Our Mission
Chartered in 1913 by a small group of concerned citizens, the Terre Haute Humane Society's goals are to work toward the prevention of all unnecessary animal suffering and to teach kindness toward all living things through an area-wide education program.
Our mission continues to be to maintain the highest standards of humane care and treatment for our animal friends by providing assistance to owner-surrendered, mistreated, abandoned, and neglected animals. We strive to assist in the management of the domestic animal population of Terre Haute through spaying and neutering and, ultimately, adoption of all the animals under our care.
Our Goals Are Simple
To educate the public on the importance of proper animal care and responsible pet ownership so that the need for stray & lost animals to be brought into the shelter can be reduced or eliminated; and
To ensure that the animals who stay at our shelter are safe, happy, and healthy while they await new homes.
The staff and volunteers of the Terre Haute Humane Society believe that education plays a vital role in the care of animals. Therefore, we have a variety of community outreach programs. These include visits to classrooms, day care facilities, and senior living facilities.
We view the animals in our care as residents, many of whom do not understand why they are in the shelter. We work on rehabilitating their physical and psychological needs, and they remain with us as long as it takes to overcome those obstacles and be placed into a new home. We believe that these goals, when met, will make for a healthier, happier community, not only for our two-legged residents, but our four-legged ones as well.
Our Needs
We are a 501c3 non-profit, and as such, we are funded primarily by donations, endowment, and grants. Our monthly budget averages around $50,000, which covers expenses such as utility bills, medical bills and procedures, food, insurance and wages for our paid staff. We hold one large fundraiser every year –our Tail-A-Thon with WTWO-TV-- and several smaller ones, but like every non-profit, we work very hard to raise money.
We also work hard to recruit and retain our volunteer team members. All fundraisers and adoption events are either partially or totally organized by our volunteers, as are off-site adoption events. Volunteers also complete tasks at our facility such as walking dogs, working with dogs on behavioral and socialization issues, assisting with meet and greets and adoptions, and assisting during hours we’re open to the public. We are always in need of volunteers who have a strong work ethic, who desire to work as part of a team, and who have special skill sets (grant writing, animal behavior and/medical training, fundraising, etc.). We also need foster homes, especially for large dogs that might need work on basic manners and getting acclimated to a home environment.
What We Do/What We Don’t
The Terre Haute Humane Society handles many types of animal-related concerns in Vigo County. Our responsibilities include stray animals, owner-relinquished animals, animals from city and county animal control officers and animal bite quarantines. Our responsibilities do not include animal abuse complaints, stray animal pick-ups, animal rescues and wildlife rehabilitation or relocation, but we try to direct callers to the proper authorities for these needs.
To see our adoptable animals and/or get more information about volunteering or fostering, go to www.thhs.org.
Maggie Wheeler is the Volunteer Coordinator for the Terre Haute Humane Society. Her email is maggie.wheeler@thhs.org.