Humane Society forms in Grants

By Mike Marino
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Thanks to the newly formed Humane Society in Grants, the saying, "It's a dog's life," may not be such a bad thing.

The canines now have human friends who will host a variety of educational and entertaining events throughout the year to bring a better understanding and appreciation not only for man's best friend, but also for cats, horses and other animals.

Denise Marinelli, founder and Executive Director of the local Humane Society said, "It was an idea I had in mind years ago and with one thing or another didn't get the project rolling. Last November myself and Cydni Reynolds, who has been a huge asset to the project, began looking at doggie parks around the country and we also looked into the Humane Society and how they function. Once we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do and how to proceed we approached the Grants City Council and got the ball rolling."

The first thing they had to do was to approach community members that might like to serve on the society governing board. Ideally they would like to have 13 board members to oversee the programs. As of now, the board has seven or eight in place, but it is looking for a few more hearty, animal-loving souls to round out the board. The board has filed papers for the 501-C3 non-profit status.

One of the kick-off projects of the Humane Society is the grand opening and dedication ceremony of the K-9 Community Park located on Lobo Canyon Road just north of Roosevelt and next door to the city maintenance yard. The dedication ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, April 21 starting at 10 a.m. and running until around 2 p.m. Along with the family-oriented events and activities, society members will present a plaque to the mayor and the city council of Grants to show appreciation for all their help in helping make the K-9 park a reality.

The society plans events throughout the year including equine shows and activities and even a Doggie Quadrathlon. Marinelli laughed and explained, "Anything a human can do, a dog can do just as well. We also plan to have parades, costume contests and getting into the schools to better educate the children. We may even have an animal art show where the pets create the works of great art."

The Humane Society is still looking for board members and members in general. There is a small membership fee, but it's not a requirement that members have to adopt or foster an animal. Usually members volunteer their time on various projects.

Marinelli identified members of the inaugural board of the fledgling group; "We have Stan Carlson as President, and he works at UNM. Fred Rodarte is also on the board serving as the 1st Vice President. (He) is retired from UPS, but runs a sports shop here in Grants; Andy Morrow is our Treasurer; Melanie Ukanwa, a new physician in town, is the Secretary; Tammy Maynard owns a gift shop in Grants and is our 2nd Vice President; Lemuel Martinez, the District Attorney, is also a board member; as is Karen Davis, Cecilia Stafford from UNM, and Rosemary Rosen who is retired, but a long-time Grants resident."

Marinelli said she is the founder and CEO, "CEO usually stands for Chief Executive Officer, but in this case it's more appropriate to stand for Canine Executive Officer."

The board meets once a month, usually the first Tuesday in the evening. Anyone who would like to serve on the board or become a member can get more information on the Humane Society by calling Denise Marinelli at (505) 285-5050.