Highland County Humane Society has reorganized

0

The Highland County Humane Society has a new board, board president and shelter director.

At its annual meeting this week Humane Society elected Jenn Thomas as board president, Misty Carter as a board member and Richelle Fair as the new shelter director.

Thomas and Carter join Sarah Roe (board treasurer) and Pam Eccard (board secretary) on the board.

“All share their investment not only in the mission of the Humane Society, but the Highland County community as well,” the Humane Society said in a news release.

Thomas replaces outgoing president Penny Miller, who served the shelter for the past year. Former vice president Chris Theofilos did not accept renomination for 2023.

Thomas brings seven years of experience in animal shelter management to her new position. She is currently the executive director for the Ross County Humane Society and prior to that spent 10 years working the finance and insurance industry.

The news release said Thomas’ years of sheltering and fundraising at the Ross County Humane Society will be put to good use.

“I have been able to accomplish so much with the help of my current board, my staff and the local community, and I look forward to building those relationships in Highland County with this board and shelter director Fair to provide a safe haven for displaced animals in Highland County, and help the community members with pets who may be in need,” Thomas said.

Fair and Thomas are reuniting. Fair has 10 years of animal welfare experience, spanning three different humane societies. She recently spent four years working with Thomas at the Ross County Humane Society.

“I was very sad to see her go, because she was instrumental in getting us to where we are now, but I know that she was needed more at Highland County and she is going to do great things there,” Thomas said. “I’m proud to once again be serving a community with her.”

Fair is also a professional dog trainer, owns a dog boarding facility and looks for to utilizing her skills, knowledge and previous experience to help the Highland County Humane Society reach its full potential.

Firstly, Fair and Thomas are looking to the most immediate need of the shelter — raising funds to help with its operating costs. In addition, there are plans to offer low cost spay/neuter clinics to the public through the Rascal Mobile Clinic, as well as partnering with other shelters and rescue organizations to help more animals.

“The changes Richelle has brought on board is day and night,” said Dr. Michelle Gonzalez-Monska, a veterinarian with the Rascal Unit. “The communication, the cleanliness of the shelter and kennels, staff management, and attentiveness to the animals has increased 100 percent.”

There are also plans for continuing education for the staff in the best sheltering practices, fear free handling and continued implementation of the Highland County Humane Society’s Mommy and Me program in the county. Through the new program, unwanted litters of puppies or kittens are surrendered to the shelter and mother dog or cat is spayed and returned to the owner at no cost to the owner. The puppies and kittens are then vetted and adopted out through the shelter.

There are additionally plans for a community cat spay/neuter program made possible through a bequest in a will from a donor with specifications that the funds be used directly to help cats. The amount of the bequest was $23,000.

The Highland County Humane Society is a non-profit organization that relies solely on adoption fees and donations from its supporters to pursue its mission. Anyone interested in donating should contact the Humane Society directly. It can be reached at 937-393-2110.

It is open to the public from 12-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and is closed during Rascal Clinics.

Information for this story was provided by Sarah Roe, Highland County Humane Society.

No posts to display