UPDATED 3.30.2020

As COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of our lives in recent weeks, Talbot Humane has placed a few policies in place to encourage the community to participate in social distancing. Please read carefully as some items have changed in recent days:

We all worry about our loved ones during an emergency, human and pets alike. We generally consider “disasters” as weather emergencies, wildfires, flooding.  The current worries of COVID-19 are good reminders to be prepared to care for our pets during all emergencies, personal, local, regional.

Here are some key points to keep in mind, whether you have to evacuate due to a hurricane, fall ill with influenza, or break a leg: 

• Identify a family member or friend who can care for pets if someone in the household becomes ill.
• Have crates, food and extra supplies on hand for quick movement of pets.
• Keep all animal vaccines up to date in the event boarding becomes necessary.
• Ensure all medications are documented with dosages and administering directions. Including the prescription from your veterinarian is also helpful.
• Pets should have identification: collar with ID tag and microchip (best practice is microchipping).

For information on creating a home disaster plan click here: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/make-disaster-plan-your-pets

2020 Calendars are HERE!

$15 Each featuring the top 12 winners of our 2020 contest, “Gotcha Day” photos and shots of pets still looking for forever homes, this calendar is a great gift for the pet and rescue lover in your life. Available at Talbot Humane, Head to Tail Thrift and Vintage and our events all month long!

We are ready for shoppers this holiday season at Head to Tail Thrift and Vintage! 100% of the profits supporting the pets and programs served by Talbot Humane, your shopping makes a difference!  We will be having specials all month long whether you are shopping for decorations, that holiday outfit or gifts for people and pets, Head to Tail has you covered!  The Christmas shop is open for business filled with gifts and home decor. New items are put out daily throughout the store.  We are thankful for your support be it donations or shopping. You make a difference every time you shop Head to Tail!

Holiday Hours:

• November 27th: EARLY Black Friday Sale
• November 28-29: CLOSED
• OPEN SUNDAY DECEMBER 8th NOON-4P
  • Photos with Santa Sunday December 8th Noon-4P
• Closed December 24, 25
• Closed January 1, 2020
• Regular hours: Closed Sundays and Mondays, Open 10A-5P Tuesday-Saturday

We will be VERY busy at Talbot Humane and Head to Tail Thrift and Vintage all month long! Several fun ways to support the animals we serve through the shelter and our programs on the Midshore. For more information please contact us today!

For the month of November Giant foods is back at it for the animals! Every $2.50 Community Bag sold at the Easton Giant Foods will generate a $1 donation for the animals of Talbot Humane! This is an amazing way to support the animals and create a more humane and clean environment! Rotate out those older or torn bags for a couple new ones and help the animals too!

Thank you Giant Food! We appreciate your efforts to create a more humane community for all!

Recently the Talbot Humane Board of Directors and staff officially adopted the 8 tenets of Socially Conscious Sheltering. We have been operating in this manner for some time, but had not put a name to our beliefs.  This model of sheltering originated Colorado and has been adopted by a number of shelters in that state and beyond. Socially Conscious Sheltering surpasses the ideals of kill verses no kill. We are proud to serve the community through our commitment to protect and provide humane care and treatment to all animals, whether healthy or not, friendly or not, with compassion, transparency and thoughtfulness. We truly believe, the best shelter is a Humane Community.

The Eight Tenets of Socially Conscious Animal Sheltering are as follows:

