Humane Society delivers first-year “report card” to East Wenatchee

EAST WENATCHEE — The Wenatchee Valley Humane Society gave East Wenatchee City Council its first “report card” since the city entered into a new animal care and control contract last year.

Executive Director BJ Andersen outlined the city’s share of service calls, intake, and enforcement during the first half of 2025, urging council members to consider aligning with the shelter’s standard three-year contract that was previously offered instead of renewing year by year.

“East Wenatchee, we have 4.34 percent more than we expected in terms of the number of cases, calls, things we had to respond to,” Andersen told the council. “Douglas County is 5.29 percent up. So just to be not very subtle, I would, if I were you, think about signing on to the original proposal that we gave you.”

That would allow the City to lock in a certain rate that they would pay, and even in cases where calls were much higher than expected — as has happened during the year-to-date period Andersen was reporting on — their costs would not increase the following year.

A mid-year breakdown showed 301 total cases in East Wenatchee:

• 78 stray dogs
• 17 aggressive dog incidents
• 22 sick or injured animals
• 16 neglect or cruelty cases
• 29 animals left in vehicles
• 10 animal bites
• 3 dogs in traffic
• 4 dog-on-animal attacks

Animal control officers also issued 12 citations, sold 121 licenses, and responded to 1,013 calls from East Wenatchee residents in the first eight months of the year. Two dogs were formally designated as “dangerous” or “potentially dangerous.”

Sergeant Chelsee Chanley, who heads the city’s Animal Care and Control Unit, fielded council questions about how cases are classified, how calls are logged, and the division of responsibilities with police and state wildlife officers. She emphasized that while the Humane Society doesn’t handle most wildlife, officers partner with the Department of Fish and Wildlife in cases such as injured owls or animals trapped in chimneys.

Andersen also highlighted the Humane Society’s work with community cats through trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs. The effort is supported by a small $2,000 matching fund and occasional grants, but Andersen stressed that long-term solutions will require expanded spay and neuter capacity. “Right now, there’s a public health risk,” she said. “They’re not altered, they’re not vaccinated, and they’re reproducing, and it causes increased disease spread in the communities of cats.”

She added that every adopted pet leaves the shelter microchipped, and she encouraged residents to make sure microchips implanted elsewhere are properly registered. A free microchip and rabies vaccine clinic is planned for Sept. 30 at Cascade Subaru during their “Subaru Loves Pets” adoption event.

Andersen took a moment to turn to the audience in the Council Chambers — larger than usual due to public interest in the next agenda item before the council — and plug the event, which you can get more information about at https://www.facebook.com/events/1161871945673896/.

Mayor Jerrilea Crawford praised the Humane Society’s cost-sharing model, comparing it to other regional service contracts. “This is a new process by which they determine their fees. I think it’s much more equitable,” she said.

While no vote was taken — workshops are for discussion only — council members indicated they would consider the proposed two-year extension during upcoming budget sessions.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media