HSYC In The News

Humane Society shelter overcrowded

By Beth Carrouth Fort Mill Times

(Published September 5‚ 2002) - FORT MILL TOWNSHIP--At the Humane Society shelter in Fort Mill, neglected and unwanted animals are crowded in cages.

The small cinderblock building tucked away off Hwy. 160 has six cramped rooms filled with cages stacked one on top of the other. These cages, in some instances, hold two and three animals each. One cat naps freely in a file box on the floor of the lobby, and others find their own spaces on top of cages, or even on the front counter.

After only a couple of years there, the Humane Society has clearly outgrown the location, and volunteers are now planning on expanding the shelter.

"We stay overcrowded year 'round, but spring and summer is even worse for us because the warmth brings more animals out and they reproduce a lot quicker," says Janet Richardson, developmental director for the Humane Society.

Shelter volunteers want to enlarge the shelter, building larger cages and outside runs for the dogs, and expanding the spay and neuter clinic. They're already negotiating on leasing an adjacent office to house more cages in the short run.

Down the road they imagine an even larger location to offer more shelter services. But the drive to find a new shelter for some of the county's neediest and most abused animals is going to take months, maybe even a whole year, to be finished, Richardson says. And it's going to take a lot of money--money the non-profit agency doesn't have much of.

The Humane Society relies strictly on donations, and they're more than just an animal shelter. The Humane Society educates people about how to care for their animals, lobbies for tougher animal abuse laws, rescues abused and neglected animals, and spays and neuters as many animals as possible.

Richardson says the lack of donations often makes the volunteers' jobs heartbreaking. Perhaps they can't afford to treat an animal's injuries it suffered from an abusive owner. Perhaps they have to turn away an unwanted animal, knowing that it will probably end up at Animal Control in Rock Hill--and then euthanized after only five days.

And the Humane Society remains extremely busy. So far this year, the Humane Society has placed more than 1,300 animals. They try to match the right pet with the right owner, says shelter director Kathy Sowell.

Rock Hill resident Heather Rinehart agrees. She found the exact type of animal she was looking for through the Humane Society. She chose to look at the Humane Society first because she thought she could find a loving pet for a lot less money than from a pet store. Her dog Zoe has been a member of Rinehart's family for more than a year now.

Sowell says that a lot of people think of donating to the less fortunate through the Salvation Army, but people forget that some animals are needy, too.

"Financial donations are most needed...even five dollars goes a long way," Sowell says.

But if it is not within your budget to donate money, you probably have something in your house they can use. Some useful items include old bowls, newspapers, bleach, play pens, and even office supplies. No donation goes to waste.

"People feel they're responsible for only their pets. But, as a community, we are responsible for the humane treatment of all of our animals," Richardson says.

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