By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
Though the first half of 2025 was a bit slow for adoptions at the Windsor Essex County Humane Society (WECHS), thanks to adoption-focused promotions and campaigns, the latter half of the year was successful in connecting welcoming and caring homes all over the region to animals in need of a family.
In 2025, nearly 2,600 animals of varying species were able to find loving, fur-ever homes through the WECHS.
That was possible thanks to its supporters, donors, the WECHS’s staff and volunteers, and local families turning to the organization when thinking about adding a pet to the mix.
That is pretty close to the 2024 adoption figures, WECHS Executive Director, Lynnette Bain, said.
While many may automatically picture cats and dogs when thinking of adoptions from the WECHS, the organization also helped to rehome animals from several different species, from sugar gliders, birds, snakes, ferrets, and other types of small animals, to domesticated pigeons.
“It really ran the spectrum, for sure,” she said of adoptions last year.
“When we get more of those rare [animals or birds], they really do go quickly,” Bain said, noting individuals keep an eye on the website and social media channels to see what is available.
The WECHS didn’t have any larger livestock farm animals looking for homes last year, but did have smaller types, like roosters, looking for homes in 2025.
There is something to be said when dealing with a reputable breeder, when wanting a specific breed of animal, Bain said of families looking to add a pet to their house holds. And, there are some really good breeders out there.
When buying animals off of buy/sell sites, it can encourage “kind of a dark industry that isn’t safe,” Bain said. “What we are doing here is rescuing a lot – we are seeing a lot –of those puppies. And, we see a lot of animals that have been used for breeding brought here, and we don’t want to see that. We want to see animals get to live their best lives.”
Animals adopted from the Humane Society are getting a good leg up for the rest of their lives, as they are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and have their dental health accessed. Families adopting a dog get two training sessions included in their adoption fee and support afterwards. They also get to consult with behavioural staff to get to understand their dog’s personality and learn methods used at the WECHS so that they can continue that with them.
Without the WECHS’s long-list of dedicated volunteers, it would not be able to do most of what it does, and Bain is grateful to each one for their loyalty and belief in the program.
They do a lot, from helping to socialize cats so they are comfortable coming out of their cubbies and interacting with potential adopters, to walking dogs, no matter the weather, and working with the behaviour team to improve any issues.
“That’s how we are able to tackle the large number of animals we have,” she said.
The WECHS has more behavioural staff on hand than the average humane society, Bain added. As it has a contract with the City of Windsor for stray dogs, it does not get to choose the dogs coming in.
“We are taking in animals where we don’t know their background,” she said. “We might not have had a chance to get history from an owner, so really having the behaviour-trained staff to do those detailed assessments on those animals is how we get to the root if we have any problems to identify or personality traits we need to work on.”
The WECHS has a staff of around 50 employees. “It’s a busy place,” she said, noting medical rounds take place daily with the vets, vet techs, and behaviour staff.
“We are looking at every pet, every day; what is the pathway, what do they need,” Bain explained. “Every animal has a next step. The happiest one is the step they are going home, but there is so much more that goes into it before they get there.”
All those steps have a cost to the organization, as they involve the length of the animal’s stay and the resources required to get them adopted.
Adoption returns are inevitable, but the WECHS tries to minimize that as much as possible.
Looking ahead, the WECHS will celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2026, and will launch fundraisers throughout the year with “100” being a key theme. It is also looking to amp up some of its major events, such as usings its annual gala to play on the year it was established – 1926 – with a “The Great Catsby” theme.
She is hoping to get a great number of people out. The WECHS will also release the details of a capital plan later this month, as well.
Staff and volunteers are busy working in the cat room currently, as funds were raised through Giving Tuesday to provide cats more comfort in their wait for adoption.
A big plan for this year will also be getting out into the community more to connect, such as hosting events at Devonshire Mall.
“To keep the lights on and keep the staff working, it is a big job to fundraise for the organization,” she said, noting the WECHU does not get upper-tier government funding. It does apply for grants, which it was successful last year in getting to assist with community medical outreach to cover the cost of service. It does have the City contract.
“We are always in need of raising additional funds to keep doing the great work our staff is doing every day,” Bain said, noting a great way to do so is becoming a monthly donor which comes out automatically. People can also consider legacy giving to support the animals.
To learn more, log onto https://windsorhumane.org/