By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES — We learned on Wednesday the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society (OPHS) will indefinitely close its Bark House dog shelter and campus due to what Executive Director Jason Stipp said is an overwhelming financial strain from an historic rise in animal surrenders since the pandemic.
We spoke with Stipp, who only began as Director in February, and asked if he could have foreseen this outcome 5 months ago.
“I think the organization appeared to be in better shape than it was financially. I asked those questions in the interview and, you know, I didn’t start looking at the books, but once I got here we started looking at it. And, you know, we had a big fundraiser, Meowgheritas and Mutts that didn’t do very well, and we’ve kind of been trending in the wrong direction for a while. And, you know, when you look at the financials, we’re spending about a hundred and forty thousand a month, and we’re bringing in about a hundred. So, at a 140K loss a month, it’s not a sustainable business model.”
Stipp says he and the Board of directors agreed that the only viable decision was to close the facility on a goal date of August 30, put the property up for sale, and pivot their efforts to creating a combined dog and cat facility at what is now Kitty City in Sequim. We asked why that makes more sense than putting more money into the Bark House, or even moving Kitty City to the larger bark House campus.
“I know it’s not a popular decision to close the Bark House, but the Bark House itself is very poorly built to house dogs. It would be good for maybe daycare, but it’s not conducive to do adoptions. The building itself has no quarantine area. There’s…the HVAC system is terrible. So one of the problems we’ve had is, one animal gets sick and then they all get sick, and that’s an incredibly expensive endeavor. So, by taking a step back right now, we’ll be able to take big strides in the future. I know this is a tough time, but we feel like we’re strategizing for the long run here, and we’re going to be better for it.”
Stipp said he understands that an influx of donations right now could sustain the Bark House and its employees for a while, but he believes they’d quickly be right back in the same spot they’re in. He said he and the Board agreed that the best use of their funds going forward is to combine the two facilities.
Closing shop at the end of August means all dogs in the shelter are living on a short timer. What will happen to any dogs that don’t find a home by then?
“And this is a goal, okay? But we are open to the public right now for adoptions, and we will remain open as long as we have dogs. We are still honoring our mission, and we will extend that date as long as necessary. Within reason, of course, but we’re going to work very hard to get these animals adopted. And those we can’t get adopted, we’re going to work very hard to get them transferred. And you know, we are actively seeking other shelters throughout the state of Washington, throughout state of Oregon, throughout the state of California, and throughout the state of Nevada. We’re willing to transfer them that far because that’s what we want to do. Our mission states that we do not euthanize based on time or space, and we can we will continue to honor that.”
Another aspect of closing the shelter is the fact that OPHS has contracts with the County and the cities of Sequim and Port Angeles to take in any dogs that are impounded by Animal Control officers. Stipp said that the number of dogs coming in has at times far exceeded what they can handle, and it’s become an unsustainable arrangement that often leads to the euthanizing of unadoptable dogs. He said he has scheduled a meeting with the County and cities for Monday, July 22 to discuss the matter.
“This is not a permanent thing. You know, it’s a necessary step back, but we intend to come back strong in this community and set ourselves up so we can be a strong organization for the next 50 years, adopting thousands of more dogs. This is our goal. We’re not just trying to up and run from everybody.”