About Stafford
Our Mission, Our Team, Our Impact & How You Can Help!
The Stafford Animal Shelter prevents animal distress by caring for displaced animals, facilitating adoptions and reunions, minimizing pet overpopulation and pioneering humane education & community outreach.
About Us
Stafford Animal Shelter accepts pets in
need regardless of age, species, breed or medical condition. We have no
length of stay restrictions so animals are welcome with us until they find
their forever homes. We accept every pet; abandoned or homeless,
unwanted litters from unspayed and uneutered animals, and those confiscated from hoarding and cruelty cases. As the only nonprofit animal shelter in
Park County, we serve the people and pets of the greater Southwestern Montana including Gallatin, Sweet Grass, Stillwater, Meagher, Fergus counties, Yellowstone National Park and
beyond. We are the only shelter in the region that accepts all lost and unwanted domesticated pets in our "Zoo" where we can
care for a wide range of animals from exotics, rabbits, birds, reptiles, rodents, fish, small mammals and more. We also serve as the care facility for at large animals,
cruelty cases and emergencies for city and county officials and first responders. Of all the animals we take in, approximately half are reclaimed and
half are adopted. Every cat, dog, kitten, puppy and rabbit are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped before being adopted out.
History
The Humane Society of Park County was founded in 1986 by area individuals dedicated to animal welfare who initially found homes for displaced pets and educated the public about the importance of spaying and neutering to reduce animal overpopulation. We became the Stafford Animal Shelter in 1999 when a 4,500-square-foot facility was completed with a generous donation from local, Frances Stafford, to house the community’s displaced pets. In 2009, a new cat wing was completed to more adequately house the community's many abandoned cats. In 2011, the dog wing was enhanced and the separate "Zoo" was built. In 2012 the Shelter expansion project - all funded by an anonymous grantor - was completed with the construction of a multi-purpose building to house rescues, hoarding populations & evacuation cases. Realizing the need for a truly infectious disease quarantine unit and raised, indoor/outdoor dog kennels, "The Bon K9 Rescue Center" was opened in 2016 in the existing multi-purpose building through a generous donation from the Bonnie Allchin. The Shelter now has the ability to properly isolate, house and help more incoming dogs. In June 2022 the entire shelter was destroyed by the devastating Yellowstone Flooding in Park County Montana. The building and contents were almost a total loss, but thankfully all the staff and animals were safely evacuated. The shelter, and most community members, did not have flood insurance so we embarked on a campaign to fundraise and rebuild the entire facility while staying open in a limited capacity to help others in need during that trying time for our town. We fully reopened to the public in our restored building in January of 2023 thanks to the generosity and financial planning of the past and present supporters.
Join Our Pack
A Career That Makes A Difference
Current Openings:
Animal Care Coordinator(s)
Help pets & people in the community as a Full-Time Animal Care Coordinator. Wages start at $18.00 with benefits (for FT). Read more about the position here! Hiring immediately.
Please email resume or attached application to our Director of Shelter Operations, BOrsted@staffordanimalshelter.org.
Foster
Fostering Saves Lives
Open your home to cats and dogs that need special socialization, sleepovers, a hike, a shelter stress break or round-the-clock medical care. Varying degrees of opportunities are available based on your experience. The first step is to complete our quick foster application. Click here:
Amanda will review and contact you shortly! Please let her know if you have any questions: Outreach@staffordanimalshelter.org
Amanda will review and contact you shortly! Please let her know if you have any questions: Outreach@staffordanimalshelter.org
Volunteer
Make a Difference For A Homeless Pet
Our community
of volunteers makes a huge difference in the lives of our shelter animals. We
are so grateful for the folks who give their time and energy to help homeless
pets.
There are
many ways to volunteer at Stafford Animal Shelter. Please read through the list
below, or reach out to Amanda Maguire, our Volunteer Coordinator, at outreach@staffordanimalshelter.org.
Visitors: Cat Companions, Zoo Buddies, and Puppy Cuddlers
- Who: Walk-in visitors are welcome to spend calm, relaxing time with our shelter cats, zoo animals, and puppies. Any minor must always be accompanied by an adult.
- What: Visitors should always check in at the front desk so they can hear specific information about our current shelter animals. For a complete list of Visitor Guidelines, click HERE.
- When: Visiting hours are Wednesday through Sunday, from 12pm to 5pm. We ask that visitors limit their stay to 30 minutes so the animals have time to rest in between visitors.
Trained Volunteers: Animal Enrichment, Dog Walking, Shelter Projects
- Who: Our trained volunteers have a passion for animals, a desire to make a difference in their community, and a willingness to learn. Volunteers must be at least 15 years old, and all minors must receive permission from a guardian.
- What: Our trained volunteers help with dog walking, animal enrichment and socialization, cleaning projects, maintenance, arts and crafts, and events.
- When: Before signing up for a scheduled volunteer shift, all volunteers must submit a VOLUNTEER APPLICATION and attend a Volunteer Training Session (3:30pm – 5:00pm on the first Thursday of every month).
Community Service:
- Who: Stafford Animal Shelter does accept volunteers needing community service hours for school, work, or court. Please know that we may not be able to accommodate every request. Service hours are subject to availability of our staff and availability of projects. Stafford Animal Shelter cannot accommodate volunteers convicted of crimes related to theft, violence, or narcotics.
- What: Our Community Service Volunteers complete shelter projects such as yardwork, maintenance, cleaning, organizing, and general shelter upkeep.
- When: Any Community Service Volunteer must submit a COMMUNITY SERVICE APPLICATION. Once we receive your application, our team will reach out to schedule your first volunteer shift.
Group Volunteer Projects: We welcome corporate volunteer groups and school tours.
However, please note that we limit the number of groups as well as the age of
the participants due to the shelter’s space and the staff’s availability.
Please contact Amanda to reserve a spot.
Special Events and Third Party Fundraising: To help with annual events, party
planning committees or fundraisers on our behalf, contact our Executive
Director, Alicia Davis, adavis@staffordanimalshelter.org.
A 3rd Party Fundraising agreement and preapproval is needed in order to
fundraise, represent or collect funds on behalf of Stafford Animal Shelter.
Pet & People Served
Our Impact on the Community
We keep a yearly count of the animals we've helped—we're incredibly proud of our 2024 lifesaving rate!
Our Team
Our staff is the heart of our organization & mission. They provide support, advocacy, physical and emotional well-being to the 1000+ animals and people we serve in Montana. Please thank them for their hard work when you see them!
Our PartnersThe generosity of our partners helps sustains us
Through gifts and support large and small, our partners help us make a difference in the lives of many pets. Thank you.
Tax Exemption, Financial Information & Transparency Stafford Animal Shelter is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization EIN-36-3432468: Click to view our 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation letter. We are dedicated to financially sound accounting practices and transparent accountability. We are a proud Gold Transparency member of GuideStar.org, Shelter Animals Count and Shelter Pet Data Alliance. We publish our latest financial data, insights on financials, leadership, mission, animal statistics and more. Reach out to our Executive Director with any further questions.
Stafford Animal Shelter is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization EIN-36-3432468: Click to view our 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation letter. We are dedicated to financially sound accounting practices and transparent accountability. We are a proud Gold Transparency member of GuideStar.org, Shelter Animals Count and Shelter Pet Data Alliance. We publish our latest financial data, insights on financials, leadership, mission, animal statistics and more. Reach out to our Executive Director with any further questions.
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