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Alliston & District Humane Society celebrates opening of new addition

April 24, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Alliston & District Humane Society is celebrating the opening of a new addition that doubles the facility’s space and provides the needed room to accommodate the many animals that come to the shelter each year.
The shelter grew from 1,500 to 3,200 square feet with the new addition.
Shelter staff, dignitaries, and donors gathered to cut the ribbon to officially open the new building on Saturday, April 18.
With a growing population in the region, the shelter has seen an increase in the number of animals abandoned or surrendered at the Humane Society location.
It has been operating at capacity for several years and needs more space to accommodate more animals, as well as room for support services.
The new addition was made possible by a private donation from an estate.
“We are having a private function this morning for our donors. These are people who have purchased naming opportunities to support the shelter and a lot of people who support us over the year,” explained Sherri Wilson, volunteer and vice-president of the Alliston & District Humane Society, during the April 18 gathering. 

“We are having a ribbon cutting ceremony because the new expansion is dedicated to Brian Lorimer. He was a long-time volunteer here, and he passed away. His cousin Susan Robins left a legacy donation to build the expansion in his name.”
Robins, who herself was terminally ill, inquired about the services the shelter offers. After being satisfied that the Alliston & District Humane Society was a ‘no kill’ shelter that does valuable work, she left a sizable donation to build the new addition.
“This new wing is for cats,” Wilson explained. “We have moved all the cats out of the old building and now we have been able to expand our dog and small animals program. We were at full capacity all the time. We just didn’t have the room to take new animals in. In just the past three weeks, we have had six dogs that were just dumped in the area.”
The new addition will benefit both the animals and the shelter volunteers who donate their time to care for them.

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