Whitman County Humane Society: We’re back on track

The Whitman County Humane Society is happy to announce it is in great health, after gathering more than $20,000 in donations from its Fur Ball fundraiser.

Pullman City Councilors received a quarterly update during their regular meeting Tuesday night. The shelter reported it is in a stronger position after the many challenges it had faced over the past year. It brought back its biggest fundraiser, the Fur Ball, after not being able to hold it for three years. This is just the beginning, said new Director Jeff Deboer, as the society plans more improvements in the coming year.

After experiencing a tumultuous year in 2022 when most of the shelter’s staff resigned last summer, the Humane Society has been working to get back on its feet. The institution took time to shift leadership, renovate the shelter and fill staffing positions. It closed in August and resumed its operations in October.

The society’s Fur Ball had always been a hit within the community, being its largest fundraising event. When the COVID-19 pandemic happened, the shelter was unable to host its fundraiser.

Deboer said the shelter held Fur Ball for the first time since 2020, and he didn’t expect how great the turnout would be. According to Deboer, the society raised around $20,000 in donations from the event. All funds will go toward supporting operations at the shelter.

Staff takes up around 70% of the society’s budget, said Deboer. As the minimum wage increases each year, Deboer said inflation has created a challenge for the shelter. In January, staff wages were increased by $0.74. Deboer said the shelter’s goal is to continue this raise each year for its staff to keep up with inflation and encourage worker retention.

Another challenge is facing is space for animals, said Deboer. The shelter has 8-10 spaces for dogs, but it has to reserve two spots for police who bring in impounds and strays.

The shelter would like to find a new building that could house up to 40 dogs. Deboer said the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has offered to provide funding if the society could conduct a feasibility study. The ASPCA is a generous donor, which gave the shelter $12,000 last year for a trap, neuter and release (TNR) trailer.

On average, Deboer said the shelter sees around 37 animals each month. Since January the shelter has taken in 159 animals total, or 71 cats and kittens and 88 dogs. The shelter was able to adopt out or return 141 animals to their owners.

Being a no-kill shelter, the society will euthanize animals only for their quality of life. The shelter had to euthanize four animals since January because they couldn’t bring their health back.

Deboer said the shelter plans on taking its TNR trailer to Albion next week to limit cat colonies in the area. He added the society will visit trailer parks in Pullman sometime this year to address stray overpopulation.

Coming into his new role, Deboer said one of his goals as president of the board is to strengthen relationships with surrounding shelters. He said with better communication the shelters on the Palouse could work together to transfer animals and help pets. He added he wants to improve engagement with the community and plans to hire a marketing team to have consistent communication with Palouse residents.

Councilmember Megan Guido said she appreciated Deboer’s transparency about challenges the shelter has faced. She added she thinks the society’s social media is doing well and wants to see more pictures of its dogs and cats.

Councilmember Nathan Weller said he admires the shelter’s decision to continue moving forward under challenging circumstances.

“You’ve got a lot of passionate people, yourself included, and we’re fortunate you are moving forward, so thank you so much,” said Weller.

Councilmember Ann Parks said she and her husband have adopted four cats from the humane society over the years. She said it’s rewarding to see how grateful her animals are to have a home and the work the shelter does reminds her of that regularly.

“You’re really making a big difference,” said Parks. “And not only for the animals lives, but for the owners as well. Thank you.”

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com