Photo Courtesy Dee Roberts - There are several cats for adoption at HAVA. Call 942-4716 for an appointment to get started.
SOUTH BEND - Now just might be the best time to adopt a cat from HAVA, the Harbor Association of Volunteers for Animals, which currently has several adorable felines for your taking.
HAVA is an all-volunteer group that serves the animals of the Twin Harbors region of Washington. The area covered roughly ranges from Westport (where it was founded) in the north to Bay Center in the south. It also encompasses portions of Grays Harbor and Pacific counties. After a down period, HAVA was reformed and is based in Raymond with volunteers in Raymond, South Bend, Menlo, Westport, Grayland, Tokeland, Bay Center and other communities. To contact HAVA, call 942-4716.
Dee Roberts, who has been the backbone of HAVA for several years, has worked for the City of South Bend for 21 years and is currently the clerk/treasurer. Roberts is also a Raymond City Council Member. A couple of Roberts' career highlights include Washington Municipal Clerks Association's Clerk of the Year and being elected president of the Washington Municipal Clerks Association. She and her husband Mike live in Raymond. Her daughter and her family, including Dee's "beautiful" grandson Lincoln, live in Tumwater.
Roberts, who is president of HAVA, took the time to answer a few questions for the Herald about HAVA.
Herald: How long have you been associated with HAVA?
Roberts: I became interested in HAVA probably 15 years ago and spent a brief time on the board. Around 2009 I was approached by the current president, Gail Friedlander, about getting involved again. I agreed and a few months later I ended up as president after Gail's term was up. I stepped away for about a year in 2016 and then came back again in 2017, just to answer the HAVA phone for a few months, which turned into about a year. There were some changes to the board and I agreed to come back as president in 2018. This stuff gets in your blood and it is really hard to leave.
Herald: How long has HAVA been established in Raymond?
Roberts: HAVA moved to Raymond from Westport in 2002. The original founder of HAVA, Shirley Brown, wanted to retire and asked Gina Lewis if she would help get it established in Raymond. The board at that time consisted of Gina, Regina and Ken Miller and Claire Wolfe. The only caveat was that HAVA would always support and maintain the Jetty Cats, which we continue to do. HAVA has one volunteer that feeds them twice a day and lets us know if there are any that need vet care or if there are any new ones. The colony has shrunk considerably since the early years. There are only a few old-timers left and anytime there are news ones that are dumped, they are trapped and rehomed.
Herald: How big is the HAVA staff?
Roberts: At any given time HAVA has approximately 20-plus volunteers that work at the shelter. They clean and take care of the cats and kittens.
Herald: How does someone go about adopting an animal during the current pandemic?
Roberts: Because of COVID-19, we are not open to the public. All visits to the shelter are by appointment only. If you are interested in adopting, you can go to our website at www.hava-heart.org and fill out an adoption application, you can message us through our Facebook page HAVA (Hava Heart) and you can also call the HAVA line at 360-942-4716. Our shelter manager is very good about making herself available, so you can come down and see all of the kittens and cats.
Herald: How much does it cost to adopt a pet?
Roberts: Cats and Kittens are $125. If you are interested in a pair it is $200. That cost covers their spay or neuter, their first set of shots, deworming, a flea treatment and they have been fully vetted and checked for FIP/FeLV. Dog adoption fees are $175 with similar vetting including spay/neuter, shots, deworming and flea treatment.
Herald: How many animals does HAVA currently have for adoption?
Roberts: We have about 50 cats/kittens at the shelter and at least 20 in foster care. This is a tremendous amount for us, but we feel that COVID-19 has really played a significant role in so many cats and kittens being abandoned this year. We currently do not have any dogs or puppies available for adoption. All of our dogs are kept in foster care because the shelter is not large enough to house dogs. By the way, we are always looking for dog fosters.
Herald: What age groups and breeds do they range from?
Roberts: We take any and all types of dogs. If they need us, we are there to help. We have a very good network of rescues that are willing to work with us if we need help getting a dog placed or into foster care.
Herald: Besides cats and dogs, are there other kinds of animals for adoption?
Roberts: HAVA sticks to just cats and dogs, but we have gotten calls about chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs and horses just to name a few. We have developed a pretty extensive list of contacts to help people with that occasional request for assistance.
Herald: How has COVID-19 and its protocol affected HAVA?
Roberts: As I mentioned earlier, we are not open to the public, but by appointment only at this time. All of the volunteers are still working, but following the governor's recommendations, including wearing face masks if they are in the shelter with other volunteers. Running an animal shelter already requires a very strict protocol of sanitizing, so we didn't really have to step up our game there. HAVA volunteers are an amazing group of people. Some of the hardest working people I have ever met and we are so lucky to have each and every one of them!
Herald: Is there anything you'd care to add about anything involved with HAVA or COVID-19?
Roberts: When the shutdowns first started and we could see that COVID-19 wasn't going away any time soon, I personally wasn't sure that HAVA would survive. HAVA is 100 percent volunteer and we survive solely by donations, and most importantly, by fundraising, which as we know has been nonexistent this year. This is the first time in HAVA's history that we have not been able to fundraise. Even our brand-new thrift store was closed for 2½ months. We opened back up on June 1st and business has been good. It was a very scary time for us. Our prayers were answered though. We have received enough donations over the last five months to be able to pay our bills and still keep saving animals. What more could anyone ask for, really.