Animal shelter on brink of having to close its doors

Independent Stockton facility must raise $25,000 by Sunday

That's because Stockton's Delta Humane Society is perilously close to running out of money.

If that happens, the sheltered animals - now protected by a "no-kill" policy at the 47-year-old pet-adoption center - would become vulnerable to an uncertain fate.

Davidson needs to raise $25,000 by Sunday to keep the independent and privately operated shelter open. After cutting $12,000 in expenditures, it still costs $30,000 a month to operate the five-acre facility - strictly through public donations.

When Willie Hines, a Stockton musician, heard about the Humane Society's dilemma, he didn't hesitate. A good Samaritan, he didn't even contact Davidson before spontaneously organizing a benefit concert.

"True friends walk in when the rest of the world walks out," said Hines, a lifelong dog owner who assembled some musical friends for a Saturday show at Whirlow's Tossed and Grilled restaurant in Stockton. "Dogs give unconditional love. They're our four-legged best friends. We have to do it. Nobody else will."


Kittens are housed at the Delta Humane Society in Stockton on Tuesday. The privately run facility, which costs $30,000 a month to operate, may be forced to close because of a lack of funds. A benefit concert for the shelter is scheduled for Saturday.MICHAEL McCOLLUM/The Record

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120712/A_NEWS/207120331

Donations: P.O. Box 30908, Stockton, CA 95213. Credit card contributions can be made at (209) 466-0339. Information:

http://www.deltahumanesociety.com/