who we are
We are a private, non-profit serving the public by providing care, shelter, and placement into loving homes for neglected and unwanted animals in the greater Spokane area through pet adoptions.
Since 1897, Spokane Humane Society has acted as a refuge for animals in peril by providing care, shelter, and placement for tens of thousands of lost, neglected and unwanted animals. Throughout the years we have served many functions and now focus on the care and placement of companion animals. For decades, we battled overcrowding and were forced to make life and death decisions based upon available kennel space. By mandate of Spokane Humane Society’s Board of Director’s in January 2006, SHS stopped euthanizing animals due to lack of space. Since then, we reached our goal of not euthanizing healthy, adoptable and treatable animals. We continue to improve overall animal health and have sustained a live release rate of more than 95 percent since 2008.
Care to do a little more digging on the history of Spokane Humane Society? Well, Nona Hengen wrote the book “In Pursuit of Compassion,” to celebrate our centennial in 1997. Contact us to order a copy.
We wanted to update you on the recent changes in adoption numbers for 2023 at Spokane Humane Society. Due to some much-needed renovations in our cat room and one of our kennel wings for dogs, we saw a temporary dip in spay/neuter and adoption numbers compared to 2022. While these renovations were crucial for improving the well-being of our animals and enhancing our facilities, they did limit our intake of surrendered animals for more than five months in 2023. We’re grateful for the understanding of our supporters during this transition and want to assure you that we are still dedicated to our mission of providing compassionate care and finding loving homes for all animals in need. Thank you for being a part of our community!
adoptions
1,354
spays & neuters
1,791
volunteer hours
25,099
save rate
We take extraordinary measures with every animal who enters our care. We can’t save all of them —some are too sick, or at the end of their life — but we are incredibly proud to say we saved 97.5% in 2023.
The save rate, calculated according to the nationally recognized Asilomar Standard, is calculated by dividing total live outcomes (adoptions, outgoing transfers, and return to owner/guardian) by total outcomes (total live outcomes plus euthanasia, not including owner/guardian requested euthanasia or died/lost in shelter/care).
President
Maria Walker
Vice President
Judie Wozniak
Treasurer
Mark Buening
Secretary
Annie Townsend
Board Members
Mark Barnes
Shannon Dunckel
Eowen Rosentrater
Brian Schlect