By Heather Mullinix
Assistant editor
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The puppies were found stuffed in a cardboard box and left on the porch of an empty rental cabin.
Luckily, someone found the litter of four terrier and chihuahua pups and took them to the Humane Society of Cumberland County shelter on Cook Road.
There, the pups were examined, treated and loved. Now, the three surviving pups are ready for new homes.
Mark A. Greer, director of the shelter, knows the stories behind all the pets available for adoption at the shelter, which is a guaranteed adoption facility.
"They're all great animals," Greer said. "Even those that have been abused, they have such a capacity for forgiveness once they are shown love and kindness."
At the Humane Society of Cumberland County, the pets cared for don't have to worry about a time limit on their stay. The facility does not euthanize pets any longer.
"We treat them like our own until we find homes for them," said Jackie Baker, shelter liaison and member of the Humane Society board of directors.
The Humane Society moved to a guaranteed adoption facility in November 2009. No pets have been euthanized since that time and, since Greer took over shelter operation in May, 193 pets have found new, loving homes.
"We were killing so many pets that were perfectly healthy for no reason other than lack of space," said Baker.
The shelter can accommodate about 50 dogs and 40 cats. Foster homes are used in some instances for both dogs and cats, and the Humane Society works with rescue groups to place some pets, including sanctuaries for ill animals and pure breed rescue groups.
"We're working harder now to get them adopted," Baker said, noting the shelter had held several off-site adoption events and was now open to the public seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Beginning Saturday, an on-site adoption event will be held each Saturday. An open house is set for Sept. 19 from 11 to 5, with food offered from noon to 2 p.m.
The Humane Society will also be taking part in community events, bringing some pets to activities like the Aug. 28 Downtown Cruise-In and taking part in Depot Days Sept. 11.
The Humane Society is also working to get assistance from PetSmart Charities Rescue Wagon.
"We had to guarantee we would have 15 dogs available each month for transport as far away as Maine," Baker said. "We've received initial approval and the next step is a site visit."
The Humane Society takes all breeds of cats and dogs. Many of the animals have been surrendered by owners who may be moving or can no longer care for them, or from the city of Crossville Animal Control and people who find strays. They do ask for a donation from owners surrendering pets to help defray some of the costs associated with housing and care for the animal, but if someone can't afford that, they are not turned away.
"We used to charge a fee, but if someone couldn't afford it they would leave and we didn't know what happened to the animal," Greer said. "We decided not to charge a fee because it's better for the animal."
Adoption fees are $95 for dogs, $60 for cats under six months of age and $40 for cats over six months old. That fee includes spay or neutering, tests for FIV and feline leukemia for cats and heart worm test for dogs, age appropriate vaccinations and deworming.
Adoptive families agree to provide proper food, water, shelter and restraint as required by law, assume responsibility for all future veterinarian costs, agree to take care of the animal and spend time with the pet and take full responsibility for pet ownership.
"And when they take the pet home, they need to expect it to be a lifetime commitment," Baker said.
The Humane Society makes no guarantees regarding health, age or breed of any pet adopted.
Those adopting pets are local families as well as people traveling from south of Knoxville and even other states.
In addition to these services, the Humane Society also offers private cremation services for beloved family pets. For more information, call 484-9700.
