SALISBURY — The Humane Society of Rowan County recently celebrated a milestone event as they turned 50 years old in October 2023.

The volunteer nonprofit, which got its start in 1973 when four Rowan County residents met and took steps to organize a local humane organization, continues to work to achieve those goals they have had from the beginning — to end the suffering of animals and reduce the overpopulation of unwanted animals with spay and neuter being at the forefront.

Of the four original individuals, Jane Hartness, president of the group, is the last who is still actively involved in the humane society. The others included Karen Wood and the late Jane Arey and Sandy Jones.

According to a Humane Society newsletter, following its meeting in 1973 to lay the groundwork, a public meeting was held in December of that year before a filled room, and by March 1974, the group was chartered as a nonprofit by the state.

Now, just a little more than 50 years later, the organization continues to grow and remains faithful to those early premises of helping animals that are suffering and with a lot of emphasis on spay/neuter, “because that is crucial,” stressed Hartness.

With their growth, there are growing responsibilities and needs that they face as well.

Because they do not operate a shelter, the Humane Society of Rowan County depends on foster care for the rescued animals and are thus limited.

“We can’t take every animal that we are contacted about, but we try to help people who have puppies, kittens, whatever the animal that they can no longer keep or they found,” shared Hartness.

The organization tries to help with resources and finding a home for the sick, injured, stray and abandoned animals which are cared for by a veterinarian, they are rehabbed and placed in a foster home.

Hartness noted that there are currently nine dogs and possibly around 28 cats in foster care, each of which can be adopted.

Having the goal of reducing the overpopulation of unwanted cats and dogs, Hartness said that when they began accepting animals, it was required that they be spayed or neutered and this requirement is part of the adoption contract if the animals are too young for the procedure when placed in a home.

“There is a date by which it has to be done, and we do keep up with those things and make sure it’s done. And, we pay for it because it’s an animal that we’ve had in our care,” she said.

In addition to these responsibilities, they remain busy with other duties as Hartness said they “maintain what we call our want/give/lost/found list” and try to actively help place an animal in the right home.

They are also available to provide educational programs with various groups in the community including civic organizations, church groups or school classes.

Sharing their message with others, telling “who we are, what we are, what we’re trying to do, what we have done, what we want to do in the future,” is what Hartness says she hopes others will help them accomplish. Everyone can share, she continued, saying that maybe people can’t do other jobs such as getting out and transporting animals.

The humane society has also run a pet food bank for almost 40 of their 50 years of existence helping supply food for those who may be facing a financial crisis or if someone has found an animal and is willing to take it in and needs help with food.

Hartness noted that they have been blessed with several grants, which largely are used for spay/neuter and therefore are “able to help certain applicants if they have financial need, plus we also collaborate with two local veterinarians on reduced cost spay and neuter services,” and the same goes for vaccinations, especially rabies since this is required by law, she continued.

The organization also makes referrals to other groups that could be of assistance.

“We like to have a good working relationship with the different organizations so that we can help them and they can help us and we can all help the animals together,” Hartness said.

Because the society depends on foster care homes, and not wanting to overburden those that do keep animals, she noted the need for additional foster homes and permanent homes.

Those wishing to foster should contact the Humane Society of Rowan County by calling 704-636-5700 or emailing them at hsrcnc1973@gmail.com. Basic information will be needed, it was noted, along with a home check just to make sure the animals are safe.

For those adopting animals, an application will be necessary along with a home visit. Hartness did note that “if the animal is adopted and at whatever point the person can no longer keep the animal, we want to know what happened with the animals in our care, so we take the animal back.”

Volunteers are also needed, she stressed, telling that they need help returning phone calls as they take calls seven days a week, 24 hours a day, “and we try to answer them several times each day so we need more help with that” as well as participating in community events to share the humane society’s message and pet meet and greets events or keeping a watch out for animals that may be abandoned or in need of help.

Other ways to help could be making donations whether it be monetary to help with operating expenses which includes veterinary care, spay/neuter fund and pet food. Call or email them to schedule pick up times of donations.

One event the organization hosts, Hartness shared, is a longtime fundraiser, Lights of Love. They have served as the host for more than 25 years, and she said it is popular and eagerly anticipated. 

“It is an opportunity for our friends and supporters to honor or memorialize pets and people,” she noted.

Lights of Love, she added, not only serves as a fundraiser, but it is a service event as well as an educational one as they are able to share what the Humane Society of Rowan County does and they have enlisted a volunteer in the past through this special event.

While cats and dogs are the main animals that they have rescued, Hartness did note they had received calls about pet rabbits and one volunteer took a ferret.

They do get calls about wildlife as well, she said, but these get passed to those with that particular expertise, like the state wildlife commission or wildlife rehabilitators.

To all those who have helped them over these years and continue to support, Hartness said she would tell them, “Thank you. We cannot do it without you.”

With the great need that is going on in the community, she concluded by saying, “and we would love to have more.”