Whitman County Humane Society

Meet Annie Lindsey, Foster Program Director

When Annie Lindsey went to college, her plan was to become a commercial pilot, but that plan was disrupted by a medical emergency which changed her life’s flight path dramatically. With one dream grounded, Annie changed her destination. With a beloved rescue dog, she moved from Florence, Colorado to Pullman to go to WSU. Before she had even unpacked, she went to the shelter to see what she could do to help.

Annie became a long-time foster parent for WCHS and then in 2019 was hired as an Animal Care Attendant and Adoption Counselor. Because she is Rockstar with a “go-getter” attitude, she was recently promoted to a new position as Foster Program Director. She is thrilled to be the direct contact for the many people who foster animals for WCHS. She says that for new and seasoned fosters alike, it is important to have a “go-to”, especially for when fosters are nursing sick animals.

Especially now, fosters provide the critical support that WCHS needs to save homeless pets. Annie says that the folks who foster are essential to rescue work, and that the bigger the foster program, the more animals can be saved. Animals in foster are exposed to and socialized in home environments which results in successful transitions after adoption.

Annie believes that animals rescue humans as often as humans rescue animals and loves that she gets to be a part of the process. Her favorite part is matching people with their furever friend, seeing them tear up with the joy of meeting their new companion.

She now dreams of being a canine rehabilitation specialist and operating a senior dog sanctuary in the future. We know the sky is the limit for Annie! She is going places—and we are thrilled that her journey includes WCHS.

Take a Virtual Tour with Annie. Visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ whitmanpets/ at videos.

Kitten Season Updates

Whitman County Humane Society has received a $5,000 grant award from The Washington Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies. This will enable the completion of about 50 canine spay/neuter surgeries and 100 feline spay/neuter surgeries for low-income residents and feral or free-roaming cats.

Help us beat pet overpopulation in Whitman County. If you are a low-income family in Whitman County and need assistance for spaying or neutering your pets, or if you know of a place where community cats gather, contact us—we are happy to help!

The funds for this grant award are made possible by the sale of Washington State SPAY ~ NEUTER ~ ADOPT license plates. The redesigned specialty license plate, available for purchase at all Washington State Department of Licensing offices, features a tabby cat named Dory and a mixed breed dog named Laurie, both recent residents of Washington shelters.

From January to July 2020, WCHS took in 255 kittens and we still have pregnant cats in foster waiting to have their kittens. Last year, we took in 279 kittens for the whole year, so we are on track to exceed last year’s number by a significant amount. Even with a larger than normal intake, staffing remains the same. We have six employees and many volunteers who give so much of themselves to make sure each animal receives the best possible care. Each kitten we take in needs a minimum of $100 of veterinary supplies/care. This does not account for staff time, food, litter, cleaning supplies, or expenses for special needs (e.g., medical emergencies). With no vet on site, we use veterinarians from the community. They are wonderful—but we pay them just like you pay your vet. Bottom line: saving lives can be expensive work!

In these uncertain times, when critical fundraising events have been cancelled, we fear we won't be able to fulfill our mission of sheltering homeless pets until they can be adopted. We have been applying for grants like mad, but oftentimes we can't compete with large organizations. As a small non-profit, we rely heavily on donations from our community supporters to keep doing this important work.

Can you help? We are very good at getting as much as we can out of every penny, so even the smallest donation is put to good use. Visit whitmanpets.org to donate. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Welcome and Thank you! We are thrilled to welcome the following new members to the WCHS Board of Directors: Becky

Bitter; Dayna Cooper; Kellie Klein; Elizabeth Siler; Staci Sproull; and Andrea

Marie Thomas. These new board members join Wendy Ortman; Kylene Daschofsky;

Blythe Duell; Nicky Finch; Jan Luft;

Lauren Port; and John-Mark Mahnkey, as well as the staff at WCHS, Ashley Phelps;

Katelyn Snyder; Shelby Vasquez; Jayden

DeBoer; and Zoë Skiadopolou as they work together to sustain the WCHS. THANK YOU to Kym Darling for her many years of dedicated service to the board.

Star Pets

I’m a Rocket Pup!

Hi! I’m Rocket! I’m an energetic 9-month old lab/coonhound pup. I need stability and a strong hand to guide me and teach me manners to be a good canine citizen. Professional training is a must for me as I want to learn boundaries and bond with my new family from the very start. I am super vocal and cannot live in an apartment. Also, I am sensitive to being restrained by the collar and should not go to a home that has young children. I am not an aggressive dog, but I need training to work on learning how to put all of my energy to good, positive behaviors.

As a young pup, I am eager to learn and be a success in my new home! But I am not friendly with the other dogs here at the shelter, and I don’t like cats.

My adoption fee is $175. I am neutered, dewormed, microchipped, vaccinated, and have been seen by a vet.