Humane Society of El Paso

100^th review saved for the best place in town! The Humane Society in El Paso (HSEP) is a true gem. It is the nicest and best run animal shelter I have ever set foot it in. I was in awe when I first visited because it was obviously very clean and did not have the usual unpleasant smell that you find at most animal shelters. They really keep this place spick and span which is so important for the comfort of the animals and for reducing spread of disease.
The real standout with HSEP is their volunteer program. Never have I encountered a volunteer program where you can just come in and volunteer just about anytime you want to! You first have to sign up for a volunteer orientation and those are popular and fill up fast so you may have to wait until the following month to attend the orientation. When you first start volunteering you wear an actual white t-​shirt to volunteer. Level 1 volunteers are in fact called White Shirts. As a White Shirt you are able to take out dogs that are labeled as White Shirt dogs — They are labeled so because they are known to be easy going dogs. You are also expected to help out regular staff members if they ask (Or you ask them!) and you also have to do some grunt work like pick up dog poop and do some mopping. Now that may not sound like much fun but it’s really not bad at all. HSEP makes it very easy to clean up after the dogs — you just use a pooper scooper to pick up poop, then you drop it in an outside drain, rinse off, and sanitize. After you complete 12 hours of volunteer work as a White Shirt you are eligible to take the Animal Handler class so that you can become a Blue Shirt volunteer. Being a Blue Shirt is even better because you are more involved with the animals directly and you can take more dogs out and it’s not quite as poop oriented haha! That being said, any good volunteer will scoop up poop as needed. While scooping up poop may not feel like the most amazing job in the world, if you think about it as something that you are doing for the comfort of the animals, then it’s really not bothersome at all. After putting in 25 hours as a Blue Shirt you can move up to a Red Shirt. Red Shirts receive Adoption Counseling training. Adoption Counseling is fun and meaningful because you can play a more direct role in helping the animals to get adopted to good homes. While the goal is to get as many animals adopted out as possible, it’s EXTREMELY important to ensure that the animals and potential owners are going to be a good match! All shirt levels are eligible to participate in offsite adoption events as well. Those are really fun because you go out into the community and help these awesome animals find good homes!
The information above similarly applies to cats as well, but I have personally not been as involved in cat care and cannot comment on it as extensively.
HSEP is involved in all sorts of community activities from their big telethon, to the K-​9 Classic, to their children’s camps in the summer and so much more. It makes me especially happy to see kids getting involved in HSEP and learning about the importance of treating animals with kindness and compassion. It’s also great to see parents and kids volunteering together at the shelter and learning about how much is involved in caring for a pet. These are valuable lessons that will prepare young ones to be mature and responsible future adults!
Another great thing about HSEP is their foster program. There are some animals that do much better in foster homes. Some animals are found in very poor condition and a foster home is the appropriate environment for them to regain their strength and get well again. Some animals are even more affected by being in the shelter environment and simply can’t handle it, so being in a real home is what they need until they find their forever home. Springtime of course yields more puppies and kittens than at other time and these little ones need to be in a home environment while they grow and develop. I have not been able to foster quite as much as I would like, but my personal experience with the foster program has been very positive. Fostering can be challenging but rewarding at the same time. The foster department coordinators are fantastic and will support you in every way while you foster. It’s clear that they care tremendously for each and every animal that comes through the program.
The point of this informational review is to help bring awareness to the Humane Society in El Paso. My hope is that others will read this and will discover how easy it is to be involved with this wonderful organization. I have seen it written before: «If you can’t adopt — foster… If you can’t foster — sponsor… If you can’t sponsor — volunteer… If you can’t volunteer — donate, or transport an animal to safety… If you can’t donate — educate, network, and crosspost… Everyone can do something, large or small, to help save a life…

I am a volunteer here and I have found the treatment of the animal to be extremely sanitary. The volunteers and staff are ALWAYS picking up poop, cleaning themselves off with spray antibiotic and antibiotic hand cleaner and cleaning the kennels and dog runs. They are VERY cautious about not having all of the volunteers touching puppies as to not get them sick, so volunteers only work with dogs over 1 yr. There is a laundry room that is ALWAYS running (with help from volunteers too) that cleans all the towels in hot water with bleach. It is tough to see so many dogs without homes but this place really cares about the animals and they do training just about every week with staff and volunteers in order to educate everyone about how to handle the dogs. They go out into the community and try to get these beautiful creatures noticed. Ryan (female) works with the volunteers and she is excellent with both people and animals alike.

