Humane Society hopes for new shelter in the new year

By ARLA SHEPHARD, Belfair Herald

12/30/2010

As another year comes to a close, the Humane Society of Mason County, which is located in Belfair, is still 
struggling to fulfill its dream goal — finding land to build a no-kill animal shelter in Mason County.

Donations to the humane society's collection jars around North Mason have dipped in recent months, dropping 
as low as $48 in November from the usual $140 to $150.

Still, private donations and successful fundraisers have kept the non-profit afloat, and next month the 
society plans to establish an Official "shelter fund," where some of the profits in its events and savings 
accounts (approximately $30,000) will be transferred over.

The money in the shelter fund will be used to eventually build the facility, but until then, the non-profit 
is on the constant look-out for land. Plans to lease property from the state Department of Natural Resources 
near the Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women fell through earlier this year.

"Finding reasonably priced, accessible land is not easy," said Blanche Valverde, the humane society's vice 
president. "Finding property is our biggest need right now."

Valverde and the other five volunteers who come into the humane society's Belfair office part-time answer 
four to five calls a day from people reporting abandoned or abused animals.

Aside from the City of Shelton animal shelter, a dog pound with only 12 spaces, there is no place in Mason 
County to house abandoned pets, which means much of the humane society's work is placing animals in foster 
homes or shelters in outlying counties.

"There's an enormous amount of abandoned animals, it's unbelievable," Valverde said. "People are losing 
their homes, [but] the shelters are full, the foster homes are full and there's just no home for these 
older animals."

With the city facing budget shortfalls, the Shelton shelter will likely either be cut or operated at less 
than full capacity in the coming months, and Shelton Police Chief Terry Davenport has been in talks with 
the humane society to potentially staff the pound.

"We've somewhat discussed that possibility," said Humane Society President Barbara McDowell. "We don't have 
enough people here to even be working our office than to be sending people down there. But we're trying to 
work that out with volunteers closer to that area."

While plans for the larger shelter, for both dogs and cats, continue to be a work in progress, the humane 
society also devotes much of its funds to its spay and neuter program.

Through a partnership with the Kitsap Humane Society, pet owners enter their animals into the Humane Society 
of Mason County's monthly drawing for a free spay or neuter.

Since September 2009, the non-profit conservatively estimates that at least 82 pets have been fixed. In the 
new year, Valverde hopes the humane society can help even more animals.

"As in every year, our biggest goal is to obtain land, and the second is to have successful fundraisers," 
she said. "And, of course, my wish is that nobody would abandon, abuse or neglect their animals.

(c) Belfair Herald