Finding Safe Homes for Stray Animals

Celebrating 50 years of saving animals and changing lives.

In February of 1972 a group of concerned community members, that included Dr. Beebe of the Sun Valley Animal Clinic, formed a nonprofit organization and started The Animal Hospice. The goal was to provide a home for stray animals in the Wood River Valley.  

Five years later, Bill and Jean Burt donated land along Croy Creek Road and a 3,000-square-foot hospice with 20 kennels was built to care for unwanted animals and to be the home of an adoption program. Today, the full-service animal shelter is located across the street from its first home and, true to its rich history, Mountain Humane, as it’s now known, is still saving animals and changing lives!

Each day Mountain Humane opens its doors to reunite lost pets with their owners, offer a safe haven for homeless animals, and offer consultation and assistance to keep families and their pets together whenever possible.  

As a community service center, the shelter provides: a veterinary clinic offering affordable routine veterinary services; certified trainers and behavior experts; temporary boarding and pet food support available for families going through a rough economic time. 

Enrichment and safety are the cornerstones of the daily work done at Mountain Humane for every dog and cat. 

Dogs are walked at least three times a day to minimize stress. Playgroups for socialization and “nose work” help pups use their best “sense” to search and exercise their problem-solving skills. If you’re a kitty, your space might include a maze, climbing structures, and an outside “catio” to breathe in the Wood River Valley’s fresh air. 

Volunteers continue to be the backbone of Mountain Humane’s work. Volunteer-run summer programs like Hikin` Buddies take place at Adams Gulch every week, where people can hike with a shelter dog and perhaps “walk away” with a new family member. Keep your eye out for pups wearing green “Adopt Me” vests when “Paws Around the Town” volunteers and their adoptable buddies are out and about. And if kitties are your thing, join the year-round “Cat Cozy Club,” which meets the second Wednesday of every month to knit its way into the hearts of our feline friends in one of Mountain Humane’s cat condos. 

Visitors to the shelter are welcome Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Adoptions are done by appointment and involve a consultation with an experienced adoption counselor to match your family with just the right dog or cat.