The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 11 ,2 02 0 | 20 While most headlines these days are focused on human health amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the lo- cal community certainly hasn't forgotten about its four-legged friends in need. The Upper Credit Hu- mane Society recently ap- pealed to residents for do- nations as the Georgetown thrift shop that provides its regular stream of revenue was forced to temporarily close its doors on March 17. All fundraising activities have also been cancelled. A GoFundMe page set up for the local shelter's emergency response fund has already exceeded its $5,000 fundraising goal and the money will help cover food and veterinarian ex- penses for the animals and maintain shelter opera- tions. "The care and protec- tion of the animals is of critical importance," said shelter board of directors chair Christine Pohlkamp. "We need your help more than ever and we are so grateful for whatever sup- port we receive." The emergency re- sponse fund campaign re- mains open for ongoing support. Things are looking a bit different around the shel- ter on Trafalgar Road in Erin these days, with vol- unteer operations sus- pended due to the pandem- ic. Staff is still at the shelter daily to care for the ani- mals. The facility is closed to the public and adoptions are being conducted by ap- pointment only, with phys- ical distancing and person- al protective equipment re- quirements in place. In ad- dition, only one person is allowed to meet an animal at a time. While some humane so- cieties are reporting an in- crease in pets finding homes since the pandemic began, shelter manager Sharon Morden reports that the volume of adop- tions is about the same at Upper Credit. "We're receiving more phone calls and emails, and the phone calls are often lengthier than usual, possi- bly because people have more time to talk," she not- ed. From the time the World Health Organization declared the pandemic on March 11 until April 22, the local shelter adopted out 29 animals, which staff says is average for the time of year. There are another 29 an- imals of various species awaiting adoption at the Upper Credit shelter, and 47 more placed in foster care. "These include foster- to-adopt situations, which happens, for example, when an animal is too young to be neutered or spayed and lives with the foster family until that's done, at which point the adoption is fully pro- cessed," explained Mor- den. The Upper Credit Hu- mane Society has found homes for more than 7,500 animals since it was incor- porated in 2003. For more information visit uppercredit.com. NEWS HUMANE SOCIETY FEELS FINANCIAL PINCH OF PANDEMIC MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com The Upper Credit Humane Society has launched an emergency response fund to continue caring for the animals during the pandemic. UCHS photo "We need your help more than ever and we are so grateful for whatever support we receive." - Shelter board of directors chair Christine Pohlkamp Jimmy is a male, long grey fur, declawed, neutered cat. He is strictly a house cat. Lost since the end of April. Very friendly, will come to you if you call him. Please look in your sheds, garages, backyards, etc. Please mention him to your neighbours, friends and family in case they don't see this ad. If you see him, please try to get him in your house or bring him to one of the many vets in Georgetown and contact us. 416-704-4564 LOST CAT "Jimmy" Stay Inside. Stay Informed. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, we will be making some changes to our website and newsletter. In regards to Canada's federal government advising against all unnecessary travel, we will not be promoting any flights, travel deals and travel packages until further notice. But, just because our travel deals have been put on hold, our team is dedicated to providing YOU, our amazing subscribers, with inspiring and informative blog content during this time! If you haven't done so yet, please sign up for our weekly newsletter so we can keep you up to date! Please Visit Travelalerts.ca for fresh travel content, exclusive tips and more!