The Red Desert Humane Society (RDHS) has always been committed to helping animals both in and beyond our community. When RDHS first began in 1974, our community needed support for homeless animals more than ever. Over the years, we have worked hard to be a safety net for pets and the people who love them.
In recent years, both local city shelters, Rock Springs Animal Control and Green River Animal Control, have become partners with Best Friends Animal Society and are now operating as no-kill shelters, just as we are. No-Kill means we operate at a 90% or higher save rate. Thanks to generous donations supporting community spay and neuter programs, as well as periodic assistance provided to RSAC for similar initiatives, our local shelters are seeing some progress. More animals are finding homes and are being transferred to bigger Rescues with even more help.
Because of this success locally, RDHS has shifted much of our outreach to Southern states, where shelters are still facing heartbreaking statistics. In some areas, between 11,000 and 95,000 animals are euthanized each year due to overcrowding and limited resources. While Wyoming was amongst one of the lowest with just over 800 euthanized. These are dogs and cats who are often placed on euthanasia lists for reasons such as treatable medical conditions or simply the need to make space for incoming strays.
Since COVID-19, the shelter and rescue world has changed drastically. Both in the types of animals entering care and, in the resources, required to help them. We have discovered that by saving lives in the South, we are making a larger impact than many realize. Each animal transported to safety represents not only one life saved, but space created for another animal in need.
While we are passionate about continuing this work, we remain committed to our local community. We continue to accept owner surrenders when space allows and regularly communicate with local shelters to determine where we can assist. However, we must carefully evaluate every animal we bring into our facility. RDHS is not a sanctuary, and we do not specialize in behavioral rehabilitation. Our mission is to place animals into the best possible homes, ensuring compatibility between pet and adopter so that each animal finds a permanent, loving home and never has to return to a shelter environment.
Recently, the Wyoming Livestock Board implemented a new regulation requiring any dog over six months of age to receive a Brucella Canis test prior to crossing state lines into Wyoming. These tests cost between $45 and $90 per dog.
Brucella Canis is a contagious bacterial infection that primarily affects dogs’ reproductive systems but can also impact the spine, eyes, and lymph nodes. It spreads through contact with reproductive fluids and can pose long-term health risks if left undetected. Testing helps protect the health of resident pets, shelter populations, and breeding animals within the state.
We are fully supportive of measures that protect animal health. However, these additional testing costs create a significant financial challenge as we continue transporting dogs from high-risk euthanasia areas. In order to maintain our current adoption fees and continue saving lives, we must raise funds specifically designated for these required tests.
If you would like to support this effort, please call 307-362-1636, email [email protected], or send us a message on Facebook to learn more or donate toward Brucella testing.
We are deeply grateful for the ongoing support we receive from individuals both within and beyond our community. Together, we can continue making a life-saving difference.
