"We would love to have the shelter right now," said Jackie Kritikos, board president of the Second Chance Humane Society. But before it can be built, the board wants to make sure funds are in place to sustain its operation. "We're focusing on getting the organization in shape so it can sustain a shelter," she said.
"We would love to have the shelter right now," said Jackie Kritikos, board president of the Second Chance Humane Society. But before it can be built, the board wants to make sure funds are in place to sustain its operation. "We're focusing on getting the organization in shape so it can sustain a shelter," she said.
The organization is currently run by a board of volunteers; Kritikos estimated she puts in 35 hours a week as president. The organization also has five employees, four part-time and one full-time, working in the shelter, the thrift store and in administration.
The board is currently searching for an executive director to spearhead the drive for a permanent shelter.
"We're anxious to build a shelter, but we want to do it right and responsibly," said Kritikos. "It's not just about building it, but about running it. We want the executive director to be part of the process."
Kritikos estimated building costs for a shelter at $500,000. "We've done some research and we're guesstimating to run the shelter it would take three-times the cost of the temporary shelter."
Second Chance has been renting a space in Ridgway since October 2004 to house its animals. Last year, the organization spent $124,000 to run the shelter.
"It would be nice to have two to three years of operating expenses in the bank before we build," said Kritikos. "That would be the smart way to do it."
The thrift store continues to be the organization's biggest source of income. "The thrift shop still continues to out-perform itself," said Kritikos. "It's kind of a phenomenon."
Second Chance also receives funds through adoptions, donations, memberships and grants. Last year it took in $298,000. Of that, $270,000 was used to pay for administration, operating the temporary shelter, paying staff, and running community programs, such as the spay/neuter program and the feral cat program.
"We have room for growth in the fundraising area, which is the exciting thing," said Kritikos, but an executive director to direct that fundraising is a critical component. The building fund currently sits at $65,000, and Second Chance has some immediate needs now as well, such as new kennels. "We're pretty frugal," said Kritikos. "We have volunteers donating their time and taking care of the animals."
The temporary shelter can house four to six dogs and 15 to 20 cats. Additional animals are in the organization's foster care program, where animals are placed in temporary homes until they are adopted.
"That bumps our numbers to ten to fifteen dogs and another twenty-five to thirty cats," said Kritikos of the foster program. "We'll always have the foster program. The thing to keep in mind with a no-kill shelter is we'll never be big enough. No-kill acts like a sanctuary."
The number of adoptions for the shelter continues to grow every year, said Kritikos. Two weeks ago, Second Chance had a record-breaking adoption week with eight dogs and four cats finding homes
Still, adoptions remain hard to predict. "We feel it when people go away for off season," said Kritikos. "Having a shelter has definitely increased the rate of adoption – tripled it."
For more information on the Second Chance Humane Society, to volunteer or to adopt an animal, visit www.secondchancehumanesociety.org or call 626-CARE.
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