Kalamazoo County Humane Society

The pet food bank is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 AM to 3 PM and allows those in a temporary financial crisis the opportunity to receive pet food, treats, litter and other pet supplies as available to avoid the need to rehome the pet(s) in their care. This service keeps families together during times of crisis, and keeps pets with the families that love them. Pets can be neglected, abandoned or displaced during periods of financial instability, which puts a strain on local shelters and rescues and separates owners from their beloved pets. The pet food bank can take the burden of pet care off the owner so they can focus on feeding themselves and their family while working on improved financial stability.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when Michigan closed business and non-essential services, our pet food bank remained open as an essential service as permissible under that executive order. We continue to see a rise in food bank clients as the COVID-19 crisis affects more and more people due to job loss, illness or other pandemic-related personal crisis.

We're happy to provide free or low-cost housing for outdoors dogs. These pets may be referred by local law-enforcement as part of a welfare investigation, or pet owners may call and ask for assistance. In most cases, these dogs are not acclimated to indoor life and the owner is either unable or unwilling to bring the dog inside during inclement weather. We provide shelter and dry bedding to bring the shelter of the dog up to legal minimum standards.

In cases of crisis or domestic violence, we will pay for pets to be temporarily boarded while the owner is finding alternate safe living arrangements. In many cases of abuse, the abuser will threaten animals that the victim holds dear as a means to control the victim. We remove that threat by providing discrete and safe housing for the pets while the victim seeks assistance. In crisis situations, we can also offer temporary housing for a limited number of pets while the owner makes alternate housing arrangements.

Unofficially, we are able to provide payment for emergency veterinary care when the prognosis is good and the injury was non-negligent or excessive in treatment. Many owners are unable to afford unexpected emergencies as they happen. In some cases, we are able to provide payment for the initial exam and treatment to prevent and otherwise healthy pet from being euthanized due to a lack of funds. This service is authorized on a case-by-case basis.

We are able to provide our local municipal shelter with funds to support pet adoption and to promote the shelter pets. This includes paying for fees associated with shelter volunteers and pets attending community events, providing equipment or material to promote adoptable animals on Petfinder and other relevant outlets, and to help bathe animals prior to public events to assure they are clean and presentable when meeting new potential adopters.