#Waiting Wednesday Rescue Spotlight: Martin County Humane Society-The Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter & An Interview With Daughter Julie Nettifee
Read more about handsome boys "Niko" and "Hansel," two gorgeous Siberian Huskies further down in this post and how you can adopt them, or any other available pet from today's highlighted rescue~Martin County Humane Society a/k/a The Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter.
Welcome back to our FiveSibes #WaitingWednesday where I highlight rescues and feature some of their adoptable Siberian Huskies and northern breed dogs that are waiting for a permanent or foster home!
It is FiveSibes hope that you will
SHARE these posts to give attention to the rescue and help find forever loving homes
for these precious dogs.
~Dorothy "FiveSibesMom"
This week, and especially with June being the month of Father's Day, I'm excited to bring you a special feature highlighting today's rescue—the Martin County Humane Society~The Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter located in Fairmont, MN! Be sure to scroll down to see why this is special, plus meet two of their beautiful adoptable Huskies ~and~ read my interview with the shelter's pioneering namesake—Carl Nettifee's daughter, Julie Ann Nettifee! (Her name may sound very familiar to many of you...and I will share why further down below!)
As a journalist and animal lover, it's always very exciting to learn of connections in the pet world and the real-life stories of animal heroes...and that Carl Nettifee was! Please be sure to read my special interview with Julie after the two Huskies and the shelter in today's FiveSibes spotlight.
Shelter Contact Information
Martin County Humane Society
a/k/a The Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter
522 E Margaret Street, Fairmont, MN 56031
Phone Number: 507-238-1885
Contact Form: https://mchsofmn.org/contact-us/
View All Adoptable Animals: https://www.petfinder.com/search/pets-for-adoption/us/mn/fairmont/?shelterRescue=130d2cff-eb51-43ea-8fff-b44714fc1936&includeOutOfTown=true&distance=anywhere
Website: https://mchsofmn.org
Martin County Humane Society
a/k/a The Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter's motto is:
"Every pet has a story.
Every pet deserves a home."
Meet Two of the Beautiful Martin County Humane Society/The Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter Adoptables...
To learn more about Hansel, visit HERE
Before I share my interview, I wanted to share a little backstory on today's feature and my featured interviewee. I learned about this shelter after having a conversation with one of my longtime professional Canine Epilepsy experts, who I am proud to call a dear friend! Julie Ann Nettifee, RVT, MS, VTS (Neurology) has certainly followed in her father's footsteps with the love of, and caring for, animals by choosing a career in the veterinary field. She has worked at the North Carolina State University-College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Clinical Sciences for 28+ years. She and Dr. Karen Muñana head up the Companion Animal Epilepsy Research Lab there and have been my go-to resource for over a decade! Julie also was named the 2020 American Humane Veterinary Nurse Hero of the Year. Through one of our recent conversations, Julie mentioned that her late father, Carl, was Fairmont, Minnesota's animal control officer who—through the efforts of her mother, Charlene, Julie and her siblings, as well as the townspeople—the shelter was named after posthumously. With June being the month of Father's Day, I'm excited to bring you my interview with Julie and her memories of her father and his love and proper care of animals, that she inherited that set the foundation for her career in veterinary medicine. Here is a video highlighting that achievement, and Julie also speaks proudly of the shelter named after her father.
A Conversation with Julie Ann Nettifee About Her Father, the Late Officer Carl Nettifee...
Julie
shares with me the history of the shelter named after her father, and
some beloved memories of her father—Carl Nettifee, a beloved animal
control officer and namesake of the Martin County Humane Society/The
Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter
Dog Warden Officer Carl Nettifee on the Job
Who Was Carl Nettifee?
Carl Nettifee held many roles in life. Born in 1925, he always loved animals. During World War II, he served with the United States Army Air Corps, earning rank of Staff Sergeant. He was also a husband and father of five children, and was an animal lover his whole life. A nature preservationist, a hunter and fisherman, and law enforcement officer, and a beloved animal control officer. Nettifee was also an early pioneer of rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of lost, hurt, and abandoned animals—even if it meant keeping them safe and caring them back to health in his own home.
