GLENFIELD — The Lewis County Humane Society wants to renovate the back section of its Pine Grove Road shelter into a new reception and kennel area, provided enough money is available.
There is no specific timetable for completion of the project, director Clifford C. Cook said — "as soon as we can get funding."
The 104-by-40-foot back section, added in 2000, is used for storage and other purposes but is essentially unfinished space.
The society plans to develop that area into space for 41 kennels for stray dogs, along with a 16-by-20-foot lobby, two grooming/veterinary care rooms, a visiting room, a 40-by-40-foot meeting and training room and a handicapped-accessible bathroom.
Completion of the project would allow the society to create a quarantine area in which new strays could be placed for five days "before they go into the regular pet population," Mr. Cook said.
The Humane Society now has kennel room for up to 16 stray dogs, along with a separate cat room, in its original section, built in 1988. Up to 18 dogs can be boarded at the on-site Whispering Pines Boarding Kennel. All boarding proceeds go toward shelter operations.
Development plans for the addition, designed by Matthew Phelps of Thriving Designs Web Services, Glenfield, have been submitted to an architect, but the project's estimated cost has yet to be determined, he said.
A membership drive is under way to help raise money for the project and other shelter operations. Donations and grant funding also are being sought, Mr. Cook said.
Humane Society officials also are encouraging people to use the Internet search engine GoodSearch.com, which donates half of its revenues to registered nonprofit organizations. By going to the Yahoo-powered Web site and typing "Lewis County Humane Society" in the appropriate box, about one cent will be granted to the society for each search.
The shelter's operations assistant, Ingrid Honey, last month discovered the service and registered the Lewis County Humane Society as a participating nonprofit, Mr. Cook said.
"Now, it's just getting the word out," he said.
The society has no paid staff, although Mr. Cook serves as dog control officer for 15 of the 17 towns in Lewis County. Through the Humane Society, he also serves as the county's animal control officer and humane officer.
The society is holding its annual "Be Kind to Animals" poster and essay contest. Awards will be presented at the Humane Society open house May 10.
The Lewis County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Lewis County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children were both organized in 1915, and the Humane Society was organized in 1917 as a merger of those two groups.
Because of a lack of funding and volunteers, the society was dormant from 1957 through 1996, when it was reorganized. Mr. Cook donated the shelter at his residence to the organization in 1998.
"Since then, we've made a lot of improvements through bequeaths and grants," Mr. Cook said.
