Page 114 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2021

GIVING BACK
The Humane Society of South Mississippi (HSSM) is the largest
animal welfare organization in the state of Mississippi. They are committed
to ending pet over-population and homelessness and do so through their lifesaving programs such as aggressive spay/neuter efforts, progressive adoption programs, proactive pet identification campaigns, exhaustive return to owner efforts, community pet wellness and innovative love train transports. They depend on the support and generosity of the community to provide high-quality care and compassion to over 7,000 homeless pets each year.
HSSM is an open admissions shelter, which means they are the last resort for the most vulnerable pets of
South Mississippi. Last year, HSSM accomplished a milestone achievement of reaching a “No Kill” shelter status of a 90 percent save rate which is huge, compared to the 53 percent save rate ten years ago.
This holiday season, HSSM is raising funds for their Chicken Soup Fund. Donations to this fund are exclusively used to treat animals in the shelter who are sick and injured. Each year, HSSM spends over $250K on medical care for the pets entrusted to them. HSSM places over 1,000 pets in foster homes each year while providing weekly medical check-ups and supplying all necessary medications. Donations to the Chicken Soup Fund literally helps HSSM save lives!
You can also make a PAWsitive impact by adopting and giving a lonely heart, a
warm and cozy home for the holidays. HSSM’s adoption center is open Tuesday- Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. If you can’t commit to adopting, you can always volunteer your time at the shelter and assist with dog walking, making sure the pets are receiving their daily enrichment (toys
and treats), and socializing cats. For more information on how to get involved, please contact volunteer@hssm.org.
2615 25th Ave, Gulfport, MS 39501 228.863.3354 www.hssm.org
story and photos courtesy of HSSM
114 | December 2021
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
ABOVE LEFT: Hazel Rose when arriving at HSSM.
ABOVE RIGHT: Hazel Rose after treatment. LEFT: Wookie before treatment.
BELOW: Wookie after treatment.