Ontario County Humane Society reports record calls, a $10,000 adoption grant and $2M fundraising push

Kurt Cozen, president of the Ontario County Humane Society, and Director Bill Martin gave the committee a midyear report outlining rising demand for animal-services and a continuing staffing shortfall. Cozen said the shelter is operating with one fewer animal-control officer and ‘‘we did get a $10,000 grant to support these adoptions.’’

Cozen told the committee the organization is providing a wide range of services—animal control, cruelty investigations, adoptions and veterinary care—while receiving only about "$2.83 per capita for our services," which he said is well below the state average for comparable services. The speakers said the shelter is on county-owned property, does not meet current building codes, and the Humane Society plans a fundraising campaign with an external consultant to raise roughly $2,000,000 to support a new or upgraded facility. Cozen said planned design changes would increase kennel capacity from the current 41 kennels to a proposed 66, with flexible stall configurations to handle hoarding or mass-intake events.

Committee members pressed on hiring and licensing enforcement. Bill Martin described July as ‘‘probably the busiest month I ever worked with’’ and explained that the organization is recruiting for qualified peace-officer–credentialed candidates. On licensing, presenters said they had issued 87 unlicensed tickets and 166 notices to comply through the period reported; they also described a monthly clerk-generated list used to identify expired licenses before in-person follow-up. Committee members asked about partnering with the sheriff’s office or other badge-bearing personnel to improve response and enforcement; presenters said they would explore those options.

The Humane Society emphasized interagency cooperation—particularly in rabies-prevention work and case referrals—and requested a continued relationship with county government so fundraising and any facility changes could move forward with the county's approval.