I write with regard to the Humane Society of the United States and how it spends funds to help animals.

The River Valley Animal Advocates is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit, working in 14 towns from Andover to Canton. Since 2009, we have been able to help more than 400 cats to be fixed and have rabies shots. We also do trap-neuter-return for feral cats. The Humane Society has approved T-N-R as a humane way to manage feral cats by reducing populations. The goal is to improve the quality of life for homeless cats and reduce their population by attrition.

In 2011, Katie Lisnik with the Humane Society held a community cat meeting in Dixfield. The RVAA hosted the event and representatives from the Franklin Animal Shelter attended, as well as most of the local animal control officers. Lisnik did such meetings all over the state of Maine.

In the spring, the Humane Society had a special grant program to help groups with spay/neuter projects. The RVAA was awarded a grant for $1,500 to purchase equipment. Because of the Humane Society, we were able to purchase much-needed live traps and dog crates that we use to house cats before and after surgery. A number of grants came to Maine, as well as other states.

People may not realize that the Humane Society of the United States spends its funds locally, as well as on a state or national level.

Becky McDonald, Canton, River Valley Animal Advocates

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