Whitman County Humane Society
Photos and Writing by Jakob Thorington
I chose to do my "Labor of Love" photo essay on the Whitman County Humane Society. The Humane Society has some hired staff members, but is largely volunteer-based. The shelter takes care of several animals in need that are found as strays or given by owners who can no longer care for them.
The Humane Society takes great care of each animal they have. Their mission is to care for the animals as best they can and send them to a new home via adoption. This fits the "Labor of Love" theme because of the effort and care put into taking care of the animals and the main incentive for staff and volunteers is the well being of the animals.
The Whitman County Humane Society; located at 1340 Old Moscow Road in Pullman, is an animal shelter that cares for animals in need of a home. The shelter is active in the community and hosts many events. Most recently, the shelter hosted a "Rummage Sale" and sold a variety of pet-related items in a garage-sale style.
The Rummage Sale was also an opportunity for pet owners to get their animals microchipped by the shelter. Rosco (left) and King (right), both German Shepards, now have more secure safety after getting microchips and new leashes.
The shelter and its staff take great pride in how they care for their animals. They house their cats in a "Kitty Play Pen". This space has many structures that the cats can climb and run around on. Along with numerous scratching posts, cat toys are placed in the area for prosepective adopters to come in and interact with the cats.
Several staff members work for the animal shelter, but even more volunteers come in every day to offer a helping hand in caring for the animals. Here, a staff member prepares food for the animals.
Staff member Amanda Villarreal (right) works with volunteer Jack Willis (left) and instructs him in the process of animal care. Willis has given just over a month of his time volunteering for the shelter.
The dogs at the shelter have their own building, with rooms for each dog. A staff member feeds Bruce, a dog with pitbull mix cared for by the shelter. Each room has dog toys and a bed. Dogs have access to the outside where they can get their excercise with pet doors that lead them to a fenced outside area within the shelter.
Dogs don't get the same interactivity with visitors as the other animals at the shelter due to safety concerns, but that doesn't stop the shelter from trying. Scheduled visits are made for serious adopters to interact with the dogs and visitors can come to the shelter to see if there are any dogs they're interested in adopting, give them treats and try to pet them.
Bruce was found in a sheep field nearly starved to death. With the help of the Humane Society, Bruce is recovering and regaining his health and energy.
Orrin Isemimger sits awaiting a local veterinarian to check out his newly adopted rabbits from the Humane Society, Flopsy and Bugsy.
Also housed at the animal shelter are guinea pigs in addition to the dogs, cats and rabbits. Sushi (left) and Nibbler (right) are two of the five guniea pigs curently being taken care of by the shelter.
For as much time and care the shelter puts in, it can only be succesful with community support as shown from their photo wall of adopted animals