The wag of a tail says it all when pets adopted from the Beadle County Humane Society go home with their new families.
Their “forever” families, as they like to say at the BHCS, said executive director Kim Krueger.
“I take pride in being a voice for the animals in need, along with my staff,” she added. Joining her at the shelter are Denise Griffith, kennel supervisor/animal control; and part time employees, Johnathon Struble, Tylor Bakke and Kevin Bowersox, who are kennel keepers.
“We do hear back from adopters with stories of how their families are getting along with their new furry family member, and it really makes a difference,” Krueger said. “We have pets that are now seasoned travelers to ones that simply enjoy the simple life; and of course, those that have taken over as king or queen of the house.”
January and February are typically the slowest months of the year, so right now they have six dogs and puppies and 73 cats and kittens in the shelter, located two miles south of Huron.
In a typical year, they will take in and care for close to 1,000 animals — each staying varying amounts of time before they can be adopted.
A baked potato feed, bake sale and auction to benefit the humane society is planned today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Huron Elks Lodge. Everyone is invited to attend.
The shelter’s operating budget is cobbled together through community donations, United Way, and allocations through both the city and county for animal control services.
“Our main source of income is donations,” Krueger said. “We are blessed to have such a great community and supporters that make our mission possible.
“And, I am proud to say we are a United Way agency, which helps to fund the spaying and neutering of shelter animals before they are adopted,” Krueger added. “This funding is crucial to the shelter so we can rest assured those animals will not be responsible for any more unwanted litters.”
For the past several years they have been raising money to replace their Animal Control vehicle, a 2002 Town & Country van adapted to carry animals.
“Our van is in desperate need of replacement,” Krueger said. “If anyone would like to make a donation toward this need, we would greatly appreciate the help.”

A typical day at the shelter begins with letting all the dogs outside to romp in a 100-foot-by-200-foot fenced dog park, which is also open for the public to use.
“We have 14 large dog kennels and several fold-down kennels in the dog room,” Krueger said. “While the dogs are outside, their kennels will be stripped of the shredded paper we use for bedding, and then each kennel is scrubbed and mopped.”
The kennels are filled with fresh bedding, along with food and water.
“Then we let the dogs in for breakfast,” she said. “During that time we are also doing laundry, washing dishes and additional cleaning.”
The process is repeated in the cat room. Each animal receives a nose-to-tail inspection each day.
“Throughout the day we will also be answering phone calls, doing adoptions, updating animal vaccinations and medical needs, posting new animals online, and paperwork,” Krueger said. “In the afternoon, we repeat the process of letting the dogs out for some exercise and cleaning all the kennels again.”
Along with all of that, they need to be ready to drop everything and respond to complaints of neglect or animals running-at-large.
“I can say that we have been to many neglect calls and have seen some horrific things that have been labor intensive as well as emotional,” Krueger said. “One unusual call was having to go into a home to remove hundreds and hundreds of fish in very large fish tanks.”

A crew of willing volunteers helps them answer the need for human companionship each animal longs for.
“We can always use volunteers to help, whether it be to help clean or take a dog to the dog park or play with a cat in the cat patio,” Krueger said. “We learn a lot from a volunteer interacting with the animals in our care, simply because we may not have the time to dedicate to each individual animal with all the other work that needs to be done.”
Krueger said a person from a local nursing home has occasionally picked up a shelter cat to visit the residents.
If anyone is interested in volunteering they can pick up a form at the shelter or call them at 352-8955.

In the 22 years that she has been employed at the humane society, starting with a part-time job, Krueger said she has seen more just about everything.
“I can say that some days are better than others, as I have seen a lot of disturbing things when it comes to animal neglect,” she said. “But when an animal gets its forever home, that helps to compensate for those bad days.”
Even a simple running-at-large call can be as easy as opening the van door and having the animal jump right in, to having two vehicles trail an animal for hours before they can get it.
Incorporated in 1991 as part of the “Do It Right” campaign, the shelter has gone from being housed in a board member’s garage to its current location south of town.
“Since we have been in our current location we have grown, as have our needs,” Krueger said.
There are several sheds on the property where supplies are stored, and just a few years ago they constructed another building to store kennels and pet food to make room for more animals in the main building.
Upcoming events being planned by the humane society, besides today’s fundraiser at the Elks Lodge, are the annual Dog Walk in May and the annual open house in June.
As always, donations of scoopable cat litter, pet food and supplies such as bleach, paper towels, dish soap and laundry soap are always needed.
Monetary donations can also be sent to the Beadle County Humane Society, 5063 Dakota Ave. S., Huron, S.D. 57350.

COURTESY PHOTOS
Johnathon Struble holds a cat named Chevy at the Beadle County Humane Society. Chevy is an adult neutered male who will be available for adoption following his treatment for upper respiratory infection. Yale is an adult neutered male cat who was found near Yale. He is ready for adoption, as well as Benny, a 4-month-old border collie mix.