Our Programs
... a special program for Senior Pets and Senior People
There are 2 things that those of us in rescue hear a lot... "I can't foster because I get too attached, I could never give an animal up!" OR "We just lost our beloved pet, and since we are getting older too, we can't commit to a pet because something could easily happen to cause us not to be able to care for a puppy or kitten." Our Silver Hearts & Silver Paws program resolves BOTH of those issues at one time!
"How?" Thanks for asking!
- Senior pets (age 7+) often NEED a stable, fairly quiet environment. Senior humans often have that.
- Pets that are eligible for the Silver Paws program ARE seniors -- and when placed with a "Silver Heart" human, we anticipate that pet will be with them for the remainder of the pet's lifetime, so we encourage "Silver Hearts" to become attached to their "Silver Paws"!
- If a Silver Heart is truly unable to properly cover the expenses of a pet, the Somerset-Pulaski County Humane Society will cover ALL costs associated with providing a good, healthy life for all Silver Paws animals. This includes veterinary care, food, toys, and pretty much anything the animals need. "Silver Hearts" provide love, a safe environment, and transportation to veterinarian visits as needed. We recognize that there is a lot of room for potential abuse of this program -- it is NOT a FREE PET program for those that have the financial resources to cover the pets expenses. We ask that if you are able to cover all or some of your Silver Paws expenses, you do -- freeing our funds to help those with Silver Hearts but not deep pockets.
- A pre-placement home inspection is required. (The "Silver Paws" will likely be with the "Senior Heart" for the remainder of their life, so it’s sort of like an all-expense-paid adoption, so this requirement is necessary to ensure the well-being of the "Silver Paws.)
- If the "Silver Heart" falls ill, or requires a medical procedure that would prevent them from providing proper care of their "silver paws" for a time, the animal will be taken in under our Soft Landings program. When the health of the "Silver Heart" returns, the "Silver Paws" animal(s) will be returned to them.
- "Silver Paws" are any pets in our foster program that are age 7+ (younger if requiring on-going medical care (like Hospice care) due to a debilitating disease).
- "Silver Hearts" are any human age 55+, that is not financially able to commit to the responsibility of caring for a senior bet, but willing to provide a safe, loving home for a "Silver Paws" animal if financial support is available.
- "Silver Hearts" will receive their choice of a special, personalized key fob or military style “dog tag” with the Silver Paws & Hearts logo on one side and “My pets are at home and need care! In case of emergency, please contact <name>, <phone number> on the back.
- Canine "Silver Paws" will come with a personalized Pet ID tag with the pet’s name and the Silver Heart’s phone number on the back. These will also be provided for cats (smaller size pet ID tag) for those that like to wear a collar, but since many don’t, it's not an automatic inclusion. Additional personalized tags/keyfobs can be purchased through SPCHS for $10.
- Silver Hearts are required to provide monthly updates of their "Silver Paws", with digital photos.
That's basically how Silver Paws for Silver Hearts works -- we supplement and/or cover the expenses; you provide an indoor home, fenced yard, and lots of love! There are more benefits to being a "Silver Heart for Silver Paws" too (like maybe even a FREE calendar if your Silver Paws Pet wins a month in our annual calendar contest! )
Interested? Just click the button below to complete a foster application! Questions? Just contact us!
Click here to view our Silver Paws that need a Silver Heart to care for them!
Click Here to view some of the Silver Paws in this program.
Persistent Pawsitivity
Persistent Pawitivity is a subscription program that sponsors animals in need.
- Silver Paws, Soft Landings and “extreme circumstance” animals qualify for coverage under Persistent Pawsitivity.
- Become an individual/family member of Persistent Pawsitivity by committing to a $10 monthly donation for the pet(s) or programs you elect to sponsor.
- Become a business member of Persistent Pawsitivity by committing to a $50 monthly donation for programs you elect to sponsor.
What you get as an individual/family member of Persistent Pawsitivity:
- A monthly email with photos of your sponsored critter(s). If/When your sponsored animal(s) is returned to its owner (soft landings) or crosses the Rainbow Bridge (Silver Paws for Silver Hearts), you will have the option of sponsoring another, re-routing the funds to a general fund or terminating your sponsorship. In the case of "extreme circumstance" animals, they will be eligible for adoption once they have recovered. We will contact you one month after adoption when we are certain that the adoption is going to "stick".
- If your sponsored pet is entered into the annual calendar contest and wins a month, you will receive ONE free calendar, and honorable mention in that pet’s story. You may opt out of the honorable mention if you choose. We will email you for your permission to mention your name in the pets calendar story if they are selected as a monthly winner.)
