Humane Society Offers Summer Activities

Stephens County Humane Society began its annual Shelter Buddy Reading Program for the summer on Thursday, with a handful of young people from the community joining in to read to animals.

“This is a great program for everyone involved,” said Stephens County Humane Society board member Patti Whitaker. “It’s an opportunity for kids to practice reading and for the animals to get some much-needed interaction.”

The Shelter Buddies get together on Thursdays from 3pm – 4pm. The readers bring a book and something to sit on, as well as dog treats to share if they like. The shelter animals remain in their kennels and benefit from a little extra attention.

The Humane Society calls the program “a tail-waggin’ good time” for everyone involved.

Spaces for the Shelter Buddies program are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and Whitaker recommends calling or texting her ahead of time at 580-641-0667 to reserve a spot.

The shelter also offers Take Out Tuesday and Playday Thursday, which give people in the community the opportunity to pick up a dog from the shelter for the day. The program gives dogs a break from the shelter environment and their hosts give shelter staff much-needed insight into the dogs’ behavior and personality while out and about. The Marlow Review has participated in Playday Thursday for two years and has had several dogs adopted after meeting people in the community.

The shelter is also currently promoting National Take Your Dog to Work Day on June 24.

“Dogs brighten up even the best days so it’s pretty obvious they will up the fun factor at work exponentially,” Whitaker said. “Having your dog at work with you all day may allow you to interact with your coworkers in a whole new way. Pitch that idea of promoting better communication and teamwork to your boss, and you may convince them to allow you to have your dog sitting next to your desk, celebrating this day.”

Whitaker added that if anyone would like to take a dog to work on June 24, they can call the shelter ahead of time at 580-252-7387 to make arrangements to have a shelter dog accompany them to work.

In addition to fundraisers throughout the summer months, the Humane Society also benefits from a partnership with Goodwill Industries.

“If you have garage sale leftovers or are cleaning out your house, please take these items to Goodwill and ask them to weigh the donation for Stephens County Humane Society,” Whitaker said. “Goodwill donates $.10 per pound to support our animals. Those dimes add up to a nice check each month.”

Additional information regarding activities at the shelter is available at the Humane Society website: stephenscountyshelter.com, or on the SCHS Facebook page.