On today's morning show, we put the focus on Okuch Mountain Humane Society.
We want to talk about some fine points of this organization, some things they're doing in the community, and also a look ahead at the future.
Join us in the studio today, Jane Muller, Diana Marshall, and Linda Simmons.
Terry McGraw.
So Jane, Diana and Linda are all board members and Terry McGraw former board member, but a volunteer as we look at this organization.
So we'll start with you, Linda.
As we look at the past, you're kind of looking to the future.
Maybe you can bring us up to date.
I know there have been some public criticisms and things like that.
We kind of wanted to tackle that right out of the gate if we could.
Yeah.
I think first of all, I want to say that, you know, over the past several weeks, board members have been a subject of
conversation and criticism and that kind of thing, and some other serious accusations, but we just want the public to know that we hear their concern that's underneath of all of this criticism.
And so that's basically why we're here today, is to make sure the public knows how much we care, and that we have been very cautious in responding to the situation because we're not able to discuss personnel matters.
But right now, our focus is on continuity, animal care, moving forward, so that we can do this respectfully.
We want to assure everyone that the quality of care for animals is our immediate priority.
And the board has been working directly on continuity planning and seeking professional help to come in.
and make sure that the animals are okay.
So that's kind of where we are right now.
Animals are the main focus
there.
The main thing, right, cats in particular.
Okay.
That's who's in our shelter.
Sure.
What we'd like to say is all the cats in the main shelter have been identified and matched with medical records, even though some of those records were incomplete, which gave us kind of a stumbling block.
We're collaborating with trained experts to come in and evaluate the animals and to give us advice on providing care.
All the cats in the shelter right now are getting the care that they need.
They're not happy.
No cat in the shelter is really terrifically happy.
They're stressed.
There's a lot of cats.
There were over 250 cats in the shelter.
Some of those were in cages and were a cage-free shelter.
So they have a lot of healing to do.
And so the shelter was really not okay when the shelter manager was terminated.
It's a sad thing.
The volunteers are great.
They love the animals.
We would welcome them back at some point.
So I'll let somebody else talk.
Sure.
Well, I will ask Terry as well as a volunteer.
First of all, why do you volunteer?
Well, my two cats that passed away, I got out of Phyllis Paul's barn before Okuch
Well, O'Cooch was just a concept.
And I knew Carletta, Marilyn, Judy forever, just to get involved with the organization for, what is it, 30 plus years.
So I'd always done volunteering like the Animal House Food Stand, garage sales yada yada.
And about a year ago or more, I was asked to be on the board, which I was on the board for a while.
And then things started to take a turn when we recognized we needed to intervene to get numbers under control.
And fortunately for health reasons had to resign.
But when it was clear we had to go another direction, I was asked to kind of come back in because I was instrumental in getting a hold of
the ASPCA, UW, Shelter Management, and now the Federation of Humane Societies who have all come together to help us through this transition.
So that's been my role primarily here lately.
Getting the CAT numbers down, how did you go about that then?
Well, what eventually happened is once we were able to make contact with the head veterinarian at UW,
She contacted a network, this Federation of Humane Societies, and called out an all-call, and they've just been coming and helping us out.
And so different humane societies have come as we've learned.
There's a limit on how long cats should be in a shelter, and they rotate them so there's a more likelihood that they get adopted.
And through that, too, we've also had a team of vets come in and analyze everybody, helped us with medical records that were missing and getting the cats treated as need be.
So, unfortunately, we found a lot of things that surprised us and needed a lot more intervention than we anticipated.
It's been really...
a godsend to have these people come in and help and support us.
It's across the nation.
So it's bigger than just here.
And we're getting different input and ideas on what our shelter can be and how we can manage it and support it.
Go
ahead.
Also along with that is the Association of Shelter Vets that put out recommendation, recommended practices.
That was our intention to start following and implementing over a year ago.
Um, but so we're back to that philosophy and trying to implement that and being a professional, healthy organization.
Oh, let's talk about your organization.
