Humane Society reinvents itself for the COVID-19 age

The Lethbridge Humane Society has reinvented itself for the COVID-19 age, interviewing prospective pet owners over the phone.

Lethbridge — In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many animal shelters and humane societies have had to adopt new techniques to help their four-legged friends find the right family to take them home.

Manager of the Lethbridge and District Humane Society Barb Grodzicky said right now they’re closed to the public, which means if you have your eye on one of their furry friends, the first step is to send an email and then prepare for a phone interview.

“We do an interview on the phone to determine first if we have a cat or a dog that would be suited to them and then we will look into making an appointment for them," Grodzicky said, in an interview with CTV News.

Grodzicky said the first few questions are the standard COVID-19 questions like if you’ve been around someone who has it or if you’ve recently been out of the country. Then they ask about what type of dog or cat you’re interested in and select a few they believe would make a good fit.

In order to limit the spread of COVID-19, the Humane Society is doing one appointment at a time. The only exception is if one appointment is meeting a dog and the other is meeting with a cat.

When it comes to fundraising, Grodzicky said one of their major events may not happen this year depending if social distancing is still in effect or if certain recreational facilties will be allowed to re-open.

“We do have one on the first of September," she said, "and we’re kind of assuming that it’s not going to happen. That’s our Paws in the Pool, so certainly if pools don’t open, we won’t be able to have Paws in the Pool.”

Paws in the Pool happens on the last day before outdoor pools close for the season and people can bring their pooches in and the entry fee goes toward the Humane Society, which usually brings in about $10,000.

The good news is that Grodzicky said they are seeing an increase in pet adoptions.

“We’ve adopted quite a few cats out, especially at a time that it was a little bit slow, like ... January," Grodzicky said, adding that February is a heavier month and then March and April a little bit slower.

"But (that said), we’ve adopted quite a few since mid-March," she added. "Probably 15 cats and eight or nine dogs.”

The Humane Society currently has 120 cats and 20 dogs that are all looking for a forever home. If you’re not looking to adopt, the Humane Society is also accepting donations for pet food and supplies which can be dropped off at the door.