Community steps in to keep puppies cool at Spokane Human Society | New

SPOKANE, Wash. – As a heat wave takes hold in the interior northwest, an excessive heat warning has been put in place. These brutal temperatures can have deadly consequences for humans, as well as our four-legged friends.

Keeping all the good boys and girls for adoption at the Spokane Humane Society (SHS) cool is a challenge, a which, with the help of the community, has been manageable for the nonprofit.

“I wouldn’t want to be in my house in 100 degree heat, and I certainly wouldn’t want pets inside,” said Tina Frogner, who donated cooling supplies to SHS.

Tina and her husband, Don, saw the need for help on the Humane Society Facebook page, a ask for cooling supplies to keep the adoptive puppies safe in the heat.

“The cats are indoors, they’re fine, but we have our larger kennels that aren’t air-conditioned,” said Briana Berner, senior director of development at the Spokane Humane Society.

Hence the need to have fans, cooling pads and pools ready for use. That’s on top of everything Berner said they were already doing. Like transferring the dogs with the heaviest coats to their air-conditioned satellite locations.

“PetSmart and Bark (Bar) have indoor air conditioning for their kennels, so they screen all of our animals up there as we can,” explained Sheena Bryant, shelter manager at SHS.

With 80 animals, not all of them can go, and so many puppies are stuck without air conditioning. But thanks to the hard work of the staff—and the essential gifts of the community—Bryant and Berner say these good boys and girls will be fine.

“We’ve probably already received three dozen cooling mats; we had a bunch of fans deliver,” Bryant said. “The community has grown tremendously, and they show us how much they care about us every day.”

For the Frogners, knowing that their donations will help keep these pups comfortable until they find homes is all the payback they need.

“Like I said, it’s a very old building, and it’s not new and beautiful and shiny like SCRAPS, but their dedication to animals is just as great,” Frogner said.

In an effort to give dogs—and staff—a little break from the heat, SHS does adoptions by appointment only. They are also working on installing permanent air conditioning in the kennels. But that, according to Berner, will take time.

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