Randolph County Humane Society receives very special gift

Mr. George Meyer of Rochester, IN donated a Plymouth Voyager van to the Randolph County Humane Society in memory of his wife, Mary Kay Meyer. Mrs. Meyer passed away on July 7 after an extended illness. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer are the parents of Heidi Snyder, President of the Randolph County Humane Society.

The new van replaces the RCHS van that had become unusable due to its mechanical condition, requiring Board members to utilize their private vehicles for all RCHS business, including transports to other facilities across the Midwest.

The Plymouth Voyager is the only vehicle owned by The Randolph County Humane Society. All other vehicles with RCHS placards on the doors are personally owned vehicles of the RCHS board members used in RCHS business.

The new van will be outfitted to transport animals from the Randolph County Humane Society facility to other facilities where they have a greater chance of being adopted. In some regions of the country unplanned litters of puppies have nearly been eliminated, due to aggressive spay/neuter campaigns, and shelters in these areas are now filled with large breeds, pit bulls and guarding-breed mixes who take longer to adopt and may not be recommended for first-time guardians. Shelters in other regions- most notably the South, Southwest and rural areas throughout the country-still receive more puppies and dogs than they can place locally. Shelters where there are now shortages of puppies and small- to medium-sized dogs are turning to animal transport to rescue healthy dogs from euthanasia and to bring diversity to their adoption kennels. By utilizing transport we are able to open up kennel space for owner surrenders, animals that come to us through animal control, and we are able to save adoptable animals from high-kill shelters in our vicinity that would be euthanized for lack of space.

Randolph County Humane Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organized to shelter, care for and find permanent loving homes for the homeless companion animals in our community and promote the humane care of all abandoned and stray animals. The funding for its efforts are derived solely through tax-deductible donations, adoption fees, fundraisers and community support.

For additional information call 618-443-3363.