Donations down, Prineville shelter makes cuts
The Humane Society of the Ochocos announced staff and operating-hour cuts Wednesday due to a sharp drop in donations in the past year.
The shelter will now be open to the public five days a week. Effective immediately, the shelter will be open from 1pm to 5 pm, Wednesday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the shelter will be open from 1 pm to 4 pm. Monday and Tuesday the shelter will be closed.
HSO has changed the operating hours to reduce costs. Over the past 12 months private donations decreased over 70%. During the same period of time, expenses such as medicine and outside veterinary fees have increased.
In August, HSO’s board of directors implemented a cost reduction program that involved staff reductions, increased volunteer participation and elimination of all non-essential costs. All travel, overtime and other controllable expenses have been curtailed.
The dramatic decrease in private donations is the primary cause of HSO’s current cash flow issues. The shelter’s initial 2012 expenses are similar to 2010 and 2011. However, animal counts, medicine and veterinary costs all increased in 2012.
The HSO serves all of Crook County, which has the highest unemployment rate of any county in Oregon.
Crook County has 22,000 people spread over 3,000 square miles. There are an estimated 10,000 pets in the area HSO covers. Nevertheless, HSO has successfully operated a No-kill Shelter for 6 years, and without government bailouts. HSO’s only debt is a mortgage on the shelter. All payments are current.
HSO is Central Oregon’s only No-Kill animal shelter. HSO is not affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States and receives no funding from HSUS or any other national organization.
HSO serves as Prineville’s and Crook County’s animal impoundment facility. Each agency pays the shelter $3,000 per month for this service. Without HSO, it would cost local government in excess of $20,000 per month in addition to the cost of constructing a facility, to provide our community with the same service.
The HSO plans to seek increased support from all sources in the months ahead. Since the cost of the service to the city and county far exceeds the monthly fee, HSO has requested a modest increase in that fee, from $3,000 per month to $3,500.
Despite its current funding issues, the HSO said it “is and has been for six years, one of the most successful animal shelters in the region. And it is the only No-Kill Shelter in Central Oregon. “
HSO handles over 1,500 animals every year and is a meaningful part of a growing nationwide No-Kill effort to promote truly humane treatment of abandoned and distressed animals.
