Almost Home Humane Society: ‘We’re still here’

Relatively quiet as cities move animal control to a new Humane Society for Greater Lafayette shelter, Almost Home’s director lays out what’s next for the 85-year-old organization

• This edition is sponsored by the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, hosting the Surrealistic Costume Ball, Oct. 19 at the recently renovated Historic Fitzgerald House, 717 Columbia St. For details and tickets, go to www.artlafayette.org/classes/p/surrealist.

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ALMOST HOME HUMANE SOCIETY: ‘WE’RE STILL HERE’

During the years of planning and recent rollout of Greater Lafayette’s new $7.5 million animal shelter on Sagamore Parkway South, along with the creation of the new Humane Society for Greater Lafayette, leaders at the Almost Home Humane Society – for more than eight decades the go-to shelter in the community – has kept a low profile.

Tucked away on a remote section of South Second Street that you have to know is there to, well, know it’s there, Almost Home officially ended its contracts with Lafayette and West Lafayette to take and shelter the cities’ stray dogs, cats and other pets on Sept. 1.

With it went 33% of its revenue and with it a need to reimagine the mission at Almost Home. That’s been quietly happening, Brittany Tommila, Almost Home Humane Society’s director, said.

(Photo: Dave Bangert)

“We’re still here,” Tommila said this week. “We’re just going to be a little different.”

In the month since the Humane Society for Greater Lafayette shelter opened Sept. 3, Tommila said Almost Home has been navigating some of the community’s confusion over having two nonprofit Humane Society organizations.

Part of that, she said, fell on Almost Home for being so quiet leading up to the transition about its plans at a time when she insists the community needs all the kennel space it can get for stray and surrendered pets.

“It’s never been as us-and-them thing, even if people wanted to think it was,” Tommila said. “We realize we probably need to help clear that up.”