Humane Society of Washington County Incorporated

Sadly, because free-roaming and feral cats are able to quickly and easily breed, the number of cats and kittens entering HSWC is staggering. Over the last 3 years, they have averaged 75% of our total annual intake and they average 92% of all animals euthanized. On the other hand, we have few dogs available for adoption. But many shelters across the US are forced to euthanize adoptable dogs because they have so many. HSWC currently engages in limited programs to help free-roaming and feral cats and at-risk dogs, but we aim to do more. We aim to significantly expand our feline spay/neuter efforts and increase the number of dogs accepted into our canine transfer program. By doing this, we will reduce the number of unwanted cats and kittens in Washington County and save dogs and puppies at risk of euthanasia in other areas of the country by placing them into our community's loving homes.

HSWC enjoys several collaborations that help support our animal care, spay/neuter, and transfer programs.

Prior to hiring a Veterinary team in May 2015 (for the first time in the shelter's history), we had worked with community veterinarians to provide medical treatment, spay/neuter, and other surgical procedures for our entire animal population. However, in recent years, we have been able to expand to a fully-staffed shelter Veterinary team and now perform nearly 100% of spay/neuter surgeries onsite. Our state-of-the-art facility and trained staff allow us to perform x-rays, dentals, complicated surgical procedures and more right here at the shelter. Although we will continue to occasionally rely on community veterinarians for certain procedures and emergencies, having the ability to do the majority of veterinary care internally is a significant cost-saver and eliminates additional stress on the animal.

We currently interface with feral cat caretakers to provide cat food and spay/neuter vouchers, or to perform TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) spay/neuter surgeries weekly on Tuesdays. We have developed a robust TNR program, and TNR'd 945 community cats in 2021. We will continue to work with local feral cat caretakers to spay/neuter free-roaming cats and continue our work to eliminate the overpopulation of these cats in Washington County.

Finally, our volunteers are our partners in saving lives. On average, we have 250 active volunteers giving over 1,300 hours of service each month. These dedicated people range from retired medical professionals to teenagers seeking hands-on learning. Volunteer assignments span from working at special events, to walking dogs and bathing cats.

Specific to our programs to increase spaying/neutering of cats, volunteers play an integral role by supporting our animal care staff in providing specialized care and attention to the feline creatures that make up over three quarters of our shelter's total animal population. They assist with humane trapping efforts in the field, preparation and recovery of cats undergoing surgery and treatment, and daily care including cleaning, feeding, and general assessment of overall health & behavior. In addition, these skilled, devoted volunteers serve as adoption counselors, both at the shelter and at offsite adoption events, and ensure cats are being placed in responsible, loving homes.

Ongoing sources of support for our programs come from our general operating budget and fundraising efforts aimed specifically toward our lifesaving goals.

Through our contract with county government, we receive an annual subsidy of just over $1.4 million to provide all Field Services (animal control and humane law enforcement) for 150,000 people across 467 square miles.

The majority of the annual subsidy covers Field Services personnel, their equipment and supplies, and the general expenses of caring for the animals they rescue that are lost, abandoned or abused and in immediate need of veterinary care. The remaining portion of these funds is applied to the shelter's general operating expenses for the basic care of all animals, whether brought to the shelter by members of the public or picked up by our Field Services Officers. It is notable that Field Services Officers intake twice as many cats as dogs.

Aside from the County subsidy, HSWC's revenue streams are diversified and include: individual donation campaigns such as major gifts & mid-level donors, direct mail, and website & social media appeals; charitable foundations & trusts; special events & corporate sponsorships; income from programs, services & retail; and our endowment fund and bequests.

Numerous grantors have funded or currently fund our general operating expenses for spay/neuter and overall animal care. Most of those funding proposals include a component specific to the plight of felines and some of them focus solely on that need.

Each year, our Development department creates a fundraising plan to help ensure adequate funding for the shelter's initiatives.

HSWC's Live Release Rate (LRR) has steadily increased or stayed steady. In 2021, we saved the lives of 3,976 animals—a LRR of 85%.

What is next is what has been mentioned above: To continue our robust TNR program, and to increase the number of cats we spay/neuter and the number of dogs saved via our transfer program.

In addition, we plan to offer affordable health & wellness programs to publicly owned animals whose guardians live on a fixed income.

Finally, as always, we will continue to improve and elevate our procedures and systems to provide the best animal care, behavioral enrichment, and adoption match-making programs.