Pawsitively Pawesome: 26th Annual Humane Society of El Paso telethon a big success
Trusting in the generosity of El Pasoans has never failed the Humane Society of El Paso.
Saturday’s telethon, aired on ABC-7, raised $65,707 in just 7 hours — and volunteers were still counting donations after midnight.
The telethon is the largest fundraiser for the organization. The non-profit organization cares for an average of 200 pets a day. It is a no-kill shelter, which means it does not euthanize any healthy animals even when it’s at full capacity.
The facility depends totally on adoption and service fees, fundraising activities and grants for all of the operating expenses, and most important, donations from you, the community.
The shelter is not affiliated with the City’s Animal Services division, but it does take in about 50% of its animals from Animal Services. This is in an effort to help make El Paso a no-kill city for all animals. Every year, about 4,000 animals come into the shelter and thousands are able to find their forever homes.
When a person adopts an animal from the shelter, they are saving the life of their new pet, along with another life who can then enter the shelter once there’s a vacancy. Adopters need to be at least 18 years old with a valid driver’s license or state issued ID and complete an application and contract during the adoption. Puppies cost $175, kittens and dogs cost $100 and cats cost $75. All adoptions include spay/nueter surgery, microchips and all age appropriate vaccinations.
If you can’t adopt you can still help the shelter. The community has the option to either donate, volunteer, foster pets or be part of the shelter’s Adoption Ambassador program. Minor volunteers ages 16 and 17 need to provide a waiver from a parent, and volunteers ages 8 to 15 need to have a parent or guardian with them at all times.
When someone fosters an animal, the shelter provides food, enrichment and medical care necessary for the animal. You can sign up by clicking on the Humane Society website (needs hyperlink). Fostering an animal can take anywhere from a few days to a few months, it depends on the individual animal you are fostering.
The Adoption Ambassador program is similar to the foster program. By providing a temporary home for an animal but you take an extra step and promote the animal in an effort to find them a permanent home. Fosters can promote the pet among friends, family, co-workers and community networks, as well as sharing on social media, and taking the pet to adoption events throughout the community.
When someone fosters a pet you’re giving another animal a second chance at life. Fostering an animal will free up space in the kennels to take in more homeless pets. No prior experience is needed to either foster or be an adoption ambassador, and it is okay if you have pets at home as long as they are up to date on all of their shots and are friendly.
For more information on how to volunteer, foster or how to become an adoption ambassador you can go to the humane society’s website by clicking here.
