Leaders of Wayne County’s largest animal shelter ask for residents’ kindness and support as they deal with growing numbers of homeless pets that add to emotional and financial stresses that employees, volunteers and four-legged residents already feel.
“We operate in crisis mode all the time,” said Nichole Kanney, director of shelter operations for HELP the Animals Inc.
HELP, which stands for Humane Existence for Lost Pets, at 2101 W. Main St., Richmond, provides a home for lost or abandoned dogs and cats that are sometimes victims of cruelty, abuse or neglect.
Staff and volunteers hope to address public misconceptions about how many animals they can handle, the areas they serve, their limited financial capabilities and other factors outside the nonprofit’s control.
They want to tone down the temperature of interactions with the public that occasionally get heated, especially when they have to turn away an animal they can’t fit in the shelter. Beyond obscenities over the phone, threats have included a social media stalker who threatened to visit an employee’s children’s school.
In an extreme example, one man — upset after being asked for proof that a stray cat the shelter had hosted for three weeks was his — grabbed scissors and tried to cut the zip tie on its cage. He went on to point the scissors at the county’s uniformed animal control officer, and additional deputies were called to respond.
Carol Hulett, board president, said some residents seem to think HELP has unlimited funds and space, and they want immediate assistance when contacting the organization. Just because someone at HELP answered the phone doesn’t mean the organization has the capacity to take on every stray.
Kanney said they aim to help people and pets the best they can, but meeting everyone’s needs, especially immediately, can be tough at its exceedingly full no-kill shelter.
And, because it’s a no-kill shelter, caring for long-term residents adds financial challenges.
HELP’s normal capacity is 42 dogs, but on a recent day it had squeezed in 65. Finding that space means putting dogs in crates, which takes two to three times as long to clean, and they say small spaces are not good for dogs’ well-being. Cramped quarters and crates also lead to more sickness and more money needed for medication.
Extra pressure also comes during kitten birthing season, which recently expanded HELP’s in-shelter population to 72 cats.
Those animal counts don’t include the dogs and cats already in private foster homes that HELP supports as it publicizes those animals for future adoptions.
When the shelter was closed one day for training, they had to turn away 11 dogs via phone calls or residents stopping by to drop them off.
Kanney said shelter staff want to provide excellent customer service, but when someone walks in, they might not realize the staff have been dealing with a puppy’s death, someone getting bitten, or surgeries going on in the back room.
She said they deal with many issues behind the scenes that can be hard.
The hardest euthanasia Kanney had to be part of was four sibling Blue Labrador puppies whose parents were brother and sister. All eight puppies had parvo and genetic defects, such as malformed lungs and heart murmurs, and four died. Being part of euthanizing the remaining four took a huge emotional toll, and it was difficult to go back to work like everything was normal, she said.
Local resources stretched
The pressure to significantly address Wayne County’s animal challenges has expanded since Animal Welfare League closed its longtime shelter at 1825 Chester Blvd. in Richmond in December 2024.
AWL’s closure adds stress to already-stressed volunteers, organizations and government agencies.
Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and Richmond Police Department both have animal control officers who pick up strays and help their colleagues investigate reports of animal neglect or mistreatment. However, neither the county nor city operates a shelter or fully funds any organization that cares for stray pets.
Thus, four Richmond-based organizations and their staff and volunteers carry many of the responsibilities for animal caregiving, placement and facility operations.
Animal advocates also include 2nd Chance Animal Rescue at 2905 U.S. 35 N., a small volunteer-led rescue; Whiskers Rescue & Foster Inc. at 120 E. Main St., which focuses on spay/neuter and helping sick and injured cats; and Animal Care Alliance at 1353 Abington Pike, which adopts out some animals that come its way, but ACA is primarily focused on operating a low-cost spay/neuter and veterinary clinic and offering wildlife rehabilitation.
Although it’s in neighboring Union County, area animal advocates also support Liberty Acres United Rescue Animal Sanctuary at 3546 E. Mitchell Road in Liberty, which specializes in rescuing senior and special needs dogs as its limited resources allow.
WCSD has a contract with HELP to care for the strays that its animal control officer encounters outside Richmond city limits.
However, HELP doesn’t have enough room to accommodate strays for both the county and city, despite Richmond officials’ interest in expanding the relationship with HELP. Richmond began contracting with New Castle’s animal shelter a few years ago and delivers strays there as needed.
Although a new, larger shelter might seem to be the answer to accommodate more strays, HELP officials don’t see that as the solution because it would be quickly filled, and how to pay ongoing operating costs would still be unknown. They said a long-term business plan is needed for sustainability. However, county and city officials have told them they have no intention of operating shelters.
HELP officials say they work really closely with Wayne County’s other organizations serving animals, and the public might not see how closely they interact.
Strays
HELP staff and board appreciate well-meaning residents who find stray animals and urgently want to deliver them.
Although community members might wonder why taking just one more animal is problematic, asking “What’s one more cat?,” Kanney says HELP has ongoing space issues.
