The Vicksburg-Warren Humane Society has seen an increase in vandalism and pets being abandoned on their property recently.

“This year we are having so many problems with people coming down here and throwing stuff in our parking lot,” executive director Georgia Lynn said.

Sometime Wednesday night a locked gate to a kennel on the humane society property that housed a recently discarded dog and her nine puppies was pried open leaving the kennel unsecure. One solid white, six-week-old male, semi-weaned puppy was taken and the rest of the family was left to roam the grounds outside on U.S. 61 South.

“Dog theft in the state of Mississippi is a felony,” Lynn said. “It doesn’t matter the value of the dog.”

Lynn said she is furious at the level of carelessness she feels people have towards these animals, and she is now having security cameras and large signs installed on the property to ensure the prosecution of anyone caught on the humane society’s property outside of business hours.

“I’m going to have cameras, and I’m going to start prosecuting everybody that comes on this property after hours,” Lynn said. “They have no business on this property after hours. I’m so sick of it.”

The new camera system won’t be cheap and the non-profit organization will have to scrape to foot the bill.

“I’m getting ready to drop thousands of dollars I don’t have,” Lynn said. “We’re supported by donations.”

This year, Lynn said animals are constantly being left at the humane society overnight. Sometimes animals aren’t contained and wander out onto the highway and other times the animals are placed in a confined area and are found dehydrated.

“There’s no sense why anybody can not bring them while we’re here because we are here Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.,” Lynn said. “We are open on a weekend day, and I don’t see the urgency of why somebody has to bring something down in the darkness of night.”

The humane society once had a 24-hour drop off, but because of people abusing the system and stealing animals that belonged to someone else, Lynn and the humane society board decided it was time to close the drop off last year.

Animals can still be dropped off during business hours.

“If people bring them when we’re here, we can get some information on them like what breed is the momma,” Lynn said, which helps the staff find the right home for an animal.

The Vicksburg-Warren Humane Society is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 601-636-6631.