Face of Rescue

Marty began volunteering with Butte Humane Society in February of 2011, and in that time she has become a staple volunteer at Cat Adoptions, and volunteering in our Warehouse. She has also been a great help during our special events. There is not a volunteer area in BHS that she has not touched in some way. During her time with us, she has dedicated well over 1,700 hours.

In Marty’s own words, she first began volunteering with BHS because, “I’ve enjoyed animals all my life and even considered being a veterinarian when I was a kid, although teaching won out as a career. I had wanted to volunteer at BHS for a long time, but training was always offered on Saturdays, and I was usually playing music somewhere. At last, in February 2011, there was a training I could attend, and I did. I have enjoyed all my time at BHS, and I also volunteer with NVADG during local disasters, such as the Camp Fire.”

When we need a volunteer, Marty is always ready to jump in wherever she is needed. Her favorite area to volunteer in is Cat Adoptions, but she also enjoys our special events for dogs. Marty is able to socialize our shiest cats, and help bring them out of their shells.

When asked what her most impactful moment has been volunteering with BHS, Marty said, “That would probably be the time I have spent working with our cats, in all areas of the shelter, although it was two dog experiences that came to mind first! A few years ago, when we did our initial tandem walks and social play in the yard, that was a special day. The dogs had such a wonderful time, all the planning and effort was totally worth it. The second was working with Hector, a little Chihuahua who, for some reason, was with us for quite a while. He was very smart and loved learning new things, quickly mastered the basics and started on the utility course. His adoptive parents got a very special pup.”

Without volunteers like Marty Sampson, BHS would not be able to operate in the way we do. She has helped us grow throughout the years, and will always be a cherished part of our organization.

By: Emily Acevedo, BHS Shelter Operations Manager

It takes a special person to choose to work in a field of medicine where your patients can’t verbally communicate with you, it takes an even more special person to take on that role in a non-profit, shelter animal environment. Butte Humane Society (BHS) is lucky to have Dr. Mariana Turner as that person. While our veterinary clinic at BHS lacks the large budget and high-end equipment of larger veterinary facilities, the level of care and compassion for each patient that enters our doors is second to none. Since joining the BHS team in early 2018, Dr. Turner has worked tirelessly, putting her expertise in both veterinary medicine and shelter animal care into everything we do.

On the afternoon of September 8th, 2020, we received word that a lightning fire sparked earlier in the week had grown rapidly and was heading directly toward Dr. Turner’s home in the mountains outside of Oroville. It was clear that this fire was going to continue to grow, leading Dr. Turner to evacuate herself and her family from her home while simultaneously leading her team to prep our facility to intake burned cats. The amount of experience Dr. Turner has in treating burned cats brings up some bittersweet emotions based around the aftermath of the Camp Fire that devastated several of our surrounding communities in 2018 and shifted our non-emergency veterinary clinic to a burn cat ward, caring for 17 burned cats weeks after the fire was out. For Dr. Turner, it wasn’t a question of if we would help burn cats this time around, but when.

By September 11th, 2020, while the status of her own home was still unknown, Dr. Turner was leading our team of veterinary staff and veterinary volunteers from around California to care for burned cats as they began to be brought to our facility by North Valley Animal Disaster Group (NVADG) Volunteer’s, Butte County Animal Control and transferred from the local emergency clinic. As the evacuated areas began to be accessible by Animal Control and NVADG, the number of burned cats to care for grew, putting a total 14 burned cats in our care. Having dialed in our burn protocols after the Camp Fire, Dr. Turner and her team were able to increase recovery speeds while maintaining quality of care and comfort for these cats that so desperately needed treatment.

While the North Complex fire proved once again that we are not in control, changing more of the landscape in Butte County, destroying homes and claiming lives; Dr. Turner never wavered in her care for the cats who made it out of the fire. After a month and a half of being evacuated, Dr. Turner and her family were able to return home to a property partially damaged, covered in ash, but a home still standing. All 14 burned cats successfully completed their burn treatments and got a second chance at life thanks to a selfless doctor that BHS will forever be grateful for.

Volunteer Spotlight: Marty

The Face of Rescue: Dr. Turner

About Butte Humane Society

Emergency?

Important Links