Humane Society For Southwest Washington

Love this place the facility is nice and clean and indoors. The staff is friendly I got my pug jasper there when he was 10yrs old and that was two to three years ago. The adoption process is fairly quick as well.

We were walking through the dog area of dogs ready to be adopted– a big dog tried to take an aggressive bite at my girlfriends hand when she put her knuckles against the cage to pet it, as we do with every dog in the «ready to adopt» area. We wanted to tell someone this in case that dog tried to do that to a little kid. Their customer service towards us was horrible.
We told a woman working there and she immediately asked an accusatory question of if my gf put her fingers in the cage. We asked why there wasn’t a sign or anything on that dogs cage saying to not stick your fingers near the cage. She acknowledged that they may need to put a sign up. Fine.
We continued to walk around and were petting a smaller dog when a different, younger woman working there told her to not put her fingers in the cages. My gf asked how she would know that with no signage or anything and the worker got more rude and said that its common knowledge when dealing with dogs.
The staff at the desk and in the cat area were very nice to us, but the customer service we received was awful. With just a «sorry, we will check out that dog and move him/​her out of the general population for a little,» the situation could have been avoided, but they instead wanted to be very accusatory. Really made us feel welcome.

Wow, very mixed reviews here. I personally had a very positive experience. I cannot rate for any other part of the shelter, as non-​staff is not allowed. What goes on beyond closed doors, I truly hope is as well cared for as the front. The staff was kind to us, and appeared compassionate to all of the animals. We were helped, and our questions were answered by a super nice guy.
The area open to the public is spotless, and the cages are clean and well stocked. I was able to pay the adoption fee for some of the older cats. I have a full kitty house at home, so I loved paying the fees for the older «less desirable» cats that I wish I could have taken with me. Many are rescues, or have come after losing their owners. There are mini biographies on the cats which are very helpful. You can set up a meet and greet in a private room with all of the animals.
Aside of the fact that this place is depressing, no matter how well it is maintained for obvious reasons, I would like to go often just to pay some fees. They say that they rarely have kittens, and usually only during «kitten season». You can call about that and get on a wait list I believe. If you have a spare twenty dollars and a big heart, stop by for some cuddles or scratches, and pay a fee or two.

Lord help you if you ever unfortunately have your cat end up here. You will end up with a very sick cat, a bad case of fleas and spend hundreds of dollars trying to remedy all that ails your cat from a nights incarceration.

We had a wonderful visit to the shelter. Caring, patient and welcoming staff and volunteers. They made us feel relaxed and at home and readily answered our many questions. The cat area was calm and nice, and the rooms for visiting with the cats spacious and light-​filled. Adoption prices are reasonable, for all you get in return.

As a longtime FORMER volunteer, let me say this isn’t a place you want to see any animal have to come to. It’s a backward, poorly managed shelter with horrible animal care and dysfunctional leadership — top down, poor communication, lots of conflicts, zero respect for animal care staff. Strays get stuck in cages for over a week with no walks. Animals sit in their waste all day long because there aren’t enough staff to keep up. Animals get lost in the «system» (some kittens, forgotten in a back room, recently died there from neglect), and animal care staff, most of who are devoted to the animals, are seriously overworked and underpaid. They have no professional trainers and don’t train the dogs at all or work on behavior problems. The percentage of animals that make it out alive is only in the 60% range. They’re better than they were before in their old place (basically a killing machine) but have a looong way to go to become a modern, HUMANE facility — for the workers and the animals.

I actually had a good experience with this place, not sure why there were so many negative reviews. I got my cat Oliver from here, and found the kitty section to be very clean and organized, and I could tell the staff were very dedicated to the cats and passionate about them. They even had some signs all around the cat area (fun facts about black cats), which I was a nice touch to increase adoption of black cats, which is usually the least adoptable. I found they took good care medically of my cat when they rescued him from the streets, and they were organized with their paperwork during the adoption process. All in all, I had a great experience adopting my pet from this facility, and would highly recommend it to others. I paid around $ 100 for my cat including licensing fees, food, collar, and a carrier to take him home, and I’m not complaining about the price because I know it was all to help funding for this well-​deserved organization.

Horrible shelter and rude staff. This place is a mess, dirty and the dog care is sad. Working in a non profit myself, I think the most shocking experience is that their customer service is seriously lacking combined with an non-​caring attitude. The young girls that work here have no etiquette when it comes to providing information or assisting in any way. They take their sweet time in getting back to you, chit chat with their friends while you wait, not mention the prices are high.
I thought maybe it was a fluke the first time these things happened, but now 3 separate occasions?

After going to the stinky, depressing animal shelter in Gresham, Oregon and crying my eyes out at the dingy walls and upset, terrified animals, this place was like a beacon. I wish I lived closer to volunteer. Though the Gresham one probably needs more volunteers.
The difference between the Gresham Shelter and this humane society was night and day. Here, the dogs each had their own cot off of the floor! Each had a toy in their kennel, much more space, and a better layout. Everywhere I looked, there were volunteers taking the dogs outside for walks. And the dogs, of course, were much happier than the shelter in Gresham.
The process of choosing was nice-​as someone let us take Brodie into a room to get to know him. They answered questions to the best of their knowledge about whether he was house trained. The process was much simpler than the Gresham interview process, where there were three people ahead of us for the dog I wanted.
Two years ago, Brodie came with a chip, free first veterinary appointment, all of his shots and procedures, and a heart of gold. A shy dog that hid in the corner warmed up in the car, and the second my front door opened he jumped on the couch. Every day he opened up more and more, until he’s the perfect companion. Rarely barks, doesn’t lick or require a lot of attention when you can’t give it-he’s happy to go wherever you do, or just lay next to you, loving the petting when he gets it. A hilarious little dog who thinks he owns every big dog and does a pretty good job at it. (Nickname Husky Humper) A true joy to have around and I can’t believe I ever lived without him.
It’s a shock no one picked him for a month after he was moved from a shelter in California where no one chose him either. I hate to think that had I not gone in that day, Brodie may not have gotten a chance to have a home at all.

(NOTE: MAP is not correct — be sure to check a map for 2121 St Francis Ln 98 660 to get good directions…)
This animal shelter struggles to keep up with the growing demands of the SW Washington North Portland area. It is housed in a building used beyond its limits. Staff members work hard to soothe and comfort every animal brought to the place. Volunteers do the lion’s share of most thankless tasks — kennel cleaning, poo picking and lots of laundry.
While OHS can afford to turn distressed pet owners away and thereby maintain its ‘no-​kill’ high ground — when someone needs to surrender an animal this humane society takes in whatever lands on the doorstep. It is not as glamorous or well funded as OHS but it serves a large population every day on little more than a shoestring budget.
Every effort is made to work with rescue groups and foster homes to find places for lost and abandoned pets. Exchanges are made with other shelters so that each animal gets the maximum opportunity to find a permanent home.
This is good place to bring your animal loving energy. Volunteers are needed everyday all kinds of work; data entry and phone answering, walking dogs several times a day, playing with kittens, raising money, raising awareness, scratching behind furry ears. If you can use your time and skills to help an animal this is the place to do it. You can get a vol application online
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