The Herkimer County Humane Society is NOT a County run agency and in fact we receive a very, very small portion of our operating expenses from the County of Herkimer, not enough to cover our payroll for 2 months. We therefore rely on the public for support and donations, be it monetary or otherwise.

By far our biggest expense every month is our veterinarian bills. These bills average between $3,000.00 and $4,000.00 with some months going as high as $4,000.00. As any pet owner knows, the cost of owing an animal is not an inexpensive venture between food and medical care. We at the Herkimer County Humane Society are taking care of 30 plus dogs and 60 plus cats EVERY DAY.

As you can see, running the shelter is very expensive. We are very fortunate to have a community around us that always digs deep to help us out, especially when we have needed it the most. For that we say THANK YOU.

While the monetary donations we receive from the public are most certainly appreciated and welcome, we are also in need of volunteers to help us keep the shelter running.

The paid staff of the Herkimer County Humane Society is a huge reason why we are so successful in keeping our adoption rates high and our euthanasia rates low. However, our volunteers also make a donation in terms of fundraising, school programs and adoption clinics. Unfortunately, we are always in need of volunteers to help us keep things going . Our Board of Directors is made up of 11 people who volunteer their time not only to attend meetings, but to help at the various events throughout the year. However, these 11 people cannot do it alone. We are always looking for people to attend adoption clinics, help at fundraisers and even help us out in the schools, where we try to reach the future pet owners and teach them about pet responsibility.

Some people are afraid to become a volunteer at the shelter because of becoming “too attached”. We are very proud of our low euthanasia rate as evidenced by the fact that in 2012 we took in 679 animals and only 23 of those animals were euthanized. We do not euthanize for space, only if an animal is sick or is vicious. We work closely with rescue groups and are always looking for foster homes for our animals until a permanent home becomes available. We need volunteers who would be willing to help us at fundraisers or perhaps even come up with a fundraising idea on their own. We welcome all ideas for fundraisers and if you have one, please feel free to attend our fundraising meetings which are held the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the shelter before our regular monthly board meeting. If you have some extra time and would like to help out, please come to one of our meetings or call the shelter at 866-3255 and leave your name and number. A board of director’s member will return your call and find out what areas you are interested in Volunteering is a wonderful way to give back to your community. Please call the shelter today.