I adopted my first dog (as an adult) from the Humane Society of El Paso… my baby, Bambi. She was the runt, afraid of people and dogs (including the puppies that were in her own litter), extremely skinny, and not the puppy I asked for. No literally, I didn’t ask for her. After I asked one of the staff if I could see the dark brown, fluffy puppy that was all yaps and jumps she went to the inside of the puppy corral and returned with the only puppy that hadn’t made an appearance and said, «What about this one? She’s afraid of people and dogs so she might not get adopted.» And then she offered her to me to hold. I held this terrified puppy close to my body and thought while she was a beautiful puppy and quiet, I didn’t come into the Humane Society thinking I was adopting a dog with «issues» (as small as these issues may seem, at the moment, they seemed huge and possibly more than I could help her with). The staff member interrupted my train of thought and reminded me, «She’s probably not going to get adopted.» Well six years later she’s laying on my couch and I couldn’t imagine my life without her. She’s my partner in crime, my hiking buddy, my big baby, and my best friend.
HSEP is one of my favorite shelters in the area. They are a no-​kill shelter and have a variety of furry friends available for adoption. I want to be frank though, I can tell that dropping off a dog here may be a little tricky since they always seem to be at capacity so if you’re looking for a shelter to drop off call first (if they can’t accept your dog, give Dames For Dogs or the Animal Rescue League of El Paso).
The staff is always great. They’re all very nice and eager to help you find the right dog for you. A while back we were thinking about adopting an adult dog and decided to check out HSEP first. We let them know that we already had a couple of dogs so we’d have to find one that has the right kind of temperament to find their place in our pack. A couple of different staff members helped us out and allowed us to spend time with a few different dogs in large enclosures. Ultimately we ended up adopting an older dog on death row at the next door Animal Services, but I appreciated the time they took with us even though they knew there was no guarantee that we’d be adopting.
Recently they’ve added a dog park with water features and lots of running space. They do a lot to make sure these dogs and cats (and the occasional ferret, rat, or bird) have a good place to stay until they find their permanent home. Even the staff are all very caring, and you can tell when you start talking to them about any of the dogs because they can tell you a whole lot more than what the card says.
The adoption process is one of the easier processes. There’s an adoption fee (usually around $ 100, but sometimes less if they’re running a special) and some paperwork, that’s it. If you’re adopting a pet that requires a few more shots, they might actually take care of that for you… Bambi got all of her necessary shots at the HSEP and after that I’ve only had to find a vet when she needs a new rabies shot.
I 100% recommend HSEP for anyone looking into adopting a new fur baby. They give you the time you need to find the pet for you and they truly care about every animal that comes through their doors. If you aren’t really sure what you’re looking for, they’ll ask you questions and figure out a good match based on your answers. Beyond that, they work with these dogs while they’re there to help teach them tricks and how to walk on the leash so if you do decided to get a dog that is a little older, they’ll be able to tell you what they have down and what they need to work on. Great staff and shelter. If you’re thinking about adoption, start here.

Mthis place loves animals and takes extra stamps to make sure everyone is comfy and happy

A wonderful no kill animal shelter with a great facility, awesome staff and wonderful animals. I’ve adopted a dog here and the trainer on site really helped us find the right animal for our home. We visited with several animals over about 5 different visits before finding the right match. And it was a home run. We’ve had her for about 6 months now and is easily the best pet I’ve ever had. She’s amazing. We went back again today as we are considering finding her a friend. This place does not disappoint. The animals are so loving and deserve a great home. If I could take all of them home I would. Why would anyone ever give these guys up? But their loss is our gain. From puppies to kittens to big old German Shepards. This place absolutely will have the right animal for you and your family. I promise. Great facility. And if you like, inquire about volunteering! They have a solid program. Who wouldn’t wanna volunteer some free time to spend all day with some loving tail wagging guys?! Thy even have fenced dog runs so you can get acquainted with your potential new family member! Love this place and will always keep coming back… Even if it’s just a to say hi to some puppy.

We adopted a puppy from here a week and a half ago and 30 minutes after bringing him home, he started coughing/​gagging. He wouldn’t eat anything and would only drink water. We assumed he had kennel cough and took him to the vet the next day. His temperature was 105°. They gave us antibiotics for kennel cough but to no avail, his coughing got worse and he stopped drinking water. He was showing symptoms for distemper. We took him back to the vet and they gave us a different antibiotic. We have been feeding him with a syringe and he is only getting worse each day. He started twitching and foaming at the mouth and has discharge from his eyes and nose. We don’t know what to do now. We have spent over $ 500 on veterinary bills. They will not answer their phones nor return our calls. I am mad and pissed that this place would knowingly adopt out a sick dog while taking our money. They need to quarantine the place and disinfect everything. I know that there are more dogs there that are infected with distemper. When I told a buddy from work that we were adopting from here, he told us not to because a dog he adopted turned out to have distemper as well. I don’t regret getting our little dog at all. But I would hope that they do not continue to break people’s hearts. It is a very sad thing to go through. If they don’t do anything about this outbreak, we are going to report this to someone. Maybe that will make them change the way they run things.

This place is disgusting and unsanitary! The staff here do not care about the animals here at all!
I adopted a dog here about a week ago and he’s scheduled to be put down tomorrow because he was diagnosed with distemper. I had a friend who also adopted a dog from here and his dog also had distemper.
Do not adopt from here! These ppl intentionally adopt out sick animals. Take your business elsewhere.

Went to volunteer it was really sad to see the animals but it was a great experience, Ryan was extremely helpful.

I told myself I was only going «to look» and I ended up taking a puppy home with me. The animals at the Humane Society are the best. You want to take them all home with you! Haha
My pup did come out to $ 110 because there were no promotions going on at that moment but of course they had given her all her vaccinations and she was spayed already.

I love what they are doing lately, lots of press, lots of events. I think they have one of the hardest tasks in the world. The place is no-​kill which is great and they go across the street to the ‘pound’ to either pull animals or tag them with the HSEP so they won’t get killed either. But they missed out on one star because I don’t know if they try and explain to people the reality of adopting a cat or dog (kitten or pup). We have adopted from them twice. Both animals had been returned and the staff told us they had been returned because they didn’t get along with the families other pets. I know they ask you to bring your other pets in for an introduction, but you really can’t count on that because it’s not home, where there’s pecking order etc. Maybe they should make a video or have a pamphlet about how the first week
or so might be rocky. Both dogs (over the years) we adopted are happy and healthy. There were adjustment issues as with any adoption, but please if you are planning to adopt, consider the problems you may face and make sure you have the time to deal with those problems, issues.whatever. The humane society can only work if the adoptions work, so they will have more room for others. So I love them, they do great work, but they have to give people a reality check! Because have you seen a dog or cat get returned? Heartbreak all around!

They are great until you have an issue. They do not honor the contract they have you sign, then they become super rude reverting to rude comments and trying to blame you when you have an issue that forces you to return a animal within the 4 week period. Section 4 of the contract is not honored at.