The Humane Society of Kosciusko County has filed articles of dissolution with the secretary of state.

A $208,000 bequest to the Humane Society by the Putt estate has been placed in the Kosciusko County Foundation with proceeds earmarked for the county animal shelter.

But members of another local animal group, the Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County, do not agree with how the bequest was handled.

According to attorney James Butts, Humane Society secretary-treasurer, after the Humane Society transferred the animal shelter operations to the county more than 10 years ago, the society had a very small amount of money left. But in early 1998, the Putts named the Humane Society in their will to receive $208,000. At that time, Butts, vice president Cathy Teghtmeyer and president John Bowman did some research as to whether to put the money in a trust in a local bank or with a foundation.

"Ultimately, we decided to set up a trust with the (Kosciusko County) Foundation," he said. The interest from the investment will provide the animal shelter with money for years to come.

The Animal Welfare League took control of the animal shelter in November 1998 from the county. At the same time, it became public knowledge the Humane Society received the $208,000. AWL threatened a lawsuit against the Humane Society because they felt the money should belong to them.

The Humane Society used $200,000 to create the Putt Endowment Fund under the Kosciusko County Foundation and the society decided to dissolve due to all the controversy, Butts said. They held back approximately $8,000 to cover potential costs in the event of a lawsuit by the AWL.

"I had insurance for defense costs, but Cathy and John did not," Butts said.

The $8,000-plus was put into a certificate of deposit and, at the appropriate time, Butts said, it will go into the Putt Foundation with the rest of the money "whenever John, Cathy and I feel comfortable with doing this. (It could be) at the end of the year or beginning of next year," he said.

Warsaw resident and AWL supporter Sharon Gaff questions what the Humane Society says and does. She said she believes the Humane Society has more than $8,000 because they had money in the bank even before the Putts bequested the large gift. She said she believes the Humane Society only put the money in the foundation after they were threatened with a lawsuit. And, she said ,they are going to put the $8,000-plus in the foundation because of the threat.

"These people wouldn't dream of giving that money back. They are hard-hearted. They don't care about animals. They only care about animal control," she said.

Butts said they could have used the money for anything but chose to fulfill the Putts' bequest instead. And the Animal Welfare League and the county have no claim to it. He said he met with the AWL when the funds to the Humane Society first became known to him. He told them the Humane Society intended to set up an endowment fund, but he said the AWL said the Humane Society should hand over the money to them.

Gaff believes the Putts would never have given the large sum of money to the Humane Society if they had known the society was made up of only three individuals who closed membership 10 years ago.

"I would feel that the Putts wouldn't want the money to go to those three people," she said. "As long as they stay open (as a not-for-profit), they are a charade."

She said she contacted the Indiana Department of Not-For-Profit Associations in the Indiana Department of Revenue. They told Gaff the Humane Society was not dissolved and that it still has a tax number. Gaff said the department of revenue asked her if she wanted them to investigate the Humane Society. She told them she would like them to do so.

Gaff said the shelter is only half as big as it should be. The cages are stacked on top of one another. There is a constant need for food and volunteers. If the $208,000 had been given to the AWL, she said, they wouldn't have the problems they do now.

Butts said the endowment establishes a yearly grant to the AWL that will help far into the future and not just the here and now. But no one has thanked them for doing that. Instead, he said, the Humane Society has become the scapegoat for everything wrong with the animal shelter.

He said there is a philosophical difference between the Humane Society and the Animal Welfare League. He said that when he was actively involved in running the shelter and during the subsequent turnover to the county, they had more than 3,000 animal drop-offs a year and only 500 adoptions. The numbers didn't match and therefore animals had to be euthanized.

When the AWL said it wouldn't euthanize animals, Butts said, he had hopes they could make it work, but now the AWL is back to euthanizing animals.

"I truly feel that what's really important is that we have a good shelter that provides quality care to animals," he said. He said when conditions become overcrowded with few volunteers, the quality just isn't there. "I think the county should work closely with the AWL to implement the policies that were effective or take the shelter back over."

Butts said people should not make any further donations to the Humane Society. "The Humane Society is dissolved. If we receive any additional funds, we'll have to notify the person who gave that gift (to give it elsewhere)."

County Administrator Ron Robinson said the AWL will make a presentation to the Kosciusko County Commissioners Tuesday at 9 a.m. for their budget. [[In-content Ad]]