09/04/2026
Sometimes it is hard to explain what we mean when we say we are still dealing with the damage to our facility.
So here are some actual numbers.
To date, we have documented $57,052.34 in direct out-of-pocket losses, including more than $25,000 spent on building repairs and remediation as we have worked to keep the areas where our animals are housed safe and usable.
And those are costs we have already incurred.
We recently sat down and started making a list of just the equipment and furnishings that we still need to replace or repair.
That list is currently at $7,702.
It includes shelving, a printer/copier, computer repair, a Shop Vac, our Shor-Line quarantine cage, litter box units, dog sofas, televisions and wall mounts used in the animal areas.
We also now have an estimate for the interior remediation and repairs that still need to be completed:
$125,769.50.
And unfortunately, we can now officially add another number:
$80,000 in grant funding — lost.
The grant deadline has passed. Because the roof was not permanently repaired or replaced by that deadline, those funds can no longer be released to us.
That one is particularly difficult to swallow.
We did the work on our end. But we could not satisfy a condition that depended upon a permanent repair to a building we do not own.
So when we say we are still dealing with this, this is what we mean:
$57,052.34 in documented direct losses already incurred.
$7,702 in equipment and furnishings we still need to replace or repair.
$125,769.50 estimated for the remaining interior remediation and repairs.
$80,000 in grant funding officially lost because the roof was not permanently repaired or replaced by the deadline.
These are different categories — money already spent, property still needing replacement, future remediation costs, and funding that has now been lost — so we aren't simply adding them together and calling it one giant number.
But side by side, they show the financial impact this situation continues to have on a small, volunteer-run nonprofit.
And through all of it, there are still animals here who need breakfast and dinner.
Medications still have to be given. Kennels and litter boxes still have to be cleaned. Veterinary appointments still happen.
The everyday work of animal rescue doesn't stop because the building is falling apart around you.
We are still here.
The animals are still being cared for.
And we are still putting one foot in front of the other.
This is what “still dealing with it” actually looks like.
