The Humane Educational Society was robbed early Tuesday morning, and officials say animals are suffering as a result.
Thieves broke into the nonprofit’s back fence and stole a flat-screen TV, several laptop computers and a new air conditioner, according to a news release.
The laptops contained critical information and the medical histories of many animals at the shelter, and the air conditioner was recently purchased to help keep the animals comfortable during the heat of summer, officials say.
Staff file photo by John RawlstonStaff member Danielle Austin walks a dog in the front yard of the Humane Education Society of Hamilton County on Highland Park Avenue in Chattanooga.Just last month, HES told the Hamilton County Commission that unless it was given additional funding totaling $620,970 it would be unable to serve the county, saying that the $395,255 it was receiving annually was not enough to sustain the operation. One of the main needs the organization said it needed was a new air conditioner unit.
The Commission voted earlier this month to fully fund HES’s request.
The loss from Tuesday’s robbery is estimated to be more than $14,863, and portions of the building were ransacked and doors knocked down, the release states.
“We are looking to our friends and supporters in our time of need to help us replace these much needed items and provide our animals with the necessary resources to keep them healthy and happy,” said Taylor Hixson, development manager at HES.