Simcoe humane society was ‘looking at bankruptcy,’ but has clawed out of debt

Some Hamilton-area animal shelters have seen an influx of pets surrendered by owners feeling the financial pinch of inflation, or who have returned to in-person work and can no longer care for their animals.

But not in Simcoe.

“We really have not had that problem,” said Cathie Hosken, president of the Simcoe and District Humane Society.

Despite finding new homes for hundreds of animals each year throughout the pandemic, Hosken said only two have been returned.

“We were very strict with our adoptions,” she said. “We asked a lot of questions. We also provided a lot of information.”

Prospective adopters were given advice on how to ensure their pets did not experience separation anxiety after the inevitable return to the office.

“We saw it coming — people are off work then, but that’s not going to be permanent,” Hosken said.

“So leave the animal alone from day one. Go out on the porch, go in the backyard. It prepares them for you going back to work.”

The two people who returned their pets got new jobs that involved a lot of travel, making pet ownership impossible, Hosken explained.

The all-volunteer humane society, which serves all of Norfolk County and runs entirely on donations, had an ulterior motive for being so thorough — operating out of a trailer, with no shelter building, the society “could not afford the space” to take animals back, Hosken said.

A typical year sees the humane society help between 700 and 800 animals, from gerbils and guinea pigs to turtles and horses, along with plenty of dogs, cats and rabbits.

“A lot of our animals are in foster-to-adopt homes,” said Hosken, referring to a program that gives humans and animals time to get used to each other.

“If it’s really not working, we can fix that,” she said.

“The really nice thing about foster care (is) people aren’t really thinking about owning an animal, but by the time it’s time to come back to the shelter, they’ve fallen in love.”

The humane society found new homes for pets whose owners died or were hospitalized due to COVID-19. But donations slumped as the pandemic wore on, which left the organization in a tough spot when combined with the rising cost of pet food and veterinary bills.

A major fundraiser fell far short of expectations, forcing Hosken to max out her personal credit card to keep providing emergency care.

“At the beginning of 2022, we were $67,000 in the hole,” said Hosken, who wondered if the organization was facing its end after 70 years.

“I was looking at bankruptcy. All those bills,” she said. “It’s not best for the animals to come in here if we have no money. We couldn’t even afford the dewormer.”

Reluctantly, Hosken suspended wellness clinics for pets in low-income households, raised adoption prices, and adopted a new rallying cry — “show me the money.”

Donors and sponsors “really stepped up,” she said, and the group paid off $40,000 in outstanding bills last year, leaving a debt of $27,000.

Five months later, Hosken said, “we’re even.”

But with 172 overdue spay-and-neuter appointments to catch up on and plans for a new shelter building still in play, Hosken says the need for donations remains high.

“When we don’t have any money in the bank, we can’t help,” she said.

JP Antonacci is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.