2015 a busy year at Whitehorse's Mae Bachur animal shelter

It was the unseen critters that made it abusy year at the MaeBachurAnimal Shelter in Whitehorse.

About 350 dogs and cats passed throughthe shelteran average number, says interim manager Linda Priestly.But, shesays it was a bad year for diseases and that kept shelter staff on their toes.

Every animal that enters the shelter spends time in an isolated ward. This year an animal in isolation was carryingparvovirus. While that's not uncommon,a flood inthe isolation ward spread to the rest of the shelter, bringing the virus with it.

The problems didn't stop there.

"We've also had animals come in with [the parasite]coccidiathis year, we've had herpes, we've hadearmites, it's just been areally bad year for just general diseases," saysPriestley.

She says the high rate of diseases takes its toll on shelterstaffwho have to be constantly cleaning to rid the shelter of bugsand on shelter finances.

"We're always looking for funding," saysPriestley.

The shelter issponsoredby local businesses, but it also holds eventslike dog washes and yard sales to raise extra money.

Under new management

Priestleysays since she took over as interim manager of the shelter in August, she's beenbusymanaging diseases and raising money.

In August, executive director Betty Irwin was fired and most of the board left around the same time.Priestleywouldn't comment on whyIrwin was fired, but says thechange in management didn't impact day-to-dayoperations.

Priestly's term ended on Dec. 31. Dan Moore was hired as the new executivedirector of the Yukon humane societyand will start at Mae Bachurin January.

She saysMoore will focus on raising money and keeping the shelterclean.

"I don'texpect huge, sweeping changes," Priestly says.