Page 24 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2018

COASTNOTES
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photos courtesy of Humane Society of South Mississippi
WAG WORTHY
New Programs at Humane Society
It’s no secret that the Humane Society of South Mississippi (HSSM) has a huge heart for the Coast’s furry friends. Last year alone, 4,155 abandoned animals found their forever
homes; 2,464 orphaned animals were placed in foster homes and given weekly medical check-ups through HSSM; and 1,120 lost pets were reunited with their owners.
With all the great things happening at HSSM, the shelter is always growing. In fact, HSSM just expanded to include a new Wellness Clinic, which is
located in the Louise Fenner Claiborne Spay/Neuter Clinic. “Services include basic and comprehensive exams
for dogs, puppies, cats and kittens; vaccinations; heart worm treatment and preventative; nail trimming; ear and eye cleaning and more,” said Katie King, HSSM’s development manager. “If you receive government assistance, you may be eligible for a treatment
discount.”
The Wellness Clinic is open
Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and every third Saturday of the month from 8 a.m.-12 noon. The clinic accepts appointments and walk-ins.
Other new programs include HSSM’s Slumber Party and Shelter Power Hour programs. “Slumber parties are available for people to take a shelter dog home for the weekend for a ‘test drive’ to see how they do around
their other pets and children,” King said. “This does not cost them a thing and if it works out, they can come adopt the pet from the shelter. If it doesn’t, they bring them back and fill out a questionnaire so we have more information on that animal to help them find their perfect fit.”
Power Hours are available for anyone 18 years and older to come
in and ‘check out’ a dog for a couple hours to take them to any pet friendly restaurant, park, beach or area to give
them a nice break from the shelter. “This gives the dogs the opportunity to relieve some kennel stress and get some good socializing in,” said King. “It is also a free activity for people
to take part in if they are not quite committed to adopting a pet yet, but the goal is to hopefully get them adopted while they’re out.”
2615 25th Ave., Gulfport, MS 228.822.3802 www.hssm.org
24 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • April 2018
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