Now move over to the other side of the room.
Diana, uh, tell us a little about O'Cooch overall in terms of, you know, what entails, uh, in terms of, you know, the community, maybe what it means to the community in your mind.
Well, we did have a nice newspaper article that we had put out last year in the Richland Observer, and it was a nice long article.
It gave the history of O'Cooch, which I did not realize how long it has been.
It was created in 2001, and because prior to that, you know, we had Friends of Animals, and when they had to
they, you know, came to O'Cooch and so then O'Cooch helped them with the transition of what they had remaining and incorporated into the Humane Society that is today.
It's very needed in this area for the cats and for the TNR programs to help
with the cats that are strays, you know, to you can at least with the teen art programs, you know, trap, neuter, release, so at least to help the population of the cats
go
down.
I got involved with O'Cooch with a prior co-worker and when he passed away, you know, he was very
involved as a lifetime member of Okuch.
And so his passion for cats and continuing the care of cats, his whole estate was for Okuch to help care for the cats.
So I'm very passionate about his involvement that he had and his way of wanting to care for the cats around this area.
took care of his estate and everything that was sold or whatever of his property, it all went to the Cooch for the help of the cats.
And I truly want to keep his legacy going for a Cooch.
So that was how I got involved with Oakooch and I have I've lived on a farm for many years I've had many many animals on my own many cats I am very much a cat lover a dog lover a horse lover cows and so I I do care and I do want to see
This organization continue to survive.
We do have a lot of long the original founders still involved with old coach and for their benefit, too We want to keep it going the best we can Unfortunately, it costs money to keep this going.
We appreciate all the donations we get from my volunteers donors our fosters we We are still trying to reach out to
to collect the information that we are missing, but please know that everything we do is for the cats and for the organization and we want to keep that going.
I can't help but think as we talk about it about Carletta Heidi, you know, we're talking about that, but I still think of her when I think of O'Cooch, Jane.
And Carletta was wonderful.
You know, she was a community leader.
She was involved in so many different community projects, you know, throughout her lifetime.
She was an extremely organized individual.
She was the secretary on our board for many years.
And, you know, she brought a joy to the organization and to all of the events that we had.
So we miss her dearly because she was a wonderful, wonderful board member.
and person in the community.
As well as many other people in the past that have been board members have been instrumental in the growth of the organization from a group of dedicated people in 2001.
I was an original board member back then.
anyhow, but it's grown.
So it's grown from a smaller shelter with 20 cats, 30 cats to, again, due to our donors, due to our supporters and all the people that have come forward with their time and their money, we have become a larger shelter.
And we want to continue to maintain the quality of care for our cats as we did when we were really small shelter.
And, you know, so that takes a lot of time, a lot of effort, and the commitment, you know, to the organization.
You have the food stand, the Okuch Mountain Humane Society food stand from time to time.
Is that like one of the main
Fundraisers but you do
it's one one of the fundraisers that we do and we've we have rummage through the rabbit rummage romp is another one We have the pause for the holidays is another event So we have events throughout the year to help bring in money Mm-hmm and to provide just a fun time for everybody
Mm-hmm You talk about cats do you do you take in dogs as well?
I'm the dog coordinator.
Okay, and I will say that
In years past, it seemed like we had more people coming that needed help with dogs.
That sort of slowed down lately.
But again, I think there's a lot more dog rescues out there than there used to be.
There's a lot of startup rescues around this area.
So I think that's part of the reason.
And some years I'd place between 10 and 15 dogs a year.
was my norm.
But with the last couple of years, not so many dogs have come our way, but we always find good homes for them.
Helped a little Chihuahua get placed in January, so that was great, and we're all fostered.
If somebody calls and they have a dog that they'd like help with, you know, there's a lot of different things we can do and we can find fosters or we can keep the dog in home because that's less stressful for the dog to be moved and then, you know, look for a home, you know, to go directly from one home to another instead of having to go into foster care.
Is it harder to find a place for a dog or a cat?
