Jen, formerly referred to as The Bunny Volunteer, graced us with her presence in this episode during her one month serving our humane society as interim Volunteer Coordinator. As a team member who volunteered for 8 years before becoming a staff member (and as a most excellent human being whom we'd all like to be when we grow up), Jen has valuable insights to share in this episode. We are pleased to announce that after her time as a staff member, Jen has now joined our Board of Directors!
Helping Hands Humane Society is an open admission shelter with contracts with city and county Animal Control. We take in over 6,000 lost and homeless animals each year. We are located in Topeka, Kansas and strive to also be a resource center for our community. We have a pet food pantry and just this year opened our Community Clinic which provides low-cost spays and neuters to qualifying individuals, as well as working with local rescue groups to get community and stray animals fixed. We have approximately 50 staff members and hundreds of amazing volunteers and fosters.
If you have any questions, comments, stories, or ideas for our podcast, please email us at grace.clinton@hhhstopeka.org (Director of Philanthropy) or emi.griess@hhhstopeka.org (Communications Coordinator).
We're back! Apologies for the hiatus - it's been a busy season here at Helping Hands Humane Society, but five of our employees from varying departments just returned from the Best Friends Animal Society National Conference with LOTS of ideas and motivation to try some new things at our shelter! This episode is hosted by Grace, Director of Business Development and Special Events Emi, Communications Coordinator, and Shelby, Volunteer Coordinator (now collectively known as "Gremis") with a special guest appearance by Katie, Fundraising Assistant. In this episode we tackle language in response to several comments, memes, and social media posts we have seen lately. When we as a shelter start posting about how many animals are coming in and how full we are, there seems to be an immediate response from the community to blame and shame pet owners. While we do appreciate that perspectives have shifted away from blaming the shelter, we would rather all work together as a team to tackle the issues here, many of which have more to do with a lack of access to resources than malicious intent. We'd also invite everyone to remember that humans make mistakes, and all pet owners are human. We open up about some of our own very human moments and share valuable information we learned from a HeARTs Speak webinar about positive marketing as well as the Best Friends Conference about why positive marketing is really the way to go if you want to help more animals!
Helping Hands Humane Society is an open admission shelter with contracts with city and county Animal Control. We take in over 6,000 lost and homeless animals each year. We are located in Topeka, Kansas and strive to also be a resource center for our community. We have a pet food pantry and just this year opened our Community Clinic which provides low-cost spays and neuters to qualifying individuals, as well as working with local rescue groups to get community and stray animals fixed. We have less than 50 staff members and hundreds of amazing volunteers and fosters. If you have any questions, comments, stories, or ideas for our podcast, please email us at gracec@hhhstopeka.org or emig@hhhstopeka.org.
In this episode we interview long-time volunteer Jen, who just so happens to be an expert bunny owner and foster! She tells us all about how she got started volunteering at HHHS, what she's done to advocate for bunnies, and what it's like to foster buns and have buns as pets. We also talk about the recent experience at our shelter of having 14 rabbits abandoned in poor condition. Jen and her daughter Amelia helped immensely in that situation!
In this episode, you're hosts Grace and Emi (Gremi) are joined by coworker, Volunteer Coordinator, Shelby for some updates on adopted pets, painting offices, shelter animals, and more. They are interrupted several times - Lindsay the Behavior Specialist jumps in impromptu to talk about another shelter dog sent to be trained in search and rescue! And Kim the Adoption Counselor pops her head in to let us know staff favorite, cat Channing is going home!
Shelby also reveals the DNA results of her puppy Franklin, recently adopted from HHHS!
If you have questions, ideas, stories to share - please contact us at gracec@hhhstopeka.org or emig@hhhstopeka.org.
After a VERY busy season at HHHS, we're back at podcasting with an episode including interviews with TWO of our esteemed coworkers - relative newbie, Shelby, and 5-year dedicated employee, Marrissa! We dive into how they came to work at HHHS and what they do day-to-day at the shelter. Of course, the interviews also include some wacky, funny, and interesting stories that always come along with humane society life. As usual, we are excited to share behind-the-scenes information about working at an animal shelter as well as career insights to those who might be considering a job with animals!
Don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or stories for our podcast at emig@hhhstopeka.org and/or gracec@hhhstopeka.org. Thanks for listening!
In this episode we interview the fabulous Cynthia Huebner about the dog she adopted in 2020, Doug. Doug was a staff favorite here at HHHS and suffered from some doggy anxiety. He landed the perfect home with Cynthia (she says he picked her), and we get some updates about how he adjusted to his new home and how he's doing now. We wanted to cover this topic because August is Clear the Shelters month, and a huge population of shelter animals needing homes is large breed dogs who have some behavior quirks.
Get ready for a stellar and highly interesting interview in this episode of Pawfee Podcats! As humane society workers and animal lovers, we were very intrigued by but pretty clueless about working police dogs...hence why we were so excited to interview Chris, a local K9 Officer, all about his police dog Rebo. Interviewers on this episode include your regular hosts, Grace and Emi (Gremi), as well as HHHS Behavior Specialist Lindsay, who had a lot of great questions for Chris.
