11/08/2023
Decatur County has lost a true champion for animals. Gail Olsen, who was the treasurer and lifeblood of Decatur County Humane Association for over 20 years passed away October 25, 2023.
I met Gail when we first moved to the county in about 2007. I was saddened by the number of stray dogs I saw around town. There was one dog in particular that was hanging out around Dollar General every time I went. I already had 5 dogs and a cat and couldn’t possibly take in another dog, so I called Decatur County Humane Association to see if they could come pick up this dog. Gail was upset and in rare form that day. She had just picked up the paper and read a letter to the editor from someone who was mad because Gail couldn’t take in his dog. He explained in his letter that he had called Gail and was told there was no shelter in the county. He went on to say that whatever this Gail Olsen person was being paid, it was too much. Gail was frustrated and explained to me that they were all volunteers, mostly retired women getting up in age, and nobody was making a dime. In fact, they were paying out of pocket for most of what they needed. They knew they couldn’t take in more dogs and firmly believed that focusing their efforts on a low-cost spay/neuter program was the only long-term solution to the widespread pet overpopulation problem.
Over the years I watched as Gail spear-headed rescue, foster care, and adoptions of unwanted animals including some hoarding situations. She tirelessly set up fund-raisers, applied for grant money, wrote articles for the paper educating the community about the importance of spaying and neutering their pets, delivered food and paid vet bills for pet owners who were down on their luck. She coordinated with rescues in other counties and states to re-home abandoned pets. Don’t get me wrong, other volunteers and I helped along the way, but as our lives got too busy or health or family issues limited what we could do, Gail continued her efforts trying to find a way to help the animals in Decatur County. Gail always had treats in her pocket and a bag of dog food in her car. This Starfish Story reminds me of her.
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean. Approaching the boy he asked, “Young man, what are you doing?” “Throwing starfish back into the ocean,” the boy replied. “The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” The man laughed to himself and said, “Do you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make any difference.” After listening politely, the boy bent down to pick up another starfish and threw it into the surf. Then he smiled at the man and said, “I made a difference to that one.”
Gail made a difference to the animals of Decatur County. I will miss Gail’s fierceness and determination, her quick wit, and her good heart. She made a huge difference to me.
Decatur County Humane Association has filed our intent to dissolve and terminate our organization. Wags and Whiskers Animal Shelter plans to take over the Decatur County spay/neuter program early next year. Please check them out on Facebook.
