Welcome to the Montgomery Humane Society.  We are proud to have you join our team!  This introduction is for your benefit. 

The Montgomery Humane Society is a nonprofit organization.  We receive a significant portion of our funds from donations and fundraisers and the remainder from services provided to the City of Montgomery for providing shelter services for animal control and from Montgomery County for providing Humane Officer services.

 

We are incorporated under the laws of the state of Alabama as “The Montgomery Humane Society.”

 

Mission Statement

 The Montgomery Humane Society prevents cruelty to animals by operating an animal shelter for homeless, abandoned, and unwanted animals; by operating an adoption center for healthy animals; by investigating cruelty and abuse cases; and by educating the public in animal owner responsibility.

Objectives

 ·         Increase the placement of animals into humane environments.

·         Provide, monitor, and maintain programs to reduce companion animal overpopulation and euthanasia.

·         Establish an exemplary animal welfare program dedicated to excellence in sheltering.

·         Provide, monitor, and maintain programs to reduce animal abuse, cruelty, neglect, and abandonment.

·         Achieve a sound and reliable fund raising program that assures long-term survival of the organization.

·         Understand and broaden awareness of animal and community needs and our role in meeting those needs.

·         Provide programs and services to improve the relationship between animals and people.

·         Attract, retain, and develop capable, caring, professional staff, and volunteers to achieve our mission.

·         Be an advocate for animal welfare concerns.

Functions of the Montgomery Humane Society

The Montgomery Humane Society provides food, water, shelter, and medical attention for more than 16,000 unwanted and stray animals each year. The MHS rescues animals in distress, relocates wildlife to suitable environments and investigates reports of animal cruelty and neglect.

 

The MHS receives and places dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, and small domestic animals for adoption. Unfortunately, the MHS also has to euthanize more than 7,800 animals each year. Other shelter services include a volunteer program, a lost and found program, a humane education program, and a pet visitation program.

 

The MHS serves all of Montgomery County. In special circumstance, when requested, the MHS assists neighboring counties in special circumstances involving animal cruelty.

 

The MHS operates under a Managing Director responsible for the overall operation of the society who answers directly to the Board of Directors.

 

Humane Officers are on duty or on call 24-hours a day seven days a week to investigate complaints concerning the mistreatment, abandonment, or neglect of companion animals, wild animals, and exotic pets in accordance with city ordinances, county ordinances, the code of Alabama, and the Animal Welfare Act. Humane Officers also provide a 24-hour emergency ambulance service for injured animals.

 

Individuals are encouraged to notify the shelter if they witness or suspect cruelty, neglect, or abuse.  All reports are confidential.

History of the Montgomery Humane Society

     In the 1920s, a group of citizens in Montgomery organized a Humane Society. As a result of their efforts, the legislature enacted a local law that created the job of Humane Officer. The officer was provided a salary of $150.00 and a vehicle. He was to warn offenders of cruelty and subsequently arrest them unless conditions improved. Since there were no provisions for the housing of either these abused animals or stray animals, one of the board members kept cages in her yard for them.

     In 1949, Mrs. David Crosland asked some known humanitarians to meet at her home to discuss a reorganization of the Humane Society. Their first effort was to obtain cages from the city, which were placed in the humane officer’s stable. This proved to be inadequate, and in 1951, the board appealed to the city and county for sufficient financial support to operate an animal shelter. They proposed that the board be answerable to the city and county with the humane officer continuing to answer to the board. An agreement was reached making it possible in October 1951, to rent a vacant veterinary hospital on Norman Bridge road. Once a shelter was built animals were brought in by the public and the county rabies inspector.

     In 1952, a bequest from Mrs. Nina Winter Pinckard, a founding member, allowed the Humane Society to buy property on Mobile Highway. A shelter was operated at this site until the spring of 1995.

     In 1967, a bequest from Mrs. Elizabeth Winter Watts made it possible to borrow additional money to build the front building of the mobile highway shelter. Although an architect prepared the actual plans, Mr. Joe Lacey, a board member, spent a great amount of time on the details of the building. A bequest from Mrs. Mildred Wallace, a former resident of Montgomery, as well as the donation of a valuable painting helped us pay our debt on the building.

     In 1974, the city built the back kennel of the Mobile Highway shelter with the understanding that dogs picked up by animal control would be housed there. If unclaimed in ten (10) days, they would be available for adoption. A few years after it was built, the city gave it to the Montgomery Humane Society. A donation by Mrs. Earl Andrews enabled the shelter to add an additional facility.

     While the Mobile Highway shelter was a vast improvement on cages in a yard, many factors including dilapidated conditions, cramped quarters for the animals, and the poor location of the shelter necessitated the board to begin plans to build a new shelter.

     In 1993, money was pledged from the John Overton estate toward the purchase of the land and for a new building. Without the leadership and vision of Dr. Wesley Dunn, our current shelter on John Overton Drive would never have become a reality. Dr. Dunn, as board president and leader of a capital campaign to raise funds for the purchase of the property and the new shelter, organized committees to fundraise and to work with the architectural firm of Seay, Seay, & Litchfield to design our new shelter. Mr. Billy Newell donated an additional 10 acres of land.

     Thanks to the generosity of the Overton estate and countless caring citizens in the Montgomery community we moved to our current location on John Overton Drive in the Spring of 1995.