2026 Poker Run falls short for Harrison County Humane Society
Don Harrold, Executive Editor
editor@enterprisepub.com
The Harrison County Humane Society is turning to its Santa Paws event in November and to individual donors after its largest annual fundraiser fell short this year. This year's poker run drew 45 riders, down from an average of about 200 in good years, said Christina Dickinson, the organization's president and one of its founders.
"It's never been that bad, so it kinda hurt my heart a little bit," Dickinson said.
Dickinson said the poker run has been held for about 19 years, with one year skipped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Money is raised through a live auction afterward. Asked what is auctioned, she said, "Whatever I can get donated."
"The people that come usually come and spend a good amount of money, so it's always appreciated," she said.
Dickinson said the event's size has declined over the years. "A poker run used to be, like, one of the biggest ways to raise money, I would say, 10, 15 years ago," she said. "But nowadays, it's slowly been creeping downhill."
She said the economy has also affected donations. "It's been a really rough year for everybody, I think," she said.
Other fundraisers have required long hours. One year, the organization bought a motorcycle and raffled it off. "We raised a good chunk off that too, but it also took our whole summer of sitting at the stoplight and going to events," Dickinson said.
"Our biggest expense is absolutely vet care," she said.
Dickinson said it costs $300 to $400 per animal to spay or neuter, vaccinate and microchip. She estimated 85% to 90% of animals arrive at the shelter with no prior veterinary care. She estimated the organization spent about $97,000 on veterinary care in a single year. That money came from poker runs, spaghetti feeds, golf tournaments and individual donations.
Public funding covers only the building. Under a 28E agreement with Harrison County and its 10 cities, the Humane Society receives $1.52 per resident per year, about $21,000. That money pays for electricity, water and building maintenance.
"Since the day that we opened, we have never raised our rates," Dickinson said. "It's a $1.52 per person. So, like, that, that right there is insanely impossible."
She said the building money does not stretch far. "That doesn't include, obviously, scooping for snow," she said. "It doesn't include people mowing. It doesn't include regular wear and tear of stuff."
She said none of the public money goes toward animal care. That was her choice, she said, because she did not want local governments deciding when animals would be euthanized. The shelter does not euthanize for space. "I never wanted the city to be able to tell me when I had to euthanize things," she said.
The organization also runs a trap, neuter and release program for feral cats. Dickinson said it costs $3,000 to $4,000 for each town where the program is done. She said the need outpaces what the shelter can do.
"It's like brushing your teeth with Oreos," she said. "You cannot, you cannot stay ahead of it."
"I wish, I wish I could help everybody, but I can't," Dickinson said. "So I do as much as I can, and I hold as much as I can." The shelter has two part-time employees and relies on volunteers to cover five shifts a day.
Dickinson said the shelter exists for pet owners who face emergencies.
"That's what a shelter is for, is when people go into the nursing home, when people are in an accident, when something happens and you have a traumatic event and you have nowhere else for your animal to go," she said.
The next fundraiser is Santa Paws, planned for November. Families bring their pets to be photographed with Santa Claus. Dickinson estimated the last event raised a couple thousand dollars. Dickinson said monetary donations are the most useful way to help. People can donate online, by phone or by mail.
"We would always appreciate monetary donations because that goes 100% to animal care," she said.
