1113 Human Society
By INTISAR SERAAJ-SABREE
The grooming staff at the Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS) did not know what damages to expect when they started shaving Fifi’s fur.
The Shih Tzu-mix had patches of matted fur intertwined with her skin due because she had been chained outside for too long, according to the GHBS blog.
Her owner surrendered her to the organization in January 2013, and a foster guardian took her in and by February decided to adopt her.
Programs such as the GBHS foster guardian program and the volunteer program have played an integral part in success stories during the organization’s lifespan.
For more than a century, the GBHS and its community of volunteers have shown an overwhelming passion for animals. The organization is now housed just off West Oxmoor Road.
Ramona Graffeo, GBHS volunteer coordinator, said some helpers admit that they are too in love with animals and should not be in an environment surrounded by adoptable pets. She also said typically volunteers adopt pets daily.
Although the nonprofit organization receives no government funding, it has flourished for 130 years with the help of a database of about 500 active volunteers.
GBHS’s reliance on community support reflects the vision its creator had when he founded the humane society in 1883.
Dr. John Herbert Phillips, who also founded Phillips High School and the Birmingham Public Library, believed a well-rounded person must be taught humane values and compassion. Under his leadership, various humane-education programs began to teach these qualities in hopes of creating more responsible pet owners and humans compassionate toward animals.
The foster program is one of those programs that reflects Phillips’ goal.
After passing an assessment and learning a structured curriculum, people can open their home to a pet until it is ready to live among the rest of the GBHS pets available for adoption.
At the society’s facility, volunteers take time out of their day to help with anything from events to administrative duties, or educational public speaking to answering the 24-hour Cruelty Hotline.
“We can’t function without volunteers,” Graffeo said.
Since its founding, the GBHS has given back to the community as well.
Through its Pet Pantry program, underprivileged families receive assistance including pet food, proper animal housing and pet care tips.
This year the GBHS also introduced a 33-foot RV named TARA (transport, assist, rescue, adopt) that it takes to animal-oriented events to showcase adoptable pets. These events provide additional venues for the organization to raise awareness and provide pet care tips.
In the spirit of the pet care standards Phillips helped force into law in 1919, the GBHS tries to improve pet-owner relationships with the tools it has. By swapping out an owners’ heavy chain for a light leash, providing proper animal housing, or building safety fences, the GBHS enables community members to better care for their pets.
“Ultimately we want to keep pets in people’s homes instead of having to find them new ones,” said Hailey Rogers, GBHS events and communications coordinator. “It’s giving back to those who’ve given to us; we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the community.”
The Greater Birmingham Humane Society is located at 300 Snow Drive. Hours are Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Sunday noon-4:30 p.m. For information on pet adoption, volunteering, donating or pet care tips, call 942-1211 or visit gbhs.org.
Timeline
1883: Dr. John Herbert Phillips founds the 12th child and animal humane society in the U.S. and the first in the Southeast.
1910: The Birmingham Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and Animals incorporates.
1919: Phillips forces the passage of the first humane laws in Alabama, requiring each county to provide an animal enforcement officer and minimum standards of care.
1930s: The humane society begins to refer child cruelty investigations to Juvenile Court officers and concentrates on responding to reports about animal welfare.
1977: The GBHS hires Executive Director Dr. Patricia Chase, the first full-time veterinarian and the first full-time education and PR director, and the county authorizes funds to hire the first animal cruelty officer more than 50 years after the 1919 law’s passage.
1987: United Way funding is cut by 90 percent because the GBHS refuses to share smaller facilities with Rabies Control.
1999: The first Animal Cruelty Officer is added to the Birmingham Police Department after the Birmingham police chief attends a First Strike Against Violence seminar.
2000: The GBHS hires its first full-time animal cruelty investigator and a veterinarian to spay and neuter all adoptees.
2005: The GBHS and Gulfport’s Humane Society of Southern Mississippi agree to assist each other in saving and rescuing sheltered animals in times of disaster.
2007: The GBHS begins working with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to build a barn to house rescued horses and livestock.
2013: The GBHS surpasses its adoption number from 2013 with 989 adoptions since June 1, receives a dog play area funded by community donations, and offers new dog training classes.
