Kaua’I Humane Society (KHS) was established in 1952 after a group of concerned citizens came together and realized the Kaua’i—one of the eight major Hawaiian Islands, also known as The Garden Isle—needed an animal shelter to help find homes and provide care for lost and abandoned dogs on the island. KHS is the only open-admission animal shelter on the island of Kaua`I, and they are often the only resource for pet owners on the island—and the last hope for thousands of stray and homeless animals every year.
Dark Dog Posse had a chance to speak with Christine Larson, Customer Service Manager for KHS to find out more about their organization and some of the unique programs they have to offer, including a Field Trip program that allows visitors to basically adopt a dog for a day to help get them out of the shelter for a while, to provide socialization, and to promote greater adoption rates. Here’s what Christine had to say.
Tell us more about your shelter.
KHS has been serving the island of Kaua’i as its only open-intake animal shelter since 1952, when it opened a shelter in Hanapepe. About 20 years ago, Kaua’i Humane Society relocated to a new, bigger facility and has been here ever since. There are current plans to expand the facility and have a separate vet clinic and boarding facility!
In the last four years, we have changed the focus of our shelter. We no longer ask, “Should we save this animal?” We now ask, “How can we save this animal?” The result of this change in perspective has brought incredible success.
Because of these efforts, we have hit life-saving milestones previously thought unattainable, as well as expanded our efforts outside of our walls and have become a community resource. Although more than 2,700 animals came to us to be rehomed last year, we were able to successfully find 957 homes here on the island, return 383 pets to their owners, and transfer 631 animals from our overcrowded shelter to shelter partners on the mainland.
KHS has made great strides in our lifesaving goals, particularly focusing on animals that previously would have been euthanized upon intake. These include neonatal kittens, kittens with panleukopenia, heartworm-positive dogs, and animals with more substantial medical concerns.
We have also been able to save more lives by preventing surrenders in the first place.
After assessing why animals were being surrendered to us by owners, we concluded that often it was a lack of resources. It could be as simple as not enough food for their pets, to something more involved like owners experiencing medical emergencies and having no one to care for their pets. In 2023 alone, KHS provided food to more than 500 families, or approximately 800 dogs and 600 cats to help keep families together. Life-saving surgeries were performed at a fraction of what a private veterinarian would charge, and hundreds of free preventative vaccinations were administered to help keep pets healthy.
What sets you apart from other rescues/shelters?
Aside from being the only open-intake animal shelter on Kauai, we also serve our community via our Vaccine Clinic, Spay & Neuter Clinic, and our Community Care Center. These services act as one of the few low-cost options for pet owners.
There are also more than one million visitors to the island each year which encouraged KHS to start a Shelter Dog Field Trip Program. A visitor or resident can take a dog out for the day to explore the island or just get a break from the shelter. This not only benefits the staff at the shelter by reducing the number of dogs in the shelter for the day, but it also allows the dog the opportunity to meet potential adopters and to learn more about their personalities. On average, this program helps find homes for three to five dogs each week!
Why is saving animals so important to you and the staff at KHS?
Dogs and cats are truly wonderful companions, and supporting those relationships has led to lifelong companions for thousands of animals and their families. We often see animals that have been lost or abandoned, sick or injured, with no one to care for them, and we know we can make a difference in that animal’s life. Providing quality, lifesaving and life-changing care, and helping place that now healthy animal into a home makes all the efforts worthwhile. KHS also takes great pride in providing resources to pet owners to help keep pets healthy and with their families.
Tell us about some of those other resources.
Services within our organization include:
Animal Control Services
The Kaua’i Humane Society is a service of the County of Kaua’i. KHS is contracted to respond to stray dog pickup and custody seizures; investigation and citation for leash laws; nuisances committed by dogs; barking dogs; dangerous dog claims; licensing; investigating animal cruelty, neglect, and abuse; and picking up injured, distressed, sick/ill animals. KHS will also remove deceased dogs from roadways.
Veterinarian Services
- Low-cost Spay & Neuters, offered to the public at least one day a week for cats and dogs, as well as small mammals (upon request).
- Low-Cost Vaccine, Microchip, Flea & Dewormer Treatment Clinic, offered to the public on Tuesdays and the First Saturday of the month.
- Low-Cost Community Care Center open on Tuesdays offers appointment and walk-in services for medical exams beyond just vaccines, microchips, or flea/tick treatment. The Community Care Center can offer preventative care and treatment of conditions that are non-life threatening. We also offer health certificates for off-island travel and landlord health exams.
Direct Release & Quarantine
Hawai’i is the only state in the USA that requires incoming dogs and cats to pass the OIE-FAVN Rabies Test. This is because Hawai’i is a Rabies Free State. If people returning to/coming to the island wish to bypass the quarantine period for their pets, they can take the steps for a Direct Release. This Direct Release Program allows our team to meet the animals at the airport to sign off on immediate release once we verify they have undergone all appropriate steps and tests.
Bringing your companion animal to Kaua’i is a multi-step process that requires diligence, a thorough approach, and organizational skills. If you follow the required steps, it can be accomplished successfully. All of the steps must be completed for your animal(s) to qualify for this program. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture is strict, and one oversight will require the process to start all over again.
