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November 05, 2023
EMERGENCY PLEA from Jennifer Webber, Executive Director
In 2024 The Humane Society of Hobart will celebrate its 70th year of lifesaving. We may not see that day if we do not receive emergency financial support.
The Humane Society of Hobart (HSH) is a nonprofit animal shelter on a mission to build and strengthen pet families and provides shelter for more than 2,800 pets annually, receives more stray pets than any other agency in Lake County, helps thousands of pet families each year with pet resources and supplies, and is alongside law enforcement to provide animal field services in times of crisis. We are a vital anchor in this community.
HSH is experiencing an overwhelming number of animals entering the system. The increased intake and the reduction in adoptions is driven by inflation, rising costs, the lack of affordable pet inclusive housing, and scarcity of veterinary resources. As a result, HSH is overburdened, over capacity for care, healthy pets are at risk of dying, and the doors could close after 70 years of lifesaving. This is dangerously reversing decades of work to save the lives of healthy, adoptable pets.
As a result of overcrowding and an increased intake of more than 1,000 homeless pets outside of our jurisdiction, we are experiencing a Mycoplasma outbreak that has already cost more than $37,000 and sadly the lives of two pets. WE HAVE 3 MONTHS operational funding left before we close our doors. We need adopters, fosters, and emergency funding immediately. We need all stakeholders to work in coalition with each other to solve this public problem before it is too late.
The Humane Society of Hobart is calling on the community to act NOW to adopt, foster, volunteer and donate to help alleviate this crisis and reverse the monumental steps taken back in saving the lives of homeless pets.
November 5-11 is Shelter Appreciation Week and Governor Holcomb has declared this Adopt a Hoosier Pet Week to bring awareness to this crisis. Please help save our shelter so that we can keep our doors open to homeless pets in need.
Please make a donation through our Go Fund Me plea, or visit www.hshobart.org to volunteer, foster, or adopt. YOU are the reason we can continue to save the lives that need us most.
October 10, 2023
URGENT PLEA from Jennifer Webber, Executive Director
Shelters across the country are struggling, and we are no different. Intake is being driven by rising costs and inflation, evictions and lack of affordable pet inclusive housing, and the broken animal welfare system in Lake County.
Although we are contracted with Hobart, Lake Station, and New Chicago to care for their stray population and pet families in need, thousands of animals from other towns and cities find their way to our door because, sadly, there is nowhere else to go.
This is dangerous as it pushes us over our capacity for care which in turn causes overcrowding, disease spread, and injuries. It is also not a sustainable business model and financially we cannot carry the burden of so many communities without help.
Recently we experienced a disease outbreak that cost us more than $30,000 (see the graphic below). This has almost wiped us out. Not to mention we, under contract, are still alongside law enforcement when there are police incidents and raids. Recently we received an additional 20 animals including zoo sized pythons! This was beyond challenging for us.
I cannot say enough about this team. The staff and volunteers are true warriors that lead with courage and compassion, daily meeting the challenge of many animals coming to our door in need of emergency medical care and shelter. Each pet that needs hospitalization costs several thousands dollars. It is heartbreaking.
We are asking for help from the Indiana Governer down to our own elected officials and we are asking our community to support us as well. Please volunteer, foster, and if you can please donate and become a monthly donor so we can be here for the thousands of pets that seek shelter with us each year. We have to ask...what if there were no Humane Society of Hobart?
We will keep fighting. We believe in our mission to build and strengthen pet families, we believe in humane communities and a no-kill philosophy, we believe in our community, and we believe in this team. Most of all we believe in these beautiful lives that need us...for there is nowhere else to go.
Thank you for your undying support. We have been here almost 70 years because of YOU! Visit www.hshobart.org to sign up to volunteer, foster, or become a monthly donor, share this post , and if you can make a donation today, we would be forever grateful.
We believe...
