Pets + the People Who Love Them | Spring 2016 [FROM the CEO] an Amazing Journey
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TAIL’STALES Pets + The people who love them | Spring 2016 [FROM THE CEO] An amazing journey... This is my last note in the newsletter. I will help every single soul who finds their way to be retiring soon. The date will be determined our doors. by the arrival of my replacement. And the volunteers are with us at every I have been in the animal welfare world turn. They are here every single day of the for more than a quarter of a century, with year, regardless of the weather, the time or the last 18 at the Nebraska the day. They make sure every possible dog Humane Society. It has is walked, petted and loved. They provide been an amazing journey. I foster care for those in need of healing have witnessed wonderful prior to adoption. They help care for all the people with hearts the size animals at the shelter, as well as help adopt of the state; people who will them into loving homes. Our volunteers do anything and everything touch every aspect of the shelter. possible to help animals Last, but surely not least, is Friends and who feel that our companion animals Forever. This wonderful, generous and deserve to live in an environment free of compassionate group was formed before I fear and pain. arrived at NHS. They are our partners. We Great things have been accomplished by would not be where we are without these all of these folks. amazing women who make time in their Because of the generosity of Omaha, we busy lives to make a difference for the have grown from a small, inadequate, run- animals. down shelter to a 13-acre campus with four The past 18 years have gone by in a blur. buildings. Eighteen years ago, we had no They have been wonderful. The agency is in presence in our own town and now we are great shape and it is time for someone new one of the top shelters in the country. with new ideas, new plans and dreams to In fact, we were recognized as the animal take NHS to the next level. control program of the year by the National The Board has hired a well-known and Animal Control Association in 2013. We care respected national search firm who has a for more than 30,000 animals and touch history with Omaha. This firm helped place the lives of some 200,000 people in our the executive directors for the Henry Doorly community every year. This is all due to Zoo and Aquarium, Peter Kiewit Foundation the people of Omaha who wanted to see a and Joslyn Art Museum. They are hard at change and gave their time, their money and work, along with the NHS Board, to find the their efforts to make it all come true. right person. The future looks great. The most notable group is the staff of Thank you for being part of our journey. NHS. These people have pieces of their souls Together, we have saved tens of thousands lost, every day, as a result of the abuse and of lives. Please continue your support—the neglect they see, as well as the frightened animals are counting you. eyes of the animals who are lost and alone. Judy Varner, These people go to every length possible to Retiring President + CEO TAIL’STALES Tail’s Tales is a publication of the Nebraska Humane Society. Cover photo taken by volunteer photographer Cassandra Hicks OUR MISSION The Nebraska Humane Society protects, saves and enriches the lives of animals in the communities we serve. LOCATION + HOURS 8929 Fort Street, Omaha, NE 68134 Phone: 402-444-7800 | Fax: 402-546-1476 Adoption hours: Monday through Friday . 12 to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday . 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Business hours: Monday through Friday . 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday . 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. WEB + SOCIAL Website: www.nehumanesociety.org Facebook.com/nebraskahumanesociety Twitter.com/nehumanesociety Twitter.com/nhscats Instagram username: nehumanesociety Snapchat username: nehumanesociety EXECUTIVE STAFF JUDY VARNER President + CEO TIM MILLER Vice President + CFO KILEY MADDUX Vice President + COO KIM DAVIS Vice President of Development MARK LANGAN Vice President of Field Operations SALLY ZACHARY Vice President of Community Outreach PAM WIESE Vice President of Public Relations + Marketing MICHELE TETRAULT-MERTES Vice President of Human Resources The house that Judy built he matted fur smelled terrible, Tand was hard and crusty to the touch. The animal underneath was unrecognizable as a dog, much less a Yorkshire Terrier. Assessment technician Ellen Manero had seen some neglected animals dropped off at the Nebraska Humane Society, but this was the worst. The hair had tangled so badly it hobbled the dog’s