RUSTBURG (WSLS 10) - The Humane Society for Campbell County is once again operating as normal after a shortage of funding prevented it from taking in animals. It's a serious issue the center's director said they've been battling for months.
On average the Humane Society for Campbell County spends a minimum of $75 per animal on basic vetting -- getting fixed and micro-chipped. The hope is to make up that money through adoptions to keep the shelter open.
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Executive Director Matt Smith told us, ideally they need $2,000 per month to operate the shelter. Before Christmas they were struggling to make ends meet, because there weren't many adoptions. As a result the shelter didn't take in any more animals. On top of that, donations significantly decreased to about $10 per month, which wasn't enough.
"Giving an animal a bowl of water involves electricity," said Humane Society for Campbell County Executive Director Matt Smith. "Donations have dropped off, we have pulled quite a few special needs animals, and the bills simply racked up."
However, Smith was able to turn around their financial shortfall by reaching out to donors through social media and with an area circular. In three weeks, Smith collected enough cash for the shelter to start taking in animals once again. Now, they're sitting comfortably, but Smith says it's a continuous effort to raise funds.
"People giving five dollars, it's a huge help and it keeps us out of this position moving forward," Smith commented. "It's also, what allows us to keep pulling in the special needs animals."
Smith adds even if people are unable to commit to adoption, they can always donate money here and there and that's a help to the shelter.
If you would like to help of donate to the Humane Society for Campbell County visit: http://www.humanecampbell.org/.