Play will benefit Humane Society
When Bonnie Haleen’s husband, Russ, said one day last year that he’d like to get a new Rottweiler puppy, she should have known they’d come across one shortly. A longtime animal lover, Haleen says all her pets have found her through those twists in life that get deemed coincidences but may just be God’s way of orchestrating things.
A day after her husband’s comment, Haleen’s dentist’s assistant said her father was in Lousiana and had found two Rottweiler mix puppies alongside a highway. He kept the male and gave the female – conceived by strays during the Hurricane Katrina aftermath – to the local Humane Society.
It took a lot of phone calls and bureaucratic maneuvering, but the female pup, Hannah, came to live with the Haleens at their Cougar Gulch home several months ago.
Hannah’s story reminds Haleen of the importance of spaying and neutering animals, and it inspired her to donate the proceeds from a musical she’s directing to the Kootenai Humane Society’s spay and neuter animal program.
“I like doing it this way because it kind of combines what I love to do,” said Haleen, who has directed plays for about 20 years.
She’s always loved the Humane Society but said she can’t bring herself to volunteer there because it pains her to see so many animals in cages.
“It really is hard for some people to walk in there. I’m one of them,” she said. The last time she visited the shelter, “All I could do is stand and cry,” she said. “I just gave them a large donation and walked out.”
Next weekend’s play, “The Forgotten Carols,” is expected to be one of Kootenai Humane Society’s three biggest fundraisers this year, executive director Phil Morgan said.
The city of Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai County don’t partner with the center to promote pet population control, so donations comprise the major source of funding, Morgan said.
Pet overpopulation is a huge problem in North Idaho, he said, and spaying and neutering animals is the only way to fix it for good.
“The thing that scares me is we’re a small community now, and we’ve got this huge problem. What happens when there’s half a million people in this area?” Morgan said. “For some reason the mentality up here is ‘take them out in the woods and shoot them,’ and that’s not acceptable. … A society is judged on how it treats its animals.”
The Kootenai Humane Society teams up with local veterinarians to provide vouchers for spay and neutering services at a low cost. Vets do the procedures at a discounted rate, the pet owner pays a co-pay – $10 to $25, depending on the pet – and the Humane Society covers the rest.
“You have to have fundraisers like this in order to keep programs like this going,” Morgan said. The center can only afford to sell 10 to 15 vouchers a month, Morgan said. He’d like to see that grow to at least 50.
Haleen’s musical should help. Morgan said it’s expected to raise a few thousand dollars.
Brian Doig, executive director of the Lake City Playhouse, stars as John, a 2,000-year-old man who helps people who lost their faith find it again through Christmas carols and other Christmas cheer. The two-hour production features original music and includes a volunteer cast and crew of about 40.