Our mission at the Chautauqua County Humane Society is to improve and save lives through compassionate care, advocacy for animals, and commitment to the community.
History: On January 9, 1905, the Chautauqua County branch of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was incorporated with the mandate to serve the community in the prevention of cruelty to animals. CCHS celebrated it's 115th anniversary on January 9th, 2020.
Vision: A community that treats all fellow beings with kindness, compassion, and respect.
Core Principles:
- We respect our customers, volunteers, donors, and staff above all else, and never forget that they come to us by choice. We share a personal responsibility to maintain their loyalty and trust, which must never be taken for granted. We will listen and respond and work to WOW them at every turn.
- We seek and reward creativity and ingenuity. We embrace the innovations and ideas that can change the lives of animals who once had so little. We must not be afraid to take informed, responsible risks. We can do more with less; we will not take shortcuts on quality.
- We believe humor is essential to success. We celebrate achievement and we recognize that tears of happiness and sadness will appear in the work we do.
- We take responsibility for our own successes and failures at work. Titles and roles do not matter when it comes to getting the job done.
Commitment: The decision to end an animal's life is an extremely serious one and is always treated as such. On April 15, 2003, the Chautauqua County Humane Society Board of Directors voted in the policy that no healthy and friendly animal would be euthanized due to overcrowding. What Chautauqua County Humane Society is creating is an animal welfare organization that has "no need to kill." The cornerstone of this policy is to work aggressively on programming that prevents companion animal overpopulation and finds humane and responsible solutions for animals in crisis.
FAQs
How is the Chautauqua County Humane Society funded?
The Chautauqua County Humane Society is a nonprofit organization that does not receive any city, county, state, or federal funding. Most of the funds that are necessary to run our organization are raised through donations from our generous community, special event fundraising, our 2nd Chances Thrift Store, and grants. To support CCHS, you can donate online here.
CCHS is NOT supported by any national animal welfare organizations like HSUS or ASPCA.
We are a local nonprofit organization and not affiliated with or funded by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), or any other national group. When making a donation to the ASPCA and HSUS, you are not making a donation to CCHS. However, the ASPCA will support CCHS and our endeavors, including event sponsorships and grant monies.
Does CCHS provide low-cost veterinary services?
We offer a low cost spay/neuter clinic at the Strunk Road Adoption Center. To learn more, visit here. We offer Healthy Pet Clinics from spring through fall at locations in Jamestown and Dunkirk. To learn more, visit here.
Is CCHS a no-kill shelter?
We consider ourselves a "no need to kill" shelter, meaning that no healthy and friendly animal is euthanized at CCHS.
How many animals does CCHS adopt our each year?
On average, we adopt out 1,200 animals per year.
How many animals are at CCHS?
On average, we house 100-150 animals at any given time.