This Lights of Hope story by Forsyth Humane Society is that of the unconditional love four dogs provided their owners, James and Christy and their friends John and Meghin! We absolutely LOVE hearing the stories of pets and the people who love them. The families that are build around animal companionship are profoundly important and we are here for it! Please note that each of the following pets are ones that have passed and whos lives are being honored for their unconditional love during our Lights of Hope campaign. We are grateful for all the pets who have impacted the lives of people in our community and do our best to support each and every one! Sadie: We bought Sadie as an 8 week old puppy, and she was our first dog. We lost her this past summer at 16 years old to cancer. Lil B: We got Lil B from a rescue organization called the “Loving Pet Inn”. He was 9 years old when we got him.He was 12 when he passed away Otis: We got Otis from the Guilford County Animal Shelter when he was 8. He was 10 when he passed away Eve: Eve was a friend’s (John & Meghin) dog that recently passed away.. She was 13 years old The 3 that were ours (Sadie, Lil B, Otis) gave my wife and me unconditional love and were our family. Sadie, especially, was a very special dog and was my “heart dog”. She was beautiful, smart, graceful, and unconditionally loyal. Thank you, James and Christy for sharing your story with us and we look forward to seeing the light hung with care in honor of these sweet pups! Learn more about Lights of Hope Prepared by Kristen Williams
Lights of Hope: The Cross Country Non-Lap Cats!
We love hearing stories of the pets people are dedicating lights to during our Lights of Hope campaign this season and the cats who traveled across the country are no exception! While the origins of this story happen prior to digital cameras, it’s where we meet Blue and Mambazo. “After I had lost my cat, Boudicca, a good friend brought me a tiny, frightened kitten that I named Mambazo. Later, a neighbor had to move and left me a very active, very cute young cat called “Blue”. Bazo and Blue got along well and moved with me from California to W-S in 2000. They are gone now, but I enjoyed both of them very much. Mambazo lived to be 16 and Blue, 14.” says Lights of Hope donor, Mary. Mary continues, After Blue and Mambazo came Meow Ming, April and Kato. Not long after, I got a cat named -I don’t know why- “Mouse” as a companion for Kato in 2016. Kato was 13 when he died this year. Mouse is still with me and has been, I think, comparable to a human brat! She and Kato got along fine, but she has never learned to socialize with people and may be the only cat I ever had who will not sit on my lap! Here at Forsyth Humane Society we absolutely love hearing all the stories about the varying personalities and adventures of the animals our community loves. This is just a simple example of a lifetime of love, thank you for sharing, Mary! If you would like to dedicate a light to a special pet in your life to be displayed throughout the month of December, check out our Lights of Hope page! Prepared by Kristen Williams
Forsyth County Pet Food Pantry
Forsyth Humane Society has an incredible pet food pantry that supports the needs of those in our community who find themselves faced with the harsh question of, ‘will I have to surrender my pet if I cannot afford to feed it?’. Unfortunately, we hear this a lot. Perhaps is someone who has lost their job, who has experienced health issues and can no longer work, the situations are abundant and we don’t really ask questions, instead we show up and we support. Why? Because if we, through the help of pet food donations, can not only feed the pets in our care but also the pets in the community, that is one less pet that comes in our doors. That is one less pet that has to be surrendered due to unforeseen circumstances. That is one more person that can eat without giving their human food to their pet. We found through our partnership with Meals on Wheels that often people would feed their meals to their pets and go hungry themselves before letting their pet starve. We partnered with a local scout troop who comes to our pet food pantry, gets food and packages it for Meals on Wheels. The route runners know who has animals and in addition to providing food daily, they provide pet food when needed. Additionally, we have partners who pickup food from us and distribute all over Forsyth County to organizations as seen on the map below: All our Pet Food Pantry Partners support many elements of care in Forsyth County not just of pets but the people who love them. It’s how we practice the Wellness of Companionship, it’s how we lean into the heart of our organization, Compassion. As much as we love pets, we don’t want anymore coming into our shelter so a piece of our work is on keeping pets and families together and reducing the barriers that may be in place forcing peoples hands to surrender the pets that they love. If you or someone you know is in need of pet food, please connect with some of our partners to organize a time to pickup pet food. Written by Kristen Williams
Lights of Hope
Lights of Hope is a visually stimulating display of the 30,000 pets that have been through our care at Forsyth Humane Society since we opened our building at 4881 Country Club Road here in Winston-Salem, NC in 2017. We hear stories all the time about the great impact pets have on the people that love and care for them and wanted a way to share that with the community in a profound way while also celebrating the peace and joy of the holiday season. We ask the community to celebrate with us by dedicating a light to a pet that has impacted their life, be it in memory or in honor of that special companion. Lights are just $10 and a star with the pets name on it will be displayed in the window among the sea of lights representing the animals coming through our care. We hope to see you on December 1 from 5-7pm as we celebrate the wellness of companionship, we celebrate pets and the people who love them in Forsyth County. There will be warm drinks and food and the lights will officially shine bright starting at 6pm. Join us during this celebratory time of peace, gratitude, love and care! More details can be found at forsythhumane.org/lightsofhope where you can also dedicate a light to that special pet in your life! Written by Kristen Williams
The Wellness of Companionship
As we move into a month of gratitude and thanks, we can’t let the wellness of companionship pass us by here at Forsyth Humane Society. Day after day we strive to create conditions where everyone in our community can benefit from the wellness of companionship – What does that mean? What does that look like? Well, it varies. Let’s explore some of the examples of this celebration. The wellness of companionship is the joy of a pet that has come into the care of Forsyth Humane Society, either off the street or turned in by a good Samaritan, and that pet being reunited with their family members after a short period of time. The wellness of companionship is the furry sidekick that is adopted by a senior who comes into Forsyth Humane Society, looking for a pet to provide a little love and care during the varying stages of life as an older adult and becoming a lifelong companion. The wellness of companionship is the dog that is your loyal running partner. Who’s up with you at 5am when your friends said no, to keep you on the move as a way to support your own mental health. The wellness of companionship is the cat that snuggles in your lap and knocks your glasses off the side table after a long day of work but gives that TLC paired with the laugh that you just needed. The wellness of companionship can be found in the families that foster dogs and cats to keep them out of the shelter until they can get adopted. These foster families can share behavior tendencies and give great insight to prospective adopters to make sure it’s a good fit and help reduce the risk of the animal being returned. The wellness of companionship can be found in our community pet food pantry that provides pet food to underserved communities so that they don’t have to give up their pet just to make ends meet. They can still receive that love from a furry friend regardless of their financial situation. The wellness of companionship can be found in the increased awareness of the decrease in the number of people experiencing mental illness in our country thanks in part to having a pet by their side that can ease the stress and anxiety of everyday life for both person and pet. At Forsyth Humane Society, we work diligently across Forsyth County to build awareness and programs that reduce shelter intake and provide for the compassionate care of pets and the people who love them in our community. This is the wellness of companionship and we are here for it! Thank you for your continued support on this journey whether volunteering, fostering, donating or adopting from us. Because of you we are able to continue sharing the wellness of companionship and you are able to receive it! Written by Kristen Williams
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