Humane Society Of The Ohio Valley


Marietta, Ohio

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About Humane Society Of The Ohio Valley

Humane Society of the Ohio Valley in Marietta, Ohio promotes the welfare of animals within the greater Washington County. They achieve this in four main ways:

  • Providing a safe haven for stray, lost, and abused animals through the shelter.
  • Educating the communities served on the needs for humane animal care, animal population control, and relief of animal suffering.
  • Investigating and prosecuting complaints of animal abuse and neglect..
  • Providing for the adoption of animals by people who can demonstrate they'll provide care consistent with the purposes of the society.

If you aren't able to adopt, consider becoming a foster carer! You'll help save lives by providing a temporary, loving, and restful retreat for animals in need. Humane Society of the Ohio Valley provides all the supplies, food, and medical attention, so there's no cost to you as a foster parent. All you have to provide is love!

Contact Info

Address:
90 Mount Tom Rd
,
Marietta
,
OH
45750
Phone:
(740) 373-5959
Email:
frontdesk@hsov.org
Website: hsov.org

Hours of Operation

Tue - Sat: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sun: 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Mon: Closed

Adoption Process

Adopting a shelter animal can be a life-changing experience both for them and for you! Here's the simple process to adopt a pet from Humane Society of The Ohio Valley:

  1. Visit the shelter to meet all the animals. You can also see most of the available animals on their website, where you can also complete an adoption application.
  2. Applications are generally processed within 1-2 days of receipt, but this depends on how many applications their staff is currently handling.
  3. Once you've complete the application form, visit the shelter and meet your prospective new pet. Children and four-legged friends should be included in the final decision to adopt, so bring everyone for a meet and greet!
  4. All adopted pets must be spayed/neutered. If you're adopting an animal that's too young or otherwise unable to be spayed or neutered before leaving the shelter, it will go into foster care with you until their surgery is performed. Once your pet is sterilized, the adoption can be finalized.
  5. Keep in mind there's no guarantee you'll be approved to adopt the particular pet for which you've applied. Sometimes you'll be encouraged to meet a different pet that could be a better fit. Chat with an adoption counselor, who will be able to help you make the right decision about bringing a new family member home.
  6. Made up your mind? Complete any remaining paperwork, pay the adoption fee, and you've got a new family member!

Adoption Fees

Adoption fees at Humane Society Of The Ohio Valley are as follows:

Dogs

  • Adults/puppies: $145

Your dog adoption fee covers spay/neuter surgery, distemper, parvo, bordetella, and rabies vaccination, flea treatment, deworming, microchipping, and a dog tag. Heartworm testing is available for an additional $20 charge and is recommended for dogs over 6+ months old.

Cats

  • Adults/kittens: $40

Your cat adoption fee covers spay/neuter surgery, FVRCP and rabies vaccination, flea treatment, deworming, and combo testing. A microchip with registration on a national database is available for an additional $20.

Adoption Process & Fees

Our writing team is hard at work researching this shelter's adoption process and fees, so this page will be updated soon!

In the meantime, here's some nice-to-know info that applies to nearly every animal shelter, humane society, and rescue.

Why Rescue A Shelter Dog?

Because shelter dogs are full of love!

Is it because they know you saved them and love you harder for it?

I can't say for certain, but yes.

Jokes aside, there are three things all shelter dogs need to thrive in their new home:

  1. Love
  2. Patient
  3. Training

Older shelter dogs, generally 1+ years old, may have experienced a lot of trauma, which often results in one of 8 common behavioral issues:

  1. Anxiety
  2. Aggression toward people & pets
  3. Resource guarding
  4. Destructive behavior
  5. Housetraining regression
  6. Poor social skills
  7. Leash reactivity & barrier-related aggression
  8. Constant whining

These issues are correctable! Your dog isn't broken, they're just damaged. You can fix them with enough love, patience, and a good training plan.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, finding good dog trainers can be hard. Like everything else, dog training is moving only. but there are great online dog trainers that are proven to work and can help get your new pup on the right path.

