Alliston shelter needs to expand: dog drop offs up 400%

A dog is shown in this undated file image.

Second Chances are what the Alliston & District Humane Society is all about.

To that end, it's also the campaign name of their need to grow their shelter to keep up with the demand of more than 1,000 pets who have been dropped at their doors in the last year.

"Many of these animals are lost, surrendered, or simply abandoned by their owners because they don't have time for them," the shelter stated in a press release.

As of May 2023, dog intake has soared 400% over 2022. Cats come to the shelter in a steady stream all year, and the calls never stop. They helped 400 cats in 2022 and are over that for 2023.

As the region's only no-kill shelter, they can only take in as many animals as they have space for.

"We have found ourselves in the incredibly difficult position of having to turn away animals in need. This goes against everything we stand for, and it's the reason why we need our community's continued support to expand," the release said.

Staff have cancelled its public education programs because the public space/boardroom is full of animals requiring housing.

In total, The Second Chance: Shelter Expansion capital campaign needs to raise $4 million.

The society reported that $1.5 million has already been generously donated through a legacy gift.

With the community's support, we hope to raise the additional $2.5 million needed to build a major expansion and renovate our current facility, with construction beginning in 2024, said the humane society president Jane Clarke.

"Our building has served us well, but we outgrew it years ago, and we need to grow for the future. Together, we can save animals' lives. Please help us build a bigger, better and brighter shelter for the animals by supporting our capital campaign today," Clarke said.