At Second Chance Humane Society, our shelter staff cares for the animals day in and day out. They feed, exercise, cuddle, and love every one of them. They also clean up icky messes, administer medications, manage conflicts (the animals don’t all play nicely), and perform many other less-than-glamorous tasks. Our success depends on these hard-working, compassionate, and dedicated people. Without them, we can’t save animals and find new homes for them.

Our staff is usually treated with respect and kindness, and our community is very supportive. Unfortunately, it’s becoming more common for our valued people to experience negativity from the public. We understand that people who care about animals can be very passionate and opinionated and may let emotions dictate their reactions.

This is not unique to us. Other shelters are seeing the same things. These situations contribute to burnout and stress, pushing some to leave the field of animal welfare. One shouldn’t have to develop a thick skin to work with animals and people in a shelter setting.

When an adoption doesn’t work out and a pet is returned to us, we see it as a learning opportunity. Others have suggested that we are not screening adopters appropriately.

Another message is equally damaging – that we don’t do enough. We are dedicated to helping as many pets as we can. Sadly, we can’t help them all. We are limited by our shelter license, funding, and yes, by the capacity of our staff.

Animal welfare organizations nationwide are seeing high intake numbers, animals waiting longer for adoption, increased behavior cases, and decreased funding. These trends mean we’re working harder for our “wins”. Despite these trends, we are committed to continuing our work- because we love animals and believe they deserve happy, stable homes.

We are always striving to do more. Our adoption numbers have grown every year. Our save percentage is in the high 90th percentile. We advocate for our long-term residents and work hard to find just the right homes for them. We have affordable veterinary care for community pets. We offer vaccine clinics for those who may need a lower-cost, more convenient option. We listen and learn from our supporters. We do our best to pay a fair wage and appreciate our staff. We appreciate our volunteers, adopters, supporters, and advocates.

What can you do? We always need support in the traditional ways (volunteering, donating money, adopting a cat or a dog). In today’s world, we also need something that won’t cost you anything and only takes a moment. We need your kindness. When you meet one of our staff, take a moment to say how much you admire their dedication to animals. Recognize their hard work. Give the caretakers a bit of care. Let them know they are appreciated. While we can’t control the haters and their angry outbursts, we can try to balance it with kindness and compassion.

If you’d like to share words of encouragement with our staff, email animalcare@secondchancehumane.org

Since 1994, the Animal Resource Center and the Shops of Second Chance Humane Society have been dedicated to serving animals in Southwestern Colorado. Our adoption hours are every day from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We are located at 177 County Rd 10, Ridgway, CO. You can view our shelter pets and services online.