Animal Shelter vs Humane Society vs Rescue: What's the Difference?

You can learn a lot about an animal welfare organization just by looking at their name.

Animal Shelters

  • Most Animal Shelters are city or county-run organizations, often operated by the local Animal Control department, that manage strays and handle owner surrenders.
  • They usually have kennel facilities you can visit to adopt animals, and they usually have less stringent adoption requirements, lower adoption fees, and same-day adoptions (because their goal is to get animals out of the shelter).
  • Unfortunately, they usually know very little about each animal, including their true personalities and any behavioral problems.

Humane Societies

  • Most Humane Societies are non-profit organizations, many of which are no-kill shelters.
  • Some (but not all) are affiliated with The Humane Society of the United States.
  • They exist to improve animal welfare in the local community and often partner with city or county-run Animal Shelters that often euthanize animals due to capacity restraints.
  • They usually have kennel facilities, sometimes at multiple locations, and usually offer other services to the community such as low-cost spay/neuter clinics, community education programs, and more.
  • They may also have some animals in foster care.
  • There's a lot of variation in process and fees among Humane Societies, but they usually have really good websites that detail everything for you.

Rescues

  • Most Rescues are foster-based organizations that don't have physical facilities.
  • They usually have websites and contact emails, but not all of them have phone numbers.
  • Because they don't have a physical facility, you need to view animals in their foster network online, usually on their website but sometimes on their member pages on either PetFinder or Adopt-a-Pet.
  • If you see an animal you'd like to meet, contact the rescue using the process listed on their website or via email. They'll help you through the application process and set up a time for you to meet the animal at the foster's home.
  • Adopting from a rescue generally is the most expensive option here and takes the longest, but you get an animal that's been cared for in a loving home environment and their foster can tell you a lot about their personality.

6 Tips to Improve Your Adoption Experience

Adoption processes vary drastically from organization to organization, but here are some general tips that apply in most instances. Note that we'll use the term "shelters" here for simplicity but it includes all types of rescue organizations.

  1. See an animal online that you'd like to meet? Call the shelter before your visit to make sure the animal is still available. This especially applies for puppies, which are adopted out quickly.
  2. Usually, you'll need to get some paperwork in order: a photo ID, vaccination/medical records for any pets you currently have, possibly your vet's contact info and a couple of personal references, and (for renters) proof you're allowed to have a pet (copy of your lease or your landlord's contact info).
  3. If you need to provide contact info for your vet, let your vet know ahead of time. Otherwise, they may not release your information.
  4. Many shelters require your current dogs to meet adoptive dogs. Your current dogs need to be up-to-date on vaccinations.
  5. Some shelters require you to schedule a home visit to ensure a suitable living environment for the new animal.
  6. Adoption fees may seem excessive, but they're actually amazing values. Truthfully, caring for a pet is expensive. Most adoption fees include required medical care to get the animal ready for their new home including (but not limited to) spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, general vet exams, flea/tick treatment, deworming, heartworm testing/treatment for dogs, and feline leukemia and feline AIDS testing/treatment for cats. In general, your adoption fee is less than the cost of this care, so you're saving money in addition to your new animal's life!

If you have any questions about adopting an animal (what you'll need, what to expect, etc.) feel free to contact the PetLists team!

For more information about what's included in your adoption fee, or any other questions about the adoption process, reach out to
Humane Society Of The Ohio Valley
in
Marietta
,
Ohio
directly using the contact info above.

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Other Shelters in

Ohio

Curious about other shelters? Here's 6 more. You can also browse all
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You can also go back to our listing of all 50 states to find shelters elsewhere in the US.
All information on this page is accurate and up-to-date to the best of our knowledge. If you spot an error, please contact us using our contact form.
Note: Hours of operation and other information on this page are subject to change during the COVID-19 pandemic.