Humane Society in Erin searching for a forever home

CTV’s Jeff Pickel learns why a Humane Society in Erin may be looking for a home of its own.

An organization known for finding pets new homes will soon need a new address itself.

The Upper Credit Humane Society (UCHS) in the Town of Erin has been leasing municipal property for the last 30 years, but the municipality said they will not be renewing the lease after 2028.

The UCHS said they tried to work out a deal with the Town of Erin over the last 18 months, but were told this spring, it wasn’t going to happen.

“They basically just came back and said we’re going to honor your lease until May 2028 and then we’ve been directed by council to maximize the value of their property for the taxpayers,” said Susan Thomsen, Chair of the Upper Credit Humane Society.

According to Town of Erin Mayor Michael Dehn, the property at the intersection of Trafalgar Road and Highway 25 is not zoned for its current use.

“It’s a good thing to have a Humane Society, it’s just not necessarily the right location to have,” said Mayor Dehn.

Since the zoning for the area is considered “community space” he said the Humane Society doesn’t fit.

“It’s not part of our community, they actually do more work for other communities than they do for us. We have a lot of volunteers who work there, but it’s not a service that’s really provided to our community,” said Mayor Dehn.

Dehn said the town will help the organization look for a new home, but it won’t be on town-owned land.

“The town really doesn’t have much of its own land, we’re very limited. What we can do is look at all the properties where there is proper zoning or where zoning can be changed,” said Dehn.

In need of a new facility, the UCHS said they have developed plans to transform the property into a true community space.

“We’re extremely disappointed in the fact that the town made this decision without allowing us to present our vision for what we think would be a win/win for everybody in terms of using this location as a community hub,” Thomsen said.

Thomsen said their plans include an off-leash dog park, public trails and an information kiosk.

Dehn said he has seen the plans, but said the private/public partnership is not ideal.

“They don’t own the land, so I’m not sure we want to have somebody redevelop something on a piece of town land.”

The Upper Credit Humane Society is asking the Town of Erin to host a town hall to address the topic.

So far nothing has been planned.