Kittens and their mothers look for some attention at the Columbiana County Humane Society. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier)

SALEM — With the shelter beyond maximum capacity and not enough funding to sustain the numbers, the Columbiana County Humane Society announced Wednesday a temporary halt to taking new animals.

The announcement also included a plea for help from the community for a critical need, either through monetary donations, adoptions or fostering to reduce the numbers and volunteering.

“We’ve pretty much exhausted our budget for the year,” board member Lynn Finch said.

For now, she said the focus is getting animals out of the South Lincoln Avenue shelter because of limited funding.

When asked how the situation became so dire, she cited the large number of neglect cases and strays, saying numbers now are triple what they were last year at this time.

“In the process of serving our community this year, our shelter has taken in 137 animals from abuse/neglect cases, 100 strays, and 21 owner surrenders. At this point, the shelter is beyond maximum capacity with 117 cats and 32 dogs, and an additional 19 animals in foster care. Our shelter cannot sustain this capacity due to space, and the cost of caring for this many animals has depleted all funds, including veterinary care, payroll and operational funds,” the issued press release said.

Year-to-date veterinary costs total $81,000 and continue increasing. The shelter has kittens and puppies that need spayed or neutered before adoption and there are outstanding bills for animals currently being medically treated.

Besides putting a hold on taking in animals at this time, the focus of the humane agent and administrative staff has been temporarily shifted to finding placement for animals currently in the shelter.

“This includes reaching out to other animal shelters and rescues for assistance with placement, as well as promoting adoptions. The majority of our animals must be placed with other animal welfare adopters by the end of July, as our funds are critically low. We are not permanently closing, but taking these steps to reduce our shelter population,” the press release said.

Plans call for restructuring and working on fundraising, increasing the volunteer base and putting operational measures in place to prevent this situation from happening again. One way the public can help to keep populations down is by spaying and neutering, according to Finch.

She couldn’t put a time on when normal activities will resume, but the plan is to return to that focus of investigating abuse/neglect cases and care for animals who need help. For now, people will need to contact their local law enforcement regarding abuse or neglect situations.

To help with funding, area residents can donate by visiting the website at www.columbianacountyhumanesociety.org, donating through Facebook or dropping off or mailing a check to the Columbiana County Humane Society at P.O. Box 101, 1825 S. Lincoln Ave., Salem, Ohio 44460. Memorial contributions in honor of a loved one are also welcome.

Donations toward vet costs can also be sent directly to the following clinics: Alley Car Spay & Neuter Clinic, 15303 state Route 170, Unit B, East Liverpool, Ohio 43920, 330-892-8985; Rainbow Veterinary Hospital, 129 state Route 168, Darlington, PA 16115, 724-843-5443; or Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital, 1053 S. Cleveland Massillon Road, Akron, Ohio 44321, 330-666-2976.

To adopt, visit the website to view available animals or go to Petfinder.com and type “Columbiana County Humane Society” or zip code “44460, then fill out an application online and contact our adoption coordinator at 234-575-7177.

To foster, which is desperately needed for kittens, fill out a foster application online and contact the shelter managers to sign up.

Volunteers are needed for animal care, fundraising, office work and adoption events. Volunteer applications can be filled out online or contact the office for more information.

Any animal welfare organizations that can help with placement in their shelters are pleased asked to contact the shelter managers to arrange transfer of animals.

“As always, we appreciate the generosity of our community. We could not do our life-saving work without you. Thank you for your consideration in supporting us and our animals through this difficult time,” the release said.