WAHS FAQ

Yes, primarily dogs and cats are all we are equipped to handle. We sometimes take in rabbits or other small pets and farm animals.

An animal that is surrendered is vaccinated, micro chipped and given a rabies vaccine upon arrival at the Shelter. All animals receive the proper vaccination(s) for their species, such as DHPP and rabies. In addition cats are tested for feline leukemia and both dogs and cats are checked for worms. If not already spayed or neutered, they are spayed or neutered in our shelter as soon as possible by one of our veterinarians.

We are a closed door facility. We can only take in new animals as our current residents are adopted. Animal adoptions make room for another animal to take the adopted animal’s place. Please understand that abused, neglected and abandoned animals have NO ONE to take care of them, and they are accepted into our shelter before we can take in any privately owned animals. We also ensure that any animal adopted from our shelter can be returned which means that some space be available for that possibility. We maintain a waiting list of animals for surrender and owners are contacted as space becomes available. It is important that people who wish to surrender their animals seek other options such as rehoming the animal with a friend or relative or placing an ad — with a fee to ensure a “good home” — or placing the animal at a kennel temporarily until a suitable adopter comes forward. The shelter should be an absolute last resort for a companion animal.

We can only accept an animal when a cage or kennel becomes available. Due to liability issues, we cannot take animals that have displayed unprovoked aggression or have a bite history. This often depends on circumstances surrounding the animal’s behavior. Pennsylvania law requires that if an animal has bitten a person or another animal, it should be reported to your local Animal Control Officer. You may call our Shelter during business hours to get the name and number of the Animal Control Officer for your area, or you may get that information from your local or state police.

We euthanize an animal ONLY if it is suffering beyond any hope of recovery or is a safety concern to volunteers and staff. We rely on local veterinarians and animal experts to advise us if it is inhumane to allow a seriously ill or injured animal to continue suffering. We also have occasion to euthanize an animal if it is deemed unsafe for the public. These cases are exceedingly rare.

We do our very best to provide the necessary veterinary/medical care for any animal that is sick or injured upon arrival. We rely on our local veterinarians to recommend treatment.

We regularly medicate and care for sick and injured animals in our Shelter. We ask people to volunteer to provide foster homes for sick/injured animals while they are recovering. Sick and injured animals recover more quickly when they are in a home and not exposed to  the possible stresses tat are at the Shelter. If you would like to become a foster parent for one of animals in need, please contact our Foster Care Coordinator.

We cannot guarantee the health or temperament of any animal that is adopted from our Shelter. We highly recommend that every animal adopted from our Shelter be examined by your own veterinarian within ten days of the adoption.  If your newly adopted pet becomes ill, you must notify us immediately and we may ask you to bring the animal back to our Shelter to be evaluated.

In Pennsylvania, animals are considered the personal property of the people who own them. Pennsylvania law permits seizure of animals in the event of extreme animal abuse. If an animal is so neglected that its life is in immediate danger, then a Humane Society Police Officer can remove an animal to save its life.

A Humane Society Police Officer (HSPO) is a trained and certified police officer representing a humane society or other animal rescue organization. An HSPO swears an oath to enforce the laws that protect animals from cruelty and abuse. A Humane Society Police Officer can file criminal charges for cruelty to animals. For more information about Humane Society Police Officers or the laws that protect animals from cruelty and abuse, please visit the Federated Humane Societies of Pennsylvania’s website at www.humaneinpa.org.

When funds are raised for treatment of an animal, any additional funds are used to treat other sick or injured animals at the shelter or in foster care. We continuously take in stray or abandoned animals that are sick or injured, and many of them require costly ongoing medical treatment which depletes any additional funds we may have.

We do not have veterinarians at our Shelter at all times. If you have an animal that you think is suffering and needs to be euthanized, please take the animal to your veterinarian or a local veterinarians. The veterinarian will examine the animal and help you to determine the needs of the animal.

Puppies for better or worse are irresistible to most people. They overshadow older dogs that may be better suited for a particular family situation. Potential adopters confronted with these adorable tiny pups conveniently forget that these little balls of fur get bigger, sometimes much bigger. Having a higher adoption fee allows the potential adopter to give serious thought to the amount of care and training they are undertaking and to give careful considertion if a puppy is a good fit for them. The fact is that the most commonly surrendered dog is between 8 and 12-months old. These are the dogs that were adopted as puppies and have grown into much larger dogs that are still in fact puppies, but are no longer easy to pick up and control.

Many people assume our Shelter is a government entity. That is a common misconception. We are a private charity. We are funded solely by your charitable contributions. We DO NOT receive any money from your tax dollars. We DO NOT receive any money from local or federal government. It is because of YOU, our supporters that we can keep our doors open and provide for homeless, sick, injured, abused and/or abandoned animals.

We are NOT affiliated with other Humane Societies or other animal shelters. We are NOT a part of the Humane Society of the United States, nor do we receive any funding from that entity.

All contributions are deposited into our general account where the funds are used for the day to day operating expenses of the shelter. If you would like to see a particular project for the shelter completed that you are willing to finance, you are encouraged to approach the executive director with a proposal that can be considered. Only those projects that are completely financed externally and need no additional funding from the Humane Society can be considered. Otherwise, all general contributions are be used for general operating expenses.

We encourage all supporters to hold drives, collections and fundraisers to help the Washington Area Humane Society. However, we do not permit the use of our name (Washington Area Humane Society) or logo/image to be used without permission. If you would like to hold a fundraiser for the benefit of WAHS by using our name and/or logo please contact the Volunteer Coordinator.