Devoted Friends Animal Society

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Brandon Twp.- Linda Muiter-Carmean hopes to find forever homes this Christmas for some of the 100 cats and kittens, as well as five puppies waiting for adoption through the Devoted Friends Animal Society.

“I have 12 kittens myself right now, they all range in age,” said Muiter-Carmean, president of the non-profit rescue that shelters abandoned, surrendered, and otherwise unwanted animals in foster homes until permanent homes can be found. “Most that I have are under 3-years-old. Surprisingly, most of the ones surrendered are not that old. The challenges are kittens that are left outside, or people leave them behind when they move. The mobile home parks especially are notorious for people moving out and leaving their animals behind. It’s very sad. It’s a human problem, not an animal problem.”

Devoted Friends Animal Society, Inc. has rescued hundreds of animals since receiving non-profit status in July 2010. On average, the organization saves between 100 to 150 animals per year, mostly cats, as dogs require more time and attention. DFAS does not have a facility, but instead has seven foster homes in which rescued animals are cared for until they find a permanent home. These foster homes are in Ortonville, Goodrich, Davison, Clarkston, Pontiac and Grand Blanc. As soon as an animal is adopted out, another fills its place.

“Right now we are involved a lot with the St. Clair County Animal Shelter because they kill so many,” said Muiter-Carmean. “We advocate strongly for the no-kill equation, a program that has been developed to give shelters ideas on increasing adoptions and reducing the number of animals killed, both dogs and cats.”

Families who are interested in adopting a dog or puppy are referred to Rose Alexander, a DFAS Board member who is also a dog trainer. Other board members include Tammy Beal and Melissa Borden, who is in charge of the Devoted Barn, which shelters formerly neglected horses, sheep, goats and even llamas. The Devoted Barn has also taken in feral dogs.

While Muiter-Carmean wants to find loving homes for the animals, she is cautious about Christmastime adoptions. She will not allow the adoption of an animal to a person who is gifting the animal to a person outside of their home. She also asks potential adopters to consider the time they have to spend with an animal and if adopting a dog, families should consider the breed and whether the animal is high or low energy, or timid.

Other issues to be considered including how many hours a day the animal will be left alone. Even with cats, she notes, they can’t be left alone for days or even hours on end or they risk developing bad behaviors from missing their humans.

Muiter-Carmean urges pet owners to spay and neuter their animals to help control the number of unwanted dogs and cats.

Devoted Friends hosts adoption events most Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. at Pet Supplies “Plus,” 22 N. Ortonville Road. Visit the Devoted Friends Animal Society, Inc. Facebook page to see animals available for adoption, or call Linda Muiter-Carmean at 248-884-3594.

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Brandon Twp.- Animals in need of a home can find one with the help of a new non-profit organization.
Kim Hagar and Linda Muiter-Carmean have formed the Devoted Friends Animal Society, a 501c 3 organization, in order to rescue animals from shelters and place them in foster homes until their forever homes are found.
‘We want to save as many animals as we can,? said Muiter-Carmean. ‘We’ll never run out of animals to save. Humans must be responsible for what we have tamed. We can’t domesticate them and then abuse and neglect them.?
Hagar, co-owner of Bullfrogs, 2225 Ortonville Road, and Muiter-Carmean, a township resident, met last fall.
‘I didn’t have any animals and (Kim) convinced me to foster a cat,? said Muiter-Carmean. ‘I didn’t even like cats. I was a dog person.?
Still, Hagar talked her into fostering Mr. Gray, aptly named for his soft color, and whom was rescued from a locked bathroom in an abandoned house. Muiter-Carmean kept him and soon took in Ms. Kitty and Milo and kept them, too. Additionally, in the past year, she has fostered 14 cats and kittens and found homes for all of them.
‘There is such a great need and its so sad with the economy, people can’t afford to keep their pets,? said Hagar. ‘So many don’t have homes and don’t make it to adoption… We could get more out of the shelters if we had foster homes to put them in. We don’t want to reinvent the wheel, we just want to try and help solve the problem.?
As a non-profit 501c3, Devoted Friends can help raise money to pay for pet food, vaccinations, adoption fees, and spaying or neutering through various events such as poker parties.
Besides donations, they are also seeking people willing to foster animals. They use criteria and protocol for placing animals that is modeled after what animal control uses.
Devoted Friends rescues animals from shelters where they might otherwise be euthanized. A foster home gives the animals a safe, loving haven until a forever home can be found. Their goal is to get a building where the animals can stay until their permanent home is found.
‘The more funding and volunteers we have, the more animals we can save,? said Hagar.
Become a friend of the Devoted Friends Animal Society, Inc. on Facebook to learn how you can help.

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