Each Humane Society is an independent organization; “Humane Society” is just a descriptive word — like the word ‘bank’ is in US Bank and Bank of America. They are not connected to each other. It can be confusing!

Many people even mistakenly think that the Humane Society of the United States runs all humane societies. They do not! They do help animals through legislation and in disasters, but do not have a shelter themselves.

Some Humane Societies, like the Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC), are “limited admission”. Limited admission organizations sometimes have their animals for many months, and use foster homes.   That means they do not have to euthanize animals to make room for new pets they take on. And many, like HSLC, have other programs that help the local animal population, like a pet pantry (Loudoun Pet Pantry) so families in need don’t have to surrender their pets simply because they can’t afford to feed them, partial help when medical emergencies arise, and resources for behavioral issues. The Community cat program is major part of HSLC, helping to reduce the numbers of feral cats while improving their health and quality of life.

And some Humane Societies are “open door” with animal control contracts, just like a city shelter, so they do euthanize to make room. Many “open door” humane societies run programs that have helped reduce pet overpopulation in the cities they serve.  They may have the pets for many weeks, and know more about their behavior and health than a city shelter.

So it’s important to understand the nature of your local animal rescues and support them for the benefit of your community. We all work together to help animals but we are separate, independent organizations.

Yesterday Lily went over the rainbow bridge. She came to us as a grumpy old lady with health problems. After spending some miserable time in the kennel, she came home with me 3 years ago, 2.5 of them as a hospice kitty. She was not necessarily the standard loving cat – set in her ways, all bark but little bite. And so strong-willed she lived a wonderful life for 2 yrs more than anyone expected.

Lily wasn’t always easy – she hated my 3 cats, suffered all the side effects of kidney disease, and preferred staying in only 2 rooms in the house. And I loved her in all her grumpiness and crazy ways.  Knowing that I would experience the sadness of sending her over the rainbow bridge rather than sending her to a loving family and a forever home was hard.  However it was also such a rewarding experience, because I got to provide a loving home while she was healthy enough to enjoy it.

Would I do it again?  In a heartbeat.

Be at peace Lily. You were loved and will be missed.