Oh, I would say cat, definitely.
I think just because there's so many.
And that is a problem in all communities is overpopulation of cats.
And thus, the trap neuter and release program is great because that way you're not adding to the population.
And cats can reproduce, I think it's four times a year, three or four times a year.
And if you start doing the math,
That's a lot of cats and you know and it goes badly for the cats usually if there's an overpopulation in the community
And we were talking I believe maybe before we went on the air about cats They're stressed out lots of times when they're in cages correct
correct and that's why the original founders decided to go to an open
kind of room environment for them so nobody goes into cages.
So they can move around and they can drink water and they can go to the litter box and that kind of thing.
There's not in a three by four kind of area.
You're trying to reduce the number that you have on hand.
So you're here to say they're up for adoption, right?
They're up for adoption and we have a lot of nice cats to choose to come and visit and see how they match with your personality.
And you have pictures available online, do you, for the cats?
We do.
Through all of this, we lost some control over what we could put online, and now we're getting that back.
So there is a Facebook now.
Our website isn't up yet.
So Facebook is probably the best place to see the pictures of our cats.
And
do you have open hours during the week?
We're there.
You're always there.
Well, not always there, but if you give us a call, we will be there.
Okay.
We have not stabilized enough to actually have regular hours that were open, but we're completely easy to contact.
And we'd love to work with you.
And if you want to volunteer, give us a call.
We'll walk you through and see if this is the right place for you.
So we're heading in new directions and more stable directions, I think.
You talked a little bit about our fundraising.
One of the things that we've done from the very beginning is look for opportunities for investment.
So if there's funds, we do investment.
invest them, they grow, and I think that we have some stability behind us, so if the economy erber falters, we're there, we can keep on supporting the cats for a while.
They talked about TNR, that's an important program.
That's something we can't really do successfully without the community's involvement, so they understand what it is and what it means for them, because it takes the whole community to help with that.
It's not just us.
TNR is Trap, Neuter,
and release.
We can't keep those cats in the shelter because they don't really belong in the shelter.
They're not healthy there.
So it's just a piece of where we're going.
We see bright things in the future.
Great.
Terry, what would you like to see in the future as far as goals for Okuch?
Well, we obviously need to get down to a reasonable level and we're working with these organizations to determine what exactly that is.
We're thinking around 60 cats.
The shelter was built for 80, including the infiltration system, our isolation room, so on and so forth.
So at 200 plus cats, we just couldn't maintain a healthy environment.
So to get back to that healthy environment, implement some unified standards and policies that we could all agree on and continue with a legitimate shelter.
I would like to say, though, too, we do need volunteers.
There's rumors out there that we're not accepting everybody.
And that's true.
We have had a lot of negative interactions, some pretty drastic stuff.
So we are going to be selective.
We have to be selective because of the repercussions we have faced.
But we're open for volunteers.
fill out an application, come talk to us.
The other thing that we lost in this process is who our fosters are.
So if the fosters could reach out to us to let us know who you are, what you need, so on and so forth, and with the past volunteers that are willing, ready and willing to move ahead with our mission.
And so.
So the main thing you want to say today, Diane, is Okucha's alive and
well.
Well, we're alive and going.
We're kicking anyway.
And
going, okay.
Yeah, kicking, yep.
We do have an email address, which is the OMHS2026AM at gmail.com, where they could email us.
Or we do have a new phone number now, and it is 608.
475-9964 and they can call, leave a message on our phone too if we're not able to answer.
And then of course the new Facebook page, if you search for O'Cooch Mountain Humane Society, you'll see the new Facebook page.
We are trying to get more pictures of our kitties out there and I myself is not real savvy with Facebook so
I struggle with the use of that, but we do have another person that is working with us to get the Facebook out there better and more noticeable for people.
So we do, you know, advise people to search for that new Facebook page and look us up.
Yes.
