LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Albany Humane Society working to clean up ‘adopted’ mess

DEAR EDITOR:

I am a five year member of the Albany Humane Society Board of Directors. This board is entirely volunteer and governs all facets of the shelter, which is a nonprofit organization. We depend on donations, fundraisers and grants to operate. We offer memberships to the community, but only have a small number to participate. We are faced with a monumental task of taking care of the animals in this city with little support.

Monday through Sunday we take care of feeding, cleaning, trips to the vet, abused and sick animals, taking care of the facility, the grounds, the vans, transports, raising money, hiring staff members, writing grants, assisting the public in adopting and finding lost pets. And, sadly, dealing with euthanasia, which is why our transports have been so important. The general public will never know how hard this job is unless you are directly involved.

Our current president works around the clock, as do others, trying to move this shelter to where it should be. But it will take time. We have a good staff in place working hard, too. Now we need the support of our community to step up and help us. We inherited what we are dealing with now, and we are working hard to make our shelter the best. Please do not judge us unless you are willing to join us to make changes.

Volunteer, donate, adopt, pray for us … but please support us.

Diane Benford

Albany