We also give an in-depth office cat update - Grace is currently office fostering a very special kitten named Starfish who's dealing with a lot of injuries and issues, but the whole team is pulling for her. Your support is much appreciated!
Let us know if you have more questions for K9 Officer Chris, if you watched Fraggle Rock growing up, or if you have any other feedback for our podcast by emailing us at emig@hhhstopeka.org and/or gracec@hhhstopeka.org.
In this episode Gremi (Grace and Emi, your hosts) have the honor of interviewing HHHS summertime employee Mason; a Kansas State University student who has worked in the Helping Hands medical center the last three summers. Mason begins vet school in the fall! She has a lot of great insights and experiences to share with us this episode; also Grace recently learned how to give vaccinations to kittens so that she could vaccinate the foster babies she has at home - if you ever wanted to know just what the experience is like, give this a listen. Of course, we give an office cat update, and we have a whole new crew of kitties! Summer shelter life is hectic and crazy, and we're taking you along for the ride with us.
It's that time of year again...colorful fireworks fill the night skies, but anxiety fills many of our canine friends as they hear unfamiliar booms and screams. In this episode, Grace and Emi interview Margaret (joint name, Gremargie) all about Independence Day at an animal shelter. She also gives advice on summer fun with your pets - how to keep them healthy and safe during the hottest time of year. Whether it's errands around town, camping, fishing, or walking by the lake, there are important facts to know before you go!
We're currently having a Hairy Pawter and the Forever Homes dog adoption spell (magically discounted adoption fees) through June and will be holding a $20 4th of July Microchip Special the week leading up to Independence Day. Call 785-233-7325 to schedule your appointment for a $20 microchip!
We also give you a kitten-filled Office Cat Update and Amos pupdate. As always, don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or stories for our podcast! gracec@hhhstopeka.org and emig@hhhstopeka.org
This episode Gremi (Grace and Emi, employees of Helping Hands Humane Society and your hosts) has the pleasure of interviewing Natalie, our summer intern from Washburn University. This internship is her last step to graduation, and she's been a huge help the last month or so! We often say we just need more hands, more time, and Natalie has absolutely provided that by assisting us with creating graphics for fundraising events, editing videos of adoptable dogs, and she's now working on a transcript to a lost podcast episode that had an issue in recording! She's the dream intern, basically, and you get to hear fun stories about her childhood, fostering kittens, and the work she's doing at HHHS on this episode. She'll be here through the summer, so please reach out to us at gracec@hhhstopeka.org and/or emig@hhhstopeka.org if you have any questions at all for Natalie or about interning at a humane society, non-profit events, fundraising, social media, etc.! We'd be happy to try to answer questions on our podcast.
As you'll hear us explain in our opening remarks, we are moving to once-a-month podcast episodes as we transition into a busier in-person season at HHHS post-pandemic. Look for a new episode on the first Thursday of each month!
We're back from the hiatus called three weeks of insanity at our shelter! We've held major events, fundraising campaigns, received new that made us panic, created a plan of action, and are now in the middle of ANOTHER event/fundraising campaign! Check out this episode to get filled in on all the details in addition to a major office kitten update (major as in 9 cute little babies!). Also this week there has been a fire next door to us (our shelter was fine, thankfully!), the power went out, and now we can't access some of our most important files temporarily--just another week in the life! The most important part, the care of the animals, is still going well. Thanks for your constant support.
Please get in touch if you have stories, questions, ideas, or feedback for the podcast: emig@hhhstopeka.org and/or gracec@hhhstopeka.org
What do you do when you're a yoga instructor who loves cats and wants to help homeless animals? You strike up a partnership with your local humane society to teach CAT YOGA classes, that's what! That's exactly what Suzi did five years ago, and it's been wonderful cat, kitten, and puppy yoga classes ever since. Hosts Gremi (Grace and Emi) sit down with Suzi to pick her brain on all things yoga + pets. If you love one or both of these subjects, you're sure to find this episode interesting. We bust the myth that cat yoga classes are for teaching yoga *to* cats...the yoga is there to stretch and strengthen the humans, and the cats are there to provide entertainment and get love! If you'd like to see what it's all about, sign up for the Paws in the P.A.R.K. Kitty Karma class on Sunday, April 25th from 1-2pm for just $10: https://moxie.xyz/spindriftsoul Limited in-person space is available - virtual attendees are unlimited! HHHS receives a donation for each registration.
This week Gremi (Grace and Emi) interview HHHS volunteer groomer, Angie, all about her experiences nail-trimming, mat-shaving, coat-beautifying, and anal-gland-expressing for homeless animals at HHHS (as well as pets at her day-job in a vet's office). Each and every Thursday she faithfully shows up to help give a spa day to the animals who need it most; some have nails who have curled under their paws because they've grown out too long. Others have coats so matted you can't even see their eyes or know that they have a collar on under it, and when she's finally done shaving, the entire coat comes off in a huge, matted piece. She's seen so many walk out of that room with a completely different demeanor; no wonder - they must feel like a whole new dog!
