Wayne County Humane Society marks more than 50 years of caring for animals

In 1973, the Wayne County Humane Society in Wooster was created by local community members. For over 50 years, the shelter has assisted homeless pets with finding safe homes and provided care for abandoned animals.

WCHS is not part of a national nonprofit or affiliated with any government entities. The shelter relies solely on the generosity of its donors, grants and fundraisers. WCHS does partner with the City of Wooster and the City of Orrville to help with a portion of the care for local cats in both communities.

WCHS currently employs four full-time employees and several part-time employees. The small team is dedicated to ensuring that all the animals at the shelter not only survive but thrive and took in a record number of over 1,600 animals in 2025. The staff spends time with each dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig and rat in their care (they recently had a rooster in the shelter that liked to give hugs).

WCHS’s operations manager has built a relationship with many local shelters around Ohio. This allows the shelters to work together to find the best homes for the animals in need. For instance, if a dog has been placed in WCHS for some time without finding a home, WCHS may transport the dog to another area shelter, allowing a new community exposure in hopes of finding a home.

Volunteers are always welcome and encouraged. With a small staff, WCHS relies on volunteers to help with giving the pets affection, cleaning, dog walking, etc.

To become a volunteer, an interested person can fill out an online application and attend a training, which is currently offered once a month. Companies are also encouraged to contact WCHS about volunteer days for their teams.

WCHS, on occasion, has worked with other states to provide help to animals outside of Ohio. In 2022, two volunteers from the shelter drove to Buffalo, New York, to pick up nine dogs arriving on a plane from an impoverished area in Louisiana. In 2023, WCHS partnered with the organization “No Dogs Left Behind” to rescue dogs after the historic flooding in Kentucky.

WCHS, at times, limits intake once capacity is reached and can only accept cats who are sick, injured, declawed or orphaned under 8 weeks old. As of Feb. 20, the shelter currently has 41 cats, 28 dogs, seven rabbits, two guinea pigs and two rats.

WCHS hosts several fundraisers throughout each year to raise money for the shelter. Coming up March 14, WCHS is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day Bowling Fundraiser at Ballerz Sports Club. Other events include the family-friendly “Christmas in July,” hosted at the Wayne County Fairgrounds.

Also occurring twice a year is a free community TNR (Trap, Neuter and Return) event for feral and stray cats in the community. The next TNR is March 7-9. WCHS additionally partners with two low-cost clinics, Rascal Unit and AlterClinic, bridging the gap between pet owners and area service providers.

Monetary donations and supplies are always needed. Every Wednesday, WCHS posts on its social media sites a wishlist of supplies. The greatest needs continue to be food and cleaning supplies. A full list is available on WCHS’s website, and items can be dropped off at any time. If staff are not present at the shelter, donations can be left on the bench out front. Monetary donations can be dropped off or contributed directly through the website. Recently, a local group of knitters knitted and contributed curtains for the cat cages to help the cats with stress.

Thanks to the generosity of the community, WCHS was able to build a new surgery center that opened in 2025. Previously, for over 43 years, the staff had utilized a surgery trailer. The new surgery center includes a prep suite, a surgery area and a recovery suite for spaying and neutering cats and dogs before adoption.

For more information on the events coming up at WCHS, how to get involved or the current needs of the shelter, visit www.wchs.org and find it on Facebook and Instagram. Adoptable animals are posted on WCHS’s social media accounts.

Editor's note: This is part of a recurring series highlighting local people and businesses doing good in the community and beyond. Story ideas may be submitted to jogullifer@icloud.com.