Shelter Dogs of the Week

Reintroducing Ruger! Ruger is an amazing fellow and after featuring him once with no adopters in sight, we decided to give him a second chance.

Ruger is a 3-year-old gorgeous shepherd mix with lovely fur in every shade of brown. He’s a volunteer favorite and described as “a loyal companion for his person.” Ruger sometimes is overlooked because he’s timid until he warms up to you, then he becomes protective. He loves to be petted and walks well on the leash. He has moderate energy, so will fit in well with almost any household. He’s had his rabies and 5-in-1 vaccines, plus received flea/tick medication. He weighs 37 pounds. Ruger was dumped in one of the outside pens months ago and is ready for his forever home. Ruger isn’t neutered and you will be required to have him fixed within one month of adoption. You can visit him at the Mason County Animal Shelter. He’d love to have a little attention.

If you’re wishing for an adorable tiny dog, look no further. Here’s sweet Lola. This little lady weighs only 8.2 pounds and is a chihuahua mix. Poor Lola has had a rough time of it, being abandoned in a crate that was left outside of the MCAS to be washed. Shelter staff found her the next morning, shivering and afraid. Volunteers think she’s between 1 and 2 years old. It’s believed she is not spayed and will be required to have the surgery within one month of being adopted. There will be a follow-up visit to make sure she is spayed and if not, I’m told the MCAS will take her back into their custody.

There are several shelters in the area that are overflowing with lovely pets for your family to pick from and you may be surprised at the wide variety of healthy, attractive and gentle dogs available.

You’re invited to stop by a local animal shelter — or all of them — to find the newest furry addition to your family.

You might have noticed a lot of kittens and cats around lately—like A LOT. Some people have described it as the CATastrophe of 2022 and Maysville appears to be the epicenter. The Friends of Mason County Animals had multiple calls in the last week of injured kittens with broken legs, warbles, sickly and with lacerated tails. The small, animal-loving group is doing everything in its power to keep up with the high number of cases and they operate on fundraising and donations alone.

Beth Maegly, a volunteer with the Friend’s group, recently talked about what the group is doing to help community felines.

“We have a handful of fosters and they’re all full right now. We work with outside rescues when we can, but they’re mostly full as well. The Humane Society of Buffalo Trace, along with our donor, partners with us to take care of the kittens and cats that are injured or sick. It’s been overwhelming lately.”

Maegly encourages citizens if they find a kitten or cat that needs help to bring it into a safe place inside their home, and reach out to their own veterinarian.

“If more people took responsibility for the kittens they find, we would have more resources to continue to help with the really needy cases.”

According to Maegly, there are too many stray and injured felines for the group to care for all of them and they need more help from the community. The MCAS closed its cat room in July when a Friend’s volunteer took in all of the shelter kittens and cats after many of the feline residents were dying inside of the facility. The shelter now turns people away who need assistance with felines.

The most important factor in stopping the explosion of kittens each year is for people to spay and neuter their own pets and for communities to band together to sterilize as many neighborhood cats as possible. There are low-cost clinics and financial assistance available for getting cats fixed and community members are discussing ways to get the job done.

Cats are amazing creatures. They enjoy human companionship and yet are still independent. They’re lower maintenance than dogs. Cats don’t need training or to be taken outside to do their business. They clean themselves and sleep most of the day. Cats really are the perfect pets.

Although no one can deny how cute kittens are, shelters and rescues face challenges adopting them out because of the incredibly high numbers of them, especially this time of year.

Currently, the Friends have an assortment of kittens and cats that are ready for their furever homes and they need your help spreading the word.

If you’ve been thinking about adopting a precious kitten or sweet-natured mature cat, look no further and visit the Friends of Mason County Animals Facebook page today . You can message any of the administrators for details. There’s a bunch of whiskered faces waiting to greet you.

For your meet and greet with some of the MCAS’s fabulous dogs, head over to 301 River Drive in Maysville. Shelter hours are noon to 4 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays and until 6 p.m. on Fridays. The facility is open 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Arrangements can be made for special visitation. The shelter’s phone number is 606-564-6067. You can also contact shelter staff at [email protected] for inquiries.

The Facebook page, Friends of Mason County Animals, provides information and pictures of Mason County Animal Shelter dogs that are available for adoption, along with other area shelters and dogs and cats they are fostering. Follow their page for updates and to show your support for the movement. The Friends have also set up Amazon, Chewy and Walmart gift registries on their page for the community to donate much-needed items to help foster families care for their canine and feline charges.

If you can’t adopt, consider donating to spay/neuter a foster dog at www.tinyurl.com/hsbt-give. Just make a notation to direct your donation to foster dogs and cats.

The Humane Society of Buffalo Trace offers $50 vouchers to assist with the cost of spaying/neutering Mason County pets. You can access their online application at www.bit.ly/hsbt-snap. If you have any questions, you can visit HSBT’s Facebook page.

There’s a bunch of super sweet dogs to pick from at the Bracken County Animal Shelter. Please call the shelter at 606-735-3475 for all inquiries or you can reach Robbin Snapp by emailing [email protected]. The shelter is located at 188 Hamilton Road in Brooksville. You can follow shelter news and check out adoptable dogs on the Bracken County Animal Shelter Facebook page.

The BCAS has an Amazon Wishlist posted on their Facebook page. They also take monetary donations thru the shelter PayPal account at [email protected].

You’ll find the perfect pet at the Lewis County Animal Shelter. Hours are 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. The shelter is located at 149 County Drive in Vanceburg. You can email the facility at [email protected] or call 606-796-3917.

In Robertson County, contact Aletha Thomas, the animal control Officer at the Robertson County Animal Shelter on Facebook for information about dogs available for adoption. There are currently several adorable dogs waiting to meet you at the RCAS.

The best way to stop the flood of unwanted pets into your local animal shelters is to spay or neuter your pets. https://fixfinder.org is a good place to find low-cost spay/neuter options around the area. Remember, the time and expense spent now to spay and neuter your pet, will save you a lot of money and aggravation later on. Plus, it’s the right thing to do when so many pets are flooding animal shelters and rescue organizations.

Adopt don’t shop!