From Facebook Feeds To Forever Homes

Welcome to Pet Talk, an occasional column about homeless pets and related topics.

Believe it or not, not everyone uses social media these days. (Conversely, social media users often do not bother to read newspapers—which is why Flathead Shelter Friends posts these Pet Talk articles on our website.)

So today we’re going to update our newsprint readers on what our Facebook site has been up to. Please hang on to your hats—and have some Kleenex handy in case your eyes get watery!

Foster waiting for his forever home.

Below are several posts from just one week between late March and early April:

“We want to remind everyone that this SWEET guy is still waiting for his forever home. While every dog deserves a great home where they will be loved, Foster especially deserves that home—he has been here since October . . . besides being a staff and volunteer favorite, [long resident] dogs like Foster are more likely to get passed over time after time through no fault of their own . . .”

But lo and behold, on the next day: “It's true!!!! Foster found his people and was adopted!! Fairly sure no one was more excited than Foster, which is pretty evident in his "I'm going home today" photo, before he headed out with his new people.”

Cricket posing for the camera.

And here’s another recent post: “Hello Hello Hello - I'm Cricket! . . . Looking for a little more joy in your life? Then look no further, I am your girl! . . . Given my super cute looks and fun personality, I'd say I'm a mix of Black Lab with some hound. . . I love love love to play ball and would especially like to go out on walks, hikes, cross-country skiing and other fun adventures with you. Think of the fun we could have. By the way, I also love going for car rides and getting treats at the local drive thru! . . .”

Hooray!! Miss Shabaka was adopted shortly after this post!

And here’s another one:

“This stunningly beautiful gal ‘Shabaka’ [a Great Pyrenees mix] may be one of the sweetest souls on the planet. And we would love to get her out of the shelter as soon as possible. But she will need a very understanding person as she is VERY stressed. She was in a foster home while having her 11 babies (who have since been adopted). She stayed there through the entire weaning process, then transferred to the shelter. But she's not yet adjusted to all the new changes in her life and the [often noisy shelter] just adds to her stress. . . Shabaka is sweet but pretty needy right now, so please, she needs a great family to love her!”

Today we’ve given you just a brief taste of daily shelter life. And to give you an idea of the gravity of the homeless pet problem, let’s close with some representative statistics.

So how busy has your county animal shelter been? Here are some revealing numbers from March alone. After starting the month with 48 dogs, the shelter then took in 57 more! As for cats: the shelter started the month with 12, then took in 26 more!

As you can see, pet homelessness is a very serious issue these days, so please support all of our local shelters in any way that you can.

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So if you’re seeking one or more loving companions please schedule a meet-and-greet by phoning Flathead County Animal Shelter at (406) 752-1310.

And did you know about the low adoption fees and other incentives at Flathead County Animal Shelter? For example, Flathead Shelter Friends offers a Senior Pet Voucher, which pays up to $350 toward veterinary care for 7+ year-old adopted pets. For more information please contact Flathead County Animal Shelter at 406-752-1310 or visit https://flatheadcounty.gov/department-directory/animal.

Pet Talk is produced by Flathead Shelter Friends Inc., an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For more information visit www.flatheadshelterfriends.org.

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