legs, forcing him into a lurching bunny hop. His left front paw was dangling and useless, the blood flow cut off by the binding hair. “How could someone let it get this bad?” she wondered. But to the dog, she whispered a promise, “We’ll make it better ... we will.” These are the animals that NHS helps. Every day. But it wasn’t always this way. Judie Olson remembers when funds were short, the aging building was overcrowded and Continued on page 6 5 “We desperately needed a change—a galvanizing force to see the issues and work out solutions. This was a life-saving mission and we needed a gutsy, forward-thinking, passionate leader who could follow through and make the changes happen.” – Judie Olson animals were kept in tiny, dark kennels. while the kennel was being cleaned, there “It wasn’t my idea of humane,” she said. was no place to move them to keep them dry. Animals coming in sick and neglected Next to them was another dog, matted and rarely received more than basic treatment, whimpering. I called the board chairman and because there were simply too many animals said quite forcefully ‘this place is a hell hole!’ needing services. There was no surgery area And he, very quietly, said, ‘and we hired you to — the concrete was old and cracked, making fix it’ and hung up. So I figured I better.” it impossible to seal or sterilize so animals A whirlwind of research, feasibility studies would get sick from being at the shelter. and visits to leading shelters followed, and a year later, NHS launched a capital campaign to Enter Judy Varner. create a state-of-the-art shelter. Two years later, on February 12, 2000, the Lied Humane Center “My first day here, I was sitting in the old ribbon cutting ushered in a new era of animal building looking at a cat who had his face care in the Omaha metro. mangled somehow, and his eyeball was just In the 16 years since, Judy Varner has not hanging out of his head. He had no pain meds. rested on triumphs, but continued to move “Next to him, a mom and puppies were the shelter forward. Animal Control has become huddled in a wet kennel, shivering, because a well-respected force in the Omaha metro and 6 beyond. Comprehensive laws now help protect pets and the people who love them. Animal cruelty investigators are skilled at abuse and neglect cases. Officers also educate and offer tips so pet owners make better choices, and pets have better lives. The Nebraska Humane Society campus now includes four buildings on 13 acres. The main building and adoption area invites people in with bright colors, skylights, an airy feel, and a clean, open flow. Every dog in the building — whether in stray holding, medical/behavior holding or adoption — is housed in a 12-foot run. Outdoor fenced yards offer dogs a chance to stretch their legs and feel the grass. Cats have open kennels with perch beds, or group housing. Everything is sterilizable and easy to clean. Scared and unruly dogs, who are uncomfortable in the shelter environment ,receive extra TLC through our behavior modification program, which offers training before adoption, followed by counseling to those who take the special cases. Foster families provide nearly 2,000 animals with in-home care, while volunteers offer up more than 74,000 hours of time – saving the shelter thousands of dollars and saving lives, too. Continued on page 8 OUT OF THE SHADOWS—Top left: Dr. Elizabeth Farrington performs a procedure in the Nebraska Humane Society’s state-of-the-art surgical suite. Right: Now in their forever homes, former cat and dog residents wait for their new families in our bright and airy adoption spaces. The surgical suite has room for multiple would not have gotten the care he so desperately veterinarians to perform procedures from needed. It simply wasn’t available — until Judie basic treatments to dentals and surgeries. Olson got together with Judy Varner to make Dogs and cats have space to recover under the things right. And here’s how his story ends: watchful eye of dedicated staff and volunteers. The little dog was dubbed Elvis because he A digital x-ray can pinpoint traumas and was all shook up, but still a trooper. Our groomer images are shared easily via email. gently shaved four pounds of heavy, filthy, itchy Our programs have grown to fit the needs of hair off his 8-pound body. the community. We now offer services to help After years of animal care filling the need, NHS hired a full-time with pet ownership and to keep pets in homes: groomer in 2007. Around 2,500 animals are groomed every year. • Our low cost spay and neuter center and A vet tech x-rayed Elvis’s legs, finding areas free food pantry offer options for pet owners on where the hair had strangled and malformed fixed incomes.