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Winki Roberts knows that new siblings can be a pain. The four-year-old cat has just gotten a new companion, Josie, who is constantly batting at the puff of fur on the end of her tail.

"Josie thinks it's a toy," said owner/mother Kristen Roberts of Mason. "They fight some, but mostly they've been getting along pretty well."

Buttercup Smith rolls on the floor, a pleading glance gaining yet another pat from one of her "parents," Sandy Smith of Maineville.

"I don't want her to remember the bad times," Smith said. "We spoil her now."

Smith's a golden retriever was found five years ago dumped on a farm in Franklin and brought to the Humane Association of Warren County shelter in Lebanon. Buttercup, Winki and Josie are just three of more than 5,000 animals that pass through the shelter annually.

"If we weren't here, who would take care of the animals, where would they go?" said Mari Lee Schwarzwalder, executive director of the humane association, which celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2008.

While Roberts doesn't know much about her pets' background, Winki bears the scars of a life as a stray. She only has one eye. Roberts had always grown up around cats and desired one of her own when she got her own apartment.

"The shelter was definitely a great place to go," said Robert's boyfriend, Kyle Colliatie. "They fitted the cats with ID chips in case they get lost. It's a great organization."

As for Winki, getting used to her new sibling can be trying, but she still has recourse. When the trials are too much, there's always the cupboard under the sink to hide in.

When Sandy and her husband Chuck Smith adopted Buttercup she weighed only 35 pounds, half the normal weight of a healthy golden retriever.

"After we took her to the vet, we were nearly in tears," Smith said. "We'd only had her a day or so and she was already part of the family."

Buttercup was placed on a special diet and within a week gained seven pounds. Today, she's a healthy, playful canine.

"I think the shelter is a wonderful place, " Smith said. "I tell everyone that its the place to go to adopt a pet."

35 years of rescuing animals

Mari Lee Schwarzwalder enjoys visitors at her house, but when she first moved to Warren County she never expected the sort of greeting that would await her. An increasing number of stray animals appeared on her doorstep.

"Every time I'd come home from work, there would be another dog or cat on our property," Schwarzwalder said. "I couldn't keep them all."

Schwarzwalder was a devoted animal lover. Nearly 35 years later, this devotion is reflected in the faces of the dogs, cats, and other furry friends who are safe, well-fed, and waiting for homes at the Human Association of Warren County, the only animal shelter in the county.

The humane association celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2008. When the society was founded, the county dog pound was a tiny kennel behind the engineering building in Lebanon. Over time, the association volunteers have expanded their shelter to a 22,000 square foot facility. Schwarzwalder has been its executive director for most of its existence.

The humane association operates on a budget of roughly $700,000 a year. In addition to space rented by the county, its money comes from private donations. The money is used to house and feed animals, keep the facilities clean and disease free, and provide vaccinations, health programs and adoption services. Schwarzwelder said all incoming animals are checked for illnesses and infections. The "guests" are vaccinated against worms, Feline Leukemia, Feline HIV, and other illnesses.

To help control the pet population, the humane association offers discounts to Warren County residents from participating vets to have the pets spayed or neutered at a reduced cost.

The shelter is also used for stray animals picked up by Warren County Animal Control and for owners searching for lost pets. Last year the shelter reunited more 350 lost pets with their families.

The humane association does euthanize but only in instances where the animal is ill, unfit for adoption, or as a last resort.

"We try every outlet to get the animals in here a home," Schwarzwalder said. Cats also are "fostered" at local pet stores and veterinarians' offices in the hopes of finding them homes.

"By having a shelter we've helped thousands and thousands of animals. It's a very gratifying experience, especially when you can create a new family,"

Schwarzwalder said.

Your dog or cat has a chance to be a pinup pet in the first-ever "Rescue Me" calendar from the Humane Association of Warren County Animal Shelter.

It's easy. Share a photo of your critter by posting it on our Web site.

Then Web site users will be invited to vote for their favorite dogs and cats and the 12 animals that receive the most votes on our Web site will be featured each month in the 2008 calendar.

Proceeds from the sales of the humane association calendar will help to rescue dogs and cats at the shelter in Lebanon — the only program in the county.

The shelter will celebrate its 35th anniversary next year and its volunteers want the Rescue Me calendar to recognize the thousands of homeless pets that have been adopted from the shelter.

Nominate your pet

• Post a photo of your pet at pulsejournal.com/rescueme. Your dog or cat must have been adopted at the Humane Association of Warren County Animal Shelter.

• Residents can also bring a photo into The Western Star office at 200 Harmon Ave. in Lebanon.

• Photos will be accepted Sept. 13 through midnight Sept. 23.

• Posting a photo of your pet is free.

• Photos must be high resolution: 1,000 pixels or more, height or width.

• Photos can contain multiple pets and people, but only the winning dogs and cats will be photographed for the calendar.

Vote for your favorite pet

• Voting will be on our Web site at pulsejournal.com/rescueme from noon Sept. 24 through midnight Oct. 16.

• Vote as many times as you want.

• You will be charged $1 for each vote (minimum of 5 votes).

• Proceeds from the voting will be shared with the Humane Association of Warren County. The humane association will sell the 2009 calendar and receive all of its proceeds.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4544 or jmcclelland@coxohio.com.