April 10-16th is National Animal Control Appreciation Week. The Work of our animal control officers is too often forgotten. They are the boots-on-the-ground warriors on the front lines of protection our animals and providing assistance to pet owners and beyond. If you see Officer Gonzalez or Phillips this month, please thank them for all they do for the animals and our community. 

This April Officer Gonzalez celebrates 19 years of service to the animals and citizens of Talbot County.

Like most of us who enter the field of Animal Control, we “thought” we knew what it was all about. Officer Gonzalez quickly learned there is so much more than simply picking up stray animals on country roads.

The job of animal control in our county goes beyond stray animals and barking complaints. Our officers are charged with enforcing not only the county ordinance but the state anticruelty laws as they apply to animals. In his 19 years Valentin has seen it all. Dogfighting, hoarding, abject cruelty and neglect. But he has also been a part of the change. “We would see the same people every year. We would seize their pets due to failure to provide proper care, or they would surrender them to the shelter, and then they would just get more. When we started looking at educating our community instead of punishing them for what they did not know, the animals and people both benefited.” shares Valentin.

Indeed Valentin has been a part of the shift in attitude and improvement in treatment of the animals within our community. In his first years we had 3 officers that were continuously out investigating acts of cruelty and neglect. We were seeing almost 2,000 animals annually enter our care. Now, we see very few true cruelty cases in our county, and the number of animals entering our care has dropped by half.

Officer Gonzalez is a huge part of the success of Talbot County Animal Control and Talbot Humane. If you see him on the road, please thank him for his commitment. He is the Cat’s Pajamas!

A lifelong animal lover, Kelsey and her family have been a gift to Talbot Humane. In 2019 they adopted a new family member – a big goofy brindle boy then named “Spoink”. Following she and her step daughters joined our volunteer force also engaging her youth ministry in helping the animals of our community.

This winter they stepped into a new role- foster family.

When Ellie and her 10 puppies arrived at Talbot Humane in January, all 11 were in poor condition. Once out of the woods our team put out a call for foster homes. 5 families each took in a pair of pups. 6 weeks is a long time to not fall in love and then have to give them back- this is what makes our fosters so special. The Spiker family lugged 2 puppies with them everywhere- including church! This love and commitment helped social and find loving homes! Kelsey shared a beautiful post about fostering on social media, the following is a portion: “…Was it hard to drop them off? Yes. But much more joy, love & laughter was experienced than we would have had without them. It was our gift to someone else’s family. We need more joy, love, laughter, and gifts to others in this world.”

We wish to thank all of our amazing foster families for the love, time and heart they give to those who need them most. Shout out to our other puppy foster families: Rhonda Stinchcomb, Jenna Green, Caitlin Coutu, and The Bentz’s.

If you would like to learn more about fostering contact our Foster Coordinator JP Hooker today, or Submit your application here: Foster Application

UNLEASHED is returning for our 10th year of helping ordinary people do extraordinary things for themselves and the animals of our community! In the past 10 years we have helped several hundred local friends reach personal goals and raised almost $500,000 for the animals!

This year our official season will begin on August 13, 2022 with 1 mile. Our race this year will be the Richmond Half Marathon on November 12, 2022.

Additionally be on the look out for more information on fun ways for EVERYONE to get moving with Talbot Humane in honor of our 90th and 10th anniversaries- who wants to join a walking or running challenge for the animals???

According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP), less than 2 percent of lost cats and only 15 to 20 percent of lost dogs are returned to their owners. This is a sad statistic, but it’s true. Your dog and cat cannot tell us their name, address or phone number- that is without your help! 

Talbot Humane wants to increase the chances of reunited lost pets and owners.  One safe and effective way to provide identification is through having your pet microchipped.  In recognition of Pet Identification Week which is the 3rd week of April each year, Talbot Humane will be offering microchipping of your dog, cat or ferret for only $1 for the entire month of April. This includes the registration of your chip and an identification tag.  Now when was the last time you purchased ANYTHING for $1?  

Even if your cat doesn’t go outside, or your dog is always on a leash, accidents happen. Make sure all of your pets are properly identified so they can get home to you in the event of an unforeseen emergency.  

To make an appointment, please call 410-822-0107 during office hours. Appointments for chipping are generally scheduled between noon-4P Monday-Saturday. 

We are THRILLED to be returning to Oxford Maryland for Oxford Day again after a 2 year COVID hiatus. We will be encouraging the community to come out and Strut Your Mutt to help animals in need on the midshore. We have in person and virtual options this year too!

Go to https://talbotcohumane.networkforgood.com/events/41000-oxford-day-2022-strut-your-mutt to register today! 

Same day registration will also be available for $25.

When: Saturday April 23, 2022 Oxford Day

Where: The Pin Cushion as you enter Oxford , MD on the left

Time: The Blessing of the Animals will be at 8:25A and the walk will follow directly after

For more information or to reserve your lanes please visit the

Tidewater Rotary Website

today!

WISH LIST:

• Kitten bottles
• Regular kitten nipples
• Miracle Nipples (all sizes)
• Soft Tissue/Baby wipes
• KMR Formula- powder
• Baby blankets
• Heating pads and heating disks (snugglesafe)
• Johnsons Baby Shampoo
• Karo syrup
• Shallow bowls
• Kitten canned food- poultry
• Kitten chow
• Baby food- poultry
• Small plates
• Incubator*
• Gift cards
• Digital food scale

For the Months of March and April our local Carrolls Motor Fuel And High’s Markets are donating for the animals in need! All you need to do is round up for the animals when you fuel up!  It is that simple!  When we each do a little, together we make a huge difference!