What you get as a business member of Persistent Pawsitivity:
- Businesses can become members of Persistent Pawsitivity with a recurring $50/month donation, too! Businesses that become members of Persistent Pawsivity will get an honorable mention on our Facebook and Instagram pages as well as on our website, complete with your logo if so desired. This means nearly free advertising and recognition of being a member of our local community that is working for good. Businesses can choose to support "Soft Landings", "Silver Paws and Silver Hearts, or animals with extreme needs (We define "extreme needs" as otherwise unaffordable surgery or medical treatment.) A quarterly email will be sent to business members detailing their sponsored program's achievements during the previous quarter.
If you have questions before committing to a recurring donation, please do not hesitate to contact us!
New & FurEver
Pet Re-Homing Service
Our lives change. Sometimes its job-related. Sometimes it's health related. Sometimes its lifestyle related. Whatever the reason, sometimes it's just not possible to keep the pets that we have come to love so dearly. The volunteers at Somerset-Pulaski County Humane Society are besieged daily with requests for help re-homing pets -- literally hundreds of requests each month. As much as we truly WANT to help find these animals a loving new furever home, we are a small rescue organization, with a limited number of foster homes in which to place animals. We try very hard to help folks needing to re-home their pets know that "free to good home" is a very risky thing for the animals being re-homed, unless they REALLY know the person to whom they are giving the animal. That's why we feel so bad when all of our foster homes are full, and all of our rescue friends are in the same situation--our hands are tied, and it usually is the animal that suffers.
Fortunately, there IS a solution for those that can keep their pets for just a little while longer! It's called REHOME by Adopt-A-Pet. It's a safe, reliable way to re-home your pet. Just click the button below to find a perfect new home for your pet(s).
Soft Landings
Sometimes people are in very difficult situations. Sometimes people love their pets so much, that love keeps them from getting help for themselves. Sometimes, that means staying is a situation of domestic violence, because they can't go to a victim's shelter with their animals. Sometimes it means not seeking treatment for a health issue because there is no one that could care for their pet(s) while they are away. Sometimes, a person might have lost their home, through no fault of their own, and in order to survive, they feel that they have to surrender their pet, but can't bear to lose their pet, too. That's where "Soft Landings" can step up to help.
Our Soft Landings program provides short-term foster care for the pets that might otherwise have to be surrendered or might prevent the human from getting the help they need. We will provide food, veterinary care, and loving home for the pet for a limited time, allowing the human to get back on their feet. Of course, this foster care is provided free of charge to the pet's owner. Once their lives have stabilized, the pet is returned and they can live happily ever after!
Animal Rescue
If you see abuse, neglect, or abandonment call the Pulaski County Animal Shelter at 606-679-6432 and/or call 911 until someone responds.
The Somerset-Pulaski County Humane Society is all about saving animals from a life of abuse and neglect. That said, we do not and can not go around seizing animals or make visits regarding abused abandoned or neglected animals. Without permission from a home owner we can't enter private property.
We are a PRIVATE rescue group -- NOT law enforcement, NOT animal control. We receive many calls regarding abuse and neglect. Those calls are turned over to Pulaski County Animal Control and the police to handle.
Often, we can take in animals that have been abandoned, who's owners have unexpectedly died, animals that have been hit by cars, or desperately need veterinary care for any number of reasons. Our ability to do this is certainly not limited by our hearts, but by the availability of foster homes in which to place them and funds to care for them! Want to help? Click here to Donate Money, or here for other ways you can help, or here to apply to be a foster pet-parent or click here to adopt one of the amazing pets in our foster network!
Community Support
While it is not always something we can offer, we understand that sometimes bad things happen to good people. Sometimes these bad things include financial strife.
If you have run headlong into one of these situations, and need assistance with pet food or supplies, please contact us. We will do the best we can to help.
TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return)
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), is the humane approach to addressing community cat populations. It works wonders, by saving cats’ lives and is effective. TNR improves the lives of cats, addresses community concerns, reduces complaints about cats, and stops the breeding cycle. TNR improves the co-existence between outdoor cats and humans in our shared environment. Scientific studies and communities with TNR programs are proof that TNR reduces and stabilizes populations of community cats.
Here in Somerset, KY we recognize that the number of feral cats in our community is huge! This is why the Pulaski County Humane Society has initiated our TNR program.
If you would like to be a positive force that benefits both the humans and the cats in our community, please click the green button below to become a volunteer! Be sure to tell us in "comments" that you'd like to be part of our TNR team!