Photographer / Jubilee Edgell
Nancy Cox, director of the Marshall County Humane Society, has always had a love for animals. She started working at the Humane Society 31 years ago after her daughter went off to kindergarten. After noticing an ad in the paper looking for part-time help, Nancy applied and was hired immediately.
“My daughter went to kindergarten, so I thought ‘What am I gonna do with myself?’ I just always have to have something to do, and I saw an ad in the paper that they needed part-time kennel help, and they hired me on the spot,” she says. “The first couple weeks I worked part-time, and then I’ve been full-time ever since. I was on-call for Animal Control, and I worked the kennels every day. I enjoyed animals so much I didn’t even realize how much time I spent here.”
As Nancy says, her work is not cuddling with dogs and cats all day – she works to find animals their forever homes, which is one of the most rewarding parts for her. The other most rewarding part, she notes, is when animals who are initially shy or afraid come around to the people trying to help them.
“Sometimes, we get animals that are so fearful and so afraid of people and have been so badly abused. It can take us days to catch them because they’re out running, and when we finally get them, that’s the most rewarding,” she says. “We have so many who are abandoned. They get unsocialized very quickly.”
Being able to catch and care for up to 71 animals total is not a cheap endeavor, though, so the Humane Society mainly relies on donations from the public to keep itself running. They host fundraisers throughout the year: the next event will be a Dash and Splash, held in Culver along the beach on Aug. 3, 2019. Participants are invited to walk their dogs along the trails back to Culver Academies, then come back to the beach and swim with their dogs in the lake.
Donations are accepted and appreciated any time throughout the year, whether they be monetary or physical. They typically need dog food, cat food, and bleach. While any donation of food is appreciated, the shelter asks that you please consider donating name brand food, as many animals that come in have food sensitivities that are aggravated by poor food.
“Shelter tummies are sensitive. They’ve been out without basically anything to eat. We try to ask for name brand, because they have less byproducts,” Nancy says.
If you would like to visit or donate to the Marshall County Humane Society, you are invited to visit them Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., or on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They are located at 11165 13th Rd. in Plymouth. You can also give them a call at 574-936-8300 or visit them online at mchsshelter.org.
