KCHA proudly celebrated 10 years as a lifesaving shelter, marking a decade of innovation, compassion, and dramatically improved outcomes for homeless pets. Before September 2013, KCHA faced a difficult reality — only about 30% of animals entering the shelter survived to find placement. A dedicated group of staff, volunteers, and community supporters believed animals deserved better and committed to transforming the way KCHA served homeless pets. That commitment sparked a decade of change. KCHA moved beyond simply providing shelter and embraced a progressive, lifesaving model focused on individualized care, rehabilitation, community partnership, and creating positive outcomes for every animal.

In 2023, KCHA continued to expand its impact beyond Kanawha County by assisting another humane society in implementing lifesaving practices — providing guidance on reducing stress in shelter environments, understanding animal behavior, expanding volunteer programs, and implementing playgroups. This marked the 10th shelter supported by KCHA through sharing resources, knowledge, and programs designed to help more organizations save more animals.

Over the past 10 years, KCHA has:

• Built a dedicated veterinary team to provide medical care and rehabilitation opportunities for sick and injured animals.
• Added an Animal Behaviorist to evaluate behavior and support dogs needing additional training.
• Introduced playgroups, enrichment programs, and new approaches to reduce stress and improve quality of life for shelter pets.
• Used data to identify community needs and expand programs such as free vaccine and microchip clinics.
• Built a contagious disease ward, creating dedicated spaces to safely treat animals with conditions like parvovirus, panleukopenia, and ringworm while protecting the health of the shelter population.
• Lifesaving requires a village — our community embraced this new mission by adopting animals, volunteering, donating supplies and funds, fostering pets, and standing alongside KCHA every step of the way.

Despite significant challenges — including a U-Haul crashing into the shelter building — KCHA continued its lifesaving mission without interruption. Thanks to the dedication of staff, volunteers, and supporters, no animals were harmed during the incident, and operations continued while repairs and recovery efforts were underway.

Impact:

• 4,152 animals admitted
• 3,804 positive outcomes through adoption, reunification, rescue, and other placements
• 1,848 animals placed in foster homes
• 2,394 shelter spay/neuter surgeries, plus 984 community surgeries through Fix Charleston
• 299 emergency surgeries performed
• More than 12,900 vaccines administered through shelter programs and Fix Charleston

A record-setting Black Friday adoption event found homes for 137 pets in a single day, made possible through the generous sponsorship of Moses Auto Group. Petco Love awarded KCHA a $100,000 grant to support lifesaving programs, while Petco selected KCHA to operate its adoption center in Middletown, New Jersey. This partnership created new adoption opportunities for West Virginia shelter pets, expanded placement options, and helped increase capacity at KCHA's Charleston facility. KCHA added a transport van to strengthen rescue partnerships, adoption transports, and community outreach. In partnership with the St. Albans Police Department, KCHA launched the region's first public microchip scanning station, helping lost pets return home faster. The organization celebrated 10 years of daily playgroups — a commitment to ensuring every shelter dog receives outside time every day for exercise, enrichment, and socialization 365 days of the year. Another milestone came when KCHA celebrated the recovery of its 1,000th parvovirus survivor. In 2019, Medical Director Cheyanne reimagined how KCHA treats parvovirus, implementing an innovative protocol that challenged conventional thinking and has since given more than 1,000 critically ill puppies a second chance at life.

Impact:

• 4,578 animals admitted
• 3,731 positive outcomes through adoption, reunification, rescue, and other placements
• 2,198 animals placed in foster homes
• 2,252 spay/neuter surgeries
• 827 emergency surgeries
• 313 Parvo Puppies treated — 96% of Parvo patients saved!
• 141 Panleuk kittens saved