We recently had the pleasure of receiving a visit from past volunteer, donor, and adopter, Clint Cedillo Labrie. Clint has lived in Winston-Salem for 8 years now. In that time, he and his husband have adopted two cats from Forsyth Humane. Besides taking two pets in to his home, he spoke to us about his involvement with FHS. In addition to adopting, I have volunteered here to work at the cat colony and the cat rooms. And we also give financial donations, as well, because we really believe in the cause of the Forsyth Humane Society. It gives people the option to, my preferred option, to adopt. There are so many great pets here that would just make amazing pets in a forever home. And you’re really giving pets the opportunity to find a home, to find love. So, I think it’s such an important mission here. I know not everyone can adopt a pet, but there’s so many different ways you can give. Whether it’s your time, or whether it’s financially, to really continue to support those who can and want to adopt pets. On the topic of adopting, we’re not going to tell you that Clint has adopted from us and then not talk about pets. Clint told us about their most recent adoption. Initially I didn’t want another cat, but I thought about it and here’s another chance to give a pet a loving home. We’ve had her now about three years, miss Catsy Cline. She was a stray pickup. That being said, this was somebody’s cat, because when she was pulled out of the cage she instantly was in to being petted and definitely a lap cat. She sat on the couch with us, right on top of us. She slept in bed that night with us. I was like, “this is someone’s cat!” It was really great just having that opportunity to find and give a loving home to a lost pet. Even today, I was working from home, and all day she was following me around, as she normally does. The running joke is that if my husband isn’t home (she loves him) “ah, I guess Clint will do.” She’s sitting next to me as I’m working or on my lap as I’m working, but she also likes her alone time. She’s like, “I’m going to go to my room, I’m good. If you need me, you know where I am.” And if you need FHS, you know where to find us, adopting out little lap buddies, like Catsy Cline. If you’re able to help, like Clint, you can donate with this link. There are many ways to give, such as stocks, monthly giving, and so on that you can see here. And if you’re interested in volunteering, click here.
Skip the Line: Four ways you can give to FHS in honor of a friend or loved one
Rising costs and long lines at the store can be stressful to manage around the holidays. Forsyth Humane Society has many ways you can honor a friend or loved one for the holidays right from the comfort of your couch. You get a double benefit from supporting FHS around the holidays: your making a loved one feel special and supporting cats and dogs all by the quick click of a button. And, our prices do not rise!
Baxton’s New Bestie
Kristen and her family have been longtime supporters of Forsyth Humane Society. Kristen gives monthly to FHS and adopted her new bestie, Baxton, in December. Kristen brought Baxton in for a visit to our Country Club location, and our volunteers were thrilled to see him become a pampered pooch. Kristen sat down with Carrie DuPre, our Development Manager to chat about why she is passionate about supporting our organization and shared about finding her new bestie, Baxton. “With monthly donations, not that I can give a ton of money, but every little bit helps.” Kristen also told us about another way she supports our shelter that keeps our pets clean and warm. Kristen said, “I love dropping off, going through my linen closet and dropping off towels and sheets, things of that nature because the resources are so limited. There is not enough money and way too many strays, rescues of cats and dogs.” Kristen is a new empty nester and told us she was only “sort of” looking for a new furbaby. She told us she considered a German Shepard puppy at first, then ultimately decided to adopt a dog from our shelter when she knew we had so many dogs in need of a home. “I was stalking the puppy page on the FHS website, and then a couple of weeks ago I came in and ‘just went to look’ with a leash and collar in my trunk because everyone runs around with a leash and collar in their trunk.” Kristen joked. “I came in, and their were so many great dogs to choose from. It was really overwhelming.” Kristen wished she could have taken them all. “Then I found Baxton, or as I like to say, Baxton found me!” Baxton’s was a perfect match in every way, including matching the fur of the two cats Kristen adopted from FHS in 2019. “It was meant to be for Baxton to come with me.” Kristen said. Baxton and Kristen are challenging you to give monthly to help his friends at the shelter. “Even if it’s only $5 per month, it adds up. If you can give more, give more. In some way, whether it’s volunteering, whether its bringing by linens you don’t use anymore that the humane society can use in caring for the animals, donating food. There are so many different ways you can help the humane society. They are such an integral part, an important part of our community.” Monthly donations are a powerful way to support pets and the people who love them. Sign up today at forsythhumane.org/give-monthly/. Monthly donations of all sizes are consistent, reliable, support our pets can count on you all year round. Monthly gifts can range from $10 to $100 per month and donors who give at least $25 per month are mailed a special gift of FHS swag.