Critter Camp
This day-camp gives kids a fun introduction to animal care in a supportive environment. Campers will learn how to safely play with animals, how the animal shelter works, and what it means to be a good pet owner. We offer Critter Camp during various times of the year, generally spring break, in the summer, and sometimes in the winter.
Surrendering a Pet
Kaua’i Humane Society (KHS) is available to assist in rehoming pets and/or provide resources so pet parents can keep their pet. Surrendering is via appointment only and considered a last step in attempting to rehome a pet, as we encourage private rehoming or refer their pet for veterinarian or behavioral courses if necessary.
Pet Boarding
The Kaua’i Humane Society offers quality boarding services for dogs and cats to anyone with an active KHS Membership. Our Membership also gives access to our Large and Small Dog Parks, located on site, that are open during regular business hours. The public can also buy day passes to utilize our dog parks (https://kauaihumane.org/service/dog-park-day-passes/).
Pet Behavior & Training
We do not currently have any on-site training. Our website currently directs clients to check out some online resources available for dogs and cats.
Transfer Partnerships
We work with more than a dozen rescue partners on the mainland, who help take over care for some of our adoptable animals to lessen the burden of our capacity crisis. We fly animals to the mainland to find potential adopters at the new rescue organization. Typically, we cover the cost of the flights and pre-flight medical, which cost approximately $300 per animal.
Tell us more about the Field Trip Program.
Our Field Trip program essentially allows visitors or residents to “rent a dog for the day.” Taking the dog out of the shelter and allowing him or her to have a fun day is incredibly beneficial to the dog’s mental health, it often helps the dog get adopted, and most importantly, we get to learn more about the dog’s true behavior.
The Field Trip Program is dedicated to Jian Mehta. Tell us more about him.
The “Field Trips for Shelter Dogs” program is lovingly dedicated to Jian Mehta, a beautiful soul whose 23-year sojourn on this Earth was far too brief yet impacted many. While growing up in Southern California, four-legged family members seemed to accompany him throughout every phase of his childhood. Kyana, the terrier-beagle mix mutt was a favorite, as were Oreo the chihuahua, Millie the Borzoi, Kai the cat, and Kona the pit bull.
During 2015, Jian’s missionary work launched him into an outreach in South Africa, a leadership conference in Italy, and a staff position in Germany as the Worship Leader for the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Berlin Base. Jian’s plans took a tragic turn early in 2016 when he fell ill with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). For almost three years, Jian was in and out of the hospital—sometimes for weeks and months at a time.
In between hospital stays, Jian became an avid bird watcher and developed special relationships with the majestic, winged creatures. Suffice it to say, Jian’s cancer battle was intense and hard-fought. Jian dedicated his life to sharing his religious beliefs with others and he was a life-long animal advocate. To honor his passion, we hope you will dedicate time on your trip to help Kauai’s shelter dogs get some exercise and a little sunshine. In honor of Jian and to aid all of Kauai’s shelter pets in need, Kaua`i TV has sponsored and promoted the Field Trip Program on the Kaua`i Visitor’s Channel at no charge to KHS for the past 10 years. KHS is very grateful for this partnership because this helps the program reach tons of visitors every year!
Is the Field Trip Program unique to your shelter or are others in the area doing it?
The Kauai Humane Society and the Maui Humane Society are the only animal shelters in Hawai’i doing this program at this time. We have had several other rescues on the mainland reach out with interest in starting up a similar program. We hope to see more shelters utilizing this, as it really benefits the dogs!
And there are different fees associated with the program to provide additional assistance to the shelter?
Yes. Our Field Trip program is a minimum $40 fee, this is the basic fee that goes into keeping the program running! Since all of our dogs get sent with a backpack that has everything they need for the day, it helps with upkeep.
You can also donate additionally when you book:
- The $60 fee helps sponsor the food for one shelter dog in a week.
- The $100 Field Trip fee helps with the expenses for spaying/neutering one shelter dog.
- And the $300 fee helps fund a shelter dogs transfer to a mainland rescue.
Your website says that your dogs will have a better chance of getting adopted on the mainland.
Our Dogs have a better chance of getting adopted on the mainland (contiguous United States), due to the higher populations of people where our rescue partners are located! The higher the population pool, the more chance of one of our animals being adopted.
Taking one of our dogs on a Field Trip can most certainly lead to a transfer to one of our Trusted Partners. The more visibility a dog has, the higher chance our partners are interested in transferring them.
Field Trip clients are also welcome to adopt these animals themselves! We have an Off-island Adoption program, which allows field trip participants or people they meet while on their excursion to adopt. KHS handles all of the flight coordination, and the new paw-rents just pick up their new pet at the airport! In 2023 alone we adopted more than 200 animals to families on the mainland which is critical to our lifesaving mission.
How can other animal shelters or rescues get involved?
If you are affiliated with an animal rescue or shelter on the mainland and are interested in partnering with us, please fill out the form on our Transfer Program page (https://kauaihumane.org/service/transfer-program/) and our transfer coordinator will reach out to you.