How the Humane Society For Greater Nashua Serves the People of Our Community
Part 1 of 2
As a Humane Society, we are often thought of as an organization that strictly helps animals. And while that is a large part of what we do, we also are dedicated to serving the humans in our community as well. Our mission is to advocate for and enhance the lives of animals entrusted to our care while educating our community to strengthen the human animal bond. The heart behind our mission is to serve other beings, and to serve them well. Below are all of the wonderful ways in which we help humans and animals alike.
There is the aspect of people adopting pets. Having a pet, whether it is a dog, cat, bird, bunny, lizard, or another animal is very helpful to people of all ages and demographics. Take for example, we had a family come in with their 4 year old son (soon to be 5) to adopt Crispy the guinea pig. They had been doing weeks of research with their son Luke, all about the origin of Guinea Pigs, how they came to be domesticated and how to care for them as a pet. Getting Luke a guinea pig for his birthday had turned into a wonderful learning opportunity for him and the family as a whole. He now has a wonderful creature that he will continue to learn to take care of and foster a relationship with.
Then you have a young couple who have gotten their own place together and are ready to make the next step of getting a cat or dog. Not only is this a great step forward in life for them, but they also get to explore new aspects of their relationship by caring for and loving a pet.
We have also begun seeing an increase of people who struggle with anxiety and depression coming into the shelter and looking for a pet. Having a pet in their lives provides a reason to get out of bed in the morning, perhaps going outside to bring the dog out and breathe some fresh air and feel the sunshine. Maybe they go to the dog park and end up inadvertently socializing with new people. Or if they are having a hard time and are struggling, they have their furry companion to offer comfort and love in times of need.
There is also our beloved senior population who is looking for companionship. Perhaps they don’t have many family members or friends around. Having a furry little friend in their lives offers wonderful companionship. It gives them something to look forward to when they wake up, when they get home from running errands, and throughout the day. They know that they have their little friend waiting for them, and that they won’t be coming home to an empty house.
The heart behind our organization is to love and serve all members of our community and to love and serve them well. This has been our purpose for the past 120 years, and will continue to be for the next 120.
-This blog post was written by K.C. Decastro