10-year-old wants Humane Society donations instead of birthday presents

Most 10-year-olds don't clean their rooms and definitely wouldn't spend their Saturdays cleaning up after animals at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri like Hunter Miller.

The St. Vincent de Paul School fifth-grader loves helping out at the Humane Society so much that this year he is having his birthday party there from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday.

Instead of bringing him birthday presents, Miller is asking people to donate "anything they can" to the Humane Society, including bleach, laundry detergent, paper towels and kitten food. Several people have already sent in monetary donations.

With the help of his parents, Sarah and Bryan Glosemeyer of Cape Girardeau and Dutch Miller of Advance, Mo., Hunter mailed out more than 80 invitations and invited more than 400 people on Facebook to donate to the Humane Society in honor of his 11th birthday.

"He's always loved animals," Sarah Glosemeyer said. "If he could bring home every animal at the Humane Society, he would."

Miller and his mother help out at the Humane Society almost every Saturday by playing with the animals, taking them for walks, cleaning out pens and taking out trash.

Miller has two dogs, one of which was adopted from the Humane Society about a year ago, and a cat at home. He also takes care of several stray cats at his father's farm in Advance.

"Whenever you feel bad, they make you feel better," Miller said about his pets. "Even if they don't like what you are doing, they love you forever."

In his invitation, Miller wrote that the Humane Society uses 12 gallons of bleach each week and washes up to 10 loads of blankets, beds and towels every day.

"Without donations many more animals would be killed daily and I have an issue with this," he wrote. "Even if I can help them save just one animal, it's a step in the right direction."

Miller isn't the first child to advocate for donations instead of presents for his birthday, said Cheryle Dillon, director of the Humane Society. But Miller's event Saturday will be the largest yet at the facility, which houses about 150 animals each month.

"Children think with their hearts a lot faster than adults do," Dillon said.

All of the Humane Society's funding comes from local donations, she said.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent Address:

2536 Boutin Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO