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Pending name change, expansion plans buoy new leadership
at Clallam Humane Society Article From Peninsula
Daily News -- Photo by Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News
"The new name will be the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society," said Scott Chandler, executive director. "And I hope we won't have any trouble with the Olympic committee," he joked, referring to two businesses in the news lately because the U.S. Olympic Committee has threatened lawsuits against them for using the word "Olympic" in their names. The private, nonprofit organization has filed its papers to change its name, but no date for the formal switch has been set yet. "It's our way of saying, it's a new day," said Eileen Herrling, board president. "We have a brand new executive director. Scott [Chandler] started in October. I am a new board president. I started in August. And the majority of the board is new as well. "So we decided that, with all this newness, we were starting fresh, and that a good way to do that would be to also have a name change for the organization." Not a government agency The Humane Society is a private, nonprofit agency that contracts with Clallam County to provide animal control and shelter. "We're putting together programs to design a new logo," Chandler said. Despite the Olympic name, the group plans to provide services only in Clallam County. "I will help in Jefferson County if he asks for help, but I have enough to do in my own county," Chandler said. Expansion of services "We're expanding in general the quality of service we give in regard to animal control, especially in the West End because we haven't provided that service terribly well from what I can see," Chandler said. A preliminary budget, which will go before the full board on Jan. 10, includes funding for a new part-time officer living in the Forks area. "We'll station him there to address West End needs," which includes greater control of feral dogs and more spaying, neutering and vaccination services, Chandler said. He has met with Forks Mayor Nedra Reed to discuss using a building on the Forks Municipal Airport property for the shelter. The building - which has outdoor exercise areas, five or six pens for dogs and perhaps as many as 10 screened areas for cats - hasn't been used as a shelter for at least four years, Reed said. "It would be wonderful for us to be able to do that, even on a part-time basis," Reed said. Now, animal control is handled by law enforcement officers - both Forks police and Clallam County sheriff's deputies, but they are able to respond primarily only to animal injury calls or reports of aggressive dogs , she said. Services such as spaying and neutering, or finding homes for animals, are taken care of by a group of volunteers, the Friends of Forks Animals, led by Pam Winney, Reed said. "They are just remarkable people," she said of the volunteer group. "They have made this their mission." Reed looks forward to working with the Humane Society. "I was very encouraged by my conversation with Scott. If anyone can do it, he can," she said. Herrling said that in addition to considering the West End addition, the board hopes to set up a storefront in Sequim. The Sequim site would allow the society to showcase kittens, cats, puppies and small dogs that are available for adoption. New policy "We're very proud of that," Herrling said. Now, those adopting pets pay for altering the animal, and sign a contract saying they will do, but it is up to them to carry it out. "All the best shelters in the country have policies where the animals are already altered before they leave the premises," Herrling said. "For the first time, we've become the solution to the problem rather than part of the problem." The board also is in the process of creating a two- to three-year strategic plan, Herrling said. Clallam County allocated the Humane Society $203,000 in 2007 - and will give it the same amount in 2008 - for shelter and animal control services. The total budget is in about $650,000, Chandler said. The group receives most of its revenue from donations, with fees contributing a small amount. Unless the shelter has a sale, which it does fairly frequently, the adoption cost for a dog is $95, and for a cat $75, "Adoption fees don't cover what we put into each animal that comes out," Chandler said. "Sometimes, we do specials to find animals good homes." Right now, the shelter is offering a "snowflake sale," in which adopters of animals that are predominantly black get a break on the price, Chandler said. The name of the sale comes from Chandler's habit of naming black animals "Snowflake," he said. "We got quite a few of them sitting around," he said, adding that black isn't always the most popular color for a pet. But, he said, "they're nice critters. They need a home, too." The shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, phone 360-457-8206, or check http://pages.prodigy.net/ftb/pets/cchs.htm. ________ Last modified: January 01. 2008 9:00PM |