• Place every healthy and safe animal. Every single one. Healthy is defined as either having no signs of clinical disease or evidence of disease that a veterinarian determines has a good or excellent prognosis for a comfortable life. Safe means that the animal has not exhibited behavior that is likely to result in severe injury or death to another animal or person.
• Ensure every unwanted or homeless pet has a safe place to go for shelter and care. An animal’s opportunity to be nurtured, healed, and rehomed should not depend on their age or condition—every community must have a shelter that accepts all animals brought to it. It is unacceptable to turn animals away because they are too old, too sick, too broken.
• Assess the medical and behavioral needs of homeless animals and ensure these needs are thoughtfully addressed. Animals housed in shelters and rescues must be assessed for disease and injury and must have all medical conditions addressed so the animal does not suffer. These animals must also have their behavioral needs assessed and met, including enrichment sufficient to make them comfortable and to prevent self-destructive, obsessive-compulsive coping behaviors.
• Align shelter policy with the needs of the community. Does the community allow trap-neuter-return programs? If so, offer them. Will members of your community adopt animals with chronic disease, are they willing to assume the time and expense of managing that disease? If so, with full disclosure, place them in these homes. Socially Conscious Shelters listen to their communities.
• Alleviate suffering and make appropriate euthanasia decisions. Compassionate euthanasia is a gift. It is not acceptable to let a terminally ill, suffering animal languish in a cage until it dies naturally when compassionate euthanasia can ease that endless pain. It is not acceptable to house a known dangerous animal who cannot be safely placed in the community for years until it goes crazy in a cage. Each euthanasia decision is difficult, and every decision must consider the welfare of the individual animal.
• Enhance the human-animal bond through safe placements and post adoption support. Integrating a living being into a new home can be difficult. As adoption agencies, Socially Conscious Shelters have a responsibility to support the new family. This can mean post-adoption behavior advice, classes for new pet caregivers, addressing shelter related medical needs and being willing to accept the animal back if the pet and the family are not a good fit. It also means not placing animals into homes that disrupt the human-animal bond by injuring children, other pets and other people. There are many behavior issues that can be addressed through behavior modification and positive experiences. There are other behaviors that are dangerous and that cannot be mitigated.
• Consider the health, wellness and safety of animals for each community when transferring animals. Moving dogs and cats from communities that do not have homes available for them to communities where people are actively seeking pets saves lives. However, bringing pets into a community is a responsibility. It is a responsibility to the animals already living in that community to not bring in infectious diseases that would make them sick. It is a responsibility to those living within the community to bring in animals that will live in harmony. And there is a responsibility to the community from which animals are being moved to impact that community’s animal welfare struggles through humane education and spay and neuter programs.
• Foster a culture of transparency, ethical decision making, mutual respect, continual learning and collaboration. Socially Conscious Shelters are committed to full transparency. This can include reporting accurate statistics, sharing policies, and fully and quickly admitting when mistakes are made. Integrity must be the foundation of all decisions. Every shelter can learn something from every other shelter—it is important to be curious and to share innovative solutions to common problems. Only by working together can we ensure the best outcomes for all animals.

We are here to help. Our mission continues to be service to animals and their owners of the Midshore with compassion, transparency and thoughtfulness.  You are part of our Humane Community. 

In times of crisis, people are often told to leave their homes for a “short time,” only to find that they cannot return for days or even weeks.  As a result, community animal shelters are overwhelmed with lost and separated pets following a disaster.

“Helping our residents and pets during an emergency is extremely important to our organization.” Said Patty Quimby, Executive Director of Talbot Humane.  “The Talbot Animal Disaster Services  Team has been in place and ready to assist our residents during weather or other catastrophic emergencies where an emergency shelter would need to be opened since 2010.  Providing the tools to our residents to be prepared in the event of an emergency is a priority.”  Quimby adds, “Preparedness saves lives.”

Talbot Humane suggests families build a Pet Emergency Go-Kit and store it with the rest of the family’s emergency preparations:

• Basic first aid supplies
• A 3-day supply of bottled water and the pet’s preferred food, held in a waterproof container
• Safety harness and leash
• Waste clean-up supplies
• Medications and a copy of the pet’s medical records
• List of veterinarians and local pet care organizations
• List of the pet’s feeding routine and any behavioral issues
• Comfort items, such as a blanket or favorite toy, to help keep the pet calm and comfortable

They also recommend the following Tips to Help Ensure Your Pet’s Safety in an Emergency:

• Ensure your pet’s identification by using a microchip or collar ID tag, and make sure that your contact information is up-to-date.
• Display a pet rescue decal on your front door or window to let first responders know there is a pet in the house. Include your veterinarian’s contact information.
• Learn where your pet likes to hide in your house when frightened. Finding your pet quickly will help you evacuate faster.
• Identify a location to take your pet if you need to leave your immediate area. Keep in mind that disaster shelters for people may not be open to pets. Scout hotels and motels with pet-friendly policies and ask relatives or friends if they could house you and your pet.
• Carry a picture of your pet in the event of separation.
• If you need to evacuate, consider taking a pet carrier or crate for transport and safe-keeping.

For more information on emergency preparedness for your family and your pets you may visit ready.gov , HillsPet.com/PetPrepared, or contact Talbot Humane at 410-822-0107.