Don’t be to critical, sometimes a little praise goes a long way.

The Oxford Lafayette Humane Society has come a long way in the past several years. Many of you many remember the old shelter on Highway 7 South and what a great improvement the new shelter is at 413 McElroy Drive now.

The improvements are not only the wonderful new facility, but the shelter also has been blessed with an incredible director.

Jenn Petermann has made this happen as the director. She puts more hours into that shelter than anyone else ever has. What could be a 9-5 job, Jenn has invested all her time into and it really is a 24/7 job for her. She works fundraisers, she works events, she organizes transports, she looks for new ways to find our animals homes. 

It is not an easy job, but she does it and gives 110 percent every day. It is a  huge job to give these pets a second chance at finding a loving, forever home.   

A lot of animals come through those doors, some are in bad shape and some just looking for that second chance at a loving family. It is a lot of work, but the rewards are great when you see a dog wagging  its tail or a cat purring contently — it makes all the ups and downs of shelter life worth it. 

Some people are so generous to the shelter and there are others that get so angry when an animal gets sick. No one really knows what these animals have been exposed to before they came to the shelter. The shelter does its best to rehab as many animals as possible with shots, food, water, a safe place to rest, and good old TLC. 

Until you have spent an entire day there seeing it all, you really can’t understand all the joy and all the heartache. The shelter has had more adoptions than ever before, more than 190 last month, more transports of animals to other states than in years past, more animals in foster care and out of the shelter environment, than ever before. 

These are all great things and have been made possible by Jenn Petermann and her dedication to the animals and the facility so give thanks for people like her that give their all day every day for the animals. And also, a big thank you to all the volunteers who help out with their time and donations. 

It is appreciated.

Alyce Hale

Oxford