According to the Martin County Humane Society, “We are the Martin County Humane Society in Minnesota - also known as The Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter. An animal control officer in Fairmont many years ago, Carl pioneered the ideals of which we operate. He has since passed on, but his legacy continues.”
In speaking with his daughter, Julie, it was wonderful to hear the personal stories about Carl Nettifee, that led to his name becoming synonymous with helping pets in need.
DOROTHY/FIVESIBES: Julie, it’s so wonderful to chat with you about your father and how much he meant to so many. Tell us a little about your father and life in Fairmont, Minnesota.
JULIE ANN NETTIFEE: When I was growing up, my father—and his care-taking of animals—was such a big part of my life. And how perfect to highlight him and this shelter during Father’s Day month. His memory holds dear to so many. I am quite literally the middle of children—I have an older brother and sister, and a younger brother and sister! We grew up in Fairmont—a small town and farm country. So, naturally we grew up always being around animals. My father was a trained law enforcement officer and had wildlife experience, so when the town needed someone to fill the position of animal control officer, he was appointed to the job slot. Over the years, I can remember wildlife being in our house as he took. in lost, orphaned animals. We fostered squirrels, pelicans, foxes...and then released them back when better.
He also had such knack for pet match-making! He would just know with which family or person a particular animal would be suit for. He truly knew the folks well enough that when they were looking for a specific pet, he would match the people with a pet he had in mind based on personality. It was quite amazing to see that piece of his work and his skills. He matched so many animals with people, giving them forever homes. He also returned many lost or missing animals he found back to their families over the years.
I would beg my Dad to let me go with him to work and so excited when I accompanied him. I would help him when there were stray dogs. He knew some strays would come more willingly to a kid than an adult. He taught me how to read what the animal was doing, how to put a leash on them, and I helped him recapture a lot of animals. And, I never got bit. So, naturally, I gravitated very young to animals – and it became a special daughter/father time. I just loved it, which is how my own path continued in animal health and the healing side.
DOROTHY/FIVESIBES: How did naming the shelter after him come about?
JULIE ANN NETTIFEE: The City Public Works/Parks Department did not have a real shelter at the time. My Dad had always lobbied for better facilities, resources, etc. At the time, we had one vet clinic in town. Unfortunately, at the time, there was not a lot contributed to the shelter. We also had the Humane Society. They weren’t part of the city at the time, and there was a disconnect between the two agencies back then, but my dad as an individual worked with both agencies as he had animals to save, rehome, foster, etc. Eventually, he had to retire from the job he loved due to a cardiac incident he had while on a coffee with first responders. He made it through that incident, had a pacemaker implanted, but he had two more major cardiac events before passing away in 1993 at just 67 years of age. When he passed, people from all over sent our family cards and shared with us their stories of my father, and their gratitude for how he helped them, their animals; and many had sent money. My mom asked me what should she do this the money? I had said that it came unrestricted to her, that it was hers to decide just how to use it. Or, if she didn’t feel right accepting the money, that Dad had always wanted better animal facilities. It’s Martin County and not just the town, and there should be a shelter. My Mom she was concerned for the needs of the animals if a shelter did not become a reality. It was decided that it should have everyone’s voice heard, let everyone be a part of it who wanted to. A shelter led by the community.
Sign hanging at the shelter.
Photo courtesy of Julie Nettifee
Mom worked for the city as well, and she spoke to the right people to find out where the funds would go. The city said if the group raised $50,000, they would match it. You have to remember in those days, you could a lot with $100,000! I was attending UW-Madison (University of Wisconsin-Madison) at the time, actually going for communications/natural science, and went to my professor to see about how to write a grant. I had never written a grant! While it was hard on me to leave home, my mom, and siblings, but I remembering thinking, “What can I do with my grief? My passion for animals?"
I talked to my advisor, who helped me research and write my very first grant. I believe it was Divinely led. I won the grant sponsored by a group out of California to help build shelters. By this time, the Humane Society, the city, townspeople, my mother, and me and my siblings, all became invested in this concept to create a shelter. We discussed how if we leverage our skills, get past our differences, the city will allow the Humane Society to become more of a focus. The city’s help was also needed to help pay some of the job salaries, county needs, etc. Everyone was coming to the table together for a common goal—the animal shelter.
