Northumberland Humane Society Capital Campaign
Built On Second Chances
Where Animals Find Their Way Home
For 60 years, we’ve given animals a second chance. Now, we’re building a better future, with more space, more care and more ways to keep pets and families together.
Why This Campaign,
Why Now
Our animals deserve better.
Our current shelter was built almost 30 years ago as a municipal pound. It was never designed to meet the needs of a modern animal welfare organization, and today NHS is much more than a place that shelters animals. Poor ventilation, high noise levels, limited isolation and medical space, and aging, inadequate facilities make caring for animals more difficult than it should be.
We need to do better. And with our community behind us, we will.
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A Shelter Falling Short. Cats are housed in a trailer without running water, and accessibility barriers mean not everyone can fully participate in shelter life.
A Growing Need. More animals and families across Northumberland County are turning to us for shelter, support and care. Our current facility limits how many animals we can help, the level of care we can provide, and our ability to respond to the changing needs of our community.
A Better Standard of Care. Animal welfare has evolved, and our facility needs to evolve with it. Animals deserve spaces that reduce stress and support their physical and emotional wellbeing. Staff and volunteers need safe, functional environments in which to provide compassionate care. Our current facility can no longer provide the environment our animals or our community deserve.
Dog Run/Kennels A shelter should be more than a place to stay. It should be a place to heal.
These narrow, aging kennels were never designed to provide the calm, restorative environment animals need to recover and prepare for adoption. Hard surfaces, close quarters, poor ventilation and high noise levels can add to the stress of dogs who may already be frightened, anxious or adjusting to significant change. For large-breed dogs in particular, the limited space can make it difficult to turn around comfortably, stretch out and settle.
Cat Intake & Kitten Nursery A space this important to protecting animal health should be designed for the work happening within it.
Every stray and surrendered cat arriving at NHS is first brought through our cat intake trailer, an important infection-control measure. Yet this essential work takes place in an aging trailer with no running water and extremely limited space for intake, separation and care. The same constrained facility also serves as our kitten nursery, caring for some of our smallest and most vulnerable animals.
Sanitation, Laundry & Feeding Proper animal care requires dedicated spaces designed for cleanliness, efficiency and infection prevention, not one room trying to do it all.
One small, high-traffic space is responsible for laundry, sanitation, food preparation and dishwashing all at once. With limited storage, poor ventilation and no commercial dishwashing equipment, every animal dish is washed by hand, while clean and soiled items must move through the same constrained area.
Veterinary Care Animals in our care deserve a safe, properly equipped clinical space where their health and wellbeing can come first.
Our veterinary technicians work in a small, makeshift space that lacks adequate storage, ventilation, light and the equipment and layout needed for modern animal care. Even routine medical care must be provided within the limitations of a space never designed for this purpose.
Cat Isolation Proper isolation should protect health, reduce stress and help prevent the spread of disease. Our animals, and the people caring for them, deserve a space designed to do exactly that.
Cats can arrive at NHS carrying highly contagious illnesses, making isolation an essential and frequently used part of shelter care. Our cat isolation area is overcrowded, poorly ventilated and severely limited in space, with cats who are ill, recovering or require separation housed in stacked cages with little room to move.
A Vision Built on Second Chances
Our vision is to create a modern, accessible, purpose-built animal care and adoption centre that reflects the compassion of our community.
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Built on Second Chances will transform how NHS cares for animals and serves our community. Through our $4 million campaign, we are creating an animal care and adoption centre designed around the needs of animals, with better ventilation, quieter environments, improved accessibility, greater capacity and dedicated spaces for medical care, isolation, enrichment and connection.
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Just as the environment matters in human health care, it matters in animal care. Light, noise, ventilation, infection control, room to move, appropriate medical spaces and opportunities for rest and enrichment can all affect an animal’s comfort and wellbeing. Our new centre is being designed with those needs in mind, creating an environment that supports animals through every stage of their journey with NHS, from intake and assessment through care, recovery and adoption.
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But this campaign is about much more than a building. It is about creating a place where animals can heal, where staff and volunteers have the tools and environment they need to provide exceptional care, where families can find support, and where people of all abilities can participate fully in the life of NHS.
Together, we are building the future of animal welfare in Northumberland County, one second chance at a time.
Explore The Project PlanLearn More By Hovering
Proposed Phase 1 Floor Plan
Hover or tap any space to see what it holds. Each colour marks one type of space.
A purpose-built home for Northumberland animals
Hover or tap a space on the plan to see what it holds. The building is organised into a dog wing, a cat and small animal wing, visitor spaces at the entry, a community room, and the support areas that keep it running.
Campaign Goal & Progress
Our Goal: $4 Million Dollars
$1,624,180
committed towards our $4 million goal
40.6% of our goal
Donate NowIncludes gifts and confirmed pledges to Built on Second Chances.
Phase 1
New Animal Care & Adoption Centre
Construction Underway | Anticipated Completion: September 2027
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Phase 1 is bringing the new Animal Care & Adoption Centre to life. Construction is now underway on a modern, accessible, purpose-built environment designed to improve the experience of animals, staff, volunteers and the people who turn to NHS for help.
The new centre will provide expanded and improved housing for dogs, cats and small animals; quieter, better-ventilated animal-care spaces; dedicated areas for intake, isolation and medical care; welcoming adoption and meet-and-greet spaces; accessible public areas and washrooms; and improved facilities for the staff and volunteers who provide care every day.
When Phase 1 is completed, anticipated by September 2027, NHS will have greater capacity to care for animals, provide a healthier and less stressful environment, welcome people of all abilities, and better support families across Northumberland County.
Phase 2
Renovation & Expanded Animal Care Spaces
Planned for 2027
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Phase 2 will build on the new Animal Care & Adoption Centre by renovating and repurposing areas of the existing facility to create additional spaces dedicated to animal enrichment, training and care, and to the wellbeing of the people who provide that care.
Planned improvements include training areas, grooming facilities, enhanced intake and isolation spaces, clinical and examination space, and improved areas for staff and volunteers, including a quiet, comfortable lounge where they can rest and recharge from the physical and emotional demands of animal welfare work.
Together, Phases 1 and 2 will create a more complete continuum of care, supporting animals from the moment they arrive at NHS through assessment, treatment, enrichment, recovery and, ultimately, their journey to a new home.
Phase 3
Future Community Veterinary Services
Future Phase | Planning Underway
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Phase 3 represents the longer-term vision for expanding how NHS may support animals and families across Northumberland County. NHS is currently exploring opportunities to develop community veterinary services that could help address barriers to accessing essential animal health care and support families in keeping the pets they love.
The scope of Phase 3 is still being developed and will be informed by a business case, community need, available resources and Board approval. As this work progresses, NHS will share more information about the services that may be offered and the timeline for implementation.
Our goal is to thoughtfully explore how NHS can help strengthen access to animal health care in our community, while ensuring that any future services are sustainable and responsive to the needs of animals and the people who care for them.
Our Impact
More Than
a Shelter
The Northumberland Humane Society is much more than a place animals come when they need a new home. Every day, NHS supports animals, families and people across Northumberland County through sheltering and adoption, lost-pet reunification, Crisis Care, food assistance, Pet Aid, humane education and community programs.
Our impact reaches far beyond the walls of our shelter. In 2025:
Building the Capacity to Care
Built on Second Chances isn’t simply about creating more space. It’s about creating the right space, so more animals can receive care in environments designed around their individual needs.
Dogs
12 kennels today → 24 kennels with Phase 1
NHS currently has 7 adoption kennels and 5 intake kennels. The new centre will add 12 large indoor/outdoor adoption kennels, effectively doubling overall dog housing capacity, with larger, more comfortable spaces and improved indoor/outdoor access.
Cats
26 spaces today → approximately 50 spaces
NHS currently has 20 adoption cages and 6 intake cages. The new centre will increase cat and kitten housing to approximately 50 spaces, including five dedicated feature cat rooms for moms with kittens, bonded pairs, larger cats and cats with special needs.
Greater capacity means more than helping more animals. It means having the right space to provide each animal in our care with housing that better meets their individual needs, supporting their wellbeing, helping them prepare for adoption and improving their opportunity to find their way home.
Angel’s Story
A Second Chance Made Possible
Angel was found wandering along the side of a road. She was blind, frightened, confused and completely alone.
When Angel arrived at NHS, we knew almost nothing about her past, but day by day, the frightened and vulnerable dog who arrived became more and more herself. Today, she has a family who understands exactly what she needs, and a home where she is safe, loved and very much part of it.
Campaign Resources, Learn More
Explore the Campaign
Want to learn more about Built on Second Chances? Explore the campaign, the opportunities to make an impact, and the many ways your support can help shape the future of animal welfare in Northumberland County.
Case for Support
Discover the need, the vision and what Built on Second Chances will make possible.
Leave a Legacy
Discover how a gift in your will or estate plans can create second chances for generations to come.
Naming Opportunities
Explore meaningful opportunities to connect your generosity with the future of animal welfare in Northumberland County.
Ways to Support Built on Second Chances
There are many ways to help build the future of animal welfare in Northumberland County.
Let’s Talk About What Has Meaning to You-
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Make a Campaign Gift
Make an immediate investment in Built on Second Chances.
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Make a Multi-Year Pledge
Spread your campaign commitment over a period that works for you.
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Explore Naming Opportunities
Create a meaningful and lasting connection to an area of care.
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Leave a Legacy
Make second chances part of the legacy you leave for future generations.
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Talk With Kim
Explore what matters most to you and how your generosity can make a difference.
Campaign Contact
Let’s Talk About What Has Meaning to You
Every campaign gift begins with a conversation.
Whether you are considering a campaign gift, a multi-year pledge, a naming opportunity, a legacy gift, or would simply like to learn more about Built on Second Chances, I would be pleased to speak with you.
Together, we can explore what matters most to you and how your generosity can make a meaningful difference for animals and families in our community.
Kim Good
Capital Campaign Director
Northumberland Humane Society
Send Kim a message
Every Animal Deserves a Second Chance
For sixty years, the Northumberland Humane Society has stood beside animals when they needed us most.
Today, we are asking our community to stand with us.
Together, we can build a future where animals receive the care, dignity and compassion they deserve, and ensure that animals continue to find their way home.
We Want to Hear YOUR Stories!
