Wonderful Staff. Clean Facilities.
The dogs and cats are treated like fur family and have human interactions frequently. You can’t go wrong coming here to adopt, volunteer, or just visit.
Our Heritage – Serving our community continuously since 1952, the Animal Welfare Society of Jefferson County, WV was incorporated in West Virginia on February 7, 1952 as a non-profit corporation. Founding members included Mabel B. Venable, William S. Venable, W.P.C. Perry, Cora I. Chambers and Forrest A. Brown.
The Animal Welfare Society has a proud tradition of serving our community and domestic pets in need. We have served continuously since 1952. AWS was formed to provide care and protection for suffering, homeless and unwanted animals, to educate the public in respect to humane treatment of animals, and to encourage and assist in the enforcement of laws against mistreatment of and cruelty to animals.
During two decades from 1958-1978, the Society passed through a period in which there was little growth and in which rising costs and limited membership income hampered the Society’s activities. Yet, the founders persevered in their vision and mission. The 72 member AWS was the only organization in the county trying to solve the problem of acute unwanted stray pet explosion.
Among the projects undertaken was a spay/neuter program in cooperation with Friends of Animals and local veterinarians, a cooperative effort with the county on low-cost rabies vaccinations, and a program to increase knowledge of children in proper pet care. All of these programs continue today!
Proper housing for abandoned cats, kittens, dogs and puppies didn’t exist. The county only housed adult dogs. So in 1985, AWS completed construction of the current animal shelter on Old Leetown Pike. The shelter accommodates 20 dog/puppies and roughly 30 cats/kittens. As a no-kill shelter, we are normally overflowing with pets seeking a second chance for a loving home.
The Animal Welfare Society is governed by an all volunteer Board of Directors. The Board elects officers from their ranks every two years. The Board oversees all aspects of shelter management and operations. A Shelter Oversight Committee, composed of three Board members, has day-to-day interaction with the shelter staff. The Board is a “working Board”, actively planning and conducting a number of fundraising events throughout the year.
We pride ourself in the services we provide and operating in a cost-effective manner.
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Officers and Board members are elected every two years during the annual meeting of members, which is held the 3rd Sunday in November.
Officers – 2022-2024
Ex officio Member
> Adrianne Doering, VMD
Board of Directors
The Animal Welfare Society of Jefferson County, WV is committed to maintaining your privacy.
Information Collected from Visitors Using the Public Areas of Our Website
The Animal Welfare Society of Jefferson County does not collect any personal information from visitors browsing our website unless they voluntarily submit it through one of our forms requesting information or contacting us with an inquiry. Only aggregate data such as the number of hits per page are collected. We can see the IP address and, in some cases, the host name of your internet providers. But none of this data provides any personal information that tells us your identity.
In no event do we sell or share any e-mail address or identifiable information that may be obtained through our website, or otherwise provided to us through an adoption or inquiry process. All information we may collect through these means is solely for the use of the Animal Welfare Society of Jefferson County in communicating with individuals who have signed up for e-mail notices from us.
We may provide links within our website to external website resources not under the control of the Animal Welfare Society of Jefferson County. In this event, we have no control over any information these external websites may collect. These sites may have their own privacy policy that will govern information they collect and the use of that information
The dogs and cats are treated like fur family and have human interactions frequently. You can’t go wrong coming here to adopt, volunteer, or just visit.
They gave us handmade blankets, treats, toys, leash, and gave a very respectful veterans adoption fee discount. Highly recommended.
Great people with high standards and huge hearts.
We are thrilled to have our new family member Levi! The adoption process though AWSJC was very reassuring, helpful and supportive. The staff clearly cared about the animals and their prospective homes. I was encouraged to visit more than once and spend time with him. The home visit and introduction to our current family of a dog and cats proved a positive experience and showed us good things do happen. We thank the staff for our new addition – he’s a gem!