Living up to its name

Ronnie playfully tries to get his pink ball out of the corner of his kennel. Ronnie is a healthy, playful young kitten at New Hope Humane Society (NHSS). He wasn't always healthy and playful.

When Ronnie arrived at New Hope he was starved and malnourished and the employees weren't sure he'd survive. He came to New Hope from the crew at the Worland landfill, who found him in piles of trash. How Ronnie got there is a mystery - perhaps he was let go out in the area and wandered into the landfill, or he was thrown out like yesterday's trash, or dropped off at the landfill with a load of trash.

However, he got to the landfill, thanks to the New Hope Humane Society, Ronnie's story doesn't end there. He continues to grow and get healthier and hopefully one day will go to a new home where he is well cared for.

Funding

Manager Edie Cliame has been with the humane society for more than 20 years, prior to the new facility being constructed in October 1999. The new facility on 15 Mile Road, was a project of Newell Sargent, she said. NHHS continues to receive funds from the Newell Sargent Foundation that assists with operational costs including utilities and salaries.

Other funds come from fundraisers, such as their annual Fur Ball in the spring. They also receive donations - monetary and in the way of toys, dog food, cat food and cat litter.

They also run a pet crematorium, where the revenue helps fund the humane society.

NHHS is run by a board of directors, Cliame noted.

The employees

Cliame said her love of animals prompted her to go to a meeting in 1987 when they were looking at organizing a humane society. She has been involved ever since.

Deb Coronado has been working part time at New Hope for about 3.5 years. She said, "After retiring from teaching, I faced a new chapter in my life-journey and it led me to New Hope. I guess the good Lord wanted to teach me more about life, like serving for others and the selflessness of taking care of abandoned animals."

She added, "There is not a better job in the world than to open the door and see the excitement in the animals' faces that I am there to love them and clean up after them."

Pat Conner has worked for the past year. She said she came to New Hope out of a love for animals. "I was looking for a part-time job and thought this would be rewarding," she said, adding that it has definitely been rewarding. "It's done my heart a lot of good to know I've been able to take care of the unwanted and unloved animals because of the neglect of others to not spay and neuter."

Val Busch started as a volunteer walking dogs after she retired from the flower shop in Worland. In January she was hired as a part-time employee.

"I love animals. People ask how I can work here knowing the outcomes are not always good, but I do it because sometimes the outcomes are great," Busch said, noting the employees are always happy when a dog or cat they have cared for finds what is hoped to be a "forever home."

Ronnie's story above is similar to why many animals end up at the shelter, but others have a more common story - a pet owner dies with no one to take care of it; a family is moving and unable to take the pet with them; a couple breaks up and the pet goes to the shelter.

Conner and Cliame said a lot of animals, especially litters of kittens, come because pet owners fail to get their animals spayed or neutered. The animals at New Hope are not adopted until they have been spayed and neutered.

Cliame encourages every pet owner to spay or neuter their animals.

Coronado said another reason they end up with animals is because "people don't make a lifetime commitment to the animal." She said people should make sure their animals can go with them if they have to move.

Conner added, "People don't realize when you take in an animal, you are taking them for a lifetime."

Puppies and kittens also grow up and can become too much to handle for some people," Coronado said, adding that people need to consider that before getting a puppy or kitten.

While the humane society gives dogs, cats and even the occasional pet rabbit, shelter, food and love, they don't go pick up animals. Animals must be brought to the humane society.

Cliame said they are also not the Worland Animal Pound, but have housed animals if the pound is full, she said.

Cliame describes New Hope as a "second chance for animals to find new life - a better life than they had before." She said one of the best examples of that is Ronnie. She said he has come a long way from the condition that he was brought in, but noted for Ronnie, New Hope was the only place they could have brought him.

"Everything we do is to give them another chance," she said.

While the shelter is usually near full capacity, Cliame said they have no timeline on how long they will keep an animal, but they do have to make judgements on whether they believe the animal can be adopted.

Animals can be brought to the humane society during regular business hours. They are open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.

If someone has to there are crates left out for after regular business hours but Cliame said it's better if they can be brought in during business hours to ensure the animals are not left out in extreme heat or extreme cold.