Give Big Tuesday- Fence in the Love

Secure play yard fencing is vital to our shelter operations.  Our current chain link fencing was donated in 2019 and installed by volunteers. Due to cost, the fence posts were not cemented in place and over the years and hundreds of rambunctious shelter dogs, the fencing has been compromised.  Temporary repairs have been made but the time has come to replace or rebuild.  This project will cost $14,000 and is scheduled to begin soon! We have already raised $7,000 - would you donate today to help close the gap!

An animal shelter is a very stressful environment for dogs (and cats) and being able to run and play and do “dog stuff” is vital to their well being. And it helps to reduce their length of stay at the shelter by making them more adoptable. 

There are three play yards at our shelter - two for adoptable dogs and one for dogs on stray holds or recovery following  spay/neuter or other medical needs.  There are a total of 21 dog kennels at HSBC, each with inside and outside runs.  Access to the play yards is through exterior kennel gates opened manually by our kennel staff or volunteers. Dogs are allowed into the play yards for potty breaks, exercise and play.  Currently, because of the condition of the fence, kennel staff must monitor our dogs while they are in the play yard. Ideally, with adequate fencing, kennel staff would not have to monitor each dog which would greatly reduce their work load - during their six hour shift, each kennel staff is responsible for daily cleaning of the kennels (inside and outside runs), feeding the dogs, administering meds and doing intake exams. Reducing the need for monitoring play yards would be great!

Like many animal shelters, HSBC has seen a huge increase in the number of stray and abandoned animals. As of October 31, 2023, 129 stray dogs had been brought to our shelter by concerned citizens and law enforcement. Only 69 of these dogs have been reclaimed by their owners. That means is it the responsibility of HSBC to find adoptive homes for each unclaimed stray dog. HSBC is a “no kill” shelter so our shelter dogs have a home for life until a new adoptive home is found for them. 

Unlike many organizations, HSBC does not receive county funding. Our usual fundraising efforts - donation requests, fundraising events, grants, etc. are for operational costs.  Our adoption fees have been raised to the limit Burnett County households can support but they don't cover the actual costs of housing and carrying for our shelter population. Large maintenance projects like repairing or replacing play yard fencing requirement special fundraising efforts.  We hope you will consider donating this GivingTuesday and help us provide safe, secure fencing for our beloved shelter dogs.