NEWSLETTER – The Paw Print Spring 2024

A Letter from the Director:

2024 is here with an amazing start to the year! As I write this letter, my window to my office is open. IN JANUARY. Crazy! I am excited to share that in just a few months, we will moving into our new shelter. Although the entire project will not be complete until summer, moving into this new building will be a milestone for animal welfare in our area. We will be able to help so many more animals and community members than ever before. Just this week, we have received calls from 8 groups wanting to come into the shelter to learn about animal care. These groups all have the same common interest– to help the animals. We won’t officially be opening our doors to groups like this until after our grand opening but isn’t it cool to think that we will offer classes, tours, birthday parties, and so much more to our community in just a few short months.

So what does it look like for us from March – July? Well, we will be having limited to no open hours during this time as we prepare our campus for a new parking lot and complete the outside areas. We will still be on-site 7 days a week for adoptions, surrenders, and owner claims, but you will notice changes that must happen to keep our staff and customers safe. Rest assured though, it is temporary because once we open the doors to our new shelter, we will be expanding our open hours for the entire community!

Thank you to all the supporters, donors, adopters, and volunteers who have made this building a reality. I can’t wait to show you around and welcome you into our new facility.

All My Best,

Shelley Janke

Operational Updates

New Changes for Owner Claims that Affect City of Eau Claire Residents

The Eau Claire County Humane Association would like to inform Eau Claire residents about a change owner claim policies that will go into effect on January 1, 2024.

On November 14, 2023, the Eau Claire City Council adopted an impound fee that is to be charged to animal owners when their animal is brought to the shelter beginning January 1, 2024. The City has animal control officers, equipment, training, and time costs invested when an animal is brought to the Humane Association. The fee is to be charged to all animals who live in the city of Eau Claire at the time the animal owner claims them. The fees are as follows:

• $40.00 – Impound Fee-Licensed Animal: This fee is to be charged to the animal owner when they pick up their animal from the shelter if their animal is licensed with the City of Eau Claire. This is also the fee to be charged if the animal is not licensable (i.e. not a cat or dog).
• $70.00 – Impound Fee-Unlicensed Dog/Cat: This fee is to be charged to the animal owner when they pick up their animal from the shelter and their animal is NOT licensed with the City of Eau Claire. In addition, the animal owner must also purchase a license or prepaid voucher before their animal is released to them. 

The Eau Claire County Humane Association (ECCHA) will not be able to release animals back to their owners without paying this City of Eau Claire fee. ECCHA cannot alter any of these fees, with no exceptions.

Questions? Contact Executive Director, Shelley: director@eccha.org.

You are PAW-SOME!

Shelter Thank You’s & Recognition

• Thank you to WEAU for highlighting our“Home for the Holidays” adoption event on Hello Wisconsin! Because of their generosity, they helped us find homes for almost 100 animals in December.

• Thank you to Blue Granite Wealth! Not only are they a donor to our campaign, but they are also a sponsor of our events, serve on our board of directors, and allowed us to use conference rooms for trainings in 2023.

• Thank you to one of our caretakers, Julie, for helping us with different projects while she is off recovering from surgery. We miss you and are thankful to have you on the team!

• 

  Thank you to the ECCHA Santa Paws committee for another great year! Because of them, we raised close to $18,000 for homeless animals in our care – and they are already starting on 2024 paws!

• Thank you to our project superintendent, Mike, for doing such an amazing job leading the new building and answering all of our questions. Mike won our Friend of the Shelter Award in 2023!

• Thank you to Northwestern Bank for being our Giving Tuesday partner again in 2023! Northwestern Bank helped us raise almost $10,000 for animal care at the end of November. We are so thankful for their generosity!

• Thank you to Citon Computers for choosing ECCHA as their non-profit to benefit during their Tech the Halls event in December! We were able to bring adoptable animals to their event, and employees brought donations for us and filled up our entire van! We cannot thank them enough for their generosity.

Volunteer Spotlight

For our first volunteer spotlight of 2024, let’s highlight our 2023 Volunteer of the Year, Jean Doty! Jean comes in every Monday to help with day-to-day operations like filing, entering checks, and answering phone calls. Jean is also on our Cats Meow and Santa Paws committees. 

Jean has been volunteering at the shelter for more than 2 years and has quickly become and integral part of the ECCHA team. She always comes in with a smile and excitement for any tasks we have for her!

Thank you, Jean!

38th Fido & Friends Run/Walk

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 18, 2024!

The Fido and Friends 5k has been a staple event in the Eau Claire Community for 38 years! We have been lucky to have 200+ participants almost every year.

This event is both family AND dog-friendly! Come hang out with ECCHA staff and volunteers bright and early as we celebrate another year of Fido! Vendors, activities, manicures & microchips, Fido’s Fotobooth, and more!

Get your team together and fundraise for homeless pets at ECCHA and help us achieve our mission. We couldn’t do what we do without the support of our community!

Prevent a Litter Month

In observance of Prevent a Litter Month, ECCHA is offering a Spay/Neuter Coupon at any of the 20 participating veterinarian clinics to get a discount on the cost of the surgery in February and March:

Learn more »

Featured Foster

Aspasia is a great companion. She does not love to be held but she does love attention and will often come around to ask for pets. One of her favorite activities is bird watching and her foster family has the perfect perch for her. She leaves most things alone, including plants! She is your typical dramatic cat and likes to flow at the slightest inconvenience in protest. Aspasia would prefer to be the only animal in the home.

Learn more & adopt »

FAQ of the Quarter

Q: Why does ECCHA have surrender fees?

A: While we wish we did not have to charge fees to those looking to rehome their pet, we must in order to keep our organization available to our community. Surrender fees go toward food, toys, treats, staff time, medications, soft blankets, and warm hugs.

Of course, we do not want this to be a barrier for people trying to do the best thing for their pets. ECCHA is happy to work with residents on fees if it is an issue.