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Volunteer Deb Lambesis takes photos of one of several cats who were recently brought to the Humane Society of Midland County Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

Volunteer TJ Chesney, left, folds towels during his shift at the Humane Society of Midland County alongside another employee Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

Terra Sadek works at the front desk of the Humane Society of Midland County Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

A 4-year-old cat named Mr. Hines relaxes in his enclosure Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 at the Humane Society of Midland County on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

Customers line up outside of the front door of the Humane Society of Midland County minutes before the shelter opens Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

Materials are stacked on counters surrounding the front desk at the Humane Society of Midland County Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

The ceiling of a room for cats had to be taped with duct tape to prevent the cats from climbing into the ceiling at the Humane Society of Midland County on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

Leashes hang on the wall near the dog kennels at the Humane Society of Midland County Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

A dog rests inside its kennel at the Humane Society of Midland County Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

Volunteer Deb Lambesis tries to calm an anxious cat while taking photos of several cats who were recently brought to the Humane Society of Midland County Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

Volunteer Deb Lambesis takes photos of one of several cats who were recently brought to the Humane Society of Midland County Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

Pictures of cats and dogs are posted on a bulletin board at the Humane Society of Midland County Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

Food, cat litter and other supplies are stored inside a garage at the Humane Society of Midland County Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

Volunteer TJ Chesney folds towels during his shift at the Humane Society of Midland County Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

A 4-year-old cat names Mr. Hines relaxes in his enclosure Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 at the Humane Society of Midland County on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

Leashes hang on the wall near the dog kennels at the Humane Society of Midland County Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 on E. Ashman Street in Midland.

While dogs bark in their kennels and cats meow in their cages, the staff at the Humane Society of Midland County maneuver around each other to feed and walk the animals.

The nonprofit organization works hard to find good, loving homes for unwanted and abused animals.

However, now the Humane Society itself is in need of a new home.

A long history of humane treatment

The Humane Society of Midland County, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, operated for decades as the Midland County Humane Society before moving into its current location at 4371 E. Ashman St.

Founded in 1965, the Humane Society hosted local pet events, advocated against the sale of shelter animals to research facilities, discussed the appropriate euthanasia methods for unwanted animals, and fostered dogs and cats in area homes, among other activities.

When Midland County faced a $3.1 million budget deficit in 2011, then-Sheriff Jerry Nielsen proposed to close the Animal Control facility, turn over most of its services to the Midland County Humane Society, and rent out the animal shelter to the humane society for $1 a year. The organization became Midland’s first and only no-kill shelter.

The 2,500 square-foot building, located on three acres of land, was built as an animal shelter in 1970. The facility included 32 cages that could hold as many as three animals each. A 12-foot by 16-foot office space was provided for the dog warden and his staff. A Euthanair gas chamber, used for the euthanasia, was in the back. A $75,000 addition was constructed in 1979 and included another kennel area, a new heating plant, offices, a lobby, stainless steel cages and a walk-in freezer.

When the Humane Society moved into the building in 2011, it removed the carbon dioxide gas chamber and added a play yard to exercise dogs.

Poor conditions for potential pets

While the facility may have been adequate to temporarily house animals, and act as headquarters for Midland County Animal Control, it is now too crowded, out of date and unsanitary.

The front room of the shelter acts as an office, storage space and housing area for felines. Cat cages line the wall, backing up against windows. Inside a second side room, which originally was an office space, the former dog kennels house more cats. A third former office space acts as a place for cats and kittens to socialize.

“Animal Control euthanized 98% of the cats that came in; most of them were walked straight to the gas chamber,"said Shelter Director Beth Wellman. "We obviously immediately stopped that, which meant turning all of the offices (into housing areas for cats). We don’t have an office. We don’t have a place to go to get away from everything.” 

Animal care technician Nicole Norris explained that there have been times when cats have climbed into the ceiling and got lost. As a result, the staff have secured ceiling tiles in the cat areas and lobby with duct tape and binder clips.

The shelter has 48 cat cages and 30 dog kennels. While dogs and cats each get their own space, litters of puppies and kittens can share an enclosure. Younger dogs and canines that require a quieter space are kept in a side room.

Dogs were once kept in metal cages with troughs that allowed waste to be funneled into drains. Norris explained that a few years ago, the Midland County Department of Public Health told the Humane Society it had to create bigger enclosures for the dogs.

The nonprofit refitted dog runs that were donated by Dow and renovated the floor. It wasn’t until later that they realized that when they cleaned the kennels, the water and waste were not able to run down the drains. In addition, the chain link sides of the kennels aren’t as easy to clean as the smooth metal bars of the cages.

“When you have dogs with kennel cough, sneezing, diarrhea, blowing snot, there’s no proper way to sanitize that,” Norris said. “We know all the proper protocols to keep the animals healthy. But they’re not being housed in an area that’s conducive to that.”

The building’s design is not ideal for the staff, either.

The lobby and office area are crowded with cat cages and donations of food and supplies for the pet pantry, often overwhelming visitors. When clients drop off their animals for surgery, the crates take up the remaining floor space, making it impossible for staff members to navigate around them.

“The lack of space is just one tiny piece of the huge problem,” Norris stated.

Beyond the dog kennels is a back room, once used to euthanize animals. The pipes for the gas chamber remain exposed from the ceiling. Norris calls it the “everything room.” It is used for additional storage and to provide light medical care for animals.

Humane Society staff report that circuit breakers are blown often, especially when employees and volunteers operate multiple appliances such as the microwave in the kitchen and the washer or dryer. At one point, the old dryer broke down, so employees resorted to taking the wet laundry over to the house next door. Thankfully, a generous benefactor donated a new washer and dryer to the shelter, which helps cut down the laundry loads.

