A long road of challenges for animal shelter

Cathie Hosken, shelter manager stands in front of the Humane Society's half-finished new home which contains the outside walls and interior structural beams. 

Alex Hunt 

Advocate Correspondent

If all goes according to plan, Simcoe and District Humane Society hopes to be moved into its new facility at the end of the summer.

Since 2007, SDHS has been developing a new building for the shelter with the promise of housing more animals and providing more methods of care and treatment for its occupants. The shelter currently operates from three trailers located on the same 3.5-acre property where their future home currently sits half finished with the hope of being completed before the next snow season sets in.

Construction officially began Christmas 2019 with an estimated quote of $375,000. When the pandemic struck, the number kept rising until the Simcoe and District Humane Society could no longer generate money to support the project. From then, the development process was struck with a series of delays that have left shelter manager Cathie Hosken feeling frustrated and desperate. 

“There’s just so much wrong,” said Hosken. “During the construction, the doors and panelling were installed backwards. The windows are missing frames, wood had to be replaced, and the roof was installed upside down.” 

Hosken said that on top of the cost of finishing the building, there are many vital structural amenities that need to be addressed which could have been installed properly the first time. The project is estimated to finish at a cost of $850,000 if the construction is continued with no further delays. 

“We’ve got Dave Bate from Bate Home Improvement, he’s been doing everything on a volunteer basis, what we are doing now is the cost of material,” said Hosken. “If people want, they can donate material like drywall and installation which would help us tremendously.” 

Once the building is finished, it will include a kitten adoption centre, a handicapped bathroom, an exam room and holding area, as well as dog kennels. The additional space will also help with stopping the spread of diseases which continues to pose an issue in the small quarters confined within the trailers. 

Alongside the completed building, Hosken hopes to implement a memorial garden and canine play area.  

“In my dreams, I want this project finished by tomorrow, I’m just so tired of fighting everybody to get this building finished,” said Hosken. We’ve asked engineers to help us because the county is saying that there are issues with the plans as there are also eight structural uprights missing.” 

Despite a long road of challenges, the shelter continues to persevere, driven by their values that every animal deserves better.