The Collingwood and District Humane Society was born in 1999. The Town of Collingwood kindly donated the land and site where the intended shelter would stand.
In later years, the Collingwood and District Humane Society was changed to Georgian Bay Animal Rescue, and then ultimately The Georgian Triangle Humane Society, which it remains today. The original vision was to have a building where the organization could house, help and adopt cats and dogs to forever homes. So, while volunteers rescued, cared for and placed cats and dogs in adoptive homes, they
also began the massive project to build a shelter. There was a building fund committee whose main job was to raise the necessary financial support to build a shelter. With some funds in place, plans in hand and permits issued, Shertine Construction was hired to begin the actual construction. Thankfully, John Casey became the construction liaison between the then Collingwood and District Humane Society and Shertine Construction. In January 2007, the shovel was placed into the ground and the birth of the long awaited shelter began. After many months of construction, many heads collaborating and many animals waiting for their temporary home, the shelter was deemed ready to have their first inhabitants move in. By no means was the shelter finished, but all except the dog area could be considered complete enough to move in. On January 29, 2010 the first animals moved in. There were 60 cats relocated from a temporary shelter in Craigleith who were fortunate enough to be the inaugural residents. The building fund committee continued to raise the necessary funds to complete the dog area, including outside dog runs and play area. Many generous people, businesses, foundations and companies helped to finance the construction of our building. It was a collective effort of over 1,175 donors from the communities we serve. The sponsors are now recognized inside with plaques on the rooms and kennels. The Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors are located on the wall in the reception area. We also had many Bricks purchased and it continues to be an ongoing campaign and a significant fundraiser. We are so very grateful for the generous hearts of our donors.
