Johnson County Humane Society gets a new director
When the family’s 11-year-old mutt died three weeks ago, she and her husband Jonathon didn’t think they would ever want another four-legged family member, said Laura Rupel of Franklin. But that was before they attended a recent Thursday evening adoption party at the Humane Society of Johnson County. And that was before they fell in love at first sight with Daisy. “We saw that shaggy face and she was perfect,” Laura Rupel said with a smile.
With her four children in tow- four extremely excited little children- Rupel stepped into the Humane Society to claim the family’s newest member. “The kids have been waiting,” she said with a grin. 
She plans to run around in the backyard and play ball with Daisy, said five-year-old Sydney Rupel. Her younger siblings, Bradley, 4, Matt, 3, and Addison, 1, nodded their heads in agreement that Daisy wasn’t likely to ever lack attention.
Adoptions are happy moments for this nonprofit organization’s new director, Karen Buckler and the many volunteers. Finding a great forever home for a homeless dog or cat is one of their most important goals. Finding foster families to offer temporary shelter to other animals who haven’t yet met their new families is another goal. “We need foster families desperately,” Buckler said. “Every single day, we get multiple phone calls from people who need to surrender animals.”
With years of experience as an animal advocate and just the right amount of spunk to step into this very demanding role, Buckler’s transition probably couldn’t occur at a busier time. Later this month, long-awaited renovation begins for this 12,000 square foot building on Graham Road in Franklin.
Another one of Buckler’s responsibilities is to educate the community about adoptable animals. Before four-legged friends leave foster placements for adoption, they also receive important services. “When our animals leave here, they are spayed or neutered. They have all their vaccinations and they are micro chipped,” Buckler said.
Because the Humane Society of Johnson County survives solely on grant money and community donations, a big part of Buckler’s job is to raise money. Between fundraising efforts, she and other loyal volunteers hope people in the community will donate dog or cat food or kitty litter, leashes, cages, pet toys and consider fostering a homeless animal.
“Without people to help us, we’re not able to help them,” Buckler said. “There are a lot of animal lovers out there. I want them to know who we are, so they can help, too.”
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