JULIE BAUER Greater Hillsdale Humane Society

by Elyse Apel

Always Ways to Help

Since 1974, the Greater Hillsdale Humane Society has made it its mission to serve the community by ensuring the welfare and protection of local animals. Julie Bauer is the president of the board of directors at the Humane Society and has been involved there for over a decade.

“I was the owner of Udder Side in Jonesville and became involved through the business because we were asked to sponsor an event,” Julie explains. “After many years of trying to help in any way I could, they asked me to be on the board.”

The Humane Society, which is located in Osseo, receives zero financial support from local or state government, instead solely relying on the local community and donors for support. While Julie says that has been a struggle at times, she is excited about the steps the shelter has been able to take in the past few years to better serve local animals.

“A big win was that we were fortunate enough to be part of a few estates,” Julie says. “Due to that funding, we were able to completely gut the shelter and remodel the building in 2022, which was a really big deal, especially because we don't get any government funding.”

Sources of the shelter’s funding is also the biggest misconception many have about the shelter, Julie says.

“We are constantly trying to get the word out there that we are not funded by any entity,” she explains. “A lot of people think their tax dollars go to fund the shelter, but they actually don’t. So, that is an ongoing obstacle. We are always looking for any way the community can support the shelter.”

Something that helps with sharing about that is the community outreach opportunities the shelter is given. Most recently, Julie was asked to serve as the Grand Marshall at the Hillsdale Christmas Parade for her involvement as director in the Humane Society.

Currently, the shelter has room for 60 cats, 17 dogs, and six puppies. They are almost always at capacity.

“It fluctuates every day. We try to keep a cage or two open for an emergency situation,” Julie says. “We like to have people fill out a surrender form on our website so that we can prepare for the vacancy of a kennel and so that we can take an animal in.”

The surrender form, which is available at www. greaterhillsdalehumanesociety.org, also helps the shelter know if they can even take the animal in.

“We often can’t just take in an animal if somebody shows up at our door or brings in an animal without any notice, because we are generally at capacity,” Julie says.

Julie explains that the overpopulation of pets is the biggest issue the shelter is seeing throughout Hillsdale County.

“The biggest need I see is for spaying and neutering of cats. The cat population is really out of control,” she says. “So, that's why we're trying to participate in spay and neuter clinics. We’ve done that a few times, just gradually trying to address the issue.”

Julie says another misconception is also that the Humane Society has a veterinarian on staff.

“We take all the animals at the shelter to the vet, and so we have a vet bill. It's always a financial struggle, and even though we get really good discounts, we still have to pay for the animals,” she explains. “So, there’s always a need for more financial resources.”

All animals from the shelter must be spayed and neutered, microchipped, and be up-to-date on all their shots before they can be adopted. “That means there is a big expense put into each animal, which is why we have an adoption fee,” Julie says.

While pet adoption and financial gifts are two big ways the community can help the shelter, there are many other opportunities also available.

“We really try to focus on getting the dogs out of the shelter and on a couple walks a day,” Julie says. “So, anyone who can volunteer is always welcome.”

The shelter also recently started a few programs like Happy Hour and a Reading Program to get the community more involved.

“With Happy Hour, you can take a dog out for the day. You can pick a dog up and take him for a dog dish, some ice cream, or even just for a walk outside of the shelter,” Julie explains. “The Reading Program is another way for the community to connect. Through that program, kids can come out here with their parents and just chill with the cats or read to them.”

Julie says that she just wants the community to know that, no matter how much time or resources they have, there are always ways to help.

“A lot of people think that they can’t come out to the shelter because they can't adopt, but they can still help,” she says. “Even if you can just come out for an hour every week and just play with the cats or walk a dog, it's always beneficial to help the animals, even if you can't adopt one.”

For more information about how to volunteer or to see information and photos of the pets currently available for adoption, visit www.greaterhillsdalehumanesociety.org.

The Humane Society’s hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. You can also contact the Humane Society by email at greaterhhs@gmail.com or by phone at (517) 523-2308. The address is 3881 S. Tripp Rd. Osseo, Michigan.

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