IMPORTANT UPDATES

Wednesday Hours

Please note we will be closing at 7pm (instead of 8pm) on Wednesdays … this will be just temporarily – if there are any other changes we will keep you posted right here!

Out of County TNR Cats

At this time we will be unable to help with out of county TNR cats. We are very sorry for the inconvenience – if you have any questions, please call us at 262-677-4388.

If you have a question about fostering or volunteering – please contact the Volunteer Coordinator via email (volunteer@wchspets.org) for the quickest response time. She is working from home part of the time right now in effort to practice social distancing, therefor email is the best way to reach her. If you leave WCHS a voicemail with your phone number, the Volunteer Coordinator will respond when she is in the office again.

Update 3/23/2020 – Regarding Fostering Needs

Thank you all for your well-wishes and offers to foster animals for WCHS. Right now, we are focused on getting the many animals that have been signed on into their permanent homes. That is our #1 priority right now.

We have plenty of potential foster homes currently in our system and we will be utilizing them as needed. We will be available for any stray animals that need our protection and make sure our services continue for the foreseeable future. Our staff will be taking care of the animals in the shelter, and making sure they all have plenty of attention and lots of cuddling.

Covid-19 and WCHS

In light of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) spreading throughout the country, The Washington County Humane Society (WCHS) is taking the following steps to minimize the risks of the virus for everyone in the shelter and our community, but particularly those who are most vulnerable…people over 60 and those with underlying health conditions.

At this time, WCHS remains open for business with the following in mind:

• Due to staff and volunteer shortages, all of our calls are going to voicemail, and will be returned as soon as possible. Please consider only visiting if you are interested in adopting, dropping off a donation or bringing in a stray. If you need to surrender an animal, please call the shelter at 262-677-4388 to make an appointment.

• Each room in the shelter has protective supplies available to you. You will find hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and gloves. Please feel free to use these supplies but do not remove them from the room. We want them available for all of our volunteers, staff and customers.

• Please stay home if you are sick or if you are merely visiting the animals. If you are coughing, sneezing or have a fever, do not come into the shelter…we will ask you to leave. Please do not be offended….we need to protect our staff, volunteers and customers.

• We are attempting to use “social distancing” as much as possible as we deal with this situation. Whenever possible, keep more than 3 feet (preferably 6) between you and others. This is based on CDC recommendations.

We are expecting that we will lose a significant part of our revenue and want you to remember the following:

• Our future events are not cancelled as of this time…we will monitor the situation and make changes as we get closer. Right now, our next event is the Rummage Sale (May/June) and we will be keeping a close watch if we should need to cancel it. We are also hopeful that the virus will be under control relatively quickly. However, based on what has happened in other countries, we have to be prepared for worst-case scenarios.

• Remember that our animals will continue to need care during this difficult time, and it may be that adoptions lag behind as fewer people visit us. Donations of supplies and money will be needed now more than ever. And if you know someone who is looking to add to their family, this may be the time for someone to find comfort in a new companion.

If you have any questions and concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 262-677-4388 or wchs@wchspets.org. Two things remains our focus…the animals in our care, and the health and well-being of our community. Know that, if we all work together, we can weather this “storm” and eventually put it behind us.

Celebrating 60 Years

Celebrating our 60th is only the beginning of what we have planned for 2020. In February, we will begin rebuilding our training and office wards. But we need your help to raise the final $1million to remodel the adoption wards. To move us toward that goal, Jim and Barb Heiligenstein will match up to $60,000 to individuals who donate or pledge to the WCHS capital campaign anytime before May 1. Help us care for the animals and provide services to the community well into the future.

Donate online today!