WASHINGTON, Pa. -- A local animal shelter in need of money gets a million-dollar disappointment.

Despite leading in votes to win a million dollar makeover, the Washington Area Humane Society missed out on the top prize.

The WAHS shelters more than 50 dogs. It also cares for more than 100 cats.

It’s been doing this for 102 years, half a century in a small North Strabane building.

For these reasons, the society had high hopes of winning the top prize in the contest.

But it didn’t make a final three, from which a winner will be chosen next week.

The finalists were determined through the online vote at ZooToo.com and through judges' visits to the shelters.

Still, there were benefits from the nationwide contest.

Faye Kennedy of the Humane Society said, “More volunteers, more adoptions, more public recognition. It has been an awesome journey for us.”

The society will get two $5,000 checks from ZooToo.com; one check for scoring the most online votes and one for finishing in the top 20.

People at the shelter said they are disappointed by the outcome of the contest but said it won’t affect their efforts to update the century-old shelter.