DOROTHY/FIVESIBES: When was the actual shelter constructed?
JULIE ANN NETTIFEE: A site was designated for the animal shelter to be built on, and a building was constructed on the property in 1997. It opened as The Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter. It was very important to not just us, his family, but the town he served and loved, to make sure that he stays remembered. Today it is call the Martin County Human Society operating as The Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter. They have expanded since the original building, with the addition of cat rooms and an area where adopters can meet potential pets and fill out their applications.
The 1997 ribbon cutting ceremony for The Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter. Pictured are Julie's mom Charlene (in the middle), Julie (to the right of Charlene), and Julie's siblings.
DOROTHY/FIVESIBES: Since FiveSibes is typically about Siberian Huskies and northern breed dogs, does the shelter get in many Huskies, like Niko and Hansel who I’ve highlighted here today as currently residing in the shelter pending adoption?
JULIE ANN NETTIFEE: There’s always Huskies in Minnesota. As you know, they are a very energetic breed and have specific needs, and so they do come into the shelter. It’s not a hard place to find a purebred coming in that was lost, and if not reclaimed, to be adopted.
DOROTHY/FIVESIBES:How does it feel to know his legacy
lives on in the shelter name, in your town, in your life?
JULIE ANN NETTIFEE: His passing created the catalyst for the shelter. I don’t ever feel like we truly lost him, he is woven into that and into so many stories and my own life story. I became that “helper” one. If he had sick animal or one that needed a little extra care, he was there for it. I loved that, to help. So, as a result, I gravitated to veterinary medicine. To be a healer. They were powerful lessons of love, loss, healing I learned from all my time spend with my father. My dad was not a talkative person. He was a man of few words and demonstrated his love through actions and support. Before I launched out of Minnesota on my own, he’d make sure I knew how to change a tire, and that I had to have water and nuts in the care for emergencies. Before I completely moved out of our house, he gave me a little red toolbox and said, “Here are some tools you may need.” The toolbox became a mantra for me—it represents teaching, care, and love. I still have that little red toolbox. It’s something I’ll always keep.
Photo & tribute printed in the Sentinel newspaper, courtesy of Julie Ann Nettifee
JULIE ANN NETTIFEE: It certainly is an honor and so many folks remember my father, or have heard stories of how he helped. The shelter has all breeds—dogs, cats, bunnies, pocket pets, birds, etc. They don’t rescue large livestock breed animals, but if there are horses in need, the shelter will connect them to the right rescues.
Julie with her Dad, Carl Nettifee
DOROTHY/FIVESIBES: Such wonderful memories you have your father. I know there are many more stories that must be so very special and lend themselves to the person he was.
JULIE ANN NETTIFEE: My father loved animals. And as I mentioned, he was a man of few words, but showed his love in many ways. My father also enjoyed hunting and fishing, and he was the ultimate environmentalist and sportsman. I loved going fishing with him. I still remember how one day my friend and I went fishing on our own. We went to a place fish were biting good. We took our poles and cans of worms, and we caught a crazy amount of fish. We come back at night all proud of our selves...but then learned one of the most powerful lessons, which are the hardest. We had come back at night toting our big catch 100 sunfish.
My dad’s like, “Okay you caught quite a bit of fish. So now today is the day you are going to learn how to scale, clean, and process the fish. You will not be doing half the fish, but all of them because you are not going to waste any, and you have taken more than you should have in a day.”
We had been super proud of our catch, but it turned it into a whole lesson of not taking more from our Earth than we should, plus how to clean, and use it all. No waste. We learned our lesson that day! And I can still clean a fish good today!
DOROTHY/FIVESIBES: It must be such an honor to see his name on the Martin County Humane Society~The Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter sign and website pages. How special for you, your family, and all the folks and animals helped in Fairmont and Martin County.
JULIE ANN NETTIFEE: Shelter works attracts animal lovers, but there are also volunteers who knew my dad, or want that type of opportunity for their own families. While the shelter has expanded, and taken on its own persona, it always includes the characteristics and goals of my dad. And that’s what makes it even more special and meaningful—to see his legacy and love of animals continue.
For You Dad, Carl, Our Friend
~Memoir Written by Julie Nettifee for the Sentinel.
