INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A team of 30 volunteers descended on the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County Saturday morning to build two new paddocks that will double the organization’s capacity for large animals.
“The Humane Society really needed it,” Lowe’s Commercial Sales Specialist Ilse Way said, explaining that there were three projects the Vero Beach employees voted on to help and the Humane Society was the clear winner.
The volunteer work was part of Lowe’s Home Improvement’s Lowe’s Heroes Program, a $5.2 million nationwide endeavor to give back to the communities that support the store.
Typically, Lowe’s approves just one project for each area – but Indian River County received two – the Humane Society and the Hibiscus Children’s Center, which received a retaining wall earlier this year, according to Way.
Tim Swift, Director of Development for the Humane Society, was thrilled the organization was selected.
He said the two paddocks will help the Humane Society better meet the community’s need to assist large farm animals, such as horses and cows, that are in distress.
“We frequently get called,” Swift said.
Director of Animal Protection Services Ilka Daniel said the paddocks would help not only provide more capacity at the Humane Society but also give the animals more room to run about and get exercise while they await placement into their forever homes.
“We are just so excited,” she said.
Daniel said the paddocks will help the Humane Society keep certain animals separate from others and better accommodate the needs the individual species of animal has.
“We never know what we’re going to get,” Daniel said, explaining that the Humane Society recently took in three spur thigh tortoises, a solitary tortoise that prefers to not be with other such tortoises.
The Humane Society had to figure out a way to keep the three separate to keep them happy.
Also, the extra paddocks would help keep non-sterilized goats separated to limit unplanned breeding.
Way said her store, located on State Road 60 west of 58th Avenue, was happy to help the Humane Society.
“The Humane Society comes out to Lowe’s,” she said. “We help each other out.”
Local business Leroy Smith and Son sent a handful of employees out to the Humane Society earlier in the week to get the prep work done for the paddocks.
Nick Garcia, who led the crew, said they spent about five hours sinking 46 posts around the perimeters of the two paddocks – helping the Lowe’s team to save time Saturday.
“It’s nice to help out the Humane Society,” Garcia said, noting that his boss, Ray Smith, has donated to the organization in the past.
In about four hours, the volunteers had completed the paddocks – a full two hours ahead of schedule.
“It’s terrific,” Swift said.
