The Quinte Humane Society is in dire need of a new home. Some say it’s been that way for the past decade or two.
The west-end Belleville facility opened over 50 years ago, though it wasn’t built to be an animal shelter. Executive director Frank Rockett says it continues to be all about the animals and it’s been that way since day one. However, doing the job in an undersized and under-equipped facility is difficult.
“We’ve definitely reached the end of the usable lifetime of this building,” Rockett said. “We really don’t have the space and the resources to be fully effective here. We want what’s best for the animals. Unfortunately, although the staff do the best they can now, this is no longer what’s best for them.”
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Rockett says the current Avonlough Road location was never meant to be an animal shelter; in fact, it was originally a bull breeding facility. Today the bulls have been replaced with cats and kittens of every size and shape as well as dogs, rabbits, and even a pot-bellied pig.
Rockett says the society has already approached Prince Edward County as well as the city of Belleville about funding for a new home, and next up will be Quinte West.
“A new facility would give us capacity to work with the animals more effectively, help them to become more adoptable faster and also give us the space to deal with the influxes we get each season. I think we’re looking at about $10 million for the entire project.”
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Land for a new home has already been purchased on Wallbridge-Loyalist Road. Rockett says he’d love to see a new shelter ready and open by early 2022.