Community Enrichment Programs
Reading to Rescues
Children of all reading levels are invited to sit beside our shelter pets and read aloud to them. It’s a peaceful, judgment-free space where kids can build confidence while giving our animals the quiet love and companionship they crave while waiting for their forever homes.
When kids read to an animal, the pressure just melts away. Dogs and cats don’t care if you stumble over a tricky word or take your time—they’re just happy you’re there. That zero-judgment audience lets kids relax, practice at their own pace, and actually enjoy reading out loud. Over time, that simple, stress-free time together turns reading from something intimidating into something they genuinely look forward to.
Pet Food Pantry
No one should ever have to choose between keeping their pet and paying their bills. Our Pet Food Pantry is here to help local families who are going through tough financial times. Community members can stop in once a week to sign in and pick up a full week’s supply of food for their pets. Our goal is simple: to keep pets fed and right where they belong, at home with the families who love them.
Community Education & Outreach
Community education and outreach is about promoting compassion, respect, empathy, and the value of the human-animal bond. Animals become happier and safer and the young people who love them gain new insight into what it means to be human. Our humane education programs include:
- Scout Programs: The Humane Society offers programs for Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts! Badge programs are designed for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Girl Scouts.
- School and Community Service Projects: Help with school assignments and ideas for community service projects.
Off Site Adoptions
In order to save more lives, the HSR partners with many other organizations and businesses so that we can reach even more people interested in adopting. These locations allow us to bring our pets closer to adopters throughout the region.
Nursing Home Pet Therapy
Pet Therapy is a therapy technique that uses animals to help people. Pet therapy is a guided interaction between a person and a shelter animal. The goal of Pet Therapy is to improve social, emotional, or cognitive functioning. Pet therapy builds on the pre-existing human-animal bond. Interacting with a friendly pet can help many physical and mental issues. It can help reduce blood pressure and improve overall cardiovascular health. It can also release endorphins that produce a calming effect. This can help alleviate pain, reduce stress, and improve your overall psychological state. Residents at area nursing homes and DDSO homes are among those who enjoy our pet therapy visits.
VIP Program
Our VIP Program is designed to give individuals and groups with physical, intellectual, or developmental disabilities safe, tailored access to our shelter animals. We know that standard shelter environments can sometimes feel overwhelming or hard to navigate. This program breaks down those barriers by creating personalized, gentle visits that match the unique needs, mobility, and sensory preferences of each guest.
Whether it is a quiet session sitting with a cat or a small group visit with a friendly dog, every interaction is planned at a comfortable, reassuring pace. Spending time with animals offers wonderful therapeutic benefits, from reducing stress to bringing pure joy. The VIP Program ensures that everyone in our community has the opportunity to experience the unconditional love and comfort that our shelter pets have to offer.
Pet For Vets
Our Pets for Vets program honors local military veterans and active-duty service members by helping them find their ideal shelter companion. To show our gratitude for your service, the Humane Society of Rome waives adoption fees for qualifying veterans and active personnel.
The bond between a veteran and a pet can be truly life-changing. Animals offer quiet companionship, steady routine, and a loyal friendship that eases stress and brings everyday comfort. Through this program, our goal is simple: to help our local heroes bring home a faithful companion while giving a deserving shelter animal the loving home they’ve been waiting for.
Foster A Pet
Fostering is simply nurturing a shelter pet in your home for a period of time. The majority of animals fostered are litters of kittens. Kittens and sometimes puppies come to the shelter stray or abandoned and are too young and fragile to be placed in permanent homes. They need the security of their litter mates, they need special care, and they need to learn important lessons from each other.
Just like kids, kittens and puppies learn to get along with each other by playing. They learn limits, they learn tolerance, and they learn not to hurt each other — too much! This littermate interaction is essential for the healthy development of puppies and kittens. Fostered litters also learn about the home environment — other cats, dogs, and kids. When they return for adoption, they are often the most outgoing, confident animals in the shelter.