Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of stories highlighting non-profit agencies that need help or donations during the holiday season.

NATCHEZ — Few things can melt a heart like the warm, wet nose of playful puppy.

And right now the Natchez-Adams County Humane Society is ready to melt some hearts. They are currently chocked full of puppies, kittens and even a few goats.

While a new puppy wrapped in a bow under the tree on Christmas day is certainly a wonderful gift, shelter manager Pat Cox warns it’s also a very serious commitment.

Shelter director Pat Cox talks about the importance of the shelter. Click here for slideshow
Cox said each year, a few months after Christmas, the once cherished pets start making their way back to the shelter.

“It’s really quite sad to see,” she said.

Cox said one of the main reasons people return newly adopted pets is because the fail to realize the seriousness of the commitment.

“That pet is depending on you for its life,” she said. “It’s really not a decision to take lightly.”

Cox also said that many who adopt pets, for one reason or another, do not have their pets spayed or neutered.

And this, Cox said, is particularly troubling since the cost for the procedure is included in the adoption fee.

“It just creates more problems down the road,” she said.

Many people, Cox said, are concerned that their pet’s personality will change after the procedure is done.

But Cox said she has yet to see an animal’s personality changed after it has been spayed or neutered.

But even in the face of so many obstacles, Cox said the future of the Humane Society in Adams County is a bright one.

With nearly $100,000 saved, the society is currently developing plans for a new facility that Cox hopes will increase adoption rates.

“The facility we have now is just out-dated,” she said. “With the money we have saved and with money coming in we can’t wait to start on the new building.”

And the money coming in part is what keeps the Humane Society functional.

“About 70 percent of our funding comes through donations and fundraisers,” she said. “We just can’t operate without that money.”

Operating just got a little easier for the group when Adams County raised their yearly funding from $12,000 to $20,000 per year.

“We are so grateful for that money,” she said.

And the Humane Society’s biggest yearly fundraiser is also just around the corner.

On Dec. 8, the group will host “An Animal Affair,” a fundraiser party.

Cox said last year the event raised about $10,000 of their $100,000 budget.

“Everyone should come out, it’s a great time.”

For more information on donating to the Humane Society, contact Pat Cox at the Natchez-Adams Humane Society.