Wenatchee Valley Humane Society is Gwyneth Mitchell's dream come true. 60 years ago, Mitchell, a Washington University Biology graduate, joined efforts with other citizens to raise their voice against the Wenatchee City Dog Pound’s conditions. By 1967, she and her husband had founded and were running the shelter in a small garage.
Bake sales and garage sales were part of their fundraising campaign to transform their two farmhouses and apple orchards into a new shelter that saw light after 20 years of hard work. Another grand contribution made by Helen Zilke in 2009 helped Wenatchee Valley Humane Society renovate and create a larger, more comfortable facility to help more pets in need.
Wenatchee Valley Humane Society's services include pet adoption but extend to other important areas:
The adoption process at Wenatchee Valley Humane Society starts by searching through their online catalog. Once you find the pet you and your family have been searching for, give them a call and leave a message with your name, telephone number, and name of the pet you are interested in.
A day later, they’ll call you back to schedule a playdate/meet and greet with your future pet. You can even go home with them the same day (unless they need to have spay/neuter surgery scheduled, here you can pick them up directly after surgery).
Adoption fees at Wenatchee Valley Humane Society are as follows:
Your adoption fee covers spaying/neutering, age-appropriate vaccinations, microchipping, a food sample, and a professional veterinary examination.
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.
