Putnam County shelter scrambles to find homes for animals before its closure

GREENCASTLE, Ind. (WISH) - The Humane Society of Putnam County is shutting its doors for good on Sept. 30.

Now staff members are scrambling to find homes for the remaining 31 animals.

Among them: brothers Bo and Luke, who shelter workers said have been saved once, taken from a home where they were locked in a small room for eight months. Now, they need to be saved again.

"They are very bonded," shelter worker Amber Harney said of the two animals. “Obviously, we know it's not realistic they would go to the same home. But it's an option.”

They are among five dogs and 26 cats living on limited time. Any animals not placed in homes or other shelters by the Sept. 30 will be euthanized, the shelter said.

• PHOTOS | Flip through the gallery to see some of the animals up for adoption

"That is a possibility," said Kraig Kinney, board president of the Humane Society of Putnam County. “The board did direct the director to euthanize if she cannot find homes.”

This year the facility was on track to take in more than 500 animals. Kinney said it costs anywhere between $7,000 and $10,000 a month to operate the shelter. But donations are down: This year they averaged between $4,000 and $5,000 a month.

"We debated heavy cutbacks,” Kinney said. “The problem is with Putnam County, we have so many strays that we were so overwhelmed that you have to have a certain number of staff to walk the dogs, clean the cages, feed the animals."

The shelter phone has been ringing with people interested in adopting one of the last remaining animals. Over the weekend the shelter found homes for 25 dogs and 25 cats. Staff members just don't know if the phone will ring enough to save the rest.

"Yes, it is very sad. I don't want to see this place close. It's horrible" Harney said.

Staff at the Humane Society of the United States said what is happening in Putnam County is a sign of the times. With the struggling economy, donations to shelters are down, while the number of animals being housed is up.