Humane society seeks help

COEUR d'ALENE - A refrigerator door that didn't close properly turned into a costly miscue for the Kootenai Humane Society.

Executive directorRondi Renaldo said KHS had to dispose of more than $1,000 worth of medicine this week that was spoiled when it reached room temperature.

"After two days, everything was warm and had to be thrown away," she said Thursday.

She said the refrigerator is located in the veterinarian room, which is used by the vet and vet tech.

Because they were off for two days, no one saw the open door.

Renaldo said the problem seemed to be the door seal, which has been fixed, and a lock added to keep it secure.

The medicines tossed out include cat, dog and rabies vaccines, test kits for parvo and blood test panels.

All animals that come to the shelter are vaccinated, so they couldn't wait to replace the medicine until they raised the money, she said.

Still, she had to ask herself one question: "What am I going to do to pay for this?"

Renaldo hopes to avoid having to cut costs in other areas like services or labor.

"If we don't receive enough of the funds, I might have to look at where we could reduce expenses," she said.

The shelter has 80 cats and 60 dogs. And she expects an arrival of more puppies, soon.

"I have to get these vaccines," she said. "We have the animals in, so we don't have a choice."

The shelter relies on grants and donations, and is hoping the community rallies to help it make up the cost of the medicine - expected to be around $1,500 to $2,000 -

If you want to donate or help KHS in other ways, call 772-4019. Checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 1005, Hayden, ID 83835.