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I love pussies and bitches. And by that, I mean kitties and puppies. But, Butte Humane Society makes me mad enough to kick a squirrel in the face.
Our little rescue center was recently in the top 10 of animal shelters in the running for a million-dollar makeover from ZooToo.com. Official results from the voting will not be announced until April 27, but Butte Humane Society held a fairly solid second place throughout most of the open voting period.
If we get second place, the humane society will get $50,000, which can be used to expand and repair the leaking and over-crowded facilities, which have needed attention for some time now.
However, there is something else Butte Humane Society needs, and unfortunately, throwing money at it won't solve the problem. They could stand to benefit from an overall attitude and policy adjustment.
I love what the humane society stands for and what they do for our cute animal friends, but the way they handled themselves the last time I was there left me even more bitter than I normally am - and that's really saying something.
It all started when my sister wanted to get a cat. We made our way to the humane society, and I immediately felt awkward. We weren't sure where to go or who to talk to, and we ended up waiting so long for someone to notice us that the stench of animal feces and old woodchips had actually faded. We were finally led into one of the two "cat rooms."
Among the insanity of a million cats roaming in a room no bigger than my dorm, my sister fell in love with a cat named Sparkle. We went back to the main room to apply for the cat.
Once we got to the end of the paperwork, we were told that in order to get a pet you have to provide a receipt for your pet deposit and a copy of your lease as proof it's OK with your landlord to have a pet.
This was where we hit a snag. My sister's place has a "don't ask don't tell" policy about pets. She was distraught. We contemplated lying and trying to fake it through the paperwork or even to just telling them the truth and hope they had sympathy.
They didn't. My sister told them she couldn't provide proof, but there were other cats in her building. They wouldn't allow my sister to take a cat home because of a technicality. She was crushed.
They had even complained about how long some of the animals had been there. No wonder the animals have been there so long; they won't let people take them home. The humane society decided not to trust my sister, and Sparkle was the one who lost a loving home.
I understand they have to be careful about who they allow pets to go home with, but you'd think, in the better interest of the cat, they could let that little technicality slide. It's not like we walked in and just asked for any cat that was a good "kickable" size. We spent a few hours getting to know the cats, and my sister even had her boyfriend come to meet Sparkle to make sure they'd get along.
Despite my distaste for their policies that are as restrictive as Kevin James in a tight-leather cat suit, I voted the full 10 times a day to support the hopes of getting better facilities. At the same time, I want the humane society to take a good, hard look at its level of customer service.
I always imagined the humane society being full of people who are excited about the prospect of getting cats out of the crappy facilities and into the arms of loving college kids. I was shocked to find most of the employees seemed indifferent and hurried.
There was only one woman who was relatable and nice. All of the employees should work to make the humane society a more inviting and friendly place so people can feel invited to come in and enjoy the animals.
If they're lucky, they may even pass the rigorous tests and scrutiny required to be deemed "good enough" to love pets by the humane society.
Jen can be reached at opinioneditor@theorion.com
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