Make a difference.
It’s just three simple words, and by doing it you can save a life. Come out and support the Alachua County Humane Society at the Greater Gator Beerfest on Saturday, October 18th from 1–5pm. Proceeds will benefit the Alachua County Humane Society, and it includes all your favorite things: animals, unlimited beer and Gator fans! This extraordinary tailgating experience will prove to be as fun as it is valuable, and it’s an event that you won’t want to miss.
Kirk Eppenstein from the Alachua County Humane Society gives us some insight on how the association works, ways students can get involved for school credit and how to adopt in this CT Exclusive. If you’ve had a lifelong passion of becoming a veterinarian, have a secret obsession for animals or just need some volunteer hours, Kirk has all the inside information.
Attending the Beerfest and adopting a pet aren’t the only ways to get involved. You can become a Humane Society member online, donate household items, volunteer, intern and even become a pet sponsor.
Campus Talk: Give us a little background info on the Humane Society.
Kirk Eppenstein: The Humane Society has been around Alachua County for over 35 years. We are a no-kill shelter or guaranteed adoption shelter, meaning that once we take an animal into the shelter, we keep the animal until it finds a permanent home. We don’t euthanize any healthy animals. Last year, we rescued over 1,200 animals. That’s more than any other pet-rescue organization, and we consistently do that. We don’t receive any money from tax funding or public funding. All of our money comes through foundation grants, individual donors and fundraisers.
CT: What programs does the Humane Society offer?
KE: Our primary goal is to rescue abandoned or unwanted companion animals. We adopt out cats, dogs and horses. There are several programs that you can find online or by calling us. We also have low-cost spay and neuter vouchers, which, of course, we’re always advocating spaying or neutering your pets in one way or another.
CT: Tell me a little bit about your short-term foster care program. Is it only for dogs and cats?
KE: Primarily we do dogs and cats. A lot of times the foster homes turn into permanent homes. For instance, right now we’re in the middle of kitten season. We have a lot of great families that take in litters of kittens that have to be fed every couple of hours because they’re so small. These people take an entire litter and nurse them until they’re weaned.
CT: Do many college students adopt from the Humane Society?
KE: Some do. It presents a unique challenge for college students because most of them are renting and they have to deal with landlord issues, pet deposits and time issues. Being a student requires a great deal of time. We do adopt to students, but we want to be sure that the landlord is okay with the pet adoption and that the student understands the cost and the time requirements associated with having a pet.
CT: Are there any events coming up that students can get involved in?
KE: I think the students may be intoned with the Greater Gator Beerfest that will be going on October 18 from 1–5pm. They need to keep in mind that if they go to that event, a part of the proceeds will benefit the Humane Society, so that’s a good event for them to support. They can go out, have a good time and at the same time support the Humane Society.
CT: Does the Humane Society or thrift store accept interns for school credit?
KE: Absolutely! All the time! Basically, if you can fog a mirror, we can find a job for you. People often think it’s cleaning the cages, walking the dogs and petting the cats, but there’s a multitude of things to do. We always need people to do some computer work for us, answer phones and work on gardening and painting. Organizations or groups that want a good community service project, we certainly qualify in that realm.
CT: Why do you think students should adopt from the Humane Society?
KE: Anyone can go out and buy a purebred dog or a dog from a breeder. A lot of the animals at the Humane Society have had very rough beginnings. They come to us with sores, with parasites, having been abused, neglected, mistreated in general. We take animals off of death row at the shelter where they have to euthanize animals. If somebody comes and takes one of these animals, I think the animal is aware of just how lucky they are to be rescued, in that sense.
For more information on the Alachua County Humane Society and how to get involved, go to www.alachuahumane.org or call (352) 373-5855.
