A New Day is Coming

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Earlier this month I realized I had not written a blog since 2023. The last one was titled “How Do We Accept This? There really wasn’t more to say as the situation continued to deteriorate. Now we are on the eve of a new day for Columbus animal care and services.

We entered the new year with hope. Paws Humane is on the verge of adding a new division, their Animal Services Division. This division will be in charge of running our city’s animal control responsibilities. Their philosophy and protocols have been wanted for over a decade.  Now it’s just around the corner.

While some did not approve of the city using negotiated contract vs request for proposals (RFP), my reality is that Paws Humane was the only local organization that was equipped to handle such a daunting undertaking. When a RFP was tried in 2021, Paws was the only entity negotiating. They had the support of other rescues then and now. 

Patience is a hard thing to practice.  Even now, during this transition period and while Paws Humane hires and trains 31 new employees and makes modifications to the kennel area and play yard, we must support their effort so we can quickly achieve our common goal. While we need patience as the pieces come together, the changes will happen. The excitement is real!

To us in the rescue world, it’s the little things we look forward to -
Knowing animals that do come into the facility will be examined, microchip scanned, receive vaccinations and parasite control, have clean kennels and water to use
Knowing that their animal service officers will be looking to provide answers to the community about responsible pet ownership while keeping our neighbors safe from dangerous behavior
Knowing the community cat program is receiving city funding to continue
Knowing volunteers will be welcomed
Knowing transparency will be practiced

Our hope is that our community rallies around Paws Humane and their efforts to provide our city what we have been calling for in animal care for years while continuing to support their ongoing work in low-cost veterinarian services, community outreach and adoption services. It won’t be easy. It won’t be perfect from the start. Yet knowing we have a common goal and being able to work together, it is now possible.  

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