Clarifying News Reports on KHS and the County Shelter

You may have seen news reports about Kalamazoo County’s plan to replace its old and outdated animal shelter. Some of the coverage wasn’t clear, so we’re taking this opportunity to clarify.

First, and most important, we applaud Kalamazoo County’s plan to replace the shelter. Our long partnership with the County to promote spaying and neutering has greatly reduced the unwanted pet population. That’s good news! At the same time, it’s not a perfect solution. There’s still a need for a shelter. And the current one falls far short of the commitment to humane treatment of animals that both the County and the Humane Society share.

Second, as most of you know, we’re in the early stages of creating a capital campaign to build a new home for the Kalamazoo Humane Society. We hope to officially launch that campaign later this year. The new KHS facility will not be a shelter. Our primary mission will be to expand spay/neuter and educational services so we can reduce the unwanted pet population even more. That will give the County’s new shelter more opportunity to find homes for the pets that go there. So it’s a win-win for both of us, and especially for the animals. That’s the heart of our partnership.

We’re grateful for the hard work of the Animal Services Advisory Board, Kalamazoo County Animal Services & Enforcement and County leaders. We’re eager to strengthen our partnership with them to benefit the animals of our community.

Original News Story on mLive --> http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2017/02/kalamazoo_county_seeks_alterna.html