Animal lovers unite! That’s battle cry of the newly created Westside Humane Society, whose vision is to resolve animal issues in Taft, ensuring that as many animals as possible remain off the streets and out of animal shelters.

Tuesday morning many of those animal lovers gathered to elect members to the board of directors and select a name for the group. The creation of the group follows in the steps of Unity Animal Rescue’s Linda Hodges, who has personally transported more than 300 dogs and puppies to no-kill shelters elsewhere.

On June 28, Unity Animal Rescue hosted its first annual Paws in the Park, the goal of which was to “educate the public about the plight of homeless and abused animals,” according to the rescue’s Web site. Overall the event raised close to $2,100 for the group.

The event is also in large part responsible for prompting the formation of a humane society locally.

“With the great success of Paws in the Park, we see that the community is excited about taking animals off the street and creating a shelter, which is why we decided to form the Westside Humane Society,” said Diane Van Trees, the society’s first vice president.

The vision of the group is simple: “It is to foster a no-kill shelter in the local area and to work as closely as possible with animal control,” Van Trees said.

And it’s not just dogs that will benefit from the creation of a humane society in Taft, Van Trees was quick to point out. It will support dogs, cats, horses, whatever the need is, she said.

The Westside Humane Society will function as a rescue group, will support Unity Animal Rescue, and will hold workshops in which members instruct owners on the proper care and maintenance of pets. The group will also support law enforcement K9 program. Though the group is still working on its master plan, it hopes to have the concrete details of that hammered out in the next month.

Group members are also currently looking for land or buildings locally where they can legally hold a shelter. They have started compiling a list of potential properties that can be zones for a shelter, but Van Trees stressed that board members are also looking for benefactors who have land or money to donate.

Tentative future fundraisers for the group include Santa Paws in December (“which should be really good,” Van Trees said), a Mardi Gras-themed event next February (animal-lovers be warned, though: “it will be for humans only, no doggies,” Van Trees said with a laugh), and the second annual Paws in the Park next May.

Those serving on the board of directors include: Michael Long, president; Van Trees, first vice president; John Jackson, second vice president; Nancy Statler, secretary; and Rayleen Jackson, treasurer.

The board of directors will meet at least twice a month, with the goal being to meet once a week as they continue to work out the details for the Westside Humane Society and its function in the community. Members of the board have also filed a 501c3 form, which would designate the group as a nonprofit organization, and are waiting to hear back about that. Van Trees said she is not sure how long that process will take.

For more information about Westside Humane Society, contact Diane Van Trees at 800-650-1930, ext. 2.