New animal shelter comes to Harrison County

CADIZ—The Humane Society of Harrison County has been working diligently toward the goal of having a safe place for the abused and neglected animals of Harrison County. This goal is about to be met.

The HSHC has a building for an animal shelter! The society has acquired a building to rent for the next year. This building will be used to house abused and neglected animals and as a place where adoptions can happen. This building has been desperately needed.

When an animal is injured or abandoned and needs a place to heal, Harrison County does not have the facility for this. Any animal taken in has to be fostered by a volunteer or an agency member acting as a volunteer. At this time, members are unable to take in any more fosters. Members have had between 11 and 29 cats at a time as well as horses and dogs. The society has completed TNR on over 300 cats, spaying or neutering through programs offered by the society. Those cats need a place to go for recovery prior to finding new homes or being released back to their colony.

The society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It was originally started and incorporated on June 11, 1984, by Louise Parysek, with Marilyn Cope as the agent to whom any process notice or demand required or permitted by statute to be served upon the corporation was sent. From records, it appears that the society received its 501(c)(3) status in September 2012. During the early years, it consisted of Parysek, Cope, and Harry and Joyce Heavilin, to name a few. In 2017 only two board members remained. At that time, Cope and Joyce approached Linda Porter to “regroup” the society. After a couple of public meetings, Porter was able to turn in the necessary paperwork for the society to remain active, and she became the appointed agent that took Cope’s position. In 2022 the appointed agents of process (not the humane agent) became Porter, Sarah McKibben, and Cheryl Gordon.

Since 2017, the humane agency has had two licensed humane agents. The current humane agent is Linda Williams. It is her job to check on any report of an abused or neglected animal in Harrison County. Williams typically responds to anywhere from seven to seventeen reports per month, with follow-up to most of those. The county pays $200 a month, so Linda’s job is one of concern for the animals. Linda must follow the laws and procedures, and at times, it seems that not enough can be done, but Linda does everything lawfully possible to help any animal. Animals have included dogs, cats, horses, goats, pigs, ducks, and even a bobcat baby that was delivered to a licensed wildlife rehabber living in Zanesville.

The Humane Society of Harrison County will have access to the building in March. They will need to purchase many supplies so the building will be ready to house animals. They are hoping to host a “shelter shower” to help gather the needed bowls, beds, cleaning supplies, and other needed items.

The public is reminded that the

Humane Society is NOT county funded. All expenses are paid through funds raised through volunteer work done by the members, state or federal grants, and your generous donations. They are also not a county-run facility like the dog pound. None of the members or volunteers are paid to do this job. It is hoped that the public will volunteer, become a member, donate for our rent or anything else the society may need. This is a large endeavor for such a small group of volunteers. This is all in the interest of the animals and for the good of the county.

More details will be coming in the next few weeks. The Humane Society would like to remind people that it is illegal to dump an animal or abandon it. For that reason, the new building will be monitored with cameras and equipment to keep that from becoming a county problem.

If you would like to donate to the Humane Society of Harrison County, you may send donations to P.O. Box 404, Cadiz, Ohio 43907.

Local auction house celebrating 71 years

BY CORNELIA GRACE Harrison News-Herald Reporter

DENNISON—Harrison County Sales has a long and rich history within the county. In its 71st year of service, the auction house has been run by four generations of the same family.

It began in 1952 when Sidney and Catherine Wood bought a sawmill and, on the first Saturday night auction, sold all the mill equipment. Saturday auctions have remained a staple of the business, drawing crowds and transcending generations. Now, David and Teresa Moore run it with their daughter Kendra.

“We’ve had people coming here who got married in the early 50s; they bought their house furniture here,” David said. “Then their kids and grandkids do the same.”

“It’s not just the generations of running it,” Teresa said. “It’s the generations of people coming here for years.”

The house has always had a social aspect to it since the very beginning, drawing people in with snacks and conversation.

“We have people who come every week,” Teresa said. “They talk with people they see every week.”

“I don’t even know if they buy anything,” Kendra laughed.

The snack bar at the back of the house offers just about anything a guest could want. The star of the show is homemade desserts, but there are also savory options like burgers, chips, and even tacos. Some regulars will show up when the doors open, not to look at the auction items but to be part of a group that’s managed to stay together for decades.

Since its beginning, the house has remained mostly the same. Although a few additions have been added to the main building, and the name tweaked back in the 70s, the heart of the businesses has stayed the same.

They add as many items as possible to the online auction site: https://www.auctionzip. com/OH-Auctioneers/77538.html.

They also put up as many pictures as they can on their Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/harrisoncountyohioauction.

Keeping the business going as a family has meant a lot over the years. Teresa had originally started a dance studio on her own but gave it up to join her parents at the auction house.

“It’s important to me,” she said. Covid was described as a “scary time” for the house, as no one knew what the future might hold.

“We had a mandatory shutdown, just like a lot of people did,” Kendra said. “After that, a lot of auction houses didn’t go back to inperson auctions … But to me, people come out here to socialize. We still see people coming out to chitchat. So as soon as we could have regular auctions again, we did.”

She’s grateful the house managed to stay afloat and keep the community close. That community is clearly the priority for the house. The Moore’s focus on creating a good environment for family fun.

Every Saturday, doors open at 4 p.m., and the auction starts at 6 p.m. How late it runs depends on how everyone is feeling. When bids slow down too much, or the crowd is thinning out and tired, the auction ends. Then it happens all over again the next week.

David is usually at the house from 9 a.m. to noon on Sundays, mostly for those picking up items from Saturday’s auction. The house is located at 88901 Sale Barn Road in Dennison, Ohio. If you have items to auction off, call ahead and make an appointment: 740-922-1819.

Be sure to come out to join in the auction fun, whether you want to buy something or just hang out and soak up the atmosphere.