WCHS values the human/animal bond, provides stewardship for homeless pets, and promotes compassionate treatment of all companion animals.
1. Browse our adoptable pets online or in-person at the shelter. Read each animals description to see if they are compatible with other animals and/or children. 2. Ready to make a pet your fur-ever? Download and complete the questionnaire for the type of animal in which you are interested. Submit the completed questionnaire below or bring it with you to the shelter during open hours. (Submitting this document does not put a specific animal on hold for you. A meet and greet is required first to put any animal on hold.) 3. Call 509-332-3422 to schedule your appointment to adopt! 4. Review your questionnaire with an adoption counselor at the shelter. Questionnaires are reviewed on a first-come-first-served basis. 5. Our adoption counselors will speak with you about your selected pet(s) and help you to identify your best match. 6. Visit with your match(es) and get to know each other. 7. Complete the adoption paperwork. For the quickest service, bring your whole family! For dog meet and greets, we also require household dogs to be present. Only individuals or families qualify to adopt; we do not adopt animals to a group such as a sorority or fraternity. We do not allow animals to be adopted as a gift for an unknowing party. Some of our adoptable animals will require special care, or have particular quirks that we will need to discuss with potential adopters. Effective communication and complete understanding of an animals needs is necessary to ensure that the match is a good fit. We will provide as much information as possible, though some animals come in with no history and you may see their special quirks after they settle into your home. Adopting an animal from our facility does make you the legal owner, meaning you are responsible for all aspects of the animal's care after adoption. Our staff is always available to help answer questions and provide resources for you and your pet. Language barriers can be problematic in the adoption process if both sides are not getting all the information needed to make a good adoption decision. If we encounter a language barrier during the adoption process, we may ask you to bring a translator/interpreter to facilitate communication between the adoption counselor and the adopter. If you rent, bring a copy of your lease. If you own your home, or rent and have written permission from your landlord, you are eligible to adopt a pet from the Whitman County Humane Society. We will call every landlord that does not provide written permission for adopters. In the best interests of the animals, the shelter staff reserves the right to refuse adoptions.