Photo - SAR dog Louie, Humane Society of Inland Mendocino County
The recent catastrophic fires have hit the Mendocino County community of Redwood Valley hard, and the Humane Society of Inland Mendocino County, which has worked to help the area's animals for the last 25 years, was no exception. One longtime volunteer and her husband escaped with their lives thanks to their rescue cat Whiskers alerting them to the fire, and HSIMC's Maggie Weaver reports that "we have a few supporters who have suffered the tragedy of losing a family member or their own lives."
HSIMC relies entirely on donations, and its event Wine, Kibble & Bids, scheduled for November 4, was expected to be a big part of its annual fundraising. With so much work to be done in the wake of the fire, though, everyone agreed that it was best to cancel the event and focus on the needs of the larger community. Says Weaver: "As our supporters, staff, board members, volunteers and community faced such tragedy, we decided that the focus should be on helping those affected by the loss of loved ones and family pets, wildfire devastation and evacuations."
Even in normal times, the $18,000 the event was expected to raise was a big part of HSIMC's annual budget, and now, of course, the need is even greater. So, as you wonder what you can do to help fire-ravaged communities, consider a contribution!
"Our animals, even though they had to be evacuated from the shelter during the fires, came back safe and sound, and are back happily awaiting their forever homes," says Weaver. "So we are blessed. The impact of these fires will remain with Redwood Valley, our entire county and our friends in surrounding counties for many years, yet the hearts and spirits will move everyone forward and Mendocino Strong Together will be our motto."
She adds, "We continue our mission, and have been very successful, taking in and adopting out 300 dogs/puppies and 500 cats/kittens last year. One dog went to Field of Dreams in Oregon and then on to Virginia, to become a FEMA Search and Rescue dog. Having our loveable 'Louie' out there helping with other national disasters is just one of the many, many reasons why we love our shelter and all the shelter pets who come to us."
Photo - SAR dog Louie, Humane Society of Inland Mendocino County