As of Jan. 1, 2017, the Humane Society will be a no-kill organization; local volunteers needed for foster homes

Big changes are coming to the Douglas-Coffee County Humane Society.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, the Humane Society will transition from sheltering animals at the Iron Road facility in Douglas to housing animals in a home-based fostering setting. At that time, the Humane Society will become a no-kill organization.

Under the current arrangement, the City of Douglas owns the shelter on Iron Road. The local Humane Society contracts with the city’s animal control department to operate the shelter. It’s important to note that the Humane Society and animal control are not the same organization or agency.

The Humane Society is transitioning to the foster home model for several reasons, most notably because the no-kill model attracts more volunteers and community support, and more grant funds are available for no-kill operations. The Humane Society’s focus will be rescuing, fostering, and re-homing those animals that are adoptable.

The Humane Society has been moving toward this kind of model for some time. The agency has been transferring animals to foster homes in other areas since 2010. To date, over 1,200 dogs and cats have been transferred. This gets the animals out of the shelter and into foster homes quickly and in greater numbers. The animals transferred are not euthanized.

In order for the new model to work, the Humane Society needs local volunteers. There’s something for everyone to do, regardless of age or experience. The Humane Society helps with the expenses of fostering animals; also, there are plenty of other needs besides foster homes. If you are interested in assisting in any way, contact the Humane Society at coffeecohumanesociety @ gmail.com or visit the Humane Society’s Facebook page. This transition will have a tremendous positive impact for pets throughout the area, many of which find themselves unwanted through no fault of their own. Get involved and make a difference – you’ll be glad you did.