MOSCOW - Just behind the dog park on East White Avenue in Moscow, sits an inconspicuous building that is home to HSoP, the Humane Society of the Palouse, a small animal shelter that is celebrating its 45th anniversary of serving the animals and people of Latah County. During the past year, they have been able to get updates and improvements completed to shelter that include a new roof over the outside dog runs, the flooring in the indoor dog kennels sealed, and some fresh paint.
Upon arrival you will be greeted by a group of knowledgeable and caring shelter staff, who are managed diligently by the 18-year-old, orange, permanent resident, shelter cat, Notail. In the lobby there is a poster board for lost and founds pets, community events, and an Employee of the Month photo honoring Miss Notail.
Besides providing a safe place for lost dogs, cats, and pocket pets, they also offer identification tags, microchipping, spay/neuter assistance, and pet food and supply pantry.
According to the Humane Society of the United States website, the national average dog return to owner rate (RTO) is between 10% - 30%, the Humane Society of the Palouse has an impressive 60% RTO. One of the most important factors that help reunite pets with with their owners is identification tags and microchipping; both of which are offer at HSoP. The shelter was gifted an engraver so they are able to print ID tags on the spot for $8, any time the shelter is open.
Microchipping is another service offered to the public for $30, but four times a year, they are offered at half-off. For more information on the specific dates for a $15 microchipping, or to set an appointment, you can call or email the shelter. A microchip is a permanent identification that is placed under the animals skin. The chip is about the size of a grain of rice and inserted usually at the base of the animal’s neck, between their front shoulder blades. The process involves minimal discomfort for the animal and takes less than 5 minutes for the whole process. Lauren Green, the shelters public relations manager, explains, “The microchip contains none of the owners sensitive personal information. In order to read the microchip a special scanner is used that most shelters and veterinary clinics have. So there should be no privacy concerns for the owner.” The scanner gives them a unique number that the animal professional can then input into a database that tells them the company maker of the chip and where it was implanted. At that point they contact the company or facility and inform them that they found a pet with that unique ID number. The chip company or the clinic, will then attempt to contact the owner and inform them where their pet is. Lauren stresses the importance of keeping your pet’s microchip information update. You can go online to https://www.aaha.org/your-pet/pet-microchip-lookup/microchip-search/ and find out who the maker of your pet’s microchip is if you have forgotten.
Animals that are not able to be reunited with their owners, await their new families while temporarily residing at the shelter. There is a private room for potential adopters to spend time with cats and pocket pets and several fenced outdoor areas where adopters can bond with available dogs. HSoP currently does not have a foster program in place, though they are hoping to implement one soon. Anyone interested in fostering in the future is encouraged to reach out to the shelter.
Sierah Beeler has been the Shelter Director for 2 years, but has been involved with HSoP for 6 years. She says that kitten season has come early this year, and they already have litters of kittens coming into the shelter. She stresses the importance of spaying and neutering. "HSoP offers two programs in regards to spaying and neutering for Latah County pets; spay/neuter assistance for owned pets, and a TNR (trap, neuter/spay, release) program for feral/barn cats. The application for assistance for owned pets provides $50 off a spay, or $30 off a neuter, for both cats and dogs. The TNR program is a fairly new program for HSoP which started in October of 2021. The program covers the spay or neuter and vaccines. The application for both programs are available on the shelters website, and can either be emailed in or brought in to the shelter in person."
Pet food and supply pantry is run entirely from the generous donations from the community. It is completely free of charge for those in need. “ We are here as a resource for all Latah County residence.” Lauren stated. "Anyone in need is welcome to stop the shelter any hours we are open, or you can call ahead and we can get things ready. There is no income verification and no judgement. “
There are many opportunities for those who wish to support HSoP and their service to the community. Throughout the year they host a variety of fun events, and most are two and four legged friendly! Annual fundraising events for HSoP include: Kitten shower, Howling for Hamilton, Pet Pics with Santa, Soup and Pie and the Palouse 5K. More information and exact dates for these events, and other special events, can be found on the shelter’s website or posted on their FB Page. For those interested in contributing donation items, besides items for the pet food and supply pantry, the top 5 always needed donations, according to Sierah, are bleach, laundry detergent, kitten milk replacer, snuggle disk heating pads, and dog treats. She adds that any type of dog treat is fine, just no rawhides please. Volunteers are also an essential part of shelter operations and anyone ages 12 and up are encouraged and welcome to volunteer. Volunteer tasks vary by age and ability, so those where are interested are encouraged to reach out to shelter staff by email, Facebook or phone.
The Humane Society of the Palouse shelter is located at 2019 East White Ave. Moscow, ID 83843
Hours of operation: Monday - Saturday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Email: information@humanesocietyofthepalouse.org
Phone: 208-883-1166
Webpage: https://www.humanesocietyofthepalouse.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HumanePalouse
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