Willamette Humane Society (WHS) will merge into Oregon Humane Society (OHS) to create one organization, Oregon Humane Society, with two locations. This merger between the two largest animal welfare agencies in Oregon will position us to provide even higher levels of care and compassion to the animals in our care as well as those in our communities. The merger will be effective on July 1, 2022, and the integration of the two organizations will be an 18-24 month process.
The two organizations have agreed to merge effective July 1, 2022. This is the end of WHS’ fiscal year, so it’s a prudent time to make the merger official. The transition and integration of the two organizations will be an 18-24 month process.
In early 2020, the WHS Board of Directors chose to explore the possibility of a merger as the best path forward to be able offer more state of the art animal welfare services to the community, while also building organizational resilience and sustainability. The global pandemic delayed the process a bit, and the board committee tasked with investigating the options began meeting in the fall of 2020. After exploring all possible partners for a merger, they settled on OHS as their top choice, and WHS initiated the conversation with OHS in early 2021. Both organizations began the due diligence process and continued discussions between WHS and OHS leadership until both boards were satisfied that this was the right decision for each organization. The boards unanimously agreed to proceed with the merger in early 2022.
Animal welfare is changing. WHS and OHS are both facing an increased need to care for animals who need complex medical care and in-depth behavior rehabilitation. Animal welfare is also evolving to prioritize keeping pets in their homes by offering new and innovative support services. Working together, more animals and pet owners will get the care they need.
WHS and OHS have partnered as the leaders in animal welfare in Oregon for many years. This collaboration has taken place through our leaders, transfer partnership, animal neglect cases, crisis response, veterinary care, legislative efforts and an unrelenting passion to do more for the animals in our community.
Several prominent animal welfare agencies—including the San Diego Humane Society, Wisconsin Humane Society, the Humane Rescue Alliance, and the Washington Humane Society—have moved through mergers in recent years. Cutting overhead costs and streamlining services makes sense to organizations that hope to make every dollar count to help animals in need. WHS and OHS are proud to be part of this emerging best practice in animal welfare.
When WHS merges into OHS, there will be a single business entity: Oregon Humane Society. During the integration period following the official date of merger, you will continue to see the WHS name used as we transition to one entity under the OHS brand.
Both OHS and WHS are dedicated to caring for homeless pets and finding them loving homes, fighting animal cruelty and abuse, and providing services that help preserve the bond between people and their pets. While some processes may change, animals will remain the focus of the work done in both locations.
The merger of WHS into OHS will not affect the timeline or plans for the programs that are part of the New Road Ahead expansion. Fulfilling the vision of the New Road Ahead remains one of OHS’ top priorities, and is one of the reasons the integration process will extend well into 2023.
Oregon Humane Society’s Humane Law enforcement team investigates cases throughout the state of Oregon, including in and around Salem. The partnership between OHS and WHS will provide another connection to the Salem community and the state authorities to support humane investigations across the region.
OHS is the only humane law enforcement agency in the state dedicated to animal cruelty cases. Our work right now across the region is limited by our single location in Portland. The new connection to the Salem community will make the best use of our resources. In the mid-valley community, there is a dog control facility, but there is no support for cats and other animals. This merger gives us the opportunity to have more space and a home base for additional field officers.
We will notify the public in mid-March through local media outlets and post updates to our websites as we have new information to share. We will also communicate directly with key stakeholder groups throughout the transition to ensure both organizations’ strong relationships are maintained. Most importantly, both locations will continue to provide the critical care and services our communities rely on.
Additional questions? Reach out to us here. Although we may not have all the answers right away, your feedback is very important as we navigate this exciting change together.
