The Pratt Area Humane Society was closed Monday for some reorganization. New PAHS Shelter Director Melissa (Cates) Minton is getting the shelter back up to speed. Working at the shelter has filled a dream for Minton.
“I wanted to work for the humane society since I was a kid,” Minton said. “I like animals more then people.”
She has great concern for animals and said that animals are easily disregarded. The staff is working hard to clean up and rearrange the shelter to make it more efficient.
“I want to make a fresh start to get things going,” Minton said.
The shelter is always in need of supplies. Some of the most used items are: bleach, trash bags, paper towels, cat litter, disinfectant type sprays, blankets and towels.
The shelter also needs a steady flow of volunteers to work with the animals and make the shelter operate smoothly.
Volunteers should contact the shelter at 672-6777 to donate supplies or time.
Once Minton started working at the shelter as an animal tech she knew it was what she wanted to do. When the staff and management began to change, she came to the manager’s position. She knew it would be a struggle to fill the manager’s shoes but she jumped into the position on Feb. 5.
“I realize it’s going to be a really big challenge to get the community to respect another person out here,” Minton said. “Becca (Mickle, kennel supervisor) and I have been trying to get everything on track.”
She knew that some people were offended and hurt and she wanted to help mend the wounds and get the public involved again.
“I hope everybody can get back on track,” Minton said.
Always in need of funds, Minton is seeking area businesses and service organizations that are willing to sponsor fundraising events for the shelter. She is already working with Orscheln Farm and Home for an adoption clinic event.
South Central Kansas Special Education Cooperative will include the shelter in their job fair on March 31 at the Pratt County Fairgrounds. Along with PAHS, the job fair will provide 15 high schools the opportunity to evaluate a wide variety of job opportunities.
Working hard at the shelter are Mickle and her fiancé Jesse Mathe. Mathe volunteers about 30 hours a week at the shelter. Other volunteers also donate many hours.
Minton will visit the Lions Club Wednesday seeking support for a sitting room at the shelter. The sitting room is planned for the cat colony space at the shelter. It will be changed to a room with a couch and TV. It will give the prospective adoptive family a quiet area to be with a dog or cat and see how the animal responds to the family and furniture, Minton said.
The shelter needs foster families that can take a cat and dog and keep them used to being in a home environment. When an animal spends a lot of time at the shelter they tend to lose some of the domestic skills.
“It only takes four or five days to lose those skills,” Minton said.
Foster families keep the animals used to home living and they find out if the animals are good around other dogs, cats or children. It keeps them adoptable longer.
The shelter is also working on getting t-shirts that encourage putting up pets for adoption that are no longer wanted or a family can’t keep with the logo “Recycle Your Pet.”
The American Legion Riders have a fundraiser Hogs for Dogs with entry fees going to the shelter. The event features motorcycles and dogs for adoption. The shelter hopes to participate in that this summer.
An activity from the past she would like to reintroduce is Pet Patrol, a weekly listing of dogs available for adoption at the shelter.
Minton would like to get local businesses to sponsor donation bins in their businesses for a place for people to make shelter donations.
She wants to thank Peggy Lee and Kathy Harvey for supplying community service workers that help at the shelter.
Minton grew up in Pratt and graduated Pratt High School in 1994. She attended Pratt Community College and has worked in Pratt as a Pratt County Reserve EMT. She was also a CNA at Parkwood Village.
