Animal lovers in the Alliston area are angry after the theft of nearly $5,000 worth of supplies from the local humane society.
"They do a lot for the community. They are always helping out; they are constantly picking up animals from people who don't want them anymore," said a local woman.
Police confirm someone broke into a storage container and made off with several animal crates, beds, dog coats, and cat trees.
“It devastates us," said Rhonda Doucette, Secretary of the Board of Directors.
“Our community members gave us these items, and I feel like we’ve let them down by having these items stolen while they were in our care. Everybody is suffering for it.”
“It is definitely going to impact the community," said Nottawasaga OPP Constable Lisa Cruz. "These items were going to go towards different events that were going to raise money for the Alliston Humane Society.”
The culprit(s) also stole prizes, gifts and games meant for some crucial fundraisers for the humane society, including this weekend’s Easter-egg hunt and ‘Raise the Woof’ dance.
Attempts were also made to break into the storage container containing animal feed, but those were unsuccessful.
The shelter says it may have no choice but to invest in video surveillance equipment after this latest robbery, but says the Easter egg hunt and dance scheduled for this weekend will still happen.
“They’ve had to scramble a bit and go out and buy some prizes and take time off work to replace the things needed," said Doucette.
The Alliston and District Humane Society cares for more than 500 animals each year and receives no government funding, relying entirely on donations from the community.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Nottawasaga OPP or Crime Stoppers.
