Early Monday morning, Nov. 27 someone shattered the front door of Greenhill Humane Society, taking a pile of cash in the donation bucket with them.
Greenhill and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that no animals or people were harmed in the break-in. Greenhill Community Engagement and Event Manager Sarah Bouzad was unsure exactly how much cash was taken but that the real inconvenience was the door shattering.
Bouzad says Greenhill is now working on getting a new and “stronger” door which she is optimistic insurance will mostly cover. She says that the whole thing was “a bit bizarre” and that in her time at Greenhill nothing like this has ever happened.
Lane County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Thomas Speldrich says they are still looking for the suspect in the Greenhill break-in. He says that while nothing like this has happened to Greenhill, businesses getting broken into across Eugene is nothing new. “Unfortunately businesses are often the victim of property crime so it’s not too irregular for us to respond to something like this,” Speldrich says.
Despite the incident in the morning, Greenhill remained open all day running adoptions and caring for the animals inside.
“We’re still going to continue caring for animals seven days a week, 365 days a year,” Bouzad says. “Although it’s unfortunate, we’re not gonna stop doing what we do for animals because we know they need our help no matter the situation.”
As cold and flu season wages its war on humans Bouzad also wanted to emphasize the importance of taking care of your furry friends at home by making sure they’re up to date with vaccinations, and drinking clean water. While Bouzad says there are currently no issues with kennel cough or the respiratory illness that has been reported at the Jackson County shelter and in Oregon and 13 other states, it’s always good to be on the safe side.