TWINSBURG, Ohio — Since 2010 countless adopters have made their way here, to the Humane Society of Summit County in Twinsburg. The building is a temporary home for creatures great and small, and in crisis.
"Our mission is unique to other rescues in Summit County. We only take in animals who are victims of abuse, neglect or abandonment, or the sick and injured strays. Healthy animals don't come through our doors," explained Diane Johnson Owens, President and CEO of the Humane Society of Summit County.
All the animals who come here are in need of rehabilitation. Their numbers hover around 2,500 each year. As long as they are healthy, there is no limit on how long they can stay. But next year, all will be on the move to a brand new facility in Cuyahoga Falls.
"We are really limited with what we can do in this facility as far as community outreach programs. This facility will allow us to do many more community outreach programs we just can't do right now because of our space and our size," Owens said.
The current home on Darrow Road is retro-fitted office space and warehouse. The new facility at 75 W. Portage Trail will be nearly 26,000 square-feet. Slightly smaller, but will be built with its occupants in mind, and designed to house more animals.
In its current configuration, dogs are housed together, facing one another. At times, the noise can be deafening.
"If one starts barking, they're all barking and they're all starting to get stressed. So in the new facility, they'll be more in a pod situation where there might be 12 or 20 dogs in a pod at the very most, and they won't even know there's another dog in there," Owens explained.
Natural lighting is part of the architectural plans for the animals. A feature the cats are likely to enjoy.
"They'll have a lot of outdoor things to see. So they'll be watching those birdies and the activity on the outside. So it will make a huge difference."
In-house veterinary care is a critical component and aligned with Summit County's mission.
All the animals need medical treatment - and the new facility will offer a much-improved space for that.
"The vet clinic that we're putting in the new facility will be twice as big and it will have two operating tables and we only have one. It'll have a prep area, medication area, be really wonderful. And we will have x-ray on site," said Owens who pointed out that a full-time veterinarian is part of their staff.
A vision six years in the making, will become a reality late next summer.
The new building will be constructed with healing and serenity in mind, to better serve all who come here.
The Humane Society of Summit County is one of our featured partners for our annual Clear The Shelters campaign. We will be broadcasting live from their current facility on August 11th, during 3News at 4 and at 5pm.