And we appreciate, you know,
comments from people you know and course positive ones are always better for us but we can always we're open for improvements you know we're all volunteers too so you know if you've got some suggestions or ideas we would welcome them
you
know these cats need all opportunities possible for them so we you know
You
know,
we would really like to get to know the people or, you know, the new volunteers or adopters or the fosters and communicate with them the best we can.
And we're not trying to stay hidden or back.
It's just that we're being cautious about the next steps to make sure we're going in a good direction for everybody and for the cats mostly.
Yes.
location.
I don't know if we talked about that where you're located at.
We are located up on Carson Street and then we have the sanctuary which is what we call on the back of the building which is called Hazeltine Street.
We're right next to the roller rink if everybody kind of knows with that.
So if you go up Hazeltine Street we're just basically across the street from the town hall and it's you know it's kind of at the end of the road there at the top so.
Then we've used the term foster.
What is being a foster entail if you'd like to somebody who would like to be interested in that?
Well, basically old coach would provide you know the the food the medical care You know the food for the for the cat or for the dog Information I and that type and the foster would provide the love
for the animal, and while the animal is being advertised, and then of course a foster is very valuable because they can see, because they're around the animal all the time, they will see the personality of the animal, they will know what their character is like.
And with dogs, of course, are they good on a leash?
Are they good with other animals?
Are they good with cats?
Do they need to be an only dog?
And what are their requirements and their needs?
And that helps us, of course, find a good fit for that dog or cat when they are adopted out.
Sure.
And so people can come and take a look, as we mentioned, make an appointment.
That's probably the next step.
That would be great.
As a foster, I could see you getting attached though, I think sometimes.
That is what we hear a lot.
We're like, oh my, I don't think I could do
that
because I would want to keep that cat or that dog.
We do hear that a lot.
But if you look at the bigger picture and you realize that, you know, that you're providing a safe, warm, loving environment until the animal can be permanently placed, you know, then that makes you feel good too.
I bet.
Linda, it must take quite a while to feed that many cats, doesn't it?
I don't think you want to know.
Feeding is okay.
It's the scooping that gets.
Oh,
okay.
Right, Diana?
Yeah.
Scooping that takes, you get a good workout.
I bet.
Right.
But please, you get all the cats coming around your feet.
They all want the food.
It's kind of fun.
Their tails are up in the air.
Oh, sure.
Before we close, I'd just like to say that O'Cooch is bigger than any one person.
It takes decades of volunteers, of donors, adopters, fosters.
Veterinary partners can you guys think I think oh community members yes all who care deeply about animals And that's who we are as the board.
We're just part of the community Trying to do good for animals
Yeah, most definitely all the mics are open anything that any of you would like to add about What's been said maybe looking ahead you just want to spin this into a positive thing,
right?
Oh, we're excited about what can come ahead
We are learning all kinds of new things from our partners that were national partners.
It's very exciting.
They're excited for us.
And that makes your heart feel really
good.
For national partners, do you have to go out and search them, or do they look for your husband?
Well, you
know, we have some national organizations that do this kind of work with the federation.
Well, the ASPCA is national, and they are well connected with the UW shelter management program.
So we're very fortunate in this state.
So once we make contact with them, this whole thing just opened up.
So it's just making the right contacts.
networking within this network to get the people here that whose expertise we
need.
There's no limit what we can do for this community.
They have been very helpful with us and given us lots of
ideas and options helping us guide us in the right direction for these cats.
I mean they're looking at the behaviors and the socials and so it helps us to understand better too what is needed for these cats.
So they have been wonderful, they've been a wealth of information for us and we are continuing to work with them.
Here's the thing, sometimes you learn a little about yourselves and you turn it into a positive, right?
Correct.
That's
kind of what you're looking at doing.
Yeah.
Go ahead.
Well, it's been a pleasure to have you in the studio today.
Thank you for
having us.
Yes,
thank you for having us, Bill.
Keep us posted.
I'll get it.
Well, Cooch Mound, Humane Society, the studio, Terri McGraw, Linda Simmons, Jane Muller, and Diana Marshall in this portion of the show.
