Cleaning, laundering, preparing meals….”All in a day’s work,” the old adage goes. This applies not only to one’s home life, but to life inside the Rita B. Huff Animal Shelter as well. Day in and day out, tireless effort by staff and volunteers is expended to sustain and improve the quality of life of the many animals who have found themselves within the loving arms of the shelter’s care. Let’s walk through the front door of this lively facility and watch love in action!
8:00 AM
It’s a Monday at Rita B. Huff Animal Shelter and the day begins, as does every day, with a good dose of cleaning. The facility, located at 530 Bearkat Boulevard near the Sam Houston State University campus in Huntsville, Texas, is staffed with 8 paid employees, 5 regular volunteers, and an army of part-time volunteers. The daily routine includes sweeping and mopping all areas to maintain a healthy environment for people and animals alike. Laundering towels and other items is a mountainous task each day, and thankfully, there are volunteers who prefer this duty. All animals are fed twice daily and administered any medications as required. Kennel supervisor Ryan and Cat Specialist Anne are responsible for the care of the animals. They keep a watchful eye throughout the day to ensure the kennels are clean and safe. In fact, the entire facility is very well-maintained.
11:00 AM
The morning hours are also used for readying paperwork for adoptions and other services offered by the facility. The adoption process involves a thorough evaluation of the adopting family and their environment, so every care is taken to provide a good home for the dog, cat, or other animal being adopted. The Rita B. Huff Mission statement is as follows: Our mission is to preserve the lives and well-being of animals through adoption, rescue, spaying and neutering, and education. We serve the citizens of Walker and select neighboring counties, and we strive to protect the health, safety, and welfare of animals, children and citizens who reside in these communities.
12:00 NOON
The doors open, and the public is invited in. It’s adoption time, and the residents each wait with eager hope this will be their lucky day! How did these animals arrive here in the first place? Many and varied situations resulted in their journeys to the shelter, some sad, some even tragic. But fortunately for each of these four-legged residents, a good Samaritan was nearby to bring the animal to a place of safety and hope. In addition to dogs and cats, the shelter will take in most any small animal. Ferrets, bunnies, hamsters, and even birds, have benefited from the services offered at the center.
An adoption fee for a dog is $85 and for a cat, $45. This includes the vaccinations and the spay or neutering service. The shelter handles from 50-70 adoptions each month. There is usually a “Pet of the Week” offered at a discounted adoption rate and a goodie basket to accompany the pet home. Sometimes, these are animals who have been at the facility for a prolonged period of time due to a variety of reasons and have not yet met their perfect family match! The “Pet of the Week” and many of the other boarders are pictured on the Rita B. Huff Facebook page.
2:00 PM
4:00 PM
The new semester has begun at Sam Houston State University and John, Tim, and Shelly have signed up to volunteer on a regular basis at the center. Classes are over for the day, and they have come in to help walk, bathe, and feed the dogs. It’s a hot day, and they may put some pools of cool water out for the dogs to enjoy! There are many daily, weekly, and monthly volunteers at the center, but more help is always needed. Even an hour or two once a month is appreciated! Volunteers can come in and play with the cats in the Cat Room. One mom brought her child in to practice reading in front of a dog. It helped with the child’s reading skills and was stimulating to the dog! Occasionally, a sports team will volunteer, and each of the members will chip in time to help. There are numerous ways to be involved. In addition to helping with the animals’ care, donations of food are always in demand.
Every new semester at SHSU brings new students and a new wave of adoptions. Local apartment complexes have each set standards for types and weight limits of the animals allowed on their properties, information that must be verified before an adoption can be made. The center staff works tirelessly to ensure that pets are placed in safe environments and that the standards are met. If an adoption is made and the match between pet and person doesn’t work out, the center asks that the animal be brought back so that a new home can be found for the pet.
6:00 PM
The doors close on another energetic and productive day at the Rita B. Huff Animal Shelter. The staff and volunteers were busy throughout the day answering phones, verifying application data, helping with intake of new animals and adoptions of those in residence. More animals were vaccinated, spayed and neutered, donations of food accepted, more laundry done, animals fed, bathed, and walked, and on and on it goes. For more information go to www.ritabhuff.org or call 936-295-4666. This is a tax exempt 501(3)c organization, and your donations of any kind will be truly appreciated and put to excellent use. The center is also in partnership with the Ellis Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to supply dogs for the Second Chances obedience training program.
A thank you is due to David Ross, President-elect of the Board, and Board member Dava Gordy for their time involved in the interview and tour of this well-maintained facility and program.
Contact Information:
www.ritabhuff.org
(936) 295-4666