PUPPY BATH TIME — Jefferson County Humane Society development manager Brandi DeNoon-Damewood, left, and animal care specialist Vivian Kukuk, gave puppies Vivian and Kallias a bath. -- Contributed

WINTERSVILLE — A new year means new goals for those at the Jefferson County Humane Society. Those who run the local shelter are taking a look back at 2024 and looking ahead to 2025.

Development Manager Brandi DeNoon-Damewood explained last year, the humane society had a total of 527 animals that were fostered, taken in by area residents for a temporary amount of time.

Why is that important? Because those are 527 animals the humane society was able to rescue in addition to the ones that are housed at the shelter.

“We are limited by space at the shelter,” DeNoon-Damewood stated. “When there’s no room left at the shelter, we are still able to continue rescuing because of our fosters. This is just one example of the ways we are able to safeguard animals and maintain a no-kill system.”

She conveyed it is the fosters who provide the love, but it is the shelter that provides every single thing that is needed to temporarily care for these homeless animals.

“We cover all of the medical care, the vaccines, preventatives, food, treats, toys … absolutely everything,” she said. “Last year, we added new policies to make our foster program better than ever. We are able to save more lives each year because of the kindhearted foster folks who open their homes to help an animal in need.”

Animals that require a lengthy stay in the humane society’s care, such as puppies, kittens, sick animals or those rehabilitating after suffering cruelty at the hands of a previous owner, do not have to be “stuck” in a shelter kennel for months at a time.

“Instead, they are able to recuperate in a loving, safe environment, while receiving optimal veterinary care through our clinic,” DeNoon-Damewood stated. “Personally, I foster at least 10 different animals each year. I often get the statement ‘I could never do that because it would break my heart when it was time to find them their forever homes.’ Even though it is very difficult, I keep reminding myself that fostering isn’t about me — it’s about doing everything I can to give this beautiful friend a new beginning to a loving, healthy life. If I adopted them, I wouldn’t be able to help the next one in need. This way I can make a lasting impact on many animals, instead of just one.”

In 2024, the humane society had the most puppies in its history.

DeNoon-Damewood explained puppies require a lot of work. They need to have socialization, be cleaned, kept healthy.

“Puppies are able to get that one-on-one companionship when they are in a foster home,” she said. “Of course, we do everything possible to provide one-on-one time with every shelter pet, but there are only so many hours in a day and so many animals in need of our attention. Fostering literally saves lives.”

She noted even people who work all day can provide a loving home to foster a pet because the alternative is homelessness.

March is the beginning of kitten season, employees at the shelter said. The kitten season runs until the late fall. This is the time when mother cats become “baby factories,” DeNoon-Damewood recalled, having back-to-back litters.

“I say baby factories because cats are pregnant for only two months,” she said. “They give birth to six babies and then four weeks later, get pregnant again, while still nursing that first litter. As soon as the kittens are weaned, the mother gives birth to the next litter. And the cycle continues. The first litter turns four months old, and guess what? They start having their own babies. That is why it is so important to stop the cycle with spay/neuter, because shelters across the U.S. simply can’t keep up with the huge population of unwanted cats. During kitten season, we quickly fill every kennel with mamas and babies. They remain in our care until the babies are weaned, are at least eight weeks old, weigh at least 2 pounds, are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, UTD on preventatives and are cleared for adoption by our veterinary clinic team.”

DeNoon-Damewood stated the kittens have to reside in kennels during that time, having limited interaction with other cats in order to keep them safe from deadly communicable diseases.

“It is much better for the little family to flourish in a foster home,” she stated.

DeNoon-Damewood sadly recalls the recent rescue of a dog named Bojangles, who suffered from a horrific situation.

“Out of all my years of rescue, I have seen numerous embedded collars, but none of those even come close to how awful this was,” she remembered. “This darling endured his three years of life in pain, captivity and terror. Bojangles is just a small 15 pound dog that was tethered outside with a heavy chain wrapped around his neck. Over time, the weight of this heavy chain on his tiny neck caused it to push further and further into his skin, until it broke the flesh open and slowly. Day after day it embedded deeper and deeper. This chain was completely intertwined with his flesh underneath his skin.

“Our agent had to bring him with the chain to have it surgically removed and to finally free him from what held him captive for way too long. It caused his flesh to ooze all over his little body. Every time he moved his head, or even if the chain was softly touched, he winced in pain. This isn’t something that happens overnight. This took a long time to get this bad. So much of his flesh had to be removed because it had grown all through the links, leaving him with surgical drains and massive amounts of staples and stitches approximately 6 inches long and incredibly deep. After tons of procedures, cleanings, pain management medication and antibiotics, he is finally doing better.”

