Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter, with the help of Mahaska Humane Society, cares for 600-700 animals each year. They provide animal control services for the City of Oskaloosa, rural Mahaska County, and some smaller municipalities.
While they aren't a no-kill animal shelter, they work hard to find alternatives to euthanasia through innovative programs.
In addition to taking in and re-homing stray, abandoned, abused, and otherwise homeless animals, Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter, in partnership with the Mahaska Humane Society, has developed programs aimed at educating their community to promote responsible pet ownership. Some of these programs include the following:
Want to learn more about the adoption process and fees at Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter? Keep reading below!
Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter has a simple adoption process:
Adoption fees at Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter are as follows:
Your adoption fee covers spay/neuter surgery, core vaccinations, deworming, flea/tick prevention, microchipping, a negative heartworm test for dogs, and negative leukemia and FIV tests for cats.
Our writing team is hard at work researching this shelter's adoption process and fees, so this page will be updated soon!
In the meantime, here's some nice-to-know info that applies to nearly every animal shelter, humane society, and rescue.
Because shelter dogs are full of love!
Is it because they know you saved them and love you harder for it?
I can't say for certain, but yes.
Jokes aside, there are three things all shelter dogs need to thrive in their new home:
Older shelter dogs, generally 1+ years old, may have experienced a lot of trauma, which often results in one of 8 common behavioral issues:
These issues are correctable! Your dog isn't broken, they're just damaged. You can fix them with enough love, patience, and a good training plan.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, finding good dog trainers can be hard. Like everything else, dog training is moving only. but there are great online dog trainers that are proven to work and can help get your new pup on the right path.
You can learn a lot about an animal welfare organization just by looking at their name.
Adoption processes vary drastically from organization to organization, but here are some general tips that apply in most instances. Note that we'll use the term "shelters" here for simplicity but it includes all types of rescue organizations.
If you have any questions about adopting an animal (what you'll need, what to expect, etc.) feel free to contact the PetLists team!
If you're looking to adopt a new dog, our Dog Adoption Guide is a must-read. It has everything you need to know about bringing a shelter dog home:
And we're adding new guides all the time.