- July 10 - Jingle Bell Walk
- July 28 - Purrrrfect Saturday Fee-waived Cat Adoption August 13
- April 4, 2011 - Avery Humane Society Resale Store Reopens Thursday, April 14
- March 21, 2011 - Avery County Humane Society Introduces New Executive Director
- February 27, 2011 - Avery County Humane Society Announces Gifts of $550 Thousand Toward $1 Million Challenge Grant
PURRRFECT SATURDAY FEE-WAIVED ADOPTION EVENT SATURDAY AUGUST 13
NEWLAND, NC --To save lives and put more cats in loving homes, Avery County Humane Society is hosting a Purrrrfect Saturday Fee-waived Cat Adoption event on Saturday, August 13.Every one interested in providing a loving home to one of the shelter’s many fabulous felines can come by the Avery Humane Society shelter between 10am and 6 pm to meet the cats and talk to our staff about pet care tips and advice.
Fee Waiver cat events have been held nationwide this year. Shelters across the country are waiving the adoption fee typically charged for cats while keeping all other adoption policies and match-making procedures in place to ensure the cats find good and loving homes. Avery County Humane Society is following the model for this program provided by the ASPCA in a desire to put more cats in loving homes. For this Purrrrfect Saturday, the Avery County Humane Society will waive its adoption fee for all kittens and cats over 6 months of age.
The regular fee to adopt a kitten or cat from Avery Humane is $85 for one cat or $100 for two. This fee covers immunizations, spay/neuter, micro-chipping, registration and a collar. Fee Waived cats will have all these same benefits with none of the cost and will be ready to go to their new purrrfect home the day of the event.
ASPCA research recently published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science found that waiving fees for adult cats boosts adoptions without diminishing the value adopters place on their cats. In addition, fee-waived adoptions may actually decrease shelter costs by reducing the average length of stay for adult cats, and also could increase donations and store product sales due to an increase in adopters.
So, please join Avery County Humane Society, August 13 from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 1824 Stamey Branch Road in Altamont. For directions visit http://www.averyhumane.org/catalog/directions.php or call 733-6312 or toll free (866) 473-6312.
If there is no room in your home for another furry friend, there is another way to help. Visit www.averyhumane.org or stop by the event to make a donation to our shelter operation. The Avery Humane Society is always in need of donations to pay for pet food, spay/neuter, immunization, and other general operating costs.
AVERY HUMANE SOCIETY RESALE STORE REOPENS THURSDAY, APRIL 14
NEWLAND, NC -- The Avery Humane Society’s Paws & Claws Resale Store located behind the Ingles shopping center in Newland reopens Thursday, April 14 with a breath of fresh spring air blowing in lots of new merchandise at great prices.
The shop carries a large range of items from furniture to clothing, kitchen appliances to home decorating accessories. Shoppers can expect the prices to vary with the amount of use each item has seen, but even new-out-of-the-box items are priced far below retail.
“We want to move things out quickly so we can make room for new items,” said store manager Patti Manning. “Discriminating sale shoppers visit us regularly. Each week brings a new treasure hunt.”
The Paws & Claws Resale Shop is located at 251 New Vale Road (behind Ingles) in Newland. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays. Anyone with new and lightly used items to donate should contact store manager Patti Manning at 828-733-0025 to make arrangements.
Avery County’s new Adoption and Humane Education Center is under construction directly behind Paws & Claws on New Vale Road. The first floor of the facility is nearly finished and Paws & Claws shoppers will soon be able to watch the main building take shape. The new shelter should be ready to move in before Christmas.
For information on adopting a pet from the Avery County Humane Society shelter on Stamey Branch Road in Altamont, phone 828-733-6312 or visit on the Web at http://www.averyhumane.org.
AVERY COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY INTRODUCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
NEWLAND, N.C. – “My friends are cheering because they are so excited to see me doing something I am passionate about,” said Laurie Vierheller about her new position as Executive Director of the Avery County Humane Society. “I think I can do good work for the Avery Humane Society. My background and experience are a good fit for the kind of opportunities ahead of this organization.”
Vierheller comes to Avery County from Lake City, Colorado, where for the last five years she has worked as county manager of a small, remote county in the San Juan Mountains. The challenge of managing a county where 96 percent of the property is public land helped Vierheller develop wide ranging and versatile administration and management skills.
A proponent of collaboration and partnership, she has a record of success in developing relationships and gathering community support for projects and causes that serve the greater good. She served on the school board for 13 years and faced the challenge of getting a middle school and high school for her community. Because the challenge required doubling the size of the existing school building, Vierheller ended up amassing thousands of hours of experience in project planning and development, fundraising, oversight and management.
“The first thing on my list is to get to know the staff and learn about shelter operations,” she said. “Next I look forward to meeting the members of the community and becoming a part of it.”
Avery County Humane Society Board Chair Catherine Morton said, “It is a risk to hire someone from outside Avery County, but the folks here are going to really like Laurie. She works hard, she talks straight, she shares our values for family, community and creation. I like her because she is passionate about doing good work.
“And she has a great laugh,” added Morton. “It is going to be fun to work beside her.”
Vierheller, her 12-year-old daughter, Rachel, and their menagerie of two dogs, two cats and two ferrets are happily moved into a house on the Watauga River at the north end of the county. Soon to be joined by her aging parents, Vierheller actually chose Avery County because of the milder climate and is looking forward to having less snow to contend with. In Lake City, they have snow on the ground nine months of the year!
“I am so excited to be relocating to Avery County,” said Vierheller. “My family and I like small-town country living and being close to nature. We think we’ll really like it here.”
The Avery County Humane Society is dedicated to helping our community respond humanely to the needs of animals. The Society operates a shelter for lost or abandoned cats and dogs on Stamey Branch Road and is constructing a new facility behind Ingles in Newland. The organization also sponsors rabies clinics, offers access to low-cost spay/neuter services, and partners with the local prison in the New Leash on Life obedience training program. For more information, phone the shelter at 828-733-6312 or visit on the web at www.averyhumane.org.
AVERY COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY ANNOUNCES GIFTS OF $500 THOUSAND TOWARD $1 MILLION CHALLENGE GRANT
NEWLAND, NC -- The Board of Directors of the Avery County Humane Society announced this week that the organization has raised more than half of the amount needed as a match toward the $1 million challenge grant being made by a generous supporter.
“The Avery County Humane Society is so blessed to have a benefactor willing to make a $1 million challenge,” said Board Chair Catherine Morton, “and it is overwhelming to see other supporters step up to meet that challenge.”
The ACHS Board of Directors recently voted to honor the late Dorothy Blair of Linville and Naples by designating a wing of the new Adoption and Humane Education Center in her name. A portion of the funds Mrs. Blair bequeathed to the Avery County Humane Society was pledged to the building project: $250,000 over the next five years.
Similarly, $25,000 from a bequest from the late Alfred Adams will be used to underwrite the Alfred T. Adams Community Development Office. A respected businessman and community leader, Adams’ humor and joy for life will live on in the families whose lives are enriched by pets rescued through Avery Humane.
Before his death last summer, the late Raymond Lutgert of Linville and Naples also responded to the challenge to help build the new adoption center for Avery County. Lutgert donated $100,000 toward the matching grant in recognition for how the Humane Society contributes to the quality of life in Avery County.
ACHS Board member Susan Dalton and her husband, Bill, have pledged $75 thousand to the new facility. The Daltons, who divide their time between Linville and Naples, are long-time supporters of the Avery Humane Society and Mrs. Dalton was instrumental in pulling together the invaluable fundraising team known as The Friends of the Shelter.
Another Linville/Naples couple, Bill and Kathy Avery have donated $125 thousand to name the cat wing and community education room. Enthusiastic volunteers for the Avery Humane Society, the Averys staff information booths at area festivals and take kittens into their home when foster parenting is needed. Mr. Avery also sits on the organization’s Board of Directors, publishes and newsletter and social media and chairs our shelter committee.
Another $25,000 donation was made toward the challenge grant by the Park Foundation of Ithaca, New York. Known for its support of quality media that heightens public awareness of critical issues, the Park Foundation is a long-time supporter of the Avery Humane Society and is very interested in the organization’s humane education and spay/neuter programs.
Avery County’s new Adoption and Humane Education Center is currently under construction on New Vale Road behind Ingles in Newland. The dedication of the new facility is planned for 11/11/11. Contributions toward the matching grant, including the purchase of pavers in honor of or in memory of a family member, favorite friend or cherished pet, may be made on the organization’s website at averyhumane.org. For more information, phone 828-733-9265.
