Humane Society honors Ruritan Club

Published 10:45 pm Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The Suffolk Humane Society will recognize the Magnolia Ruritan Club for its faithful support during a special presentation on Thursday.

“The club has been so supportive of the Humane Society… and we want to thank them,” Humane Society volunteer Lisa Branton said Tuesday.

The two community-service organizations first joined forces after a tornado devastated Harmony House Antiques, where the Humane Society previously had stationed the Neuter Scooter, in April 2008.

Email newsletter signup

Without a place to go, “They asked us if they could use our facilities for the Neuter Scooter,” said Harrell Jory, a member of the club for 29 years.

Now, because of the support of the Ruritan Club, nearby pet-owners know where to find the Neuter Scooter, where they can bring their pets for medical services. The Ruritan Club also allows the volunteers at the Humane Society to use its building rent-free for its monthly meetings.

And Kay Hurley, director of community outreach for the Humane Society, said the Ruritan Club has approved Suffolk Humane’s request to use the building for dog-training lessons beginning in January.

“Our motto is ‘Community Service, Fellowship and Good Will,’” Jory said. “We like to do things that are worthwhile to the community… and we have enough parking and the building is compatible for [the Humane Society’s] use.”

Hurley said she expects the relationship between the Humane Society and the Ruritan Club to extend into the future.

“I can’t say enough about them. They’ve been so generous with us,” said Hurley.