The Moose Jaw & District Humane Society expressed their gratitude to the community for all the help on Friday, Nov. 8, with the 12th annual Paws for Pledges radiothon surpassing its goal to raise a total of $106,789 to support the non-profit's work in the city and surrounding area.
Dana Haukaas, the Humane Society’s executive director, said the radiothon was busier than ever.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had this much traffic come through the shelter for a radiothon, so we’re super grateful for everybody who took time out of their day to pop by and say hi, make a donation, cuddle some cats, take a dog for a walk. It’s been a great day,” Haukaas told Country 100’s Courtney Fielder as the radiothon drew to a close.
The Moose Jaw Humane Society is busy all year round — in 2023, they facilitated the adoptions of 537 animals, as well as returning hundreds of lost pets to their families, totaling over 1,000 animals helped last year.
They treat the animals they bring in for any acute conditions, with local clinics often going above and beyond to care for animals who otherwise might have to be euthanized. And, of course, they have a very active spay and neuter program and require all their adoptions to be spayed and neutered.
Despite those efforts, the Humane Society is often overwhelmed with newborn kittens and stray cats, resulting in regular intake freezes. They rely heavily on the generosity of volunteers who take in the excess animals and care for them until space can be found.
Haukaas took the opportunity to thank community members who foster, particularly during cold weather when seeing animals outdoors is much more concerning.
“When the weather gets cold, everybody wants to bring that stray cat in at the same time, and as a shelter that doesn’t euthanize for space, we can’t always help,” Haukaas said. “So, when you see that stray cat, if you are concerned, we want you to give us a call the day you notice them, and then we’ll give you some tips on how to maybe help them get home without having to come to the shelter, or get you a scheduled time to bring them in.
“If you can’t adopt a cat yourself, but you want to help us out, you can foster, because that creates space for us to help another stray cat on the street,” Haukass explained. “We cover all of the expenses. You’ll get a litter box, food, bedding, all the things, and we make sure that they stay on their vaccines shcedule while they’re in foster care with you — we help with all of it.”
Daphne Shatkoski works at the Moose Jaw Animal Clinic and fosters for the Humane Society. She brought her current foster, a kitten recovering from surgery, to visit the Paws for Pledges Radiothon.
“I foster for more of the medical cases,” Shatkoski explained. “Just the ones that need a little bit of care. ... With the weather being nice right now, lots of cats are having kittens later in the season than they normally would, so then we’re having these little tiny kittens out in the world and it’s going to be winter soon.
“So, there’ll be a lot of kittens coming into the shelter in the next coming weeks, so if you want to add a little kitten to your home, there’s lots here. And if you also just want to have one to snuggle for a few days, that helps, too.”
Rachel Fox, the Wing Chief Warrant Officer at 15 Wing Moose Jaw, visited the radiothon to talk about her adoption story.
“When we left Ontario to move here to Saskatchewan, we had lost our older cat, unfortunately, and our other cat needed a friend,” she said. “We came to the shelter actually about a week before we moved into our house. ... There was this cat in a cage next to the main door, and we said, ‘Well, who is that?’ And they said, ‘This is Forrest, he’s our greeter cat.’
“We opened the cage and my husband received Forrest into his arms and basically never let go of Forrest after that. ... When an animal doesn’t have a voice, somebody has to be that voice for them, and that’s one of the reasons I champion this cause.”
Learn more about the Moose Jaw Humane Society, and donate to help an animal in need, at mjhs.ca.