If callers are calm and respectful, staff can walk them through the process of temporarily housing a stray in their home, such as a basement or a bathroom, if HELP can’t take on that animal immediately.
HELP asks rescuers to hold onto a stray if possible until shelter space is available and they can secure a vet appointment to have the pet checked for illnesses in case it would be contagious to others. The shelter provides food, collars, leashes and other supplies if needed to keep the stray safe on the rescuer’s property.
Those who bring in a stray might offer a donation, which HELP appreciates, but those gifts usually don’t cover all the costs to get the pet vetted with shots, spayed/neutered and pay for its ongoing care until adoption, because it takes a lot of staff to humanely care for a full shelter.
HELP’s biggest expense is payroll because animals need food and clean facilities daily. The organization continually recruits and trains volunteers to assist, but a steady staff is needed to ensure consistent care.
Although specialized skills such as facility maintenance are welcome, volunteers can help with a variety of tasks, such as fundraising or administrative tasks, or pet care, like taking dogs for walks. Grooming or simply playing with cats is also appreciated.
Prospective volunteers attend an orientation session from 11 a.m.-noon the second Saturday each month to learn about shelter operations and how HELP gets pets into permanent homes. Advance reservations are requested at info@helptheanimalsinc.com.
Despite helping a lot of animals, HELP also sometimes takes community criticism because its employees and volunteers don’t have the authority to seize a pet that residents allege is being mistreated or neglected. Even if it’s out running repeatedly, HELP has to give it back if the owner claims it.
HELP has three employees who are trained to handle pet intakes during normal operating hours. Although the public can see employees cleaning at night, it’s outside their skills to handle the intakes, so they should not be asked to do so, and the doors are locked for security.
In special circumstances, HELP staff do respond on nights and weekends, but that shouldn’t be considered the norm. For example, a stray was found at Wayne County Fairgrounds during the fair. Animal Control Officer Jesse Moore made arrangements with Kanney to deliver the animal when she went off duty at 9:30 p.m., and Kanney interrupted her children’s bedtime routine to go to the shelter.
She said the shelter needs to have hours when it’s closed.
“We’re reasonable if you can be reasonable with us,” Kanney said.
Instead, those who see a pet they believe needs assistance need to call the nonemergency dispatch line to request animal control services.
If the pet is outside Richmond, residents still need to contact Wayne County for the call to go through the sheriff’s department so the intake is processed correctly and the county pays for the pet’s care through the contract. Kanney said people don’t understand that they can’t just drop off a pet they find in the country.
Wayne County also has a high number of residents who frequently move and can’t take a pet to their new residence. Because evictions don’t happen in one day, those in crisis shouldn’t wait until the last minute to ask for help, because it might not be possible. If they have 10 days’ notice, HELP will try to work with the person so the pet isn’t left to fend for itself.
And, those whose dogs have behavior issues aren’t going to do better in a shelter.
Another misconception is that HELP is full of pit bulls. They actually have a lot of breeds, especially because some owners haven’t done their research and choose a herding dog like Great Pyrenees, blue heelers and Australian shepherds.
HELP has relaxed its adoption requirements to try to get more pets adopted. In addition, for those who might not feel like a long-term commitment is ideal, such as an older couple, fostering can be a great success for both the animal and caregivers, Kanney and Hulett agree.
And, any owner who is facing financial struggles can contact HELP to ask for free supplies when they’re available because it’s better for the pet to stay with its owner than to go to the shelter. Some who’ve been down on their luck then pay it back when they can.
Support
In recent years, financial contributions are harder to come by, which makes it difficult to take on more animals.
Donations and sponsorships from businesses and individuals aren’t as consistent as in the past as contributors face their own financial challenges, and HELP’s costs for supplies and labor continually increase.
HELP constantly looks for grants, but few grants that the shelter is eligible for can be used for operating costs such as utilities and staff. Most grants can only be used for projects. One example is that Wayne County Foundation provided $5,000 to repair the roof over an outdoor kennel area that provides shade as well as protection during rainy weather.
For instance, both HELP and Animal Care Alliance applied for Wayne County Foundation’s first grant cycle of 2025. WCF awarded ACA $50,000 to recruit an associate veterinarian to increase appointment availability, improve patient care and achieve financial sustainability. HELP asked for $48,000 for building needs.
Because WCF staff believed ACA and HELP’s requests were worthy but it couldn’t fund both, WCF took the initiative to ask Wayne County commissioners to support facility improvements, such as installing cement pads, addressing drainage issues and repairing fencing for outdoor dog kennels. Commissioners are giving $30,000; WCF is covering the rest.
The shelter’s dogs are moved outdoors to kennels so their lodging can be cleaned more efficiently.
And, the city of Richmond gave $5,000 of remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds to HELP for electrical box work.
To learn more about HELP or to donate, visit helptheanimalsinc.com.
A version of this article appeared in the August 27 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.