Humane Society board discusses shelter's closing

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The Putnam County Human Society Board discussed its dire financial standing and subsequent closing during its monthly meeting on Wednesday night.

As a result of current funding not meeting expenditure requirements, the shelter will be forced to close its doors this summer. The board established a tentative closing date of August 1 if fund-raising efforts are not successful.

The Humane Shelter will receive an endowment of about $7,300 from the Putnam County Community Foundation in the near future, but the money will be used to pay back taxes owed to the state, according to Board President Jane Irk.

With plans for the shelter to close in early August, fund-raising has become the main priority for the Humane Society Board. According to Vice President LaChele Henkle Weaver members of the board are even using their private funds to support the shelter.

"Board members have made substantial personal donations to the shelter in the past six months," Weaver said.

The board discussed several avenues for raising funds including hosting clinics about the importance of spaying and neutering animals and installing microchips in pets. The shelter has plans to hold other "Save the Shelter" fundraisers such as a "Paws on Parade" event in which pet owners and their animals come together for contests and special activities.

In preparation for its closing, the shelter is no longer accepting animals, with the exception of emergency situations. Also, the nearly 50 animals that the shelter currently houses will need homes. Eight of the animals are already set to be transported to a shelter in New Hampshire. The board will also hold an Adoptathon in July in hopes of finding homes for the shelter's current occupants.

"We need to get at least half of our animals adopted in order to raise the money to re-open," Irk said.

The board stressed the importance of monetary donations and volunteers as key components to getting the shelter back to full working order. According to Weaver, even a donation of a bag of cat litter is helpful to the shelter's cause.

Though temporarily closing the shelter is not an ideal situation for the board, former board member and current volunteer Ann Provine attempted to find the positives in a negative situation.

"This is an exciting opportunity because we get a new beginning and a new opportunity to improve," Provine said.

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  • What about making money by doing what other towns do. If a dog or cat is running loose pick their precious pet up and charge a large fee for getting them back. I had a neighbor one time when I lived up north. She let her dog out to do it's duty.The dog got picked up cause a neighbor complained and the paddy wagon was watching-got the dog took it to the humane society and my neighbor had to pay 70.00 to get her precious dog home. She then started using a lease.And if these pet had not been fixed they also had to have it done before they could get them back. This town has cats and dogs running all over the place at night mostly but during the day too.Also the dog tax and cat tax should be higher. I am a pet owner-I have a wonderful little dog that I am responsible for and love dearly.

    -- Posted by peace2019 on Fri, Jun 20, 2008, at 12:10 PM
  • There is a fee for each day the animal is at the shelter not to go over the adoption fee. Also with no spay neuter law yet in effect, they get there animal back with only a suggestion of doing so.

    -- Posted by mad-mom on Fri, Jun 20, 2008, at 3:20 PM
  • Is it correct that this is the "PUTNAM COUNTY" Humane Society? If so where is the county funding that is necessary to keep this very important facility up and running? It is rather pathetic that anyone would make a comment like "This is an exciting opportunity because we get a new beginning and a new opportunity to improve,". I guess that is the kind of comment a "Former" Board member would make. Come on Putnam County Commissioners, step up to the table and quit spending some of the money on stupid programs that are really insignicant compared to this. OH, but that is how we deal with things here in Putnam County, if we don't have the money to take care of animals just send them off to another county and let them deal with it.

    Whatever, just look for more excuses about why it can not be made to work.

    -- Posted by visionpub on Tue, Jul 15, 2008, at 1:39 PM
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