KALISPELL — Many animals that go to the shelter are surrendered by their pet owners for one reason or another.
But, the Humane Society of Northwest Montana is working on programs to help keep pets in their homes.
One reason pets are surrendered to the shelter is the cost of caring for a pet. The Humane Society in Kalispell has started two programs to help combat the costs of owning a pet.
They now offer low-cost vaccine clinics and a pet pantry while the vaccine clinics take place four times a year and are available for people who need assistance.
The pet pantry is a place to get free pet food available through community donations.
All of this is to help pets stay in their homes.
“That's why we all do this. You know, that satisfaction, that you're saving a life, or you're instrumental in helping the pet and the family keep their pets together. That whole connection, because the connection is really important as well. In our world, in animal welfare, we don't celebrate the good things. we always, unfortunately have see so many bad things. So, for us, when these pet retention programs happen it's those rare opportunities that we can celebrate and actually remind us of why we're here." - Humane Society of Northwest Montana executive director Stacie DaBolt
The Humane Society of Northwest Montana is looking for food donations for the food pantry and volunteers. You can go to https://humanesocietypets.com/ for more information.
