Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Welfare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wenatchee Valley Humane Society says intake is up, seeks community support for TNR and clinic services
Summary
At the April 15 East Wenatchee City Council meeting, Wenatchee Valley Humane Society Executive Director BJ Anderson reported rising intake, kennel capacity strain, increased spay/neuter activity and a planned matching grant for trap-neuter-return (TNR). The city noted an existing one-year animal-control contract will be reviewed as it expires.
BJ Anderson, executive director of the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society, told the East Wenatchee City Council on April 15 that the shelter’s intake and demand for services have risen and that the organization is expanding community-focused spay/neuter and trap-neuter-return work to keep pets with people and reduce community-cat complaints.
Anderson said the shelter took in about 4,000 animals in 2024 — roughly 2,000 cats and 1,800 dogs — and that kennel capacity has been strained in early 2025. “Since I came in in November, the dog kennels have been full every month,” Anderson said, adding that full kennels increase stress for animals and staff and can depress adoption rates.
The nut graf: Council members heard why the shelter and animal-control services matter to broader city goals. Anderson linked higher intake to regional social issues — lack of affordable housing and limited access to veterinary care — and urged local support for programs that keep people and pets together.
Council members were given details of the shelter’s efforts to address the problem. Anderson said the humane society ran a two‑day clinic in March that performed 62 spay/neuter surgeries and that the clinic is increasing microchip and vaccination services as staffing allows. She described a planned matching-grant program the shelter will offer to subsidize TNR surgeries in local communities; the shelter’s base TNR surgery fee is $49, which Anderson said covers materials but not staff time or facilities.
Anderson said the shelter has shifted from being a transfer‑in partner for neighboring counties to a transfer‑out partner because kennels have been consistently full. “When our kennels are full, the dogs are stressed, the staff is stressed, and adoption rates decline,” she said. Anderson also described national and local veterinary‑care pressures: she said the cost of veterinary care rose about 36% since 2022 while general CPI rose about 22%.
Sergeant Chanley, who accompanied Anderson, described animal-control responses and training priorities. Chanley said officers respond to reports of threatening or loose dogs and that the department is emphasizing de‑escalation training and has recently issued body cameras for officers. “In any case that a dog is running loose or acting aggressive...absolutely call it in,” Chanley said.
Mayor Jeralee Crawford told the council the city has maintained a one‑year contract with Wenatchee Valley animal control while leadership transitions at the humane society occurred and that the contract will be reviewed as it approaches expiration. “Because that contract ends this year, we'll be meeting again, soon and having some of those conversations,” Crawford said.
The humane society also described community outreach: pet-food pantries, vaccination outreach to a nearby mission after a parvo outbreak and public events to educate residents on when to intervene with feral kittens and how to engage in TNR work.
Ending: Council members thanked Anderson and said they expect continued discussion of the animal-control contract and potential city support for programs that reduce shelter intake and keep pets with owners.