“We have something that doesn’t work once a day, probably,” Norris said. “I think a lot of people don’t how bad this facility actually is.”

Lots of work to do with little space to do it

The workday begins long before the shelter doors open. Employees often work 10-hour days taking care of the animals.

The day begins at 9 a.m., when kennel attendants switch between cleaning, feeding and walking dogs in the dog walk or play yard. Kennel attendants walk dogs every three hours starting at 9 a.m., utilizing land owned by the adjacent city landfill as a dog walk area. They then sweep and mop floors, making sure the cleaning is done before the shelter opens to the public at noon.

Employees grab a quick lunch between 11 a.m. and noon before the dogs’ second walk schedule begins. They spend the rest of the day introducing visitors to animals, washing laundry, getting a couple more walks in, and feeding the animals again before heading home.

Volunteers make the job easier, but there is a catch.

If there are too many eager helpers, the shelter becomes too crowded for people to work efficiently. During the winter months, there are fewer volunteers. However, there is at least one volunteer working with roughly five of the nine paid staff members on a daily basis.

“We rely on volunteers. We don’t have enough employees to do the job,” Norris said.

“Right now, it’s mostly students,” said kennel attendant Carrie Deyarmond.

While some volunteers offer to help with dishes and laundry or walk dogs, others, like Joyce Halstead of Midland, perform clerical work. Halstead, who has volunteered with the Humane Society since 2010, is a coordinator for the Trap, Neuter/Spay, Return (TNR) program.

The Humane Society covers the cost for veterinary services, including spaying/neutering, vaccines and heartworm treatment. The cost is partially covered by the Animal Assistance Endowment Fund through the Midland Area Community Foundation.

Although Halstead mainly performs her volunteer duties from home, she occasionally visits the shelter. She observed that the cinder block building has no insulation, making it expensive for the Humane Society to heat and cool the facility. In addition, the building is too small for the staff, volunteers and public to work together.

“There’s just no space for people or supplies," Halstead said. "Plus, the building is falling apart.” 

The Humane Society provides free TNR services for stray, outdoor or community cats as well as free rabies shots. Dogs and house cats from low-income families in Midland County are also neutered or spayed for little to no cost through Papa’s Pups and Rhoda’s Fund. Animals that have been recently adopted are brought back to be neutered or spayed and receive their vaccinations.

A veterinarian and an assistant visit the Humane Society on Friday for surgeries. They typically stay from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. - sometimes remaining as late as 1 a.m. to help meet demand. 

“On Friday morning, there will literally be 50 people here. It’s mass chaos, phones ringing off the hook, animals everywhere,” Norris said. "There’s nowhere to put them and nowhere for people to stand."

Giving animals a second chance

As a no-kill shelter, the Humane Society provides ample opportunities for animals to find loving homes. The Humane Society often partners with Bissell Pet Foundation for “Empty the Shelters” adoption campaigns. It also is a Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)-approved foundation, which garners attention from other shelters around the country.

Wellman explained that when the Humane Society takes in animals, Midland County animals receive priority. If there is room, the shelter will take in animals from surrounding counties, even from shelters further south. In 2019, the Humane Society took in five dogs that were rescued from a dog meat farm in South Korea. In the recent past, the Humane Society has housed animals from Texas and Tennessee.

“Just last week, we took 26 (animals) from Texas on Saturday. The Monday before, we got 23 from Detroit," Norris said. "And they’re gone.” 

Apart from driving to nearby counties to pick up rescues, the Humane Society does not pay to receive animals outside of Midland County; the shelters providing the pets must cover transportation funds, have the animals fully vaccinated and provide a health certificate to travel.

When animals come in from outside counties, the Humane Society reaches full capacity.

“We put out a plea for foster homes or put together an adoption event (when we hit capacity),” Wellman said.

Norris explained that the Midland shelter never stops its intake and often takes on more than other area shelters.

“I’ve worked here for eight years, and every week we’re doing more and more,” Norris said.

Thanks to the Humane Society’s website and social media pages, which are regularly updated, word spreads quickly about dogs and cats that are available for adoption. It is then up to the staff to observe the animals and check any information left by their previous owners about their disposition and medical requirements.

The shelter sees a wide mix of shy and timid dogs, others stressed or suffering from kennel cough, and some with no history of human interaction at all. A few dogs need foster homes because they don’t do well in kennels.

“Anything that you typically don’t see in a shelter is adopted quick," Deyarmond said. "I think we had a Burmese mountain dog that came in as a stray. We had at least two pending applications before his mom came and picked him up. Labs go quick, because everybody loves Labs. Golden (retrievers) go quick. Huskies go quick. Midland is very pit (bull)-friendly compared to some places. A lot of people come in looking for pits.”

Finding a new forever home for the Humane Society

With the limited space, unreliable amenities and unsanitary conditions in their current building, the Humane Society staff are eager to move to a new facility.

The organization owns a 10-acre parcel of land across the street from their location, donated by Dow, but they need more donations to build a new shelter. Wellman said it would take at least $2 million to build a new facility. The organization is planning to kick off a capital campaign in the near future. If you are interested in the campaign for a new facility email info@hsomc.org. Donations to the Humane Society can be made through hsomc.networkforgood.com. For more information, visit hsomc.org or call 989-835-1877.

“We don’t have any dedicated funding," Wellman said. "There is no seed money, so it’s going to be a complete public appeal to make it happen.

“We desperately hope to be in a better facility at some point someday.”

Victoria Ritter grew up in Midland and after earning a degree in English at Grand Valley State University, returned. She joined the Daily News as its newsroom clerk, and eventually began editing obituaries, and in 2016 wrote her first article. She loves the arts, from reading and creative writing to catching a movie or singing in her church choir.