The Past

People said for years that something should be done about dog and cat problems in Carbon County. Then, in 2003, a group of volunteers held the county’s first-ever spay-neuter clinic, dubbed Operation Nip and Tuck. With the help of generous donors and more than 100 volunteers, 332 dogs and cats (mostly barn and feral cats) were sterilized at no cost to those who brought them in.

Since then, we’ve held a clinic ever year. As of the 2007 clinic, we fixed 2,044 dogs and cats. Imagine the numbers of homeless and suffering animals in our county if we hadn’t provided this service!

At the clinics, people told us about animal problems: dog bites, dogs at large, feral cat colonies overrunning alleys, dogs and cats abused and abandoned. In 2006, we incorporated the Beartooth Humane Alliance as a non-profit organization to tackle these problems and started a range of programs to help animals – and to help people who want to help animals.

Among other accomplishments, in 2006, we co-sponsored the first-ever workshop in Montana on the connection between animal cruelty and domestic violence. In 2008, we sponsored the attendance of two Carbon County law officers at a workshop on investigating equine mistreatment.

The Present

Every day, we hear stories of animals that are homeless, running loose, chained outdoors in the cold. There’s so much to do! To respond to these situations, Beartooth Humane Alliance provides these services:

• Foster homes for adoptable animals that have no homes or must be given up by their owners. Our dedicated volunteers provide quality temporary care until our Adoption Program can place these animals in caring, permanent homes. The Red Lodge police and Carbon County sheriff now authorize us to take possession of animals that have no apparent owners, so we can look for the owners, and failing to find any owner, place these animals with caring families.

• In addition to our annual spay/neuter clinic, we provide vouchers for low-cost pet spay-neuter, available to residents with low or limited incomes, which are honored by the three veterinary clinics in Carbon County.

• When a companion animal is lost or found, a call to us is one of the first calls made. This collection of data has helped to reunite dozens of pets with their family.

• We provide programs in Carbon County schools to help youngsters take proper care of pets and avoid problems like dog bites. Through local media, we regularly provide information about good pet care, pet behavior issues, and more.

• We advise people about what to do when they see animal mistreatment. We encourage and support local law enforcement when they receive calls about abused or neglected animals.

The Future

Local officials and animal advocates agree: Carbon County needs an animal shelter. Beartooth Humane Alliance has adopted the long-term goal of building and operating an animal shelter. Many of the future animals will be brought to the shelter by law enforcement because the animals are running at large or causing problems. Before we build a shelter, we are working with county and town officials throughout Carbon County to project how many animals may require shelter and the creation of a countywide Animal Services Officer position. Once we have more statistical information about local needs, we will be able to make good decisions regarding the exact location and operation of the shelter.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to build our programs for foster homes, spay-neuter, and humane education. While we plan for the long-term, we can do a great deal now to help suffering animals, give homeless animals a chance at permanent loving homes, and prevent the births of unwanted litters.

 We can do this – if we have your help.

Click here to meet the folks behind the BHA!