This past calendar year was an exciting time at Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association! What’s most exciting is that we’re closer to our goals than ever before! Our goal at KCHA is not simply to save every adoptable and treatable animal that enters our facility. It’s to ensure each and every animal in Kanawha County is safe and loved. I’m happy to tell you, we’re on our way!
As little as five years ago, KCHA admitted 10,000 animals per year – 40% of whom were surrendered by families that felt they’d run out of options. In 2016, through our efforts to keep pets with the families that love them, we reduced that number to just 5%! Our pet retention program provides resources to pet owners in need, including supplies, training tips, behavior advice, and low-cost spay/neuter.
For other animals – 4,941 of them to be exact – KCHA serves as a vital safety net whose doors and hearts are always open. In 2013, we made a pledge to end unwarranted euthanasia of sheltered pets. But we didn’t stop there! Today, not only are we striving to save every adoptable and treatable animal that calls KCHA home, but we’re providing a quality of care unmatched in West Virginia shelters.
KCHA’s veterinary team, led by Jamie Totten, DMV, has increased the quality of medical care afforded to sheltered pets. The team provides lifesaving emergency medical treatment, routine wellness care, and ensures every pet adopted from KCHA is spayed or neutered before leaving our facility.
Compassionate care is our first priority, and can’t be achieved by our veterinary team alone. KCHA’s animal behavior team focuses on making our facility fun for pets! Daily playgroups, in-kennel enrichment, toys, and treats help pets overcome kennel-related stress. Happy pets are healthy pets! Julie Hypes, Animal Behaviorist, provided behavior modification training to 258 dogs at risk of euthanasia. The result? Less than 1% of dogs admitted to KCHA in 2016 were euthanized for aggression.
As the county’s lead agency for humane law enforcement, KCHA’s Humane Officers field thousands of calls annually. This year, we rescued 249 animals from 22 abusive and neglectful situations, and proudly achieved Kanawha County’s first animal cruelty convictions resulting in jail time (three of them!), including its first dogfighting conviction.
When a historic flood ravaged our county in June fo 2016, KCHA staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to provide relief to furry flood victims and their families. We delivered food and supplies to hard-hit areas, distributing more than 10,000 lbs. of food daily to Kanawha, Clay, and Greenbrier Counties. Together with the American Humane Association, we provided free veterinary care to 2,292 pets impacted by the disaster.
In November, we were awarded a grant to purchase a mobile adoption and spay/neuter vehicle to reach even more people and pets. We can’t wait for it to hit the road in summer 2017!
Despite our remarkable progress, there’s still work to do! The demand for our resources continues to grow, and we are limited only in our ability to fund safe, efficient, modern updates to our facility and programs. With your support, KCHA will continue to grow its impact for pets and people in need.