of utmost importance, she said, with around 90 percent of the dogs coming through BHS without identification.
The humane society is required to keep the animals for five days to allow a family time to locate a lost pet. After that, she said adoption and foster care can be immediately sought. So families with lost animals need to act quickly to retrieve their four-legged friends.
She also said that through flyers and word of mouth, the group has also seen an uptick in the number of people visiting the holding facility looking to adopt an animal.
BHS is always looking for families to foster animals, as well as adopt. Through the increase in animals, LaFrance said the organization is also in need of new homes.
“We have found an even greater need for foster homes,” she said.
“We have a need for families to foster adult cats,” she said. She noted that the adult cats seem to stay at the holding facility the longest and that foster families have the choice of which animals they would like to take into their home. She said that although dogs and kittens are quicker to go, foster families are needed for all types of canine and feline.
The holding facility is meant to be a temporary place for neglected and abused animals to stay until a foster or adoptive home can be found, LaFrance noted. “We don’t want it to become their home,” she said.
LaFrance explained that BHS is different from the city pound in that it vaccinates and spays/neuters all of the animals it services. The costs of these medical procedures are covered in part by the adoption fee and in part by private donations and city funding.
Another future goal of the organization is to increase the number of volunteers it works with, she said.
“It’s still at the point for us that we’re getting under control here. The next step is getting volunteers worked into what we’re doing,” she said.
Unsupervised volunteers need to be 18 years old and all volunteers need to be trained, she explained. Several volunteer applications are now under review, and LaFrance said BHS is always looking for help. However, it may take time to take on and train any new volunteers.
LaFrance said that now, more than ever, BHS is relying on community support to keep its doors open and find animals a good home.
“We can’t operate without (donations),” she said.
Part of the Borderland Humane Society’s goal is to educate the public about animal ownership, according to LaFrance.
“We are going to educate (the public) on the truth and myths on taking care of animals, as well as spaying and neutering.”
Inside the building are rows of pamphlets on animal health, owning pets, training, and other topics for new and current pet owners.
“We’re all animal lovers and that’s why we’re here,” she said, and continued that it was frustrating and heartbreaking for volunteers to see sweet, loving animals without permanent homes.
“The employees and volunteers get to know the animals real good,” she said, explaining that the BHS staff is often good at matching what a family is looking for in a pet to one of their adoptees.
“We have so many here that need help,” LaFrance said, encouraging those looking for a pet to try to find one locally.
