FM Humane Society Facility
Service being reviewed:
FM Humane Society
Reviews: 15 |
Posted: 9 months ago |
Avg Rating: 3.7
Supporting Shelter: Minn-Kota PAAWS
Supporting Rescue: Adopt-A-Pet Inc
Pros: Now open on Saturdays
Cons: Way too small facility for a community of 90,000+ people
I have been inside the FM Humane Society (FMHS)facility twice in the last 2 years, and have adopted one cat through them when she was available at Petsmart. FMHS no longer provides cats to the Fargo Petsmart, and adoptable cats are now IMPORTED from the Detroit Lakes area and displayed at the Fargo Petsmart. This does nothing to help the Fargo area animals that need permanent homes, as for each one of these DL cats that gets a home, that is one less home available for a homeless Fargo cat.
I was peeved that I could not try to visit with the cats through their cages. The one room that housed kittens had overflowing litterboxes and wreaked of the smell of ammonia. I have a multiple cat household and my house has never smelt that bad.
The person at the front desk could not be found when I walked in, and also didn't seem to want to be bothered with any questions about their facility or animals. This person was definitely not front office personality!
When I read in the local paper that Jordahl homes donated proceeds from the sale of one of their built homes to FMHS, I really wished that this builder had built the humane society a new facility that could house many more animals than the current facility. I keep hearing and reading how a new shelter is "coming", but I am still waiting to see that happen. My understanding is that the politics of the FMHS Board of Directors is to blame for not implementing a plan for a new building. Fargo should have an animal shelter that is the showcase for the upper Midwest instead of this silly, little building with room for less than 15 dogs and maybe 20 cats? The Fargo community should be outraged that there isn't a quality facility for homeless and unwanted pets. The FMHS does fine work for the few animals it can place, but there are plenty more animals in this area that need new homes.
Also, this sized community need some sort of shelter for re-homing very adoptable animals whose owners either move into a place (like a nursing home) that doesn't allow animals, or move from the area and can't take their animals with them. There are special circumstances that occur in which pet owners who really love their animals must give them up--such as a job loss, a death in the family, or some other catastrophic event. Fargo really doesn't have a place to take such animals. If you take such an animal to one of the 3 area pounds, there is no guarantee that a rescue group can take it in and it won't be euthanized.
I moved from a community in Alaska that had a city run animal shelter that ran in the black and actually made money for the city. It had an associated non-profit for non-capital expenses of the shelter like expensive vet services for certain animals, and to buy cat and dog toys. This animal shelter took in all kinds of animals from chickens to horses, pocket pets like hamsters, reptiles, ferrets, and of course, cats and dogs. I use this animal shelter as my comparison yardstick for other animal shelters, and the FMHS really comes up short.
-- additional:
[updated on 2009-04-20 19:16:11 GMT]:
Fargo-Moorhead Humane Society (FMHS) --Volume 2
Since there were several comments posted on my original review for this shelter, I decided that I would add some more comments and thoughts separately.
On March 21st, 2009, I wrote a journal on the public perception of FMHS. When I now view the content for FMHS under "additional information" on this website, it does appear that this information has changed since I did my first review.
On March 21st, 2009, I participated in a written survey being conducted at the Fargo Petco regarding the public's perception of the Fargo-Moorhead Humane Society. What I hope is that the information from this survey is used to help the homeless animals in the F-M area. Why bother to conduct a survey unless the organization plans to take some action?
Here are my suggestions for what the FMHS could do to help more animals--not just improve its image and public perception in the community:
(1) The number one priority: Build a new shelter that can house an adequate number of animals that is proportional to a community of over 100,000 people. I think that this is a very doable project given the amount of donation dollars and sponsors that the FMHS has.
(2) Become more transparent in FMHS's relationship with the vet science program at North Dakota State University (NDSU). What are the exact services that NDSU contributes that helps FMHS? Be clear and forthright concerning FMHS animals that are seen by vet science students at NDSU. If this relationship between NDSU and FMHS no longer exists, then say so.
