Animal ambassadors Lenny (right) and Squiggy (left) visit local schools and scouting groups.
“We started out, actually, as a hotline service,” said Cris Bombaugh, current president and CEO of the Montgomery County Humane Society. This was in May of 1958. Since then, the organization has made much progress and gone through many changes. This year, they celebrate their 60th anniversary.
The Humane Society’s mission is twofold: “to end animal homelessness [and] to educate the community,” said chairwoman Lisa Kingsley.
Bombaugh explains that “animal homelessness can be reduced, we believe, in two ways: one, through education, and another, through spay and neuter.”
This is a relatively new mission of the organization, as, before 2014, the Humane Society managed the county’s shelter. This meant that they followed the county’s mission. After the county decided not to renew their contract with the Humane Society, the organization became 100 percent privately funded. Kingsley says that this “gave [the organization] a chance to redefine” and “expand more into the outreach and education” front.
Now, a large part of what the organization does lies in their “robust education program” where staff and animal ambassadors educate children, teens, and adults, said Bombaugh. This is done “primarily with the goal of promoting compassion, respect for animals, [and] responsible pet care,” she continued. Their animal ambassadors are two guinea pigs named Lenny and Squiggy, and a dog named Barney. These animals are “part of the team,” according to Bombaugh.
Additionally, the organization continues to rescue animals. Most animals are pulled from overcrowded shelters. Bombaugh says that they work to pull animals “that need treatment that the shelter where they’re living can’t necessarily provide.”
To celebrate 60 “successful years and to recognize donors and supporters who are our lifeblood,” according to Kingsley, the society will be hosting a celebratory gala. It will include a reception, dinner, dancing to a live band, and “just enjoying sharing [60 years] with the community,” said Bombaugh.
Although this event is a fundraiser, Bombaugh adds that this is “just as much a celebration and thank you.” That is not to say that the organization does not need any more donations, whether it is of products, volunteer time, or financial donations.
Kingsley emphasizes that the organization does not put their “donations back into fundraising, [rather,] it goes to the animals.”
Another fun way for the community to get involved is through an event in the spring called “Paws in the Park” where people can donate for each kilometer walked. It helps to raise money and spreads the word about why owning pets is “healthy and rewarding and fulfilling,” said Bombaugh.
The progress of the Humane Society is not at its end, as there continue to be plans underway. Both Kingsley and Bombaugh talk about expanding the education program to reach more people in the community. Bombaugh is also “looking forward very much to a new spay and neuter clinic” that will be introduced sometime later this year.
Kingsley adds that the clinic will be “low cost” and “available to people who can’t afford” to spay and neuter their pets.