Humane Society of Central Oregon

We work toward the placement of all adoptable animals, which means that we strive to find homes for every medically treatable and behaviorally sound animal in our care. We are the only open-admission shelter in the tri-county area; never turning away a pet for any reason. We want to keep animals with their owners, so we offer a pet food assistance program as well as a voucher system for low cost spay and neuters in addition to operating the Bend Spay and Neuter Clinic. Through educational outreach, we have increased the awareness about responsible pet ownership, the importance of micro-chipping, licensing and tagging pets and increased volunteer hours spent working with animals. We have a high return to owner rate due to these efforts. We have been implementing the Association of Shelter Veterinarian (ASV) Guidelines since spring 2011. We have increased the medical care and treatment that we put into animals to make them more adoptable.
The Humane Society of Central Oregon prides itself on being transparent and calculates live release rate several different ways including Asilomar Accords and ASPCA methodologies. We are committed to continuing our ability to place 90%+ of the animals that come into our care.

Evaluating the relevancy of policies and how it helps us place animals.
Ensure all animals receive enrichment while in our care.
Develop and maintain strong partnerships with foster volunteers and transfer partners.
Strategically planning for the growth in the human and animal population that our area is expecting in the next decade.
Increasing the number of donors and fundraising revenue generated year over year.

We have strong executive, management and board leadership. We are a well-respected non-profit in our region with strong support from individual contributors. We have a diversified business model that includes revenues from our thrift store operations as well as service contracts for local law enforcement agencies. Our volunteer base has increased dramatically over the last eight years and volunteer hours served at our shelter and thrift store equate to almost 18 full-time positions. We have a strong partnership with Petco and have adoptable cats and small animals at their retail location.

We no longer euthanize healthy feral cats, but instead spay or neuter them and return them to their home areas. We have implemented over 550 of the ASV Guidelines. To accomplish implementing the remaining guidelines requires remodeling our shelter. We have increased our live release rate to 82% in fiscal year 13-14 to 91% in FY 2019.
Anticipated challenges include having the space and funding to deal with an increased number of surrendered animals in an economic downturn or a large hoarding case located in the tri-county area. As the economy improves, and the local rental property rents increase, those that are having a hard time making ends meet and can't afford the high cost of living in our area, may make difficult choices about providing veterinary care and retaining their pets. We are working on a safety net for these pet owners, especially with the COVID-19 overlay and housing eviction moratoriums expiring in 2021.