The FMU Animal Rights Advocates (ARA) recently helped transport animals to the new Florence Area Humane Society (FAHS) location in east Florence.
On Feb. 11, the FAHS recruited a caravan of Florence residents to assist them in moving to their new location at 1434 McCurdy Road, near the Florence Airport.
The President of FAHS, Jayne Boswell, has been involved with the group for almost 20 years. She was told at a local fundraising event that she was being recognized for all of her involvement in a special way.
“We do a big fundraiser every year called a Bone-E-Fit,” Boswell said. “They announced at one of the first Bone-E-Fits of the year that it (the new shelter) was going to be named after me. It was quite an honor.”
The official name of the new shelter is the Jayne H. Boswell Animal Shelter.
Boswell said that the old shelter was in need of a lot of repair. After 16 years, there was a lot of everyday wear and tear that was taking a toll on the building, especially caring for so many animals on a regular basis. Although the numbers vary according to the time of year, Boswell said that the shelter can have anywhere from 150 to 250 animals at a time.
The facility is thoroughly cleaned everyday. Having to use chemicals to kill all bacteria that could harm the animals that live there ultimately put a strain on the building.
Because of the number of repairs, opening a new facility was the cost effective option. After the decision was made to seek out a new facility it still took another five years for all the money and permits needed to build the new shelter to be in place.
Although there are regular employees at the shelter, Boswell said that volunteers are priceless to the care of the animals that stay in the shelter while they wait to be adopted.
“There are so many ways people can help,” Boswell said. “Every volunteer that comes out gives a dog a chance to go out in the play yard or gives a cat some one-on-one attention. You can even help at events outside the shelter.”
The events outside the shelter include the “Save Me Saturdays” at PetSmart that take place every third Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Animals that are in the shelter or in local foster homes are taken to the store, and people can adopt them there rather than having to go to the shelter. There has been a lot of success with this arrangement. Boswell credits the success to the fact that people who are shopping at PetSmart may already have animals, or are already looking into getting one, and know the responsibility it requires to care for one.
Boswell said that anyone is welcome to volunteer at the shelter. A student organization looking for a community service project to do as a group can spend their time at the shelter helping with the animals.
Anyone interested in volunteering with the shelter, or interested in adopting a cat or dog can visit the Humane Society’s website at www.florencehumanesociety.org, contact Jayne Boswell at boswell.jayne@gmail.com or visit the shelter to fill out an application. The shelter is open Tuesday through Saturday.