Humane
Society of the Nature Coast, Inc.
History
The Humane Society of the Nature Coast, Inc. is a
non-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to the rescue,
health and re-homing of orphaned and abandoned pets.
While we primarily serve felines and canines, our doors
have been open to rabbits, guinea pigs, birds and goats.
We work diligently to locate and work with specialized
rescue groups from ferret rescue to wildlife
organizations.
The Humane Society of Brooksville, Inc. was founded in
Hernando County. Florida in November of 1964. The name
of the organization was changed in 1985 to The Humane
Society of Hernando County, Inc., reflecting the growth
of the community that the organization served.
The land occupied by the Humane Society was part of an
estate bequeathed to the Humane Society and the pets of
Hernando County for as long as the land is utilized as a
pet rescue or sanctuary. The Humane Society purchased an
additional acre located on the north border of the
property to allow expansion as need would dictate.
When originally founded the Humane Society of
Brooksville, Inc. followed a policy of time-limited care
and supported euthanasia. This policy was changed in the
1980’s. There is a gap in documentation from the first
20 years of the shelter and the history has been a
verbal transmission from board member to board member
over that 20-year period.
At the end of 2002, the Humane Society was on the verge
of dissolution due to a lack of interest in positions on
the board of directors. The Humane Society had a history
of well meaning but inexperienced board participation.
This lack of experience led to consistent discord and
resignations over the years. Volunteers were convinced
to accept board positions in an effort to save the
floundering organization. It became immediately apparent
to this board of directors that there was a need to seek
outside guidance for the growth and development of the
shelter. The Humane Society of Pinellas, Inc. in the
Clearwater area was contacted for support. This was a
turning point for the Humane Society of Hernando County,
Inc. as a benchmark was established for care and
education to ensure the well being of the pets entrusted
to the organization.
During the 2003 tenure of the board of directors it also
became clear that there was a need for experienced
professionals from various areas of expertise to serve
on the board of directors if the Humane Society was to
survive and grow. A six-phase plan was initiated, with
the first phase to consist of recruitment of a diverse
and professional board of directors. We currently have
two attorneys, an engineer, a financial expert, a pet
rescue foster-mom, a bank manager and a construction
professional.
During this growth of 2003 the President of the board of
directors had the good fortune to meet Warren Cox,
former president of the SPCA of Dallas. Mr. Cox now
serves as an advisor to the Humane Society and has
secured much needed funding from Miss Florence Krol to
help in the Humane Society’s efforts to grow and improve
the conditions for the pets of our community. Miss
Krol’s first donation made it possible for us to
initiate renovates our cat cottage, which had been
needed for many years.
In 2004, there was again a name change due to the
ever-expanding area that the Humane Society now
services. The population explosion in our community has
led to the new title of The Humane Society of the Nature
Coast, Inc.
In 2004 and
2005, the Humane Society was awarded the
“Community Service Organization of the Year” award by the Greater Hernando
Chamber of Commerce. We are the first organization to win the award 2
years in a row! In
October 2006, our President, Paul
Montante,
was named the first Humane Volunteer of the Year for the State of
Florida by Governor Jeb Bush. |
