UPAWS offers youth opportunity to help homeless animals
By Sophie Rosevear, 13, and Anna Morrison, 12, with contributions by Keirrah Grifka, 10 and Faith Perala, 10.

Danielle Jahnke, thirteen, of Marquette, is nearly pulled off her feet as she squats and tries to pose for a picture with her adopted pet dog Roxie. Roxie is an energetic five-year-old mixed breed and is nearly as big as Danielle, but in the end Roxie, along with Danielle, settles in with a big smile.

Jahnke, whose family adopted Roxie from the Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter (UPAWS, formerly the Marquette County Humane Society) five years ago when she was just a puppy, thinks Roxie is a great pet.

“ I think Roxie is special because she’s really friendly and I love her,” she said.

Since 1975, UPAWS, located in Negaunee Township, has been taking in homeless animals and in recent years the agency has been placing about 1,600 animals in homes annually. Although some of the animals can be somewhat expensive, and although some can come with minor behavioral problems, people still come to UPAWS to adopt all sorts of pets that need homes. It’s a great thing to do according to Jahnke.

“ We chose to adopt Roxie from [UPAWS] because otherwise the dogs might not get a home and to give them a home is a really cool thing,” Jahnke said.

According to Dayna Kennedy UPAWS shelter manager, it does make people feel good to know that they have provided a good home for homeless pets.

“ People are sometimes lined up at the door waiting to adopt one specific pet,” she said. “One of the biggest reasons people come to adopt these animals is because they know that these animals desperately need homes.”

Emily LaForrest, eight, of Negaunee, has an eight-year-old dog named Copper that her family adopted when he was four.

“ Animals [from UPAWS] really need homes,” Emily said. “Sometimes the animals have been abused and sometimes they are just unwanted.”

LaForrest feels Copper is special just simply because he is nice.

“ He follows me everywhere and he sleeps with me every night,” she said.

The only requirements to adopt a pet are that you have to be an adult, 18 or older, and responsible. Moms and Dads, obviously, can adopt pets on behalf of children and it happens often.

A good thing is that UPAWS, which of course relies on donations and fundraisers, provides all the medical care the animal needs. Kennedy explains that there is an adoption fee that varies from $40 to $120 and the fee is usually based upon the type of medical care the pet has required. Smaller animals, like rodents, don’t cost much, usually around $40 because of vaccinations. But larger animals, like dogs and cats, go for around $100-$120 because there are more medical expenses.

Why do dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and even snakes end up at the Humane Society? Kennedy explains that it is for a variety of reasons.

“ Some reasons are things like behavior problems that the pet may have, or their owners are moving where no pets are allowed, or they just can’t afford the pet, or sometimes, allergies,” she said.

Kennedy hopes that in order to help the homeless pet situation people will consider adopting a pet, rather than buying one from a breeder or pet store.

“ If someone comes out and gets a pet from a breeder, that gives [the breeders] more reasons to keep producing pets, and that does not help the homeless pet population one bit,” she said.

Every pet that comes through UPAWS is spayed or neutered so that families that adopt a pet do not have to worry about ending up with a whole group of puppies or kitties.

LaForrest is happy to have her canine companion, but feels it is sometimes difficult to take care of her eight-year-old dog.

“ Especially when he is not behaving every now and then,” she explained. “When he’s getting in trouble…eating my cat’s food!”

Dogs and cats aren’t the only types of animals they receive at UPAWS, according to Kennedy. Occasionally they might have a pot-bellied pig, an iguana, snakes (large and small), and rodents like chinchillas or mice. Kennedy points out that uncommon animals like these, though they may be very cool and need homes, are not always good for small children to have. Surprisingly, rats can make good pets for kids since they like to be handled. Guinea pigs are nice because they are easy to care for and are very social animals with lots of personality. Corn snakes and leopard geckos are pretty easy to take care of, but not recommended for kids under five because they can carry diseases like salmonella.

Kennedy points out that hundreds of pets will die each year in a shelter if there is not enough space, or if there is other difficulties connected with a particular animal.

Sometimes UPAWS will not be able to let people adopt a pet if it is very aggressive, or has a bad disease. They may have to euthanize animals if they are really old or hurt, and if the animal has stayed for a long time and no one has shown much interest in it. So if a family can adopt one that’s important because it means one is saved and it also makes room for the next one that shows up.

Even if your living situation will not allow you to adopt a pet you may still be able to help the animals at the shelter.

“ The big thing is that kids can do a lot regarding animals. Even if, let’s say your parents won’t let you adopt? It doesn’t mean you can’t help,” Kennedy explained. “You could encourage your friends to adopt. You could help by volunteering. There are just so many things you can do at the shelter.”

According to Kennedy, anybody under sixteen needs a parent to come volunteer with them, anyone sixteen to eighteen needs a only a parent’s signature, and anyone over eighteen can just come and help whenever they please. For more information call UPAWS at 475-6661 or visit www.upaws.org.