The Humane Society of Polk County is a non-profit organization funded solely by public donations. The Humane Society is the first no-kill animal shelter in Polk County! The society is a community service dedicated to prevent animal suffering. We care for unwanted, abused and abandoned animals and provide many other animal related services.
The organization was chartered in 1972 and the shelter was built in 1980. Our shelter is currently located in Winter Haven on Dundee Road. The shelter usually has twenty five dogs and thirty five cats in residence. Each year our number of animals fluctuates our last fiscal year over two thousand animals were taken in. All accepted animals are spayed or neutered, provided with shots, heart worm tested or feline leuk tested, de-wormed, micro-chipped, provided a physical exam by a local veterinarian and given comfortable shelter, food and water. These animals are given a great deal of TLC by a caring staff. Occasionally wildlife is accepted, but in general we try to turn these over to other agencies better equipped to handle them. Abused horses are also cared for on the premises.
Every day in the United States, more than 70,000 puppies and kittens are born. When this number is compared to the 10,000 human births each day, it’s clear that there can never be enough homes for all these pets. Educating the public on the importance of spaying and neutering their pets, from school children to adult groups, is one of our organization’s prime objectives. Educational programs are available upon request. We offer a low cost spay/neuter program at our shelter to provide our community a reasonable solution to the senseless slaughter of innocent animals.
At the Humane Society each animal will be observed and evaluated before going up for adoption. Health and temperament are closely evaluated by our vet and temperament specialist. We view euthanasia with mixed emotions. That animals must be killed is a difficult burden to bear; but diseased, frightened or injured animals trying to survive in a hostile community are infinitely worse. The Humane Society is the first “No- Kill” Animal Rescue Shelter in Polk County. Our desire is to make our community a “no kill” community, one in which we kill the crisis, not the animal.
