Donations needed after flooding at humane society

Jan. 31--CENTER TWP. -- When it rains, it pours -- even in subzero temperatures.

A rough January for the Beaver County Humane Society got a lot wetter Wednesday night when a sprinkler pipe burst, flooding the front portion of the shelter with thousands of gallons of water. Susan Salyards, executive director for the Center Township shelter, said the water flowed freely for about a half hour before maintenance workers and fire officials were able to shut it down.

"Our whole store area, the small animal area, the front lobby was flooded. Ceiling tiles are down, all of our merchandise was ruined," Salyards said. "It could have been worse. No animals were injured; that's what's most important."

Shelter officials were meeting with disaster crews to assess the damage Thursday morning, Salyards said. Water damaged the cash register as well, she said, so the shelter is restricted to cash payments at this time.

The humane society still hopes to take stray animals despite the damage. Full operations might be hindered by damage and cleanup, she said.

"With the cold weather, we want to be able to take stray animals in if we have to, but we may have to limit it to just strays at this time," Salyards said. "We are always looking for foster families and volunteers."

The shelter has seen an outpouring of support on social media. Saylards said right now, the shelter most needs financial donations. While insurance will help pay for the damage, the shelter has had a rough January. In the past two weeks, two special-needs dogs were brought in, she said.

An older dog was found in New Sewickley Township that was hit by a car. The unnamed dog suffered broken ribs and is being evaluated; Salyards said workers believe he may be blind and deaf.

Last week, a stray was brought in from Beaver Falls who has a broken leg bone and will require surgery. The only shelter in the county, the humane society relies heavily on financial donations, Salyards said.

"There are always expenses that aren't covered by insurance, but we know this could have been worse," she said. "If a bad situation was going to happen, maybe this was a better case than others."

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