Angie also gives some helpful tips and insights into grooming so you can make sure your pets at home are staying healthy and beautiful! Please let us know if you have any questions for Angie that we can ask next time we interview her - email us at emig@hhhstopeka.org and/or gracec@hhhstopeka.org.
This week your hosts Gremi (Grace and Emi) at Helping Hands Humane Society interview coworker Kristina who works in the Admissions Lost & Found Department. Kristina has some great insight to share - not only about her job, but life in general! Be kind, don't judge, and learn something new every day. She tells us a little about her foster dog Remi and her experiences so far at the shelter (she just started here last September, but she has gone all in!).
If you have questions, stories, or feedback for us, don't hesitate to reach out at gracec@hhhstopeka.org and/or emig@hhhstopeka.org.
During this week of the No Place Like Home Challenge to get more lost pets back home, Behavior Specialist Lindsay talks all about dogs getting loose...escape artists, bored pups, un-neutered males, and more! We get to hear from her perspective all the common reasons pet dogs are lost in our community as well as her tips for keeping your fur-baby secure. She shares her experiences of folks being reunited with their pets at HHHS and some of the weirdest and wildest tales from our Admissions department (cats from Colorado, dogs with dyed hair, abandoned pocket pets, etc.).
Your hosts Gremi (Grace and Emi) would love to hear from you anytime! Reach out if you have a question, suggestion, or story: gracec@hhhstopeka.org and/or emig@hhhstopeka.org.
Margaret Price, employee at Helping Hands Humane Society for over 20 years, is back on as a guest in this episode! Gremi (your hosts, Grace and Emi) interview her all about a challenge we're participating in this month - what is it, why are we on board, and how are we working to get even more lost pets reunited with their owners? We discuss our website, a new Facebook page, working with Animal Control Officers, collars and tags, and of course, microchips! We also give some advice about actions we can all take to help animals and pet owners in our community (AKA be supportive and learn about animal behavior and what's best for them! Some of the advice may seem counterintuitive.).
We'd love to hear your feedback, questions, and stories about animal welfare and our podcast. Feel free to reach out to us anytime at emig@hhhstopeka.org and/or gracec@hhhstopeka.org.
Welcome to Episode 31 of Pawfee Podcats, the podcast of Helping Hands Humane Society, a private animal shelter with a government contract located in Topeka, KS. This episode was supposed to be Part 2 of our interview with Animal Control Officer Tursi. We recorded that interview, and it was filled with interesting facts...but alas, the sound quality of the recording is unusable. Please accept our apology and this short replacement episode - we did our best to fill it with puppies, kittens, and wacky experiences at the shelter to make up for it! Your hosts Gremi (Grace and Emi) recall some of our favorite parts of the interview with Officer Tursi, and we'll be publishing a blog post a bit later to share more of the knowledge we gained.
As always, please reach out to us with questions, stories, or feedback at gracec@hhhstopeka.org and/or emig@hhhstopeka.org. This week in particular, we are wondering about any fosters' experiences with live dog or cat births!
This episode's interview was SO interesting that we only got through half of our questions in an hour. That means that we (Gremi - Grace and Emi - your hosts) will definitely have Officer Tursi back again to continue all of our prying, numerous, sometimes off-topic questions! Animal Control Officers are so busy, and we are very grateful that he took the time to meet with us and share information about his job, laws and regulations, and what it takes to become an Animal Control Officer.
We are sure you'll find this just as interesting as we did! While we all know the "dog catcher" from childhood movies, you probably didn't know what an Animal Control Officer's day-to-day job looks like. If you have any questions for Officer Tursi or for us, please email them to emig@hhhstopeka.org or gracec@hhhstopeka.org. Thanks for listening!
In this episode, hosts Gremi (Grace and Emi) of Helping Hands Humane Society interview coworker Katie Jesseph, Volunteer and Off-Site Coordinator. You'll learn all about our volunteer program - how to get started, what volunteers do at HHHS, changes we've had to make during COVID-19 - as well as how Katie got started in this work and her experiences and favorite parts of the job so far (spoiler alert: she adopted a Poodle which is a rare and amazing thing at HHHS!).
If you have any questions about the volunteer program, please email Katie at katiej@hhhstopeka.org. For questions, stories, comments, or feedback regarding the podcast, don't hesitate to get in touch at gracec@hhhstopeka.org or emig@hhhstopeka.org. Thanks for listening!
A special episode 28.5 to bring you the results of Amos's DNA test! Amos is the puppy Grace recently adopted from HHHS. <3 He came from a litter of 7, so the adopters of his siblings were very interested to hear the results as well. We had a lil guessing game on our Facebook page, and like us, most followers thought he would for sure have Saint Bernard in him...but no! Listen to our parody of Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" as Grace tells you all the breeds that DID show up on the test.
We also give an office cat update about our feline friends in the administrative offices of Helping Hands Humane Society.