(3) Become more accountable to your donors of where the money is spent. I know that a lot of money comes into the FMHS. This relates back to #1. Sure would like to see a new, improved, modern and enlarged shelter built. FMHS doesn't need zootoo's shelter makeover competition to accomplish this goal. The F-M area has plenty of community-minded animal lovers right here.
(4) Refer people to PAAWS who are in need of low cost spays/neuters. If your shelter doesn't provide this service, allow another non-profit to help. Bottom line is that the unwanted animal population will be reduced. FMHS does not need to feel so competitive with or adversarial to PAAWS. Both organizations do not have to work at cross-purposes to each other.
(5) Post the photos and write ups of your adoptable animals on the FMHS website in addition to Petfinder. When a person logs onto Petfinder and puts in a zipcode for the F-M area, many other shelters and humane societies appear with their adoptable animals which are in direct competition for the homes that FMHS animals are. I have had several people who have come to Adopt-A-Pet of F-M's adoption days at Petco who are actually looking for a humane society animal that they saw on Petfinder, and not for an Adopt-A-Pet animal. Yet, they will insist that this animal will be available at Petco!
(6) I would still like to see some way for highly adoptable and healthly animals who have been living in a home get re-homed without having to be turned into any of the area pounds and face possible euthanasia. These animals are usually current on their vaccinations and have been getting some vet care. They have known tempermants and behaviors and shouldn't be difficult to place. If a new FMHS facility could make some room for owner-surrendered animals in addition to those rescued from the pound, the streets, or abusive homes, then this would hopefully reduce the number of animals who are just "dumped" out in rural areas or at the pounds.
(7) Get a new, more highly visible sign! If there is anything that I learned from reading Thompson's journals on the top 20 shelters in this year's makeover, is how many times he brought up signage (or lack thereof) as an issue. The last time that I was at FMHS, the sign was totally faded and couldn't even be read. Then I couldn't figure out which building housed the shelter. I can't even think of how many people never showed up at FMHS because they couldn't find it! Maybe a new sign already exists.
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by Paula (itspaulas)
9 months ago - Flag this
KUDOS to you for your comments. I wrote the Fargo newspaper a few years ago when I read that instead of building a MUCH needed facility they had instead hired for several new positions that were going to have to "learn to play together well" in their new positions before they moved forward any further with the building plans. That was over 2 years ago. In the meantime we have animals dying at the pound in the summer from heat exhaustion and being euthanized because they run out of time!!
I was raised in a military family and moved myself many times after college and unfortunately this is the most poorly run shelter I have come across in the 14 states I have lived in.
I wondered why there were people from Detroit Lakes at the last cat adoption I visited at Petsmart. Thank you for clearing up that situation.
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by Debra B. (DebraMeow)
9 months ago - Flag this
Thanks, I am waiting for the someone form the FMHS to counter my statements, or at least explain why there is no new building yet. If Detroit Lakes humane society can build a new shelter, then so can Fargo. I have seen worse facilities, but the FMHS has terrible management and too many board members who don't seem to get anything accomplished.
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by Debra B. (DebraMeow)
8 months ago - Flag this
Regarding why FM Humane Society no longer provides cats to the Fargo Petsmart, I heard that there was a dispute between FMHS and the former management of Petsmart regarding the care of the cats at this store. Apparently, FMHS didn't think that the cats were being properly attended to. Personally, I suspect that once the Detroit Lakes cats started showing up with lower adoption fees than FMHS, this created a problem as the Detroit Lakes cats were getting adopted out quickly but not the FM cats. I've written more on this in my review of the Fargo Petsmart store.
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by Roz A. (Rozz)
8 months ago - Flag this
I could be wrong, but from what I understood the dispute was because Petsmart's policy is to keep a portion of the adoption fees, rather than giving it all to the humane society.
I certainly agree that this area needs a larger and better facility!!
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by Debra B. (DebraMeow)
8 months ago - Flag this
Petsmart keeps $5 from each cat adopted from its pet store. THis is an extra "added on" fee as opposed to if you adopted directly from the humane society or rescue group. This is to cover the costs of food and cat litter, and when employees are cleaning up the kennels. In my opinion, Petsmart probably gets to "write off" the housing of humane society cats as one of its charitable donations.
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