So let us, in walking gently on this earth,
leave behind a simple legacy, as Carl, our Dad, has done.
To love all—wives and husbands, our
family, our friends,
in words and in our actions, when words cannot be found.
And let us learn from his example
of loving all things—from the smallest sparrow, to injured wildlife he helped
along the way,
to the animals others chose to discard, to loving and servicing
his fellow man to protect the rights of others.
And let us learn from his examples—to
share the joy in all creatures
with others. To teach one another to love and
respect the natural world
and all her “lessons” with one another.
For every cycle of nature, there is
an autumn.
There is a spring.
There is a death.
There is a new
life just beginning.
During a recent trip Carl took to
Sea World in Florida, the following quote made a powerful impression:
"In the end we will save only those
things we understand. We understand only those things we are taught, we will love
all things.”
We love, and will miss you greatly
Dad, Carl, our friend. Thank you, in your quiet way for teaching us SO much. ~JN
On a Separate Note...
Happy Retirement to Julie!
It seems fitting that on this article about her father, that I also share the news that Julie has announced that she will be retiring from her position at The Companion Animal Epilepsy Research Lab at NCSU-CVM as of July 1, 2026. On a personal note, I'd like to thank her for always being just a call or text or Email away whenever I had questions about Canine Epilepsy or needed information for an article or addition to my FiveSibes #LiveGibStrong K-9 Epilepsy Resource Library. Julie will be greatly missed for all of her knowledge she so graciously shared with me over the years. I look forward to seeing where the new path in her journey takes her. Wherever she goes, whatever she does, she will carry all the lessons her father, Carl, taught her, and her love for his legacy that is carried on through the Martin County Human Society a/k/a The Carl Nettifee Memorial Animal Shelter. Julie will continue on with new endeavors, but her own legacy of helping so many animals living with Canine Epilepsy and neurological issues will also carry on. As Fred Rogers once said, "Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else."
Good luck, Julie! I look forward to hearing about all the exciting places your new path on life's journey will take you. Thank you for always sharing important Canine Epilepsy information with me to share with other Epi-dog families, for your years of friendship, and for sharing your father and his memorial shelter with me and my readers. Godspeed, Julie.
.png)
To view all of the information and clinical trials on Canine Epilepsy, neurology, and so much more at NCSU-CVM,
please visit: go.ncsu.edu/epilepsyresearch
What's the #FiveSibes #WaitingWednesday All About?
It's about becoming a "village" to help rescues, homeless Huskies, and all abandoned pets of any species in need. It's also to share breed information to help educate folks so they understand the traits, habits, and needs of specific breeds, such as the Siberian Husky, BEFORE they welcome one into their home to ensure the home will be a forever one. #WaitingWednesday is an occasional feature here at FiveSibes that will be reappearing with the hopes that you will share our blog post with others to highlight various rescues/shelters in order to help these beautiful homeless Huskies, Siberian Husky mixes, Malamutes, and other northern breed dogs find their loving forever families!
Also, please be sure to read a very important and informative blog article wrote, #BreedEducate2Relate: It Takes A Village to Help Huskies in Need about the explosion of Siberian Huskies being abandoned and to become on educated on the breed before welcoming one into a home, as well as an equally important companion article in 4Knines titled Siberian Husky Rescues: A Heartfelt Mission to Help the Homeless. I hope if you have not read these, you will and share with others, too.
How You Can Join in Our "Village" to Help Homeless Huskies...
Simply SHARE this blog post with your followers! Maybe someone you know is looking for a beautiful forever Husky furry friend that is listed in our posts! And...if you'd like to write a blog post about what we are doing here at FiveSibes, feel free to include the image below and our blog address: https://fivesibes.blogspot.com
Because...
#SharingISCaring
Our Badge:
While we here at FiveSibes randomly select rescues to highlight, if
you are with a non-profit rescue of northern breed dogs (and mixes of
both), and want to be sure I feature your rescue, please send me your info and some of your adoptables to highlight
in an upcoming “Waiting Wednesday” post! Feel free to Email info and
photos to FiveSibes(at)gmail(dot)com and put
“Waiting Wednesday Adoptable” in subject line!
Follow Us on Social Media!Click on the logos below to go to some of our pages!
Comments
Post a Comment