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Trap-Neuter-Release on Puget Island, WA
Jenny Martin of Wahkiakum Animal Advocates Group and another volunteer, Lynette Wright, trapped seven feral cats on George and Nell Coulson's Puget Island property as part of a Trap, Neuter, Release program on Thursday morning, including this orange tom affectionately referred to as Garfield. It was clear the Coulsons cared about the cats, which they somehow inherited after a neighbor passed away, but feral cats have long been a problem on Puget Island and volunteers are hoping to manage the population over time using TNR. WAAG is undertaking these measures once a month and hopes to neuter 150 cats in the county a year before releasing them back into their environment, Martin said.
Animal Advocates See Increase In Calls
If the numbers are anything to go by, Wahkiakum Animal Advocates Group (WAAG) is providing a much needed service in the community.
“We had a very busy 2022,” WAAG President Rebecca Hompe said.
WAAG volunteers worked 1,300 hours in 2021. Up until September of this year, they’ve already worked 5,000 hours.
“That includes people taking animals for veterinary services, to making runs to pick up pet foods to take to the different food pantries, all the on call hours, taking calls and trying to help people with their animals, and requests for assistance from the sheriff’s department,” Hompe said.
WAAG Requests Funding for 2023
Members of the Wahkiakum Animal Advocates Society (WAAGS) asked the board to include an appropriation of $3,500 for the agency in 2023.
Staffed by volunteers, WAAGS this year has responded to 221 community calls for assistance and 19 from the sheriff's office. The group has provided $3,700 in financial assistance for spay/neuter vouchers, medicines, emergency medical assistance, pet food and foster care support.
"We've seen an incredible surge in calls for animal support in our community this past year," said organization president Rebecca Hompe.
Commissioners welcomed the request.
"It's much needed," said Commissioner Dan Cothren. "It's sure nice when you have somebody you can call."
Wahkiakum County's Board of Commissioners Meet With WAAG
Wahkiakum County's board of commissioners handled a variety of business at their meeting Tuesday, including:
--Rebecca Hompe and Wendy Edwards of the Wahkiakum Animal Advocates Group (WAAG) described the growth and activities of the group and expressed a desire to develop a relationship with the group, the county and the Cowlitz County Humane Society.
The group of volunteers has started a variety of programs ranging from trapping and neutering feral cats to establishing a pet food pantry and financial support for people needing to spay or neuter their pets.
They said they'd like to see the county expand its contract with the humane society so that Wahkiakum residents may leave stray animals there.
Commissioners were supportive of the program.
"I've had to use your group, and it worked very well," said Commissioner Dan Cothren. "The sheriff's office needs support with animal calls."
Sheriff Mark Howie commented that the group has been helpful, and board Chair Gene Strong agreed.
Cowlitz Humane Society Sees Record Adoption in 2020
The Humane Society of Cowlitz County saw record-breaking pet adoptions last year as people sought companionship while self-quarantining or working from home due to the airborne coronavirus.
About 52% more pets at the Cowlitz County shelter were adopted in 2020 than two years prior, according to shelter data.
The number of pets that came into the shelter stayed relatively the same from 2018 to 2020 at an average of about 3,400 a year, according to the organization, but the amount of adoptions increased by almost 500 pets in two years.