The Humane Society of the Black Hills (HSBH) has been serving Rapid City and surrounding communities for more than 50 years with quality animal care, Animal Services and Enforcement, and shelter services.
We have done very well with very little but too many circumstances are converging at one time putting our long-term sustainability in jeopardy. We’re anticipating shortfalls of up to $40,000/month in 2024 and thereafter if we continue operating at current levels. This situation is critical, and we can only sustain these shortfalls for about a year before reaching a breaking point.
HSBH is a vital community service, taking in nearly 4,000 animals each year primarily from city and county residents. What would happen to 4,000 animals without the Humane Society taking them in, managing their care, and adopting them into good homes?
We don’t see the current levels of animals changing in the near future. What we’re seeing now is a sustained level of animals in the building… there’s no “down time.” And this isn’t unique to South Dakota – the national narrative is similar.
The sustained level of animals at the Humane Society is somewhat due to rapidly growing populations bringing more animals to the area, the high cost of housing and difficulty in finding “animal friendly” housing options. Rapid City and the surrounding areas are booming, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon – nor would we want it to – but with that growth will come more animals in need of shelter services.
The Humane Society of the Black Hills serves a real community need. In 2023, for example, we took in 3,847 animals; cats, dogs, fish, snakes, chickens… These were animals that needed housing, compassion, and medical care. Animal Services and Enforcement opened 729 cases that included dog bites to person, law enforcement assistance, care and treatment issues, and noise complaints. During the course of the year, we did 2,099 adoptions and got hundreds of animals back to their homes.
Despite our financial challenges, we’re still working to provide outreach and education opportunities in our community, upgrade our foster program to free up valuable kennel space and increase adoptions, and increase staff training to best serve animals and the community. Our mission statement is Serving Animals, Serving Community and we won’t forget that as we move forward through these challenging times.
You can help by adopting, committing to be an annual corporate partner, sponsor for events/medical cases, donate, donate in-kind items, volunteer, or even donate to various HSBH programs like “Continuing Education” for staff development.
Today we’re calling on our community to help these animals alongside us – to partner with us to care for 4,000 animals every year.