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 2010 clinic, we fixed 2,959 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.

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 foster homes provide quality temporary care until we can place these animals in caring, permanent homes. 

• 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. We also regularly provide adult 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 assisting local authorities in providing solutions for the many pets found homeless until they can be reunited with their owners or a new home may be found.

Also, we’ll continue to build our programs for pet adoption, 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!