Maui Humane Society and Abandoned Dogs

I have decided to adopt a rescue dog once again. I have been visiting the Maui Humane Society (MHS) once a week for awhile now, hoping to find a dog that will spend the next 12 to 15 years with our family.

Each kennel or large cage at the Maui Humane Society has two or three dogs in it because the non-profit is full to capacity. Most of the dogs have a sheet of information tacked on their kennel door which says that a nice lady or a nice man found them wandering around the island, hungry and thirsty, and took them to the shelter to be adopted. A few of the dogs’ kennel notes say instead that the owner brought them in and surrendered them because they can no longer look after the animals.

It is sad and amazing how many abandoned dogs have been brought into the Maui Humane Society in the last few months. They are mostly classified as stray dogs once they are brought in. Foreclosures on Maui have increased over the past year. The staff at the MHS see the correlation between the people losing their houses and people abandoning their dogs. Some dog owners do bring their dogs in to be adopted and do explain they are leaving the island due to economic hardship.

Today when I went to the Maui Humane Society there were several dogs that I liked. One newcomer was very skittish. She looked like a miniature Red Setter although I guess there is no such thing. This little dog, approximately 20 pounds in weight, had been brought in by her owner along with one of her puppies. I am glad the owner had the compassion to bring the animals in for help if she could no longer look after them. Another new little dog there was a tiny Chihuahua, ten years old, who had been found wandering around the island. Did somebody own this dog for a number of years and then actually think they were doing their beloved little dog a favor by setting her loose to wander around, thirsty and hungry, facing dehydration and starvation? This dog was only six pounds and could have been lunch for a bigger dog out there in the fields. The owners of the little Chihuahua couldn't possibly have simply 'lost' her. If they had actually lost her, wouldn't the owners have thought to open a phone book, look up the phone number of The Maui Humane Society and phone to inquire if their dog is there?

Many Mauians want to adopt a shelter dog, a rescued animal, rather than get some purebred for $2000. Purebred dogs on the Hawaiian Islands are very expensive -- overpriced -- ranging in price depending on breed. The high prices are due to supply and demand. There are many regulations for bringing in new dogs to the islands and Hawaii has the longest quarantine period of any state. Generally speaking, people here prefer to get the poi mix dog and feel good about doing a pet rescue.

There are so many stray dogs on Maui and many of them have a litter or are about to have a litter when they are rescued. Fostering animals is time consuming and a lot of work, but some people offer to do that here – as people do in thousands of other localities across America. Thank heavens for those caring, compassionate souls.

I went for a walk at sunset tonight at one of the grassy beach parks where a lot of dog rescuers walk their dogs. These are people that have two, three or four rescued dogs happily playing with one another. The dogs' new owners suggest to anyone and everyone they meet, “Adopt a shelter dog, do a dog adoption or a puppy adoption, help the abandoned animals.” Many of these same people volunteer at the Maui Humane Society or they act as foster parents for litters of dogs and cats that have been rescued. This evening, after having a nice chat with a group of these people -- and none of us having remembered talking to one another ever before -- one of them asked me the name of the Chihuahua I had mentioned owning. I said her name was Nai’a. All four people exclaimed to one another or to me – in effect -- “Oh, Nai’a. Yes, I saw Nai’a. I know who Nai’a is.” Talk about dog enthusiasts! They don’t remember me, the human being at the other end of the leash, but they remember my dog -- once they hear me say her name.

I like that! Anonymity in a crowd. Unfortunately, I didn't recognize any of their dogs. I guess I'm just a dog enthusiast trainee, so far.

I'm very grateful that there are people who are tireless in their efforts to help save the abandoned dogs on Maui.

The staff at the Maui Humane Society are also among the tireless, hard-working people that I admire. Maui Humane Society has lost some of its funding due to the tough economic times, so the non-profit is relying on the public to remember to bring in donations of food for the cats and dogs. Let's remember the abandoned animals of Maui.