“At first, he didn’t seem to understand that he was now free,” she continued. “He still wouldn’t move around much … not moving his head and very slowly taking tiny steps. He was conditioned to think that movement meant pain. I can only speculate that flies and maggots had to have covered his body throughout the summer. His entire neck would have been covered and he wouldn’t have had any way to get them off. This breaks my heart to think of what he went through every moment of his little life, just dreaming of a life without this.

“Without this torture. Bojangles is loving his freedom from the chain while he learns that not all humans are bad. Just last month, days before Christmas, he could only dream of snuggling on a cozy couch with someone who cared about him. He must have really wanted that for years because as soon as his foster brought him inside, he immediately went to couch where he fell asleep next to them.”

“There’s a quote that pops into my mind from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” she cited, saying, “‘Don’t forget about what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he ever wanted …. he lived happily ever after.'”

This case is pending prosecution.

The humane society is doing everything possible to seek justice for Bojangles.

“We live in an amazing community that has come together to raise funding to help cover some of the costs of his medical care and his cruelty case,” she announced. “Truly, we are eternally grateful. His story and his progress update can be found on our Facebook page, along with the post accepting donations.”

Sadly, animal cruelty lies within the community.

“It is hard to fathom that our neighbors can be capable of cruelty behind closed doors,” DeNoon-Damewood said. “It is so important to report anything that doesn’t seem right. We investigate every call and out of every eight calls, we find neglect, medical neglect, abandonment, physical abuse, cruelty and abuse.

“Keep in mind that we can only uphold the laws that are in place, but we would much rather have a call to investigate that checks out to be OK, than to not get a call and an animal remains suffering in silence at the hands of the abuser. If you are unsure whether or not you should call, call. Always call.”

A majority of dogs and cats that come in to the humane society as strays are not microchipped. They do not have any tags. As a result, they are never reunited with their owners.

This year, the shelter will have your pet microchipped while you update your dog license.

“As soon as a stray comes into the shelter, they are scanned for a microchip,” DeNoon-Damewood said. “Within minutes, we are able to notify the owner that we have their darling pet at the shelter. If your pet is already microchipped, it’s a good idea to have it scanned once a year to make sure it brings up your correct information. Make sure you always register the microchip and keep your information up-to-date on the microchip website. We can help you get this done correctly.”

Microchips can be placed anytime at the shelter or call the clinic for an appointment.

She noted this is the best time of year to schedule a pet’s annual wellness exam.

“Our pets are great at hiding their illnesses from their owners,” she commented. “Then when symptoms start showing, it’s too late to fully recover. Your vet can pick up on subtle changes from your pet’s last wellness exam, which can prompt necessary testing to catch illnesses in the early stages. JCHS has a full veterinary clinic that not only treats all of the shelter animals, but also offers affordable veterinary care for all. Your support helps continue the shelter’s medical program, which helps every shelter darling receive optimal, full veterinary care.”

In 2024, there was “an incredible 1,065 adoptions.” There were 233 animals that were reunited after being lost as a stray.

“I am still in awe of how far we have come, together,” she continued. “I don’t know if you remember the old dog pound before we got this beautiful building and our partnership with the county to manage the animal shelter, but with our community’s help, and a whole bunch of blood sweat and tears, we have been able to turn a high-kill dog pound that had approximately 75 percent euthanasia rate, into a no-kill animal rescue with a less-than three percent rate.”

“That is no easy feat, but we continue this while building new programs to accommodate the changing needs of the animals and people in our community. Of course, we have hiccups along the way, but we truly care and are committed to doing what is necessary to continue our mission. Our mission is to improve the lives of animals, alleviate their suffering and elevate their status in society. We safeguard, rescue, shelter, heal, adopt and advocate for animals in need, while inspiring community action and compassion on their behalf.”

The shelter has partnered with Wintersville Fire and Rescue for a drawing in which the department is giving away a Polaris 1000 side-by-side UTV. All of the proceeds raised through ticket sales, to total $15,000 if 1,000 tickets are sold, will go to the humane society so they can continue their mission.

“I am so grateful for their beautiful act of kindness and generosity,” DeNoon-Damewood concluded. “They are also in need of additional funding, so this means a lot for them to do this for us. Together, we truly are making a difference.”

PUPPY PLAY TIME — Puppies Vivian and Kallias are in need of adoption or fostering, as they are residents of the Jefferson County Humane Society. Puppies get to spend time in the ball pit so to enjoy a fun activity during the winter. Animal care specialists joined development manager Brandi DeNoon-Damewood in helping to care for the dogs. Joining the fun were, from left, Anthony Desany, DeNoon-Damewood, Yvonne Kukul and Cassidy Cunningham.
— Contributed