WILLAMETTE HUMANE SOCIETY
4246 TURNER RD SE, SALEM, OR 973179442 www.whs4pets.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Serving Marion and Polk County Oregon since 1965, the Willamette Humane Society (WHS) mission is to establish, maintain, and enhance the bond between pets and people. We are committed to positive service to all and the recognition that through supporting individuals, families, and households, we can improve pets lives.WHS services are provided through the generosity of our donors, sponsors and volunteers, community partners and compassionate staff.

Willamette Humane Society has maintained record life-saving initiatives. Again this fiscal year, 95% of animals brought into the shelter were saved: 2,929 pets were adopted, 135 animals were returned to their owners, and 434 were transferred to partnersequating to 96% of dogs and 94% of cats. Extensive resources, in staff time, shelter space, and treatment costs, were dedicated to veterinary care and the Behavior and Training department, which again enabled a high percentage of pets to be adopted by local families. For example, cats who could not be handled safely at intake moved to a quiet room to settle before being reassessed for placement. A total of 222 animals (mostly cats) were allowed this extra time and 96% of them found live outcomes. In this fiscal year, WHS leadership elected euthanasia for 36 dogs and 147 cats with unmanageable medical or behavioral quality of life issues. Zero healthy, rehabilitatable, or manageable pets were euthanized, and no pet was euthanized for space or time limits.Customer Service Representatives responded to 11,057 calls, the majority (57%) of which were regarding our primary services: Surrender of a cat (14.5%), adoption questions (13.5%), reporting a lost pet (11.1%), bringing in a stray cat (10.5%), or surrendering a dog (7.7%).Included in adoption numbers were 514 animals who were adopted off-site at locations such as retail pet supply stores that partnered with WHS to increase adoption options for pets. In addition, 221 kittens were adopted at Kitten Kaboodle, the shelters seasonal adoption center located at Salem Center Mall. Off-site adoption partnerships allow WHS to house more animals available for adoption without overcrowding shelter kennels, and in locations more accessible by public transportation.WHS provides an exceptional adoption package that includes essential items such as a veterinary exam, spay or neuter surgery, microchip and registration, collar and personalized ID tag, leash and/or carrier, first vaccination(s), deworming. Newly adopted pets and owners also receive 30-45 days of complementary pet medical insurance, discounts on veterinary care, and a wide variety of dog training classes and one-on-one behavior consulting as part of the adoption package.

The WHS Spay & Neuter Clinic performed 6,176 spay and neuter surgeries in 2018-19: 1,819 owned pets, 1,716 community cats, 576 pets from other rescue groups, and 1,930 WHS shelter pets. The need for veterinary care can be a significant barrier to adoption. To improve quality of life for the pets and facilitate successful adoptions, clinic staff performed 867 additional procedures, such as dental cleanings and extractions, amputations, growth removals, and more, for 209 shelter petsservices conservatively valued at nearly $25,000.In addition, WHS is a primary supporter of the Marion Polk Community Cat Program. The goal of this program is to reduce shelter euthanasia rates for felines by increasing access to free or highly subsidized spay and neuter surgeries for community cats (feral/stray/at large/un-owned). These efforts consequently reduce shelter intake, particularly for litters of unweaned, unowned kittens. WHS offers these services for unowned cats for no cost to Marion and Polk County residents. The WHS Spay & Neuter Clinic also provided 982 highly subsidized sterilization services to cats owned by residents receiving government assistance in an effort to balance the communitys cat population and reduce the number of unwanted cats.

Behavior and Training: Shelter behavior programs matched skilled training team staff and volunteers with 17 behaviorally challenged dogs, teaching them life skills they needed to be successfully placed in homes. Weekly 360 meetings review every animal in care to address the needs of each specific animal. Behavior and Training (B&T) staff conducted 423 evaluations for dogs with behavioral challenges in order to advise staff and volunteers at these meetings, and then develop behavior modification plans as needed. B&T staff worked to establish the bond between pets and people by supervising 78 adoption meets for potential adopters to help them make the right match, as well as conducted 13 post-adoption private lessons for those families. A total of 534 dogs (a 27% increase) attended WHS public classes. These programs include basic and advanced training, puppy socialization and training, behavior solutions and specialty classes, and off-leash supervised play groups for both sheltered and owned dogs. The shelters staff responded to Behavior Helpline inquiries (via phone and email) and assisted more than 725 individuals. In addition, 166 publicly owned dogs attended supervised playgroups. Private training sessions and behavior consultations with WHS CPDT-KA credentialed dog trainers helped 217 local families maintain and strengthen the bond between dogs and their people. WHS continued to be a leader in animal behavior education. Staff and community members attended PETTalks led by local pet experts, and almost 100 pet professionals from throughout the region attended the first annual NW Cat Behavior Conference, that offered sessions taught by nationally recognized experts in feline behavior. In addition, 17 staff and volunteers attended seminars to learn how to participate in off-leash dog playgroups. B&T staff mentored six students from professional dog training courses toward completion of their requirements, conducted four skill-building trainings for WHS staff, and offered 60 trainings for volunteers to learn a variety of advanced dog handling and behavior modification skills. In addition, a wide variety of educational information was distributed through blog posts, social media, website, email newsletters, and print material.

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