“We have a lot of great staff here and we have a lot of great ideas,” he said.
Plans are already underway to redesign and repair the humane society’s facility, Ganley said. Walls will be repainted and new flooring will be installed. He also plans to redesign the kennel area and cat room. The humane society will also increase its animal intake in the next six months, he said.
Plus, Ganley wants to increase the number of volunteers to take care of animals, he said, and allow for a greater number of adoptions.
“A strong humane society has a large group of volunteers,” he said.
The shelter has already held two open house for potential volunteers, he said, and will hold one more on Nov. 3 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
Classes for volunteers will soon be offered, he said, including dog walking and off-site adoption paperwork.
Ganley hopes his plans will change the community’s perception of the humane society.
“When I started I knew there were going to be some issues,” he said. “But I’m not worried about the past. I’m only worried about the future.”
Multiple staff members left the shelter over the summer, the Springfield News-Sun previously reported and it was without a full-time executive director for about a year. During that time, former volunteers and staff worried the animals would suffer.
Former volunteer Kathy Voytko said she worried people would abandon their animals because the shelter wasn’t accepting owner releases.
It would take a lot to convince her to go back to the shelter, she said.
“He would have to get in touch with me and tell me what the changes are,” Voytko said. “And they would need to be pretty drastic.”
Ganley said this is a fresh start for the organization.
“Here the animals are going to be the focus,” he said. “We’re just doing things a little different.”
The shelter now also accepts other animals, he said, including birds, gerbils and rabbits.
Ganley is also seeking a vet technician with dog experience to work in the shelter.
Students interested in earning community service hours at the shelter can schedule a short interview with Ganley. More information on volunteer opportunities is available at clarkhumane.org
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