Because it’s National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week we want to give a spotlight to one of our own employees who has opened her home and heart to animals. Susanne Loving, SG’s Office Administrator, began volunteering in Charlotte, NC for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Animal Care and Control. This shelter was fortunate enough to receive a grant to begin a “kitten nursery”, a volunteer run operation that provided education and training on how to care for newborn kittens, called neonates. During one late night shift, Susanne knew if she didn’t stay with a litter of kittens through the night, they might not make it. What started as taking four kittens home turned into a foster relationship with the animal shelter, and since her move to Richmond, she has opened her home to care for kittens that need round the clock attention. “The goal of fostering is to teach a kitten to be a good cat; making them comfortable with human contact, teaching them, playing with them, cuddling with them, socialization!”, Susanne says.
She also thanks Spurrier Group for opening our offices to kitten fosters….which wasn’t that hard of a decision, seriously. Kittens need feeding and care every few hours so when she brings her fosters to work it’s a win-win for the team. Fostering is a vital part of an animal shelter’s success. Often, shelters are at maximum capacity, and having volunteers open their homes alleviates the demand for space for those animals who need the most attention. Susanne shares, “It’s a wonderful way to give back to your community! You will have tears and laughter, but it is all worth it to make a difference in the life of an animal”.