A letter from the Executive Director- Saying Goodbye to Club Pet

For eighteen years, Club Pet has provided the leading pet boarding and doggie day care service to the Wenatchee Valley. That’s why this news is so hard. It is with great sadness that I’m announcing that, effective January 15, 2020, Club Pet will be closing its doors. I understand this may come as a surprise and disappointment to many Club Pet clients. 

Club Pet, owned and operated by Wenatchee Valley Humane Society (WVHS) a private 501(c)3 non-profit, was launched in 2002 to provide services for owned pets and offset the rising costs of operating an animal shelter. The bleak reality is that Club Pet has operated at a significant loss over the past ten years which, ultimately, has caused a financial burden rather than relief for the shelter.  In addition to the multi-annual loss, expenses continue to increase.  Despite efforts to upgrade the facilities including an inside play area for dogs, fresh paint, new kennel doors and sound barrier, the building still needs expensive repairs and upgrades.  Another contributing factor is that the state minimum wage has steadily been increasing and on January 1, 2020 the increase takes a huge leap from $12.00 to $13.50 per hour.  In order to stay afloat, fees for boarding and daycare would need to nearly triple, which customers have expressed that they cannot afford.

Prior to making the decision to close Club Pet, the WVHS Board approved plans and funding to expand the WVHS veterinarian clinic. Initially, the 3,000 square foot clinic was going to be an addition to the South side of the shelter building at a cost of approximately $1.5 million.  However, after the decision was made to close Club Pet, it make sense to re-purpose the building into the clinic, which will significantly reduce construction costs and add more parking, which is in short supply.  A portion of the space will also be modified into a Shelter Behavioral Center.

The Healthy Pet Clinic will give the WVHS medical team room to expand spay and neuter services our community so desperately needs. WVHS currently employs a clinic staff of six including two full time veterinarians who provide critical medical care to nearly 5,000 shelter animals every year.  Working out of a cramped 300 square foot space, our veterinarians ensure that every pet adopted from WVHS is healthy, spayed/neutered, microchipped and vaccinated. 

The primary role of the clinic is to treat shelter animals and provide low cost spay and neuter services to income qualified pet owners.  This vital program reduces unplanned litters in our community, overcrowding of the shelter and ultimately saves lives.  The current need for these surgeries is far greater than our small clinic’s capacity. 

Eventually, the Healthy Pets Clinic may become a referral clinic for veterinarians whose clients cannot afford critical treatment.  Regardless of income, our pets are increasingly becoming a bigger part of our lives. Offering veterinary services to low-income households will remove some of the financial burden of animal healthcare, empowering people to care for their pets and allowing them to stay together rather than surrendering them to the shelter.

A portion of the Club Pet kennels and the inside play yard will also advance the shelter Dog Behavioral Program, allowing the shelter behavior team to treat extremely shy and fearful dogs while maintaining its commitment to a no-kill facility.

Both of these programs are well within the scope of WVHS’s mission and both are in high demand to continue to make the Wenatchee Valley a more humane society.

Even if the clinic expansion were not happening, closing Club Pet was the fiscally responsible decision, one which possibly should have been made many years ago. The WVHS Board and I are very aware of the loyalty Club Pet customers have for the facility and to their pet.  Honestly, a fear of disappointing them was one of the contributing factor in why it took so long to finally conclude that we must close it.

We are thankful to the community for its support of Club Pet for the past eighteen years.  We are currently compiling of list of resources for boarding and day care options including some of our well trained staff and volunteers.  If you are interested in this list, please let me know.

I hope you will join us as we move forward on this next step for our community.

Sincerely,

Dawn Davies
Executive Director