Think about the number 40. Most people look at the age of 40 as the new 20. If you haven’t turned 40 yet, you tend to fear the number. For the Humane Society serving Crawford County, that number is a BIG deal. On Saturday, October 8, the shelter will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary, a milestone for any organization.
While the significance of the anniversary is historic, Victoria Hartschuh, Shelter Director, believes there are other accomplishments that should be celebrated as part of the festivities.
“The biggest accomplishment our shelter has made in the last 40 years is constructing the new building, which was completed in 1997,” Hartschuh said. “The building has afforded us much better accommodations for the animals, and is an inviting environment for our guests who come to visit and adopt.”
The celebration begins at 9:40am and concludes at 3:40pm. Activities planned for the momentous occasion include:
- Reduced adoption prices; $40 per dog adoption, 40% off cat adoptions, $40 spay/neuter certificates
- Tours of the shelter all day with 40 year history reviews
- Soup cooked over an open fire with corn bread will be served, for a donation, from 11:40am to 1:40pm
- Halloween costume dog parade at 12:40pm
- Dog show at 1:40pm
- Dog behavior demonstration at 2:40pm
While the celebration of 40 years of service isn’t lost on the mind of Hartschuh, she’s quick to reflect on other accomplishments of the Humane Society over the past 40 years.
“If I had to guess, I would say that over 30,000 pets have been adopted through the shelter in the past 40 years,” she said.
As for the next 40 years, Hartschuh sees the Humane Society’s role in Crawford County expanding to include raising awareness and educating the community about spay & neuter programs.
“Over the next 40 years, we have to find a way to curb the overpopulation of unwanted pets through spay/neuter programs,” she said. “Pet owners must be made more aware that it is their responsibility to spay and neuter their pets.”
“It is a heartbreak to those of us in the sheltering field to be put in the position to have to deal with the issues of pet overpopulation daily.”
The Bucyrus Area Community Foundation would like to congratulate the Humane Society serving Crawford County on 40 years of service to Bucyrus and Crawford County. As one of the agencies that have their endowment fund with the BACF we hope the growth of the endowment will give them continued success for the next 40 years and beyond.
You can help the Humane Society serving Crawford County continue providing a high level of care and compassion for animals in our community. If you would like to donate directly to the Humane Society, please visit their website and use the online donation link on the home page.
