Humane society turns 65

PUHI — Even Kauai Humane Society’s littlest team member, King Stewart, got something sweet on Tuesday as the entity celebrated 65 years in business.

The Chihuahua attempted a taste of the cake and ice cream, but moved on to a strawberry instead and wandered through the party.

“It’s everybody’s birthday today, the entire community and everyone that’s part of KHS,” said Scott Pisani, KHS executive director.

About 10 people gathered to dive into a table full of sweets and celebrate the entity’s birthday, while others filtered in and out throughout the afternoon.

“I remember when we first started in a shack,” said Bettt Unanion, KHS board member, who was one of the founders at the party. “It was nothing like it is now, nothing.”

That first building was located in Hanapepe and was a bit ramshackle, she said, but it worked as a refuge for wayward animals.

“We started KHS because every animal deserves a square chance,” Unanion said. “It was just us that built it — the staff, the board and the volunteers.”

The entity moved into its new Puhi building in 2001, and doubled its capacity. That’s also when they brought licensed vets on board and expanded ervices.

“You can see how much has changed,” Unanion said. “And now there’s such a dedicated staff, and so many volunteers.”

And looking toward the future, Unanion doesn’t want to see much of a change in that capacity.

“For the next 65 years, I just hope that we’ll keep this dedicated team going,” she said.

All week KHS is celebrating its 65th birthday with promotions and discounts. Today, customers will receive $6 off cats and $5 off dogs. Thursday, adoptions of pets one year and older are $6.50.

Friday, all dogs and cats who are eight years of age or older are free because that makes the animals nearly 65 years old in human years.

Saturday is the last day of the KHS celebration, and anyone adopting gets to spin a wheel to determine the discount.