Simcoe and District Humane Society President and Shelter Manager Cathie Hosken cuddles Patches, a domestic short-hair. Patches and other animals in the SDHS’s care would love to find foster homes over the festive season as part of the “Home for the Holidays” program.
By Lisa Timpf
During the holiday season, we’re likely hearing seasonal favourite “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” on the airwaves.
Cathie Hosken, President and Shelter Manager for the Simcoe and District Humane Society, would love to see that song’s sentiment extended to animals too.
The SDHA currently has 201 animals in its care, including dogs, cats, and hamsters. Eighty-one of these animals are at the shelter facility, while the remainder are in foster homes.
The Home for the Holidays program encourages people to foster, or foster-to-adopt, over the holiday season. This provides animals with a happier holiday, while easing the burden on the shelter over the festive season.
Animals at the shelter are currently housed in trailers. Hosken hopes to see that situation change in the future, as work on the on-site building is now progressing. Activity on the building had halted due to a variety of reasons, including construction deficiencies.
Thanks to over a thousand volunteer hours contributed by one of the SDHS’s new Board members and their helpers, the deficiencies have been corrected. Once engineering drawing stamps are confirmed, electrical, plumbing, and other activity can move forward.
“We’ve received good estimates from local businesses to complete the work, and we appreciate that,” says Hosken.
The Simcoe Lions Club has pledged to help with the costs of the electrical work, but contributions from other organizations or individuals for other aspects of the still-needed work would be welcome.
Finishing the building is only one of the many balls the charity is juggling. Earlier this year, they were staring down an $86,000 cash deficit. Once word got out, people were willing to assist.
“I’ve been humbled over the last couple of months,” Hosken says. “People have been getting back on their feet and helping us, and regular and new donors have stepped up.”
Thanks to an outpouring of community support, the SDHS’s bank accounts are back on an even keel. Still, the Humane Society’s expenses run at roughly $23,000 to $24,000 a month, Hosken notes.
The organization does not get any government assistance, aside from some Canada Summer Jobs grants, so they’re reliant on community support and fundraising efforts to pay for food, bedding, vaccines, labour, and other expenses. The arrival of winter brings some additional costs for heating, and the high price of gas for picking up and transporting animals adds to the organization’s financial burden, Hosken notes.
Physical care for the animals at the shelter requires some paid labour, particularly once the Canada Summer Jobs program period ends, as there are not enough volunteers to do the work. Hosken has, in fact, noticed a decline in volunteerism over the years. This decline, she notes, can’t be blamed on the pandemic - there were signs of a slowdown before that time.
Volunteers are needed on an ongoing basis to support cleanup of food dishes, etc., or simply to come in and talk to the animals to aid in socialization and emotional well-being. Even office work, such as volunteering to answer the phones, is needed.
If they aren’t able to help physically, community members can help the Humane Society financially in a number of ways. Donations are accepted directly, as well as through portals like Canada Helps. The Society has a “wish list” of needed goods like food, bedding, and other supplies listed on their web site, and these items can be ordered through Amazon for direct delivery to the shelter.
Donations of food and other items can also be made at many local pet stores, or people can stop by the shelter, located at 24 Grigg Drive in Simcoe, during open hours to purchase food, pet toys, and other items from the onsite store, with profits going to the Humane Society.
The organization holds many fundraisers through the year, and in turn, charities and businesses sometimes run events to support the Society. Recently, Humane Society volunteers have been attending holiday markets to sell items to raise money. It all helps, Hosken says.
Over the past year, the SDHS has managed intake, performed spays or neuters as required, and adopted out close to 1,000 animals, from cats and dogs to rabbits and guinea pigs. They also run a Guardian Angel program, where seniors can adopt a pet with the assurance that if health circumstances change, the Humane Society will step in.
One program that Hosken would like to see gain more traction is support for seniors who have animals, but need assistance with their care. The idea is to have volunteers clean out cats’ litter boxes, assist with feedings, or walk dogs for seniors who are generally able to care for their pets but need a helping hand with certain tasks. While this program was operational in the past, a volunteer is needed to reboot and run the program. Volunteers are also required for the actual day-to-day work.
Hosken noted that the SDHS will have some different hours over the holidays. More information about hours of operation and other items is available at the SDHS web site, https://www.simcoedhumane.ca/.
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