Humane Educational Society Struggles with Rising Costs and Urgent Need for Funding Support

The organization is grappling with a large, unexpected property tax bill, adding to the mounting costs of running the facility.

At yesterday’s County Commission meeting, it was revealed that the humane society has faced a large influx of animals, including 19 Huskies rescued from a Harrison home and 56 dogs abandoned in Ooltewah. The care of the Huskies alone cost $84,000.

“The Huskies we rescued from that case had special medical needs. Boarding alone cost about $20 a day for special isolation, which is much less than what you would pay at a vet clinic for your personal dog,” said Rebecca Brian, Executive Director of the Humane Society.

The Humane Educational Society is hoping the County Commission will approve the budget increase to ensure they can continue their important work in the community.

“We’ve been negotiating with the county about this funding for a while. It helps us send officers out on nuisance calls with animals every day, and we run emergency services 24/7. We haven’t had a significant increase in funding since 2019, so keeping up with these expenses is really difficult right now,” said Rebecca.