Shelter space at the Kingston Humane Society isn’t as much of an issue as it was last month, the humane society says.
On Oct. 18, it reached out for help from the community to help bring down the number of animals in its care, which it says was the highest in its 137-year history.
A month later, the numbers have dropped by 55 per cent. Even further, the humane society says donations have poured in, as have applications for volunteers and adoptions. There is even a wait-list for adoptions as of this week.
“It was pretty incredible to see this community rally to our call for help,” said executive director Gord Hunter.
He said the community has also donated more than $50,000 since their public plea for help.
However, the humane society still has some obstacles to overcome. Despite the drop in animals in its care, the facility is still housing 50 more animals than it has capacity to take care of.
“That means longer shifts and fewer animal care staff in the building each day, but the situation is much more manageable,” Hunter siad.
In addition to the overcrowding, a new bill has popped up.
In August, an X-ray machine the facility was sharing with St. Lawrence College was returned to the post-secondary institution, and the cost to replace the piece of equipment was more than $52,000.
“Between replacing the X-ray machine on short notice, being way over-capacity and our aging building,” said Hunter, “we’ve really struggled with unexpected costs and repairs.”
The organization is looking forward to its annual Giving Tuesday campaign on Nov. 30 to help bring in much-needed funds.