Help Heartland Cover All the Little Things
Vaccines, parasite treatments, microchips, kitten formula…none of these cost a lot individually, but when you add them up for the 1,500 animals Heartland cares for each year it can get expensive! The summer and fall are the busiest time at the shelter and the time of most need, when we are running through supplies to care for all of the animals coming in for shelter and care and going home to their loving families.
To ensure we can continue to provide the best possible care for all of our residents we’re asking you to help us raise $30k in 30 days. That’s $1,000 dollars a day in the month of September.
How Heartland Humane Puts Your Donations to Work
Heartland Humane Shelter & Care is a private non-profit animal welfare organization working to make Benton County (and beyond) a safe and healthy place for every animal, and the people who love them. We receive no tax dollars and rely on donations, grants, and income from our Thrift Shop to fund our work.
Our location-based animal shelter serves Benton County and Corvallis, and we will never turn away a pet from our service area, no matter their age, condition, health, or temperament. We never euthanize for time or space—donors like you allow us to care for our adoptable animals as long as it takes to find the right home. Find us on the Oregon No Kill Shelter Network!
Stray Pets: Lost & Found Services
Our shelter is contracted to serve as the housing facility for stray pets and pets involved in law-enforcement situations. While our contracts only cover stray services for dogs and cats (Corvallis) and dogs (Benton County), we use your donations to fund an open-door policy that allows us to take all stray pets from Benton County and Corvallis (as long as we can house them). While we aren’t equipped to work with large lifestock, we’ve taken in all kinds of animals, from hedgehogs and beta fish to 65 lb tortoises. In 2022, 346 pets were reunited with their families through our program.
Adoptions at Heartland
Sometimes animals at large don’t have homes to go back to, such was the case for Chestnut. Chestnut came to Heartland with a severely fractured leg that required amputation. After surgery, Chestnut recovered in foster care, where she met her forever family through her foster mom. Meet Chestnut and her parents in this video:
Finding homes for unwanted and homeless pets is a big part of our work. In 2022, 1,031 pets were adopted from our shelter. All of our adoptive animals are spayed/neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, and given an ID tag. While at the shelter they receive medical treatment, socialization, and proper nutrition. Stephanie and Leo met their dog Sammie while volunteering, and shared their story in this video:
Protecting Pets
Our municipal contracts also bring us animals involved in law enforcement situations, like Jane. Jane was seized by the Benton County Sherriff’s Department because of severe neglect. While at Heartland, Jane received life-saving care and learned how to be a pet again. She spent the last of her time with us in foster care, until her new mom saw her on our website and adopted her. You can meet Jane and her mom in this video
Safe Housing Program
Your donations fund our Safe Housing Program, which provides emergency boarding to pets whose families are in crisis. While this service is typically used by clients of our partner orgs (the local hospital, homeless shelters, and CARDV, the domestic violence shelter), it is also available for emergencies like the wildfires that hit Oregon in September, 2020. While the fires never reached Benton County, our shelter did house animals whose families had been evacuated or lost their houses in nearby counties, including 5 Tibetan Mastiffs. All medical care, boarding, and food are free of charge to safe housing clients.
Support for Low-Income Pet Owners
Our Pet Food Pantry is available 7 days a week and stocked with cat and dog food. It can be accessed by anyone in need – no proof of income necessary.
We are also working to bring back our low-income microchip, vaccine, and spay/neuter clinics. Results from our client surveys show that 80% of the pets we serve in these clinics have never been to a vet before.