More Marco, Less Polo
Forsyth Humane Society is fortunate to have community members willing to take in strays and bring them to us so we can help them on their way to returning home or finding a new one. And, we are also very fortunate for every community member who adopts or fosters from us. In David Ashe (co-founder of Fiddlin’ Fish) FHS was fortunate to have both. David was kind enough to tell us the story about how he met Marco, and helped him when he was out on the street. It was an unlikely scenario. I had two bartenders out sick, and I was covering a Monday bar shift by myself – not a common occurrence, by any stretch of the imagination. It was a mild day for July, and we had quite a few groups sitting outside, enjoying the beautiful weather. Among them were a couple of ladies, who threw me a bit of a curveball when they closed their tabs. “We have to go, but there’s a little dog who wandered up to us a while ago who has been sitting with us. We thought you ought to know about him.” What am I supposed to do with this stray dog … I’ve never found a stray animal before. My first thought was “What am I supposed to do with this stray dog? I’m bartending solo and I’ve never found a stray animal before.” I went outside to where they were sitting and found a scared, malnourished long-legged black chihuahua sitting in the lap of one of the ladies. He was obviously scared, but ready for someone to help him out. He did not look as though he had been fed regularly in quite a while, so I took him to the brewery’s production facility, where my business partner’s dog had food and water bowls. I filled the bowls, but he was skittish about approaching them. I put a few pieces of kibble on the floor and quickly headed back behind the bar that I had left untended. I checked on him regularly for the next hour until my wife could come help me out. Each time I went back, he had eaten a bit more of the food, but I had to go searching through the brewery for him. Eventually, I started calling out “Marco!” though I never got a “Polo” in response. We decided that our best move was to get him to Forsyth Humane Society. There were pretty clear signs that this little guy had been someone’s pet before he found his way to Trade Street. We decided that our best move was to get him to Forsyth Humane Society. We wanted to be sure that he got a medical check-up and could be checked for an ID chip, in case someone was looking for him. In our short time with him at the brewery, he had quickly decided we were going to be friends, so we asked FHS to please let us know if he went up for adoption. We wanted to be sure that he ended up in a good home. After about a week, we called Forsyth Humane Society to check on him. They said that no one had claimed him and that he would be put up for adoption. As soon as “Chico Bean” (his shelter name) hit the adoption page on the website, we quickly applied to adopt him. When we went to pick him up, it was obvious that he remembered us, acting very comfortable with both of us right away. We didn’t have to think long about what to name him. “Marco” seemed to suit him well and would always remind us of when he came to find us. After a few days, he started putting on some of the weight he had lost, and his real personality started to emerge. He’s just under 10 pounds now that he’s back to his healthy weight, but he is convinced that he is perhaps the biggest dog that has ever existed. He’s sweet, loves to sit in laps and be carried around, sleeps under the covers at the foot of the bed all night (and won’t be convinced to do otherwise), and defends our home diligently against Amazon delivery drivers. A very expressive little dog, Marco surely packs more personality per pound than any dog I have met before. We are so grateful to Forsyth Humane Society for caring for him and so fortunate to have Marco in our lives. It’s hard to imagine our lives without Marco now. It’s been two years since he came to find us at the brewery, but it feels as if he’s been with us forever. We are so grateful to Forsyth Humane Society for caring for him and so fortunate to have Marco in our lives.
The Magic Keeps Me Coming Back
There is magic that happens here at Forsyth Humane Society on a daily basis. It’s always showing up in different ways, but it exists and feels like something special we should talk about, especially as we lean into the magic of the holiday season. Pause to experience joy and magic in different ways this season, and if you need a little help, stop by our Adoption Center at 4881 Country Club Rd and take a look at the 30,000 lights that represent each of the pets that have been through our care since 2017. It’s beautiful and magical – Dedicate a light to a pet you love! From June, one of our volunteers. “After my last cat, Sienna, died, I decided that I was not ready to adopt another pet. Shortly thereafter, FHS opened the Country Club location, which is close to my home and I decided that I might like to volunteer there. I visited one day and was given a tour by a young man whose enthusiasm helped to convince me to give it a try. I knew that I would probably like spending time with the cats and kittens, but had no inkling of how much the experience would come to mean to me. Seeing a potential adopter and an animal connect is like watching love happen. Sometimes it is a gradual warming up; sometimes it is a spark that ignites when a cat reaches out of his kennel to tap a visitor on the shoulder or when a visitor to a cat colony sits down and a cat jumps into his/her lap. It happens in different ways and it is magic, every single time. That magic is what keeps me coming back. I also love getting to know the cats, helping to make them as happy and comfortable as possible during their time at the shelter, while they wait for their “forever” human to find them. My focus is on helping to match potential adopters with the cat that will fit best into their home, making sure that every cat has a cozy box or bed to help them feel safe and comfortable, and helping bonded pairs go to the same home. I love all the cats but am known for my passion for orange male tabbies! I also enjoy writing short profiles for the website about the cats I know best to help spread the word about how special they are. In addition to all this, I enjoy spending time with staff and fellow volunteers, who are like-minded animal lovers who go the extra mile to help homeless cats and dogs find their true destinies.” Thank you so much for your time, the love and care that you give to Forsyth Humane Society and the pets that come through our doors, June. We are grateful for you and your dedication to this work! If you are interested in being a volunteer, our Volunteer Page has all the details on helping us out in the shelter and out at community events!
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