Animal Talk/News

I always like to periodically highlight a group of folks that no successful charitable or non-profit organization can do without, it’s volunteers.

You’ve heard me frequently say that we have the largest and overall most committed group of volunteers we’ve ever had since I’ve been a Board member of your Humane Society and that’s been over eleven years.

We’ve always had wonderful volunteers throughout our history, many of them very committed. But never have we had the number nor the willingness to serve in any capacity that we have today. As I was telling someone just yesterday, I’m afraid I’m afraid to pinch myself for fear I’ll wake up and they’ll all be gone.

Do you know we have high school students who come to help do the really necessary but not most pleasant task of cleaning our runs and cages. And fine representatives of their age group don’t come once or twice a week either. Nosiree Bob, they are there every single day! Then there are the family units that often come on the weekends to play with, love and exercise our animals. Often the same people will come weekly.

There are those volunteers who have told us they’ve been hesitant to volunteer because since they don’t know from week to week when they’ll be able to come to the Adoption Center, they figured we probably wouldn’t want them. Absolutely not true! We value all of our volunteers regardless of how little or how often an individual can come to help us. Also, we have volunteers who hesitate to come out because they really just want to love and play with the animals. We tell such folks to please come whenever they want because the socialization and exercise of our animals is one of the most important aspects of guaranteeing friendly, adoptable animals. Anyone with any experience whatsoever with a non-profit totally privately funded organization will tell you that as many volunteers as an organization may have, it can always use more. Truer words have never been spoken. Yes, we are indeed blessed with our volunteers, more so than in our entire history. But we still need more and always will.

If you’d like to become one of our volunteers, we have dozens of animals with wagging tails and soft purrs just waiting for you. To get started, all you have to do is to drop by our Animal Adoption Center at 952 Hal Henard Road and speak to either Amy Bowman, our Manager or her assistant, Wendy Palmer and they’ll be so glad to explain everything to you. Try it and I believe, as have so many others, that you’ll find it one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

Now for some quick thank-you’s. First out of the box is Reeve Hann, 9 year old daughter of Don and Michele Hann who donated all the proceeds from her lemonade stand to our animals. Thanks also to the Chuckey Middle School 4-H Club which, under the guidance of the County 4H Director Milton Orr and Program Assistant Barbara H. Holt, donated so many wonderful gifts to our animals. To both Reeve and the 4-H club, we send out a great big Woof-Meow! God Bless you all!

I am so very happy to note, as The Greeneville Sun reported on Friday, that State Rep. David Hawk, r-5th, of Greeneville has taken “off notice” his proposed legislation to again legalize fox hunting in Greene County pending action on the issue by the Greene County Commission. In a telephone call to me last Saturday evening, David informed me that, after long consideration, he decided that such was the correct decision… He is to be commended, and I’m sure that you all join with me in thinking him for taking this step, even though the ultimate fate of the proposed legislation is not yet settled. For the present at least, depending on what the County Commission does, the bill is not moving forward.

Although a legislator deals with hundred of bill and thousands of proposals, David has also assured me that henceforth, he will make it a point to carefully scrutinize any future legislation that concerns animal welfare. I have told him that I am always available, should he ever wish for any assistance or opinion. I don’t think we could ever as of an elected official any more than that.

We so appreciate all of you who helped out in this effort, whether it was by making a telephone call or writing letters. It only goes to who that by all of us working together, we can effect change. Thank you!

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As I wrote a few weeks ago, we really would love to see the national and award winning Kind News program in all of our grade school classrooms. If you would like to contribute to this effort you can either mail your checks to GCHS, Box 792, Greeneville TN, 37744 or make your donations by credit card via PayPal by going to our Website at www.gchumanesociety.com . Your contributions to this extremely worthwhile educational program are so very important and most greatly appreciated.

I am disheartened to report that the Bill authorizing the legalization of snare traps has been passed by the State Legislature and by an overwhelming margin. All of us who love animals, are deeply indebted to Representative Eddie Yokely for going against the tide and voting his conscience.

On my part, I had understood that any person in Tennessee could set even a snare trap on their own property. I was wrong. Only by the passage of this legislation will it now be legal to set a snare trap on one’s own property or for someone to do so for them. But there is a way that such a law could have been modified to dovetail with the law governing Dyer County.

For those who missed my letter to the editor last week, the law was sponsored by Senator Steve Southerland as a result of complaints his office had received from pet owners whose “cats and poodles” had been killed by coyotes. What I and many others found most interesting was that while it could well have occurred, I have yet to hear of one confirmed report in Greene County that a pet had been killed by a coyote. If the problem is so severe in other parts of Senator Southerland’s district as to warrant such drastic action, how come even if it has happened, it certainly is not a problem here? Why does it not surprise me that the Tennessee Trappers Association was a big sponsor of this bill? Do you suppose someone might profit from setting cable snares? Is it possible that someone’s pet could be caught in such a snare? The short answer is, “yes.”

For the uninformed, snare traps are, as are any other form of leg hold trap, extremely cruel. This is especially true when one learns that the law requires all such traps to be checked only once every 36 hours. Can you imagine even a wild animal such as a coyote (or even a family pet), frightened half to death, trying to free itself from one of these traps for up to 36 hours? What if the animal becomes ensnared around it’s neck? The biggest kicker is just how, with its current manpower levels, will the TWRA ever be able to realistically enforce the 36 hour rule?

Although I’ve heard that the excuse for passing the law was to equalize the situation between East Tennessee and the rest of the state wherein such traps are legal, then why is there an exception for Dyer County? In Dyer county only the landowner themselves can set the cable snare. Now while we’re totally against any form of leg hold trap, I personally say that a on his/her own property, the landowner him or herself has the right to control predators, within of course the confines of the law. As it stands now, with an owners permission, anyone will be able to come onto the property and set snare traps. Could such landowner maybe be convinced by some “interested party” that he/she may have a problem that actually doesn’t really exist but that the “interested party” would be pleased to cure? I don’t know. You tell me? Oh, and finally, there is no effective means yet proven to control the coyote population and isn’t that the stated purpose of the legislation? Hmmm……….

I then said to them, “Alright, before I give you your snack, starting with you Weaver and going down the line according to age, I want to know the one thing you find most annoying.”

Weaver pondered for a moment and then said, “Probably the thing I find most annoying is when after I finish my supper and go to eat Jennifer’s, she won’t let me.

Winston followed with a one word reply, “Felix.”

Oliver then stated, “My biggest annoyance is that Fancy Feast doesn’t put enough gravy into their food. Don’t they know I don’t eat canned food, that I only drink the gravy?”

Jennifer without hesitation announced, “One of these days I’m going to do to Oliver what Jackie Gleason playing Ralph Kramden in the Honeymooners back in the fifties on TV used to always threaten to do to his wife Alice played by Audrey Meadows. That was, ‘One of these days, Alice, one of these days………Bang Zoom………to the Moon!’”

Finally, it came around to Felix’s turn. “I know that Winston is my senior and is old enough to be my father and I do know I have to respect him but gosh darn it, every time he climbs up on the bed, it’s late at night and he steps right on me. Do you all know what a field mouse experiences when an elephant steps on it? Well I certainly do!”

I then said to them, “Well, at least we all know what annoys the each of us. But I’ll clue you in on something. What annoys your mother most is when you all get to fighting and remember, your mother is the one who feeds you.” The looks on their faces revealed they well understood.

I then said, “Alright, you can all go back to your coloring your Easter Eggs, but first, what do you want to say to all of the readers of my column. In unison they exclaimed, “HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!”

Thanks to magnificent donors, many of our children in elementary schools throughout the city and county have for years been recipients of a program called Kind News. At an annual cost of only $25.00, a classroom will receive 28 copies monthly from September through May of the periodical Kind News. The newspaper can come in one of three grade levels: Primary (K-2), Junior (3-4) or Senior (5-6).

This award winning program that teaches children about the humane treatment of all animals, also helps to insure that our children are aware of the importance of protecting their environment. The program is universally applauded by teachers throughout the country. In addition to the student newspapers, the teacher receives the Kind Teacher Resource Book.

This extremely valuable program does not cost taxpayers one dime as it is completely privately funded through your donations. Through your efforts, we are currently able to furnish Kind News to 1,580 students. The problem is, we have 5,179 children of eligible ages in our schools.

Won’t you please, think about giving a classroom the benefit of an entire school year’s worth of Kind News for only $25.00? If you can, please mail your $25.00 check made out to the GCHS to P.O. Box 792, Greeneville, TN 37744. Just write in the memo portion of your check, “Kind News.” If you knew just how beneficial this program is, you wouldn’t hesitate!

The Eeyore class (2 year olds) of the Asbury Child Enrichment Center recently made a wonderful donation. Now I know some of you are going, “Eeyore, hmmm … sounds familiar but I just can’t place it.” It’s Really driving you nuts, huh? Oh alright, I’ll tell you, even if it means you’re a lot older than you thought you were. Eeyore’s the Donkey from the Winnie the Pooh series. Now be honest, how many of you are going “Ohhhhh…nooooooo” about now?

Anyway, those little tykes from Eeyore’s class donated a whopping $70.00 to our animals! That is just heart warmingly wonderful!!! So along with our great big Woof Meow, Eeyore himself sends along a big “EEEEE-YOORRE!“

Owners of plenty of pasture land that sports a barn and on which live several goats, a few chickens and even a couple of Peacocks, Steve and Stacy checked with their daughter and son in law, Sandra and Michael Lockhart. Both parents thought the idea was wonderful and would be a perfect way in which to instill the importance of proper animal welfare in their daughters.

We had only recently contemplated the difficulty of placing the horses because none are able to be ridden. The successful adopters had to understand this and we knew that such a restriction severely limited an already narrow field of adoption possibilities. That was not, however, a problem with Steve.

Although a grandfather, Steve certainly doesn’t look the part. A big man with huge hands that have known many years of hard work, Steve’s eyes flared with anger when I described to him the initial appearance of the horses when first we took them in. He, his son in law Michael and both girls assured us all that from that point forward, Cheyenne, Lucky and Solidor (names the girls had given the horses prior to even setting eyes on them) had nothing in their future but loving and tender care. Of that I have no doubt. If you had been there, you’d have none either.

Before I forget, I want to send out a big Woof-Meow! to the Third Grade students at Chuckey School who saved up $70.00 of their own money in order to adopt one of our cages. Thanks kids, that’s fantastic!

I end on a sad note by noting the passing of Charles Johnson. An absolutely brilliant man, a marvelous conversationalist and a man who could construct virtually anything in his basement; Charles was also a strong supporter of our efforts. We extend to his wife Corrine and their family, our most sincere condolences.