Ross County — The commissioners did not hesitate to contribute more towards the new building for the Ross County Humane Society.
The commissioners had already committed $300K over five years, with one year left in that pledge. In their March 10th session, Jen Thomas, executive director of the humane society, asked to extend that another three years at $60K a year, for a grand total of $480K. They agreed without hesitation.
In my interview with Jen, she explains that their current building on the east side of the Great Seal Range has reached the end of its life. The bottom of the walls of the late-1990s pole barn are rotting out because the kennel area of the 4,000 square foot facility is always being washed out. It also has no windows for the dogs.
Jen says the new building will have about 7,500 square feet. The groundbreaking was back in May (but she was embarrassed that they couldn’t get a shovel into the ground), and it was just a foundation over the winter – but walls are up now, and it is scheduled to be completed in September.
She says that every dog will have natural light, and even music and colors that have been shown to calm the animals. Jen said it will probably be the nicest facility among the smaller counties in Southern Ohio. The architect has designed others, and this one is modeled after the state-of-the-art facility in Canal Winchester.
The cost has increased a little, partly because of EPA regulations, to about $2.9M. Among the 500 to 600 total donors to the humane society, they have had six-figure donations, but most were under $500. She said one donor inspired them to do better than just remodel their old building.
But even with the commissioners’ contribution, Jen says they are still about $400K short, and are seeking more donations.
The county needs the services of the Ross County Humane Society. While the Ross County Dog Warden is hired by the county, the Humane Society provides the other side of public dog care – Jen points out that the Dog Warden brings dogs in, and the Humane Society adopts them out.
She says the county has a legal responsibility to deal with loose dogs, dog bites, and dogs harassing livestock – so the job of the county is to keep the public safe from dogs, while the job of the Humane Society is to keep dogs safe from the public.
Jen says the situation in Ross County is not common, with a private nonprofit working well with the county. They even take strays from other counties – while each county has a legal obligation to take in their own strays, the Ross County Humane Society accepts overflow without complaint.
That means the staff of seven people care for about 1,200 dogs a year, costing $5,000 to $7,000 a year. She says the county gives them about a third of their budget, about $10K a month.
About half of the dogs taken in are from the Dog Warden, but people also surrender dogs, and Jen says they are taking in more dogs now – possibly because people are losing their rentals. She says it is getting worse, and will probably not get better soon.
Hear Jen in her own words in the below video interview.
The Ross County Humane Society has a website, and accounts in Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. They constantly post dogs ready for adoption.
“Since our inception in 1912, the Ross County Humane Society has been committed to the general welfare, shelter and placement of animals, prevention of cruelty and over population, and education concerning humane treatment of all living creatures.”
Hours of Operation: Monday – Saturday 10am to 4pm; Sunday & Holidays closed.
