Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Meena, left, and Masie May look out of their crates while being transported to foster homes Monday in Allyn.
Whether you need help with the pets you have or are looking for a new furry friend to add to your family, the Humane Society of Mason County can help you.
There are some new things happening at HSMC, including the purchasing of a new van from Pierce County animal control for transporting animals.
"We asked the community here in Belfair and Mason County put out for donations and said we were going to try to purchase this van," Humane Society of Mason County vice president Scott Gordon told the Journal. "Local Wrench Jeff Baker, he was a great help and matched some funds for that and we were able to purchase that van and the van is basically used to transport animals."
Gordon is a retired sergeant from the Washington State Patrol as a K9 handler. He used to work for Kitsap Humane Society as an animal control officer.
Katherine Johnson is the Spay and Neuter Director and Secretary for HSMC. She uses the van to take pets to get spayed and neutered, and the services for animals are limited in Mason County.
"We don't have a spay and neuter clinic here in Mason County," Johnson said. "Mason County, we're actually even incredibly limited on veterinary care. Thank goodness being in the north end of the county, we have Kitsap County that's not too far away but for our neighbors in the south end of the county, they are really shafted. There's nothing up there. They have Shelton vet hospital with just one vet and Haigh vet that just has one vet, sometimes two. Down here, we have Belltown so those are the only three vet hospitals in the whole county, which is like nothing for a county over 1,000 square miles."
With such limited services and appointments needing to be booked weeks in advance, Johnson usually takes the van once a week for cat appointments to the Kitsap Humane Society for spay and neuters once a week or Northwest Spay and Neuter in Tacoma two to three times per month.
Johnson said the HSMC is striving to have its own spay and neuter center in Mason County, striving for a Mobile Animal Sterilization Hospitals or MASH. With a MASH, they would set up a one- or two-day clinic at a high school gym or grange hall and schedule about 50 to 100 appointments for high volume spay and neuters.
"That would give us the opportunity to reach out to communities like Matlock where they don't have much," Johnson said. "Or Hoodsport. Hoodsport is like an hour drive to the nearest vet, hour and a half if you have an emergency. That's what our goal is, we've already set the whole program up, we just need funding."
The amount needed is $20,000 for equipment and then how often clinics will happen will also be based on money available to pay for a veterinarian or a tech person to work at the clinics. As of September, the HSMC has helped 370 pet and feral cats get spay and neutered, there have been 99 fosters and 72 adoptions.
As a pet owner herself, Johnson finds the lack of services for animals in the county "insane."
"Luckily, because of where I live, I'm a jump away from Silverdale, so luckily, I have Kitsap County right next door to me. I live 20 minutes from Silverdale," Johnson said. "So many of these people I help, you're on (state Route) 3 and you're going to go to Harstine (Island), Pickering, there's some really rural where you're pulling off (state Route) 3 and it's still 25 to 30 minutes to these people's houses. Same with Tahuya really, it's a struggle."
One thing that would help HSMC, that also needs money to pay for it, is an actual building for a shelter. HSMC bought five acres of property in 2015 behind North Mason High School and they hope to bring some designs to the public soon for what the shelter will look like, according to Gordon.
The HSMC used to be able to host events to raise money, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, they haven't been able to host events, such as their annual dinner auction at Alderbrook Golf Course.
HSMC will be hosting Strut Your Mutt or Cat Celebration Day on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at Casey's Bar & Grille in Belfair. There will also be a low-cost Microchip Clinic and a pet costume contest.
Johnson says to help the HSMC, people can do many things, including volunteer, donate, foster and educate. There are volunteer opportunities from home, with the HSMC needing volunteers for web design, transport, fundraising or grant writing.
"It's just a matter of realizing we're so close to some things, we just need a little bit more money," Johnson said.
For more information about HSMC, visit their website at hsmcwa.org.
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