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Humane Society of the Black Hills
Reviews: 54 | Posted: 1 year ago | Avg Rating: 4.4

Supporting Shelter: Humane Society of the Black Hills

Pros: Wonderful, caring staff; animals are well cared for

Cons: Way too small. We desparately need more room and updated facilities

Despite the fact that we DESPARATELY need a new shelter, the staff and volunteers are awesome, and the care the animals receive is second to none.
Our facility is far to small to accomodate our needs, and badly needs an upgrade in equipment, and environment. They do the best they can with what they've got, but its not enough. BHHS is outdated in nearly every way imaginable. Size, available room for care of the animals, drab appearance..... We could do so much more with a bigger, better facility. When you go in, the staff & volunteers are very friendly, but visually, it is not an attractive place, and not condusive to a "happy" place. A place that you go to find a lost, or a new pet - both happy occasions in one's life, deserve to have a colorful, eye-catching appearance to add to ones experience.
I got my youngest dog there about 8 months ago, and she'd been a wonderful addition to my household. It's a really good thing that I had an idea what I wanted/needed in order to avoid my older dog losing his "alpha" status. If I hadn't gone in with a plan, I'm not sure how I would have chosen one!!
Penny seemed to fit the bill. I walked around all the kennels, and looked at many different dogs, but was very attracted to her. She was really cute, but very sedate, unlike many of the dogs there. She would come to the gate if I called her over, but was far from being excited and rambunctious. She was 3 years old, according to the info card, so not a "cute little puppy". I asked one of the staff if I could take her into the visitation room and spend some time with her, which we did. She was rather aloof, and still sedate, but I was still very attracted to her. I had already decided to take her home, so it wasn't an impulsive decision based on sympathy, but when the staff person told me that she'd been there for about a month and I was only the 2nd person to even ask to visit with her......well, my heart melted, and that was the clincher. So, the next day I brought my older dog, Jake, in to meet her. They largely ignored one another, but no hostitlity, so home she came. Other that the first two days or so, when Jake felt he had to reinforce the fact that he was, indeed, the alpha dog, they've gotten along wonderfully well. Jake is much more active and playful, and Penny is no longer anywhere near what one would term as "sedate". She's very happy and playful. She even tries to engage the cats in play from time to time, which they do not always take very kindly to!! Never again will I look in the newspaper for a "free puppy". Any time in the future that I choose to add another member to my family, it will be from the wonderful people at BHHS. Kudos to all of you!!!

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