Our Goals

Together we can make a difference for the people and pets within Barry County. Some of our upcoming goals and to-be-launched initiatives are outlined below. Join us on this epic journey as we create paw-sitive change!

pexels-serra-nur-cevikdal-2147703100-30149548_edited.jpg

Evaluate & Pursue New Avenues for Funding

Barry County Humane Society is looking to the future! We know that we need to step up our game when it comes to funding our plans, goals, and dreams for the future! In addition to accepting online donations through our website, we will begin to investigate attracting more interest through social media to expand who might support our mission; seek out state, federal, and organizational grants; look into "round up" funding within local businesses and organizations; restructure our fees with adoption/drop-off; and so much more!

Screenshot 2026-06-27 at 1.52_edited.jpg

Create New Programs for Low & No Cost Vet Assistance for Pet Parents in Need

Barry County has 64,000 people and an estimated 2/3 of households within our communities has at least one pet! With approximately 40,000 pets within Barry County, we recognize that there is a need for help paying for pet veterinary visits. Our goals include providing vouchers for families in need.

Create a Foster & Adoption Program

Within the next 12 to 18 months, we hope to establish a foster and adoption program to increase lifesaving capacity, improve animal outcomes, support volunteers, and position BCHS for sustainable growth. Initially, we're looking to start with cat and kitten fosters and as the program grows expand into dogs and other common local pets. If you're interested in helping foster in Barry County, please use our contact page and include a note for Volunteer Mardi, who will be happy to help get you going!

Working hand in hand to prevent animal cruelty.

BCHS will work in unison with Barry County Animal Control and the Barry County Sheriff Department to enforce the laws protecting our precious animals.

Trap & Release (TNR)

Last year one of our volunteers, Tim, trapped and released and/or rehomed 1,500 cats! It sounds like a large number and it is an immense example of the work that our volunteers do but its just a drop in the bucket. According to the Feral Cat Project, a single female cat will average six kittens annually with nearly 75% dying before they themselves reach four months of age (in which they could become pregnant). In a perfect environment, a single unspayed female cat and her offspring could product over 100 cats in seven years. Multiplied by how many cats are indoor/outdoor, abandoned, escaped, colony cats, or a dozen other scenarios, it is easy to see that we need to continue to step up our efforts in TNR within Barry County.

In Barry County, the typical cost to TNR a single cat ranges from $30 to $75 per animal. This option typically covers the spay/neuter surgery, a rabies vaccination, a mandatory left ear-tip for identification, and sometimes additional treatments as necessary. Our goal is to not only create a fund to provide vouchers for TNR volunteers, so that they do not have to fund these efforts out of their own pockets, but also to expand our volunteer network so that we can better serve more cats within our borders.

Bring an Emergency Vet Clinic to Barry County

24/7 Emergency Vet Clinic within the borders of Barry County is a long term goal. Closest emergency clinics are Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, or Lansing. We hope to have local options that support our pets, our community members, and our community.