This past Friday we took a tour of our Local Humane Society. It hasn’t been open very long and I have been wanting to go see what it looked like. The other building was really run down and they needed a new one. This one cost 5 million dollars and most of the money has, or will come, from fund raisers. The new building sits between two cities and they each gave money and a Provincial grant was also provided.
The building is really big and they are able to hold approximately 25 dogs, 100 cats and assorted other small animals, i.e. rabbits, rats, birds, guinea pigs. All the rooms are painted with free fear pallets which help with stress reduction. It is explained more thoroughly in the link above.
We were taken to a room and given a briefing on where the money came from, how many staff and all sorts of other questions. As to how many staff, we were told there are 21 staff; full time, part time and contract. They are looking to hire 3 more people and they have over 300 names on the volunteer list. One of the ladies who work there had a dog named Cocoa on a leash and she was able to come over to me to be petted, the dog not the lady. Cocoa was a sweetheart.
Cocoa 
Front Desk just inside the front doors 
Store beside the front desk 
To the right when you come in, see the fireplace and the main cat room is in behind it 
Nice, New, Clean building! 
They must do a lot of laundry! 
Guinea Pig 
Rats to the left and Rabbits at the back 
Cute little rat 
More rabbits! 
This little fella really wanted OUT, he was super cute and friendly 
Main cat room 
They also had a room for birds but we were not allowed to go in but a fellow showed me one of the birds through the window.
We weren’t allowed in this room so I took it through the glass 
Trums Travels 
Looks like a nice facility! The animals deserve it. Are you going to volunteer? I’ve thought about doing that, but on some levels, it would be heartbreaking.
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I always think of volunteering but I’m better at giving them money lol. If I were there, I would be sneaking them all to my house, it makes me sad to see them in there. I know it’s better than the streets but still sad. They have over 300 volunteers which is amazing!
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I understand about wanting to bring them home. I would want to do the same. How wonderful that they have a strong core of volunteers! 🙌🏻
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This is a huge place – wow and a lot of staff working there. Our City just got an animal shelter back a few years ago as we had to share with a few local communities – we had one at one time and our City had financial issues, so they closed it down. Ours does not shelter cats or any other animals but dogs and most of the dogs are pit bulls that people abandon or decide are too mean to be around them/their kids. I often think I would not mind to volunteer when I retire, but I don’t want any more pets. I live alone and it is too hard on me when they pass away. I contribute to a few animal/pet causes, one for ducks and waterfowl and I thought of this charity when I saw Cocoa, a sweet older lady. This charity takes only older dogs, often pets where their owners pass away or they move in with family members/nursing home – there are other circumstances too, but they have a funny Facebook page about their “residents”: Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary in Tennessee.
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This place has just about everything but snakes lol. Thankfully ! If we were to get another dog I would like to get a senior. We lost our last dog about 10 years ago and I still think of her a lot.
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I know it is nicer to adopt one from a shelter and a senior dog would be trained already and glad to find a home. And, you can take it with you on your RV travels. I think I mentioned a fellow blogger who, since her husband retired last year, has spent the second Winter traveling in their RV across the U.S. They have their two dogs and a cat with them. The more the merrier!
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haha the more the merrier indeed! We always had pets in my first marriage, 2 dogs and a cat usually….. and fish and turtles. I do love them all
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They certainly do make your life complete. I had pets through the years as well; we had the most luck with birds, as dogs just had a mind of their own. 🙂
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