The Wood County Humane Society will be moving, temporarily, while the Van Camp Road shelter is renovated.
Staff and animals will be out of the building starting March 15, for eight to nine weeks of renovations,
said Christa Ebeling, assistant shelter manager.
The short-term location has not been determined, but there are several options, she said.
“The community has really stepped up,” Ebeling said about a request for rentals. “Our email has been
flooded, so we are definitely looking at a few places now. We just need to consult our board.”
Crews will be redoing the heating and air condition systems, replacing light fixtures and sound proofing
the building.
“We cannot be in the building, whatsoever. It’s a hard-hat zone. We’ll have no access to the building,”
Ebeling said. “We will need to have the animals in foster homes and we’ve also talked to a few boarding
facilities.”
They are still seeking volunteers to take in animals, she said.
“We always need fosters because we are still taking animals in during this closure,” Ebeling said. “To
continue helping the community, we do need the community to help us, as well.”
There will not be a lull in animals needing help this spring, she said.
“Kitten season is right around the corner and we’re the only shelter that takes in stray cats in Wood
County,” Ebeling said. “We’re definitely going to be asking for our fosters to be prepared.”
The building closure could be extended if supplies for the renovation are delayed, she said.
The shelter was last closed in January 2020 when new floors were installed.
The Minniebelle Conley Shelter, which can hold 12 dogs and 40 cats, was built in 1988.
The humane society is a private, non-profit, managed admission shelter providing care for homeless and
abused or neglected pets. The organization receives no funding from national humane organizations for
daily operations, and relies on individual donors and businesses to fund programs such as humane
investigations, Safe Pets, food assistance programs, low-cost spay/neuter opportunities and educational
presentations.
The WCHS provides care for over 1,000 animals each year — from dogs and cats, to the occasional pocket
pet or farm animal. All animals admitted into the adoption program are housed and cared for as long as
it takes to find their adoptive home.
(Sentinel-Tribune multi-media journalist J.D. Pooley did the interview for this
story.)
