Business Details
50+ Years
experience
Emergency
services
Your Trusted Animal Shelter in Kennewick, WA
Founded in 1966, we are a private, no-kill adoption center dedicated to promoting exceptional pet ownership and placing animals in loving homes. Our mission extends beyond adoption through community education, humane advocacy, and critical support services like our pet food bank. As a 501(c)3 non-profit, we operate without government funding, relying solely on donor generosity and volunteer efforts. Our team has implemented life-saving initiatives, including emergency shelter partnerships and veterinary care programs, while maintaining fiscal responsibility with zero debt.We uphold core values of compassion, integrity, and respect, evidenced by our five American Humane Association 'Standard of Excellence' awards. Our facility includes a surgical suite and serves as a national emergency receiving shelter for major animal welfare organizations. Through transparency and accountability, we meet BBB's Twenty Standards and maintain Guidestar's Gold Seal of Transparency, ensuring donor confidence in our work.
Services
Adoption Services
Animal Shelter
Community Education
Pet Food Bank
Volunteer Programs
Details
- Year established: 1966
Highlights and features
- We maintain zero debt while tripling animal housing capacity through strategic development
- Our surgical suite provides essential veterinary care for all shelter animals
- We operate the region's only pet food bank serving hundreds of families monthly
- Recognized by American Humane Association with five Standard of Excellence awards
- We meet BBB's Twenty Standards of Charitable Accountability for donor transparency
Associations and certifications
- BBB Standards for Charity Accountability
- Guidestar Gold Seal of Transparency
- American Humane Association Standard of Excellence
What people say
Loving forever homes
Amazing cat adoption
Perfect fit family
Social butterfly pet
Community support programs
Services
Adoption Services
Our comprehensive adoption program matches homeless animals with loving families through personalized counseling and behavioral assessments. We provide medical care, spay/neuter services, and post-adoption support. The process includes pet meet-and-greets, adoption questionnaires, and 24-hour holds to ensure proper decision-making.
Animal Shelter
As a no-kill shelter, we provide temporary housing, medical treatment, and daily care for homeless animals. Our facility includes dedicated cat and dog rooms, outdoor play areas, and specialized medical spaces. We maintain strict health protocols and behavioral enrichment programs to ensure animal well-being.
Community Education
We promote responsible pet ownership through outreach programs, school presentations, and public workshops. Our initiatives focus on animal welfare, bite prevention, and the human-animal bond. Educational materials and counseling services help prevent pet relinquishment and strengthen community relationships.
Pet Food Bank
This vital program helps financially struggling families keep their pets by providing free pet food and supplies. Available during regular business hours, the service prevents pet surrender while supporting community members in need. The program serves hundreds of families monthly across the Tri-Cities area.
Volunteer Programs
Our volunteer initiatives engage community members in animal care, adoption events, and facility maintenance. Opportunities include dog walking, cat socialization, and special event support. Training programs ensure volunteers contribute effectively to our mission while gaining valuable animal care experience.
People
Autumn White
Executive Director
Autumn White leads BFHS with over 15 years of animal welfare experience. She accepted two regional PMI awards in 2023 for our emergency shelter management initiatives. Dedicated to community collaboration, she expanded our services to include veterinary care and food assistance programs.
Questions
What adoption services do you offer?
We provide dog and cat adoptions with medical exams, behavioral assessments, and post-adoption support. The process includes meet-and-greets, counseling, and 24-hour decision holds.
How can I support your organization?
Support through monthly donations ($19/month), the Brick Lane program ($60), or one-time gifts. Volunteer opportunities and in-kind donations of pet supplies also help our mission.
Do you accept stray animals?
We cannot accept stray animals to maintain proper animal control funding. However, we partner with local authorities for emergency shelter needs and national rescue efforts.
What community programs exist?
Our pet food bank assists hundreds monthly. We offer humane education programs, volunteer opportunities, and special events to engage the community in animal welfare initiatives.
Are donations tax-deductible?
Yes, as a 501(c)3 non-profit, all donations are tax-deductible. We provide receipts for all contributions and maintain financial transparency through annual reports and audits.
What are your operating hours?
We're open Tuesday-Sunday 11am-4pm. The shelter is closed Mondays but offers 24/7 emergency shelter partnerships for critical animal welfare situations.
Reviews (7)
Cristy Klinger
Jun 28, 2022
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We adopted a cat, he is very healthy and mischievous, only takes 3 days for Eddie felt he was at home with us.
Michelledonley
Jun 11, 2022
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This is a clean shelter. Currently (June 10th, 2022) only the cats are available to be seen by walk ins. Very friendly cats and kittens available. The only thing I would suggest is to have genders listed for the kittens. (I didn't see this available)
James Griffiths
Jun 09, 2022
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DON'T EXPECT MUCH HELP IF THE DOG YOU ADDOPT HAS PROBLEMS. THE PERSON THAT WAS SUPPOSET TO HELP ME GAVE ME HER PHONE NUMBER AND QUIT RETURNING MY CALLS FOR HELP. I HAVE GOTTEN MORE HELP FROM MY LOCAAL PET SUPPLY STORE THEN SHE GAVE ME.
Denise Welch
Mar 29, 2022
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I would love to adopt a dog here but nobody is answering the phone and it's by appointment only. The pictures that they have sharedOn the website show the animals look very very sad and unkept and sickly. Someone needs to revamp the facility so these animals can find loving homes. I'm hoping that I will be contacted before my dog is euthanized!
Larry Perales
Feb 23, 2022
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I live right next door to it but I've gone in there looking for a dog and it's okay they got some pretty good dogs in there I forgot the people going in and out of there with dogs the staff is very friendly I'm very well at their job
Blake Korenkiewicz
Feb 12, 2022
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Got an amazing cat from amazing staff and the care that they provided blew me away. Clean place and friendly staff definitely made it a pleasant experience. Going to get my next animal from this shelter.
Klonda Kee
Jan 15, 2022
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Who is making these adoption fees? $700 for a puppy with no health testing. An obese senior dog is ALSO $700?! No wonder their kennels are full. these poor dogs are literally homeless and being sold for barely less than what a responsible breeder would charge. The staff I spoke to didn't even feel comfortable charging that much! They don't even do rabies vaccines or heartworm testing. Surrounding rescues max out at $300, do more for the dogs, and aren't getting funded by the towns. Place is run like a pet store, not a humane society.
