Make a Year-End Gift of Care to WHS Today
A Letter from the WHS Executive Director
Dear friends of the animals,
We made it—almost! The end of a year that brought both familiar and unique challenges to our shelter doorsteps. On behalf of everyone at Whatcom Humane Society, I want to sincerely thank you for supporting our mission and the animals at our care centers. Because of advocates like you—community members, adopters, donors, volunteers, and business partners—we have been able to keep at our lifesaving work for domestic, farm, and wild animals in need throughout Whatcom County and beyond.
Amid the holiday season festivities, the need for our programs and services continues to be critical, and our shelters remain as busy as ever. With this in mind, as 2025 comes to a close, I humbly ask you to once again join us in our ongoing commitment to help animals by making a year-end gift today.
For the past four years, our shelter facilities have been at or over capacity almost nonstop, putting an incredible strain on our resources. The constant arrival of domestic animals big and small—many of whom show up after being turned away from shelters and rescue groups up and down the I-5 corridor—continues to make life hard for both animals and people at our shelter. Alongside this, our small but mighty Wildlife Rehabilitation Center continues to be the safe haven for injured and orphaned wildlife in our community, and our 10-acre farm provides a healing environment for horses, sheep, goats, pigs, and other farm animals, many of whom have been the victims of cruelty or neglect.
The animal welfare crisis overwhelming the nation is a very real and present concern in Whatcom County: Animals in need are flooding into our region, including many suffering from severe medical and behavior issues. As the only open-admission animal shelter in the area, WHS has become ground zero for this ongoing and troubling trend for which there seems to be no end in sight. By making a year-end gift, you are helping us continue our daily operations and championing our work into the new year and beyond.
As a supporter of Whatcom Humane Society, your contributions stay local: WHS is not fiscally affiliated with any other local, state, or national animal welfare organization, so 100% of your donations are used to care for the animals and people in our community. Please don’t delay: Send in your donation before the end of the year. By combining our expertise and your generous gift, we will continue to be here for animals big and small, furry, feathered, scaly, and hooved.
All of us at Whatcom Humane Society wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season and all the best for a healthy and humane new year.
With appreciation and gratitude,
Laura Clark, Executive Director
(360) 733-2080, ext. 3026; director@whatcomhumane.org
P.S. Be sure to check out WHS’s 2025 Infographic, and please make your year-end donation today using the form below, giving us a call at 360-733-2080 x 3002, or mailing/delivering a contribution to 2172 Division Street, Bellingham, WA 98226.
This summer, our wildlife center assisted several Great Horned Owlets in need of extra nutrition & care. Three of these owlets were not successfully returned to their parents after they had regained health, but we had a second chance to reunite them when a parent owl made a surprise return to the site. Discrete monitoring confirmed that the adult attended to all three young shortly after their reunification, and several weeks later, an adult Great Horned Owl was spotted perching with three healthy and now fully flighted juvenile owls near the original reunification site!
In August, Willie the donkey, Loretta the mini horse, and Emmylou the goat arrived at the WHS Farm after being found on a rural property without access to proper shelter, food, or veterinary care. Extremely bonded to one another, it was imperative this trio find a new home together with room to roam, a warm shelter, good quality food, and the human interaction they proved to so enjoy. This fall, they found all of this and more at Bode Farms, a five-acre family-run animal sanctuary in Ferndale.
After a four-month wait, our goofy, bouncy, one-eyed meatball, Atlas (pictured above), celebrated his “gotcha day” this November! This sweet boy settled into his new home instantly and has been enjoying all the cuddles with his family, walking his kiddos to the school bus, and romping around his new yard. During the same month, bonded cats Faith & Miracle (pictured below) also found their forever home! Shy & shut down when they first arrived at the shelter, the senior pair took up residence in our cat colony room to decompress, receive lots of TLC from staff & volunteers, and, eventually, catch the attention of the purrfect parents: a retired couple ready to spoil them!
