Anya Rath

Times Herald

Pet lovers, rejoice.

The Sanilac County Humane Society is participating in the BISSELL Pet Foundation's Empty the Shelters Day on Saturday, April 29. The foundation will be covering the cost of adoption fees, which can be about $180 for dogs and $80 for cats, said Carol Schmidt, the president of SCHS.

"They still have to go through the same process in order to adopt, but it's a lot of awareness and it gives an opportunity for other people who may not be able to afford an adoption fee but would still want a pet and can care for it," Schmidt said.

SCHS, 3847 W. Sheldon Road in Carsonville, participated in the foundation's last Empty the Shelters event in October and saw 18 dogs and cats find homes, Schmidt said.

"For us, it was very popular," she said. "We had great success with it."

As of Monday, SCHS, a no-kill shelter, has 16 dogs and 12 cats it is trying to adopt out, Schmidt said. In addition to surrenders, animals are pulled in from St. Clair, Sanilac and Tuscola counties' animal controls, Schmidt said.

All animals up for adoption can be viewed on petfinder.com.

At SCHS, all animals are fixed, up to date on shots and microchipped, Schmidt said.

To participate in the event, Schmidt said potential adopters are required to get pre-approved by Friday, April 28. SCHS is the only organization participating in Empty the Shelters Day in St. Clair and Sanilac counties.

Along with waived adoption fees, those who adopt on Empty the Shelters day will receive an "AdoptBox," which has animal and size-appropriate toys, treats, coupons and more. A licensing fee of $7 to $12 is still required.

"I just think it's a great event," Schmidt said. "It's all about getting them in a home and getting them adopted and then I can bring more in that need a home."

SCHS has a capacity of about 45 animals, and is still pursuing plans, which were announced last spring, of moving out of the current cramped space into a larger $4 million facility.

SCHS is hoping to expand a miniature golf course, Putt'in for Paws, that is south on Lexington on M-25. They plan to build a 23,000-square-foot facility on that existing property, which they acquired in 2015.

The new facility is expected to handle 100 dogs in its first phase and 75 to 100 cats.

Schmidt said the planned facility will have kennels, a cattery with a patio dedicated solely to felines, a grooming facility with a groomer on staff, a retail store, a vet clinic and a training meeting room in addition to offices.

Though SCHS had originally planned on launching its capital campaign last June, Schmidt said they ran into problems with their architect for designing the space.

"We had to make some changes that we weren't aware of to make the building perfectly set up the way it needs to be," Schmidt said. "Any time you change your architect plans, you need to change a lot. It's a lot of hurry up and wait."

She is now projecting that they will launch the capital campaign in July and she is hoping that they can still break ground this year.

Of the $4 million needed for the project, about $10,000 has already been raised for it despite the delays in launching the campaign, Schmidt said.

"We're reliant on people's donations, we don't have anything else," Schmidt said. "It's still a $4 million project, but we're putting in things to help the shelter sustain itself."

Schmidt said SCHS is looking forward to its biggest fundraiser of the year, Fun Festival, on June 3. The event will feature a doggy fashion show, dog agility courses, a wiener eating contest and more.

Contact Anya Rath at (810) 989-6276 or arath@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @anya_rath.

How to Help