For more than two decades, Humane Tomorrow has been rescuing animals in Flower Mound and surrounding areas and placing them in loving homes.
The non-profit, all-volunteer organization depends on foster families to give animals a nurturing temporary home until they can be placed in their forever home.
“Foster homes get to know each animal in their care, socialize them and provide basic training,” says Michele Langenberg, President of Humane Tomorrow. “Getting to know each animal’s personality helps place them successfully in forever homes. If a dog loves to lie on the couch, we can match them with a family that wants that vs. a dog that wants to run three miles a day.”
Foster coordinators place the animals in foster homes based on the family’s schedule, lifestyle and other animals in the home. Humane Tomorrow provides for all medical care of the animals, and foster families provide food for the animals.
Volunteers can choose to foster cats, dogs or both. Fosters are needed for newborns, “rowdy” teenagers and senior pets. Dog fosters typically foster dogs until they are adopted. Available dogs often include tiny chihuahuas to 150-pound mastiffs and every size in between. Because so many individuals fail to spay and neuter their pets, puppy fosters also are in high demand. The organization often takes in special needs cats who require additional attention. To learn more about how to become a foster, visit dogfoster@humanetomorrow.org or catfoster@humanetomorrow.org.
Humane Tomorrow’s Love on Wheels program aims to reduce the euthanasia of dogs in Texas shelters by transporting them to North Syracuse, NY, where there is a need for adoptable dogs. Humane Tomorrow partners with Helping Hounds Dog Rescue to match dogs with appropriate homes there. Love on Wheels fosters care for dogs for only a few weeks before the dogs are transported. The program has saved more than 2,500 dogs locally. Those wishing to be a Love on Wheels foster can email wheels@humanetomorrow.org.
For those who would like a more permanent companion, Humane Tomorrow offers many adoptable pets.
“Adoptions have been on the rise since the beginning of the pandemic, but there is a never-ending supply of animals in need in the shelter system. This is a great time to bring in a four-legged family member,” Michele says.
“We’ve implemented virtual Zoom Meet n’ Greets to accommodate social distancing,” she says. “This has been good for the animals as they are in their familiar and natural home environment vs. an unknown new place.”
Those wishing to adopt should fill out an application for the animal they would like and pay an adoption fee, which helps cover the costs of basic preventative care.
In addition to saving and rehoming animals, Humane Tomorrow offers education and outreach to the community to teach both future and current pet owners how to keep and take care of their animals. The organization offers spay/neuter programs, and the Flower’s Fund, which provides financial assistance for those in need. Volunteers also work with pet owners to help solve behavioral problems to prevent pets being sent to shelters.
Humane Tomorrow depends on volunteers to support all of its programs. “Volunteers are essential. We do not have paid employees, so the organization runs completely on volunteer time,” Michele says.
For those who would like to help but cannot foster or adopt, Michele says, Humane Tomorrow has myriad other volunteer opportunities.
“We have needs for professional and business skills, such as graphic design, accounting, marketing, fundraising and administrative needs, as well as animal care on-site and adoption counseling. We recently opened the Glenn and Shirley Hulcher Family Animal Care Center and have a garden club and grounds keeping opportunities. It all helps the animals,” she says.
In addition, Humane Tomorrow depends on the community’s generosity to maintain its programs. Those wishing to make a donation can visit humanetomorrow.org/help/.
“Humane Tomorrow’s annual budget is funded by donors, large and small,” Michele says. “We raise money throughout the year for general medical care and operations, as well as for The Mercy Fund, which provides medical care for the extra costs incurred for medical conditions. Flower’s Fund donations stay in our community and keep pets in loving homes when people fall on hard times and are faced with large unexpected medical expenses.”
For more information about Humane Tomorrow and how you can become involved, visit HumaneTomorrow.org.
