Showing Up When Times Get Tough

a message from the whs executive director

Dear Friends,

Summertime in Whatcom County: We wait all year for this. Warm days, sunsets after 9pm—it’s simply a spectacular time of the year in our little corner of the world, and it always seems to go by so quickly. The year has been a challenging one for me, both professionally and personally. As is usually the case with me, those two things blend together.

Professionally, I can’t recall a year in at least a decade that has been as financially challenging as this year has been. The cost of literally everything needed for our shelters to function on a day-to-day basis has increased substantially—and the animal population at all three of our care facilities continues to climb. Donations from generous community supporters has been steady, but unfortunately, it is not meeting our critical needs, making some days, weeks, months, and the entire year a trifecta of ongoing stress and worry as I and our board of directors try to navigate the ongoing needs of the organization, remain fiscally responsible, and fulfill our mission.

Our incredible staff work so hard and are diligent in trying to keep costs down while managing a challenging animal population and working under stressful conditions. They are heroes, and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t feel so honored to work alongside them. Added to that are the amazing volunteers that support our shelters and thrift shop operations. When asked to take on more responsibilities or extra shifts and projects, these folks never ask “why?”, they ask “what time?”. There are many things to be grateful for in this world, and the opportunity to spend time with WHS volunteers is certainly one of them.

Personally, the last few months have brought with them what I knew was coming and yet was still a gut punch and emotionally devastating: In March, my husband and I said goodbye to Zane, our beloved dog who commemorated his 15th birthday this past January with an epic two-week celebration. Many of you have followed Zane’s story from the beginning. Rescued in May 2010 by WHS animal control officers in what is still one of the worst animal cruelty cases in my three-decade career in animal welfare, Zane was a survivor and lived his life with gusto. Described as the “worst best dog ever”, his behavior issues (so many I could write a book!) were legendary. Just as legendary was his devotion to the people and animals he loved. He never, ever forgot the animal control officers and veterinary staff that saved him, loved his dog and cat brothers and sisters, and was the most loyal dog I have ever had. He spent the majority of his life accompanying me to work daily and was my constant companion, my confidant, and my best friend. His passing has left a giant hole in my heart and home. He is missed by his two and four-legged family and all who knew him.

One afternoon, not long after Zane’s death, I was reflecting on his story and life, and I starting thinking about all the animals that have come through our shelter doors since his rescue back in 2010. Reviewing our annual animal intake statistics since then, over 50,000 domestic animals and 20,000 wild animals have come through the doors of the Whatcom Humane Society. Those numbers are honestly more than overwhelming to think about, yet I can still recall so many of these animals—big and small; domestic, farm, and wild—and their unique individual stories as if it was yesterday.

I have always stressed that in order to do what we do, we have to focus on each animal that arrives at WHS individually and adopt a ”one at a time” mentality. As an open-admission shelter, no animal is turned away from WHS—something we are incredibly proud of and remain committed to. Animals arrive at WHS for a variety of reasons: as strays, surrendered, injured, orphaned, abused, abandoned—the list goes on and on. It is easy (and understandably so!) to become emotionally and physically exhausted when trying to manage the volume of animals coming through the doors and maintain some level of balance and sanity. But focusing on what we realistically can do and celebrating the success stories of individual animals is something I talk with our staff and volunteer teams about on a regular basis. We can’t save them all—but what we can do is show up every day and work tirelessly to do all we can to provide care, kindness, respect, education, and advocacy for each animal in our shelters and community.

I hope the summer brings good things to you all and that maybe our paths will cross. We have so many great events scheduled, including our annual Golf Tournament in July and our Dog Days of Summer Festival in August. Or perhaps I’ll see some of you meeting a new best friend at the shelter, shopping at the WHS Thrift Shop, or attending a monthly new volunteer orientation. On behalf of the domestic, farm, and wild animals in our community, thank you for continuing to provide us with the resources to remain ready to respond to animals in need. Your support means everything to us.

With gratitude and appreciation,

Laura Clark, Executive Director