To the editor:

In response to the letter to the editor from the “Animal Advocate” group: the primary purpose of the well-run and organized Brown County Humane Society is the care, health and happiness of the animals in our care, to find them good loving homes. My name is Sandy Adams and I have been a volunteer at the BCHS for about eight years, mainly in the dog area. I think as an shelter we have done an excellent job in achieving our purpose. I see many animals come in. very fearful, but soon feel safe with us and become calm and very loving animals.

In the last five years we have saved and rehomed 2,242 dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens. We have also done our best to reunite lost pets with their owners. It is always a great help to have your pet tagged and chipped, so it can easily be united with its family. As in the case of Elvis the cat, if the owner had chipped or had a collar with a id tag on Elvis it could have been so simple to reunite.

After reading the letter from the Animal Advocates, I have a few comments:

Transparency: What does this mean? To me it has become a catch-all word politicians use when they don’t want to get caught saying anything too concrete. Transparent means free of deceit or pretense. I see no guile at the shelter.

Care of the animals: This statement I take great offense at. It insinuates we have not done a good job. All of our animals are vet checked, kept up to date on vaccinations. We need to keep new animals apart from other animals, that is why you may see sign of “do not enter” or “keep out,” because we have to be very careful to not spread something through the whole shelter. We see some really sad cases of starvation, matted fur, rashes and wounds, open sores, heartworm, and often very frightened and abused animals. In a matter of weeks all of our animals are healthier and feel safe with us. As a volunteer 2-3 hours, 6 days a week, I help walk dogs, clean kennels, pick up poop, laundry, we document all meds, food, water, walks and body functions three times a day. We spend time playing with our dogs and and working on manners. When kittens come in orphaned or the mother cannot feed them, our wonderful volunteers take them home and bottle feed them every hour 24-7 until they are healthy and strong enough to return to the shelter. Now that is dedication.

Financial: This is always a concern with any non-profit organization. I believe we have the solid backing of many very generous people in our community and the whole Brown County area. I sincerely hope with our dedication to caring for and helping the animals, that the people of Brown County see us as a positive and valuable resource for the good of the Brown County area. As far as the supporter who changed his will, these things happen, we cannot count on these kind of bequests because a lot of times these do not happen, and we need a more ongoing funding plan.

Public Relations: Of course, the classified ads need to be current, sometimes there is a lag time between our notifying The Journal and the removal of the ad through no one’s fault. BCHS maintains a good working relationship with the animal control officers. We have heard nothing negative from these officers. We have all our pets on Facebook and our web site, and keep the public aware of up coming events on our web site. It seems redundant to also publish a news letter, with the cost of paper, ink and mailings.

The BCHS board is doing a great job of adhering to the bylaws and working to solve the issues and concerns of an organization like ours, they work as a well-functioning team, I really respect that in a Board. Thank you so much. You have made the BCHS a respected, well-run shelter.

When I first started at the shelter in the fall of 2009, I did see discord among the board and some volunteers, but all those volunteers have moved on to other things. Some of the items mentioned in this letter from the Advocates happen years ago, I think it’s time to move on from this fault finding, and accept the humanness of us all. Disagreements need to be dealt with in a fair and open-minded way, by confronting the issue, instead of gossiping, bad-mouthing, and getting others worked up. It seems so sad when grudges are held and fed upon, it hurts everyone, and is a very unproductive way to spend your life.

My feelings on the Advocate group is a question of motive. Is this the best way to be of service to the animals that we all care so deeply about? Or is this”let’s get back at -? Please take the time to consider if your actions are hurting or helping the care of our beloved animals.

Thank you for your support of the Brown County Humane Society- keep us in your hearts!

A proud volunteer of the BCHS

Sandra Adams

New Ulm