PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners unanimously approved an agreement with the Welfare for Animals Guild, formalizing the work it has done in the wake of changes with the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society.
The agreement notes that the Welfare for Animals Guild (WAG) will maintain shelter facilities and equipment to handle impounded, non-dangerous dogs turned in by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office or by the public and will not charge for those services.
Through the agreement, WAG will be able to put stray dogs up for adoption after 96 hours, rather than six months, as state law requires, WAG president Barbara Brabant said. It also will allow WAG to provide medical services for dogs that it intakes.
This agreement details WAG’s role as one of the agencies responding to the state of emergency Clallam County declared in the wake of the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society (OPHS) Bark House closure.
Since Bark House shut down, WAG has assisted the sheriff’s office with six police holds, although all the animals eventually were returned to their families, Brabant said.
In July, OPHS announced that its dog facility, the Bark House, would indefinitely shut down due to financial challenges. Since then, executive director Jason Stipp resigned from his position.
In September, Paul Stehr-Green announced he had stepped in as President of the OPHS Board, replacing previous Board President Marti Oldham.
Stehr-Green said his background is primarily in the medicine and public health fields, which gave him “pretty good experience managing budgets and managing professionals.”
In the absence of an executive director, Stehr-Green is filling that role. He said he is running things “very much different” than the organization has been run in the past.
The organization’s culture is now focused on mutual commitment to the welfare of the animals, mutual respect and accountability with a clear chain of command, Stehr-Green said.
“We also have to figure out finances,” he added, noting that the organization is trying to learn from past mistakes while also focusing on the future.
OPHS recently worked with specialists in dog training and behavior and kennel design and functionality to determine how the Bark House needs to be restructured to best serve the dogs, Stehr-Green said.
Through that process, they identified changes that will be made to the regular dog kennels as well as the need for quarantine and isolation kennels to keep illnesses from spreading.
After the organization went through two rounds of planning, Stehr-Green said they are working on budgeting to see what is affordable. The timeline for reopening is still up in the air.
“When we have this operational plan for Bark House ready, we intend to hold a public forum to hear your thoughts and suggestions on that plan,” a post on OPHS’ Facebook page read on Oct. 14.
Although it is not accepting dogs, the Bark House is holding six dogs with behavioral problems. Stehr-Green said they are working with an animal behavioral group to try to rehabilitate those dogs.
In addition to Stehr-Green, other board members include Vice President Megan Overton, Treasurer Gina Luellen, Secretary Martha Ireland, member Kevin Talbot and member Cindy Witham.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
