A weekend break-in at the Chilton County Humane Society left the shelter in need of money and raised questions about the security of the animals there.

About $300 was stolen from the shelter on Sunday, according to Director Kim Ruck.

Employees at the shelter Monday morning realized what had happened as they arrived to prepare the shelter for its 11 a.m. opening.

Receipts were strewn across the floor of Ruck’s office, where money and financial records are kept.

A single $20 was left behind, apparently overlooked.

Ruck said this is the second time the shelter has been broken into since she became director in May 2015.

In the other break-in, numerous animals were let out of their cages as the perpetrator seemed to only want to cause a problem for the Humane Society staff.

This time, the result was more harmful, as money was stolen that would have been used to provide for the animals.

“$300 isn’t a lot for most people, but for us it’s a big deal,” Ruck said.

Two dogs were found out of their kennels on Monday, possibly related to how the perpetrator broke into the shelter, which apparently did not include a use of force.

“The only people that would know how to get in here would be somebody that’s familiar with it,” Ruck said.

All of the animals were accounted for Monday morning.

Ruck said she worries about the possibility of dogs being stolen to be used in dogfighting.

“What we really need is a security system, and we just don’t have the funds for that,” Ruck said.