Our mission is to prevent cruelty and promote kindness to companion animals in our community. We are committed to stopping euthanasia of healthy, adoptable pets by ending overpopulation and homelessness. To achieve this we provide quality shelter, spay/neuter, foster care, adoption, and re-homing services for companion animals in our community. All cats and dogs are spayed/neutered before adoption. We also provide adoption support, and screen adopters to ensure a safe, happy & healthy home for them.
BMHS is the only animal shelter facility in Walla Walla County. The society also serves as a shelter resource for parts of Umatilla and Columbia Counties.
BMHS admits an average of 2,250 animals annually from a variety of sources. We have contracts to accept seized or stray pets from the City and County of Walla Walla. We also have contracts to shelter seized pets for the cities of College Place, Dayton, Waitsburg and Milton-Freewater. We accept pets surrendered by their owners when we have space available. While we always attempt to reunite strays with their owners, only about 20% are reclaimed each year. The rest of the animals are placed up for adoption or transferred to other no-kill shelters and rescues around the region.
We offer free, temporary housing for pets of people who are receiving assistance at all local shelters, including the YWCA, STEP shelter and the Christian Aid Center.
In addition to sheltering pets, we provide animal control services in Walla Walla County, including cruelty and neglect investigations when necessary.
During 2013, the society set a record of finding forever homes for 1,210 companion animals. New partnerships with rescue organizations around the state allowed for the transfer of over 300 animals, each one resulting in a successful adoption. Animals awaiting adoption are updated in real time on this website. Now it is possible and increasingly more common for potential adopters from Idaho, Western Washington, and Oregon to visit a pet in our shelter that they found online.
