Dee Allison – Humane Society of Houston County – Keeping the human in humane

Allison admits that there are times when her job gets challenging. “Even when I’m not here,” she stated, “if something goes wrong, I’m the go-to person that they have to get in touch with, and I need to step in to make sure that the things that need to be done, get done.” In spite of the obvious hard work, Allison enjoys what she does.

Since 2015, Dee Allison has served as the president of the Humane Society of Houston County, Inc., but she’s been involved in the rescue of animals since 2007, two years before even beginning her work with the Human Society. The organization’s facility on Carl Vinson Parkway in Centerville, where Allison’s office is located, is almost at capacity. She says they now have more animals that need adopting than ever in the past.

The Humane Society’s current inventory is very large, and Allison said that the calls to take in more just won’t stop coming. “We have two animal control facilities that we work closely with because they’re high-kill facilities. They try not to euthanize, but they can’t keep animals long because they’re very small and don’t have the space. They’d rather get the animals placed, so they call us to help them. Other calls that we get are when people pass away, and nobody else in the family wants to keep the animal.” 

Allison went on to explain that they take on some of their inventory through walk-in emergency situations. For instance, a Houston County driver might hit a dog or a cat, and while they don’t want to just abandon the injured animal, they also don’t want to take on the responsibility of a veterinarian bill, so they bring the animal to the Humane Society where they know that Allison and her team of volunteers will get the animal the help they need.

While cats and dogs make up the majority of animals the Humane Society of Houston County takes in, Allison said they’ve also had their share of rabbits, hamsters, and birds. Although they’d like to get the animals adopted as quickly as possible, she pointed out that they always take strides to try and ensure that the animals are going to good homes. Rescuing animals from the Human Society is a careful adoption process. 

“Not everybody that walks through our doors gets an animal,” Allison revealed. “These animals are like children being adopted. They need to go to the right family. Some people do the impulse thing looking to get somebody a pet for a birthday gift or a Christmas gift. Animals should become family members,” she added. “They’re not something to take lightly for people to come get one today and two weeks later decide they don’t want it anymore. Sadly, sometimes that’s the way it works.”

In an effort to avoid the chance of an adoption-fail, Allison said a screening process is set in place that would-be pet adopters are required to go through. Once the screening is complete and the adoption is approved, there are fees that have to be paid. Dogs that are age eight years and older can be adopted at a fee of $175, while those younger than that have a fee of $225. It is important for those considering adoption to know that the fees paid include the following services: spay/neuter, microchip, fecal, de-worming, flu shot, flea and tick prevention, heartworm test, heartworm medicine, and more. The products and services provided to the pets being adopted equal an estimated total of $500. 

The Humane Society of Houston County is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that operates purely on private donations, donations from corporations and foundations, and self-generated income (adoption fees). It is not a part of nor does it receive funding from any national organization such as the National Humane Society, as some erroneously believe.

“We have some people who donate to us regularly,” Allison said. “They are our super angels. And usually when we put a call out to the community, we see a lot of help come from that. Outside of that, the fees we make from the adoptions—which is really not a lot by the time we get done—are what keep us going.” Additionally, Allison stressed the importance of the adoption of the animals. “We like for them (the animals) not to spend more than two weeks in here because usually it takes about that long to process them through the vet. To be truthful with you,” she went on to say, “we’re so flooded with animals in this area, and unless we get some sort of legislation on a spay/neuter mandate, it’s not going to change. This has been the worst year I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been doing this for 13 years.”

Allison is a lover of animals, and she readily confessed that it’s a daily challenge for her—and the team of volunteers that work with her—not to get attached to the animals for which they provide care on a daily basis. “Some take it a little harder than others. We’ve seen a lot of tears from volunteers here when they’ve had to hand over animals that have been adopted,” she said with a laugh. Allison further noted that because of city and county regulations that are set in place, she and the workers couldn’t just divide the animals among themselves and take them all home even if they wanted to. “The law limits what people can have,” she explained. “If you live on under five acres in Warner Robins, you can’t have more than three pets. Perry has a limit of four, and I think Centerville has a limit of six.”

The desire of the Humane Society of Houston County, Inc. is to be able to move to a larger facility so that they can service more animals in need. Allison said that if someone is looking for a way to assist, this is an area where there is a great need. “We are the only physical rescue in Houston County that has open hours for people to come in and see animals for adoption consideration. We need some help in getting a larger place. Our current location doesn’t have enough parking space out front, boarding space inside, or kennel runs out back.” Increased donations would be needed in order for Allison to cover the mortgage on a larger facility so that she and her volunteers can do more to help these animals. 

There is always the need for volunteers to assist with the daily run of the business as well. According to Allison, volunteers as mature as the age of 80 and above come by to lend a hand. “The animals can’t walk themselves,” Allison said. “They have to be fed; plus we haven’t taught them how to clean up after themselves or how to wash the linen that’s used in they’re cages,” she added with a laugh. “It takes people who are willing to volunteer to get all of that done.” 

The Humane Society of Houston County is open to the public twice a week: Wednesdays from 10 a.m. until 12 noon and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. For more information about becoming a sponsor or a volunteer in this effort, please visit www.humanesocietyhoco.org.