16 minute read
Local Pet Shelters
Central Dakota Humane Society
STORY BY MARIA FLECK | PHOTOS BY NEWAGE CREATIVE
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SUE BUCHHOLZ, DIRECTOR
The Central Dakota Humane Society, or the CDHS, is a non-profit, no-kill shelter located 3 miles north of Mandan. While the organization has been around for much longer, the shelter has been around since 1994. Sue Buchholz was hired as the shelter manager, the shelter’s first employee, and never left. “I’ve been crazy about animals my whole life,” explains Sue, “and this just fell into my lap. It’s just really been a dream come true for me to work with these guys and to take them in.” At the time, the Humane Society was the only rescue around with the Bismarck impound being the only other option.
CDHS is no longer the only shelter in town, but their work is just as important as ever. “Even though there are more organizations now than ever helping animals, we’re all just calling each other constantly, asking do you have any room,” Sue describes. “It’s terrible how many animals are in need, so the more people helping animals the better.” All the organizations are passionate and work together to create a larger safety net for the area's animals in need. “We’d like to be able to help even more animals and people than we currently can,” says Sue.
For Sue, the best part of her job is being able to interact with the animals who come through their doors, and this is what has fueled her passion for animals throughout the 28 years she has spent at CDHS. “It’s very rewarding to be able to take these guys, heal them up, and get them ready for homes,” she says.
SUE BUCHHOLZ DIRECTOR, CDHS
MICHELLE & MIKE GAYETTE VOLUNTEERS, CDHS
MICHELLE AND MIKE GAYETTE, VOLUNTEERS
Michelle and Mike Gayette have been volunteering at the Central Dakota Humane Society for seven years. Michelle and her daughter first started by taking a dog walking class before they started volunteering. “She wanted something for us to do together, the two of us, Mom and daughter, so we started out together, then we roped [Mike] in,” describes Michelle. Fast forward seven years, and Mike and Michelle are still coming to the CDHS every weekend to help care for animals in need.
The Gayettes do a variety of different tasks, but Mike and Michelle have different loves. Mike is a cat person and enjoys spending his time with the cats, playing with the kittens and just being with the older cats. Michelle, on the other hand, is a dog person who loves playing with the dogs and taking them on walks. However, both Michelle and Mike help wherever they’re needed at the time. “There’s a lot of need in the community for helping abandoned animals or animals that people can’t care for anymore,” says Mike.
The work at the CDHS is not always easy, but it is rewarding. “I do it because I think it’s my role as a volunteer to love on the animals and get them ready for their home,” explains Michelle. “So I get to love on them and then send them on their way to be a better animal to the people they get to go live with.”
CENTRAL DAKOTA HUMANE SOCIETY
The Central Dakota Humane Society has come a long way since 1994. The organization has grown from one employee to twenty. The facilities themselves have changed and grown. Before CDHS bought the property, the existing structures were used for boarding animals. This meant many of these buildings were made of wood which can only house healthy animals as it is not an easy material to sanitize. In order to better serve the animals they were bringing in, the CDHS needed to retrofit many of the existing structures, as well as build new ones. A new dog facility was built in 2000 and the current main office building was built three years ago. And the growth won’t end there. A new dog facility is currently in the works, and Sue says they hope to break ground within a year.
The need for growth is apparent, as the facility is constantly at its maximum capacity. The average amount of animals at the CDHS is 125 animals, usually composed of around 75 cats and 45 dog which is the maximum number they feel they can provide quality care for. The CDHS also has about 20 animals in foster care for animals that need around the clock care or are in need of socializing.
One of the reasons the CDHS’s work is so important is because they fill an important gap in county services. North Dakota counties don’t have their own animal control, so non-profits like the CDHS are required to care for these animals who would otherwise remain homeless. This is why supporting the CDHS through donations or volunteering is so important.
Another way people can aid the CDHS’ work is simply by being responsible pet owners. First and foremost, always make sure you spay or neuter your pet. If you need financial help in this area, the CDHS offers $50 off coupons that work at participating veterinarian clinics around the region. Another important part of pet ownership is recognizing the large responsibility pets are before adopting an animal, and be sure to give you and your new animal plenty of time to adjust when you first adopt. Responsible pet ownership makes an immense difference.
“Until people spay and neuter their animals, and they give commitment to their animals for a lifetime, we’re drowning. We’re talking two dozen calls a day easy to take in animals,” describes Sue. This is one reason the adoption process for an animal takes a little longer. “We want to make a good match so the animal isn’t displaced again,” explains Sue
If you are interested in supporting the CDHS financially or want to volunteer like the Gayettes, visit the organization’s website at https://cdhs.net/
Adoptable Pets
ROSE • NAMED AFTER THE GOLDEN GIRLS, ALONG WITH
HER THREE SISTERS, BLANCHE, SOPHIA, AND
DOROTHY • SHEPHERD/HEELER MIX • AVAILABLE TO BE ADOPTED • BORN FEBRUARY 2021 • HAPPY AND FRIENDLY
Adoptable Pets
KAT • SHORT HAIR CAT • BORN JUNE 2021 • LAP CAT • HAS BROTHER DIBS WHO CAN BE ADOPTED WITH HER FOR
PRICE OF ONE (RECOMMENDED FOR COMPANIONSHIP)
Adoptable Pets
WANDA • BORN MARCH 2020 • RECENT MOTHER, ALL HER PUPPIES
AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION AS WELL )
MARDI, LETTIE, KINSIE, KEGS, TOGA,
TUPPER, AND RUBIKS • PIT BULL MIX • GOOFY, LOVABLE, AND PLAYFUL
Furry Friends ' Rockin Rescue
STORY BY MARIA FLECK | PHOTOS BY NEWAGE CREATIVE
JULIE SCHIRADO, VOLUNTEER AND BOARD MEMBER
Furry Friends Rockin’ Rescue is a non-profit animal rescue founded by a group of Bismarck Animal Impound Volunteers. Julie Schirado is one of these original volunteers. “We started [Furry Friends] because of being overrun at the impound and a few of us that started the rescue had been out at Central Dakota,” Julie explains. “It got so bad that we were like okay friends, family, relatives, who can we get to take dogs and cats? Pretty soon we just looked at each other and went, enough is enough, let’s start our own 501c3.” From there, the organization has only grown.
Apart from helping start Furry Friends, Julie volunteers at the rescue, sits on its board, and helps with fundraising. As one can imagine, medical bills are the non-profit’s largest expense. Every month, Furry Friends spends $20,000-$25,000 on vet bills. In order to continue caring for the animals in the community, Furry Friends relies on the community for financial support, and Julie is constantly coming up with new ideas to make sure they can continue to care for animals in the area. Julie’s passion for her work comes from seeing the incredible need the area has for animal care. “We always just thought [Central Dakota] handled everything, that they took care of it. It’s amazing how people don’t realize how severe the animal problem is in our state. It’s heartbreaking,” Julie describes. Julie has truly stepped up to do something about the problems she sees in our community.
JULIE SCHIRADO
VOLUNTEER AND BOARD MEMBER, FFRR
SARA HUFT EMPLOYEE, FFRR
SARA HUFT, VOLUNTEER TURNED FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE
Everyone who works at Furry Friends is an unpaid volunteer, except Sara Huft who is the non-profit’s first paid full-time employee. Sara first started volunteering for Central Dakota and then began doing transport for Raise the Woof, a non-profit animal rescue in Dickinson. “Steph at Raise the Woof was like, what are you doing, there’s people in your own community, why are you driving 100 miles to help me,” Sara recalls, laughing. “So she gave me Julie’s contact, and I started volunteering. After the first week I don’t know if I spent more than a day or two away from the building. So when they needed a full-time person, it wasn’t hard for me to quit my day job to do this.”
Sara does it all, from feeding the animals, to giving them medication and baths, to taking the dogs on walks and so much more. “Every day I’m down here usually from 7 to noon, and then I leave for a little bit in the afternoon and come back in the evening so that we can have someone here to do meds and any sort of wound care, all the gross things a lot of the volunteers don’t want to touch, but fascinates me,” Sara explains. The genuine passion and care Sara has for her work is inspirational.
FURRY FRIENDS ROCKIN’ RESCUE
While Furry Friends Rockin’ Rescue was officially founded in 2015, the organization has been around since 2013, and they began pulling animals and placing them in their facility in 2014. The need for the organization is apparent. At any given time, Furry Friends has placed in foster homes around 130-140 cats, 30-35 dogs, along with a small amount of rabbits, birds, and reptiles.
Furry Friends works with other shelters and rescues spanning the area from Montana to Wisconsin to create a large safety net for animals in the area. Specifically in North Dakota, Furry Friends works with the Lincoln PD and Bismarck wardens, as well as the Dickinson, Minot, and Fort Yates area. The animals are given medical attention, training for aggressive behavior, plenty of love, and an opportunity to find their forever home. Their main facility houses animals that are on medical hold, are currently unable to be placed in foster care due to medical issues or aggressive behavior, or have simply been unable to find a foster home to care for them.
Volunteers with Furry Friends take on very different roles depending on what they are gifted at. While there is plenty of switching around depending on the current need, there are different teams of two to six people that each do something different for the organization. One team concentrates on trapping, neutering, and releasing. Another team focuses on getting vets into the state to do low-cost spaying and neutering. Some teams take care of applications for foster while others actively look for people to foster, and some like Julie are in charge of
fundraising. Every volunteer, no matter their role within the organization, works tirelessly for the animals in their care.
Furry Friends Rockin’ Rescue has exciting plans for the future. The organization was recently gifted two acres of land that they are hoping to build on. Some of their plans for the new location include a Kitty Café, separate areas for cats and dogs, housing for their mobile vet unit, and an indoor walking path for winters. Julie explains that they have many volunteers come to walk the dogs and having an indoor walking path would increase their ability to get the animals out for walks and keep them active.
If you are looking for a way to get involved and help, the easiest way to do so is by checking out their website at https:// furryfriendsrockinrescue.org/ There you can view animals in need of adoption or foster homes, different opportunities for donations, and volunteer information.
Adoptable Pets
LILY • MIX BREED • BORN AUGUST 2021 • WALKS WELL ON A LEASH • EXCITED ABOUT LIFE AND THE
POSSIBILITY OF ADVENTURE
Kitty City
STORY BY MARIA FLECK | PHOTOS BY NEWAGE CREATIVE
ALISON SMITH, DIRECTOR
Kitty City is a cat rescue that grew out of Alison and Steve Smith’s original rescue, Triple H Miniature Horse Rescue, which the couple started in December 2007. The farm the rescue sits on has been a part of Steve’s family for 100 years before the couple bought it for themselves. “We knew we were going to live here at the time, but I wanted to do something with the property, and we've had horses forever,” Alison explains. “At the time I had recently hurt my back, and I couldn't ride my horse anymore, so I had gotten a miniature horse to pull a buggy, and then I got hooked on miniature horses. My daughter is very into horses so then I said well, let’s just do a horse rescue out here, so we did.” From there, the Smiths kept receiving calls for all kinds of agricultural animals, so they expanded their rescue to include goats, ducks, chickens, and more.
Kitty City, while never part of the original plan, developed after Alison recognized a niche in the community they could help fill. “We kept getting calls for cats, so we thought well is there something more that we need to address that we’re missing? So I took one of my horse paddocks, and we put up the cat fencing, and we started with that for outdoor cats, for FIV positive cats and disabled cats… and it just kind of kept going and going because there’s never ending cat situations,” says Alison. Kitty City was officially founded in 2016.
ALISON SMITH DIRECTOR, KITTY CITY
LAURA SCHMIDT-DOCKTER VOLUNTEER, KITTY CITY
LAURA SCHMIDT-DOCKTER, VOLUNTEER
Volunteers are a critical part of Kitty City’s daily operations. Volunteers help with just about everything, from cleaning litter boxes and puke, to watering plants, to feeding the animals, to just giving the cats love. “There are a lot of opportunities. It isn’t just to come here. If people aren’t comfortable with cats, there’s lots of ways to help,” says Laura Schmidt-Dockter, one of the dedicated volunteers at Kitty City.
Laura Schmidt-Dockter first learned about Kitty City on Facebook. When she came out to volunteer, she fell in love with the work Alison was doing. “This is my sort of thing,” she explains. Now, Laura is out here volunteering several times a week. “I could stay out here for hours and hours. It’s just so fulfilling to me.” Laura says her time at Kitty City has helped her deal with the recent death of her husband. “If I wouldn’t have had this since January, I don’t know what I would’ve done. It’s so therapeutic. And I think everyone feels that way,” explains Laura. The work Laura, the other volunteers, and Alison are doing goes beyond simply helping out cats. “The people are helping the animals out here, but we really feel like the animals are helping the people,” says Alison.
KITTY CITY
The mission of Kitty City is simple. “I think the best way [Alison] ever put it was we take the animals that have nowhere else to go, and that’s true,” says Laura. Kitty City takes in the FIV+ cats and disabled animals who are not adoptable. “We are not really a rescue. We are a sanctuary,” Alison explains. “When the cats and animals come here, they’re going to be lifelong because they need either an extreme amount of care or vetting or they’re animals that everybody has discarded.” By taking in these cats, Kitty City helps create more space at the other shelters and rescues in the area. “It’s kind of a win-win with FIV positive cats because they’re cats that people normally euthanize, and they sit in shelters for years in kennels,” explains Alison. “If we can help the shelters get those FIV positive cats moved out that will open a spot up for them to take in another one that’s adoptable. It helps the shelters, it helps the cats. It’s a win-win.” Kitty City also rescues healthy cats and finds them permanent homes through a partnership with Petco.
Currently, Kitty City is home to about 50 FIV+ and disabled cats. This doesn’t even include the animals staying there through The Triple H Miniature Horse Rescue. In addition to the cats, Alison and her team care for around five or six horses, two ducks, ten goats, two pigs, a steer with a bad hip, and an abundance of chickens.
One of the best aspects of having a kitty sanctuary on a farm is the freedom it offers the cats to roam and play. The disabled cats are separated from the able-bodied cats, but all the cats are allowed to roam in their respective areas
outside in the summer. Kitty City even has tunnels that lead from indoor areas to outdoors so the cats have the freedom to go where they want. In the winter, all the cats are brought indoors.
Kitty City also runs a community pet food pantry. The food pantry is meant for those unable to afford pet food otherwise as a way to hopefully help owners keep their pets and prevent more animal displacement. “The whole point of that is so people can keep their pets at home. If you hit a hard patch and you can’t afford cat food or kitty litter you can go there and get some,” explains Laura. There are three small curbside pantries located around the Bismarck/Mandan area. For more information on their locations, donation information, volunteer information, or more general information, visit their website at https://www. kittycitymandan.org/
Adoptable Pets
GATSBY • SHORTHAIR CAT • FIV+ • LOVES TO SNUGGLE, VERY